1763. to discover. From a list of books* lent to him by Newbery, a compilation on popular philosophy appears to have been Et. 35. contemplated; he was certainly engaged in the revision of what was meant to be a humorous recommendation of female government entitled Description of Millenium Hall, as well as in making additions to four juvenile volumes of Wonders of Nature and Art; and he had yet more to do with another book, the System of Natural History by Dr. Brookes (the author of the Gazetteer), which he thoroughly revised, and to which he not only contributed a graceful preface, but several up the vouchers." £48 1 6 A promissory note was given by Goldsmith for the balance. Prior, i. 459-60. * Newbery MSS. "Nov. 25, 1762. Lent Dr. Goldsmith. Martin's Philosophy, 3 vols 8vo; Kiel's Introduction; Macquart's Chemistry, 3 vols, French; Encyclopædia, 8 vols folio, French; Chinese Letters, French; Persian, ditto; Pemberton's Views of Newton's Philosophy; Hale's Vegetable Statics, 2 vols 8vo; Ferguson's Astronomy, 4to; Buffon's Natural History, 9 vols 4to; The Origin of Laws, Arts, and Sciences, 3 vols 8vo, Edinburgh." Newbery MSS. Prior, i. 415. 1763. Æt. 35. In a introductions to the various sections, full of picturesque animation. He was to have received for this labour "eleven guineas in full," but it was increased to nearly thirty. He had also some share in the Martial Review or General History of the late War, the profits of which Newbery had set apart for his luckless son-in-law, Kit Smart. memorandum furnished by himself to the publisher, he claims three guineas for Preface to Universal History (a rival to the existing publication of that name, set on foot by Newbery and edited by Guthrie); two guineas for Preface to Rhetoric, and one for Preface to Chronicle, neither of these last now traceable; three guineas for Critical and Monthly, presumed to be contributions to Newbery's magazines; and twenty-one pounds on account of a History of England. A subsequent receipt acknowledges another twenty-one pounds "which with "what I received before, is in full for the copy of the History of England in a series of Letters, two volumes in 12mo." This latter book, which was not published till the following year, claims a word of description. Such of the labours of 1763 as had yet seen the light, were not of a kind to attract much notice. "Whenever I write anything," said Goldsmith, "I think the public make a point to know nothing about "it." So, remembering what Pope had said of the lucky lines that had a lord to own them, the present book was issued, doubtless with Newbery's glad concurrence, as a History of England in a series of Letters from a Nobleman to his Son. It had a great success in that character; passed * Newbery MSS. Prior, i. 468, 473-4, 477, 479, and 498. The subjoined is from a copy in Goldsmith's own handwriting: "Brookes' History, 117 118; Pre"face to Universal History, 31 38; Preface to Rhetoric, 21 28; Preface to Chronicle, "17 18; History of England, 217; The Life of Christ, 107 10s; The Life [Lives] "of the Fathers, 107 108; Critical and Monthly, 37 38.-Total, 631. Received, "October 11, 1763, the contents, of Mr. Newbery. OLIVER GOLDSMITH." + Boswell, vii. 84. through many editions; and was afterwards translated into 1763. French by the wife of Brissot, with notes by the revolutionary Æt. 35. leader himself. The nobleman was supposed to be Lord Chesterfield, so refined was the style; Lord Orrery had also the credit of it; but the persuasion at last became general that the author was Lord Lyttelton,* and the name of that grave good lordt is occasionally still seen affixed to it on the bookstalls. The mistake was never formally corrected: it being the bookseller's interest to continue it, and not less the author's as well, when in his own name he subsequently went over the same ground. But it was not concealed from his friends; copies of the second edition of the book were sent with his autograph to both Percy and Johnson; and his friend Cooke tells us, not only that he had really written it in his lodgings at Islington, but how and in what way he did so. In the morning, says this authority, he would study, in Rapin, Carte, Kennett's Complete History, and the recent volumes of Hume, as much of what related to the period on which he was engaged * As late as 1793, it became matter of discussion in the Gentleman's Magazine (lxiii. 799, &c) which of these three noblemen had written the letters; whereupon a better informed correspondent told Mr. Urban the real name of the writer, and added: "Goldsmith was much gratified to find the assumed character so well sustained, as to pass upon the world for real; and was often diverted with the contending opinions of such as ascribed it to one or other of the above noblemen. "This information comes from one who had a copy given him by the real author "when it first came from the press, and who had often laughed with him at the success of his fiction." Gent. Mag. Ixiii. 1189. 66 + It may have been in consequence of its success in this instance, that the reckless author of Dr. Syntax, Combe, placed the name of the second or "wicked" lord to his wonderfully clever collection of letters. In the course of a recent attempt in the Quarterly Review (xc. 91-163) to identify this second lord with Junius, which I cannot but regard as altogether unsound, though in parts ingenious, a wholly unwarranted assumption is made of the genuineness of these letters in the main. There cannot be a doubt that they are spurious, and all written by Combe. One of them, I may take this opportunity of saying, is a sort of homily on the moral of Goldsmith's life and death, on which the writer is as severely critical, in regard to the vices of improvidence and extravagance, as it behoved a man to be who ran through more than one fortune, and closed a career of riotous vicissitude by extremely assiduous literary labours in the king's bench prison. 1763. as he designed for one letter, putting down the passages Et. 35. referred to on a sheet of paper, with remarks. He then walked out with a companion, certain of his friends at this time being in the habit of constantly calling upon him; and if, on returning to dinner, his friend returned with him, he spent the evening convivially, but without much drinking ("which he was never in the habit of"); finally taking up with him to his bed-room the books and papers prepared in the morning, and there writing the chapter, or the best part of it, before he went to rest. This latter exercise cost him very little trouble, he said; for, having all his materials ready, he wrote it with as much facility as a common letter.* expenses. One may clearly trace these very moderate" convivialities," I think, in occasional entries of Mrs. Fleming's incidental The good lady was not loath to be generous at times, but is careful to give herself the full credit of it; and a not infrequent item in her bill is "a gentleman's dinner, "nothing." Four gentlemen have tea, for eighteen-pence; 66 wine and cakes" are supplied for the same sum; bottles of port are charged two shillings each; and such special favourites are "Mr. Baggott" and one "Doctor Reman," that three elaborate cyphers (£0. 0s. Od.) follow their teas as well as their dinners. Redmond was the latter's real name. He was Æt. 35. a young Irish physician who had lived some years in France, 1763. and was now disputing with the Society of Arts on some alleged discoveries in the properties of antimony. Among Mrs. Fleming's anonymous entries, however, were some that must have related to more distinguished visitors. The greatest of these I would introduce as he was seen one day in the present year by a young and eager admirer, passing quickly through Cranbourn-alley. He might have been on his way to Goldsmith. He was a bustling, active, stout little man, dressed in a sky-blue coat. His admirer saw him at a distance, turning the corner; and, running with all expedition to have a nearer view, came up with him in Castle-street, as he stood patting one of two quarrelling boys on the back, and, looking steadfastly at the expression in the coward's face, was saying in very audible voice," Damn him, "if I would take it of him! at him again!" Enemy or |