tending the educating of his eldest son, and his numerous family were strong objections. Oliver, in the mean time, was placed under the Rev. Mr. Griffin, then school-master of Elphin, and was receivedinto the house of his father's brother, John Goldsmith, Esq. of Ballyoughter near that town, who with his family considered, him as a prodigy for his age, and have handed down the following instance of his early wit.

"A large company of young people of both sexes were assembled one evening at his uncle's, and Oliver then but nine years old, was required to dance a hornpipe, a youth playing to them at the same time on a fiddle. Being but newly recovered from the small pox, by which he was much disfigured, and his figure being short and thick, the musician very archly as he supposed, compared him to Æsop dancing; and still harping on this idea. which he conceived to be very bright, our conceited gentleman had suddenly the laugh turned against him, by Oliver's stopping short in the dance with this retort:

Our herald hath proclaim'd this saying,

See Æsop dancing, and his monkey playing.

"This smart reply decided his fortune, for from that time it was determined to send him to the University, and some of the relations, who were respectable clergymen, kindly offered to contribute towards the expence, particularly the Rev. Thomas

Contarine,

Contarine, who had married Oliver's aunt, a gentleman of distinguished learning and good perferment.*

"With this viewhe was removed to the school of Athlone, about five miles from his father's house, and was for about two years there under the Rev. Mr. Campbell, who had the character of being an ingenious master; but he being obliged to resign the school for want of health, Oliver was sent to the Rev. Patrick Hughes, at Edgeworthstown, in the county of Longford, where he was fitted for the University.†

"In his last journey to this school, he had an adventure which is thought to have suggested the plot of his Comedy, The Mistakes of a Night.'

"Some friend had given him a guinea, and in his way to Edgeworthstown, which is about twenty miles from his father's house, he had diverted himself the whole day by viewing the gentlemen's seats on the road, until at the fall of night, he found himself in a small town named Ardagh. Here he inquired for the best house in the place, meaning an inn, but being understood too literally he was shown to the house of a private gentleman, where

* The Rev. Mr. Green also liberally assisted, as Dr. Goldsmith used to relate, in this beneficent purpose.

+ From the last master he profited more than from either of the others, as he conversed with him on a footing very different from that of master and scholar. This circumstance, Dr. Goldsmith always mentioned with respect and gratitude.

calling

calling for somebody to take his horse, and lead him to the stable, he alighted and was shown into the parlour, being supposed to be a guest come to visit the master, whom he found sitting by a good fire. This gentleman immediately discovered Oliver's mistake; and being a man of humour, and also learning from him the name of his father, who happened to be his 'acquaintance, he encouraged his deception. Oliver accordingly called about him, ordered a good supper, and generously invited the master, his wife and daughters to partake of it; treated them with a bottle or two of wine, and at going to bed, ordered a hot cake to be prepared for his breakfast: nor was it till at his departure, when he called for the bill, that he found he had been hospitably entertained in a private family.

"In the June following 744, Oliver was sent to Dublin College, and entered under the Rev. Mr. Wilder, one of the fellows, to whom, as he was the son of a neighbouring gentleman, the young pupil was particularly recommended. But he was a man of harsh temper and violent passions, and Oliver no less thoughtless and unguarded, so that they very soon disagreed. Oliver formed some acquaintance in the city of Dublin, and was indiscreet enough to invite company of both sexes to partake of a supper and a dance in his rooms. This circumstance, unfortunately for our poet, came to the ears of his tutor, who abruptly entered in the midst of all their gaiety, which he soon extinguished; for he not

only

only proceeded to the highest excess of personal abuse, but concluded with manual chastisement before all the company.

"The disgrace attending this cruel treatment drove the poor lad into despair, and he determined never more to see any of his friends, but to remove to some other country, where totally unknown, he might seek his fortune. He accordingly disposed of his books and cloaths, and left the college, but loitered about in Dublin till he had only a shilling left in his pocket, when he set out on his travels. His intention was to go on ship-board at Cork, for some other country, he knew not whither.

"On this shilling he supported himself, as he affirmed, for three days, and then parting by degrees with the cloaths off his back, was reduced to such extremity of famine, that, after fasting twentyfour hours, he thought a handful of grey peas, given him by a girl at a wake, the most comfortable repast he ever made. By this time he began to be sensible of his folly, and like the prodigal son desirous of returning to his indulgent father. From his father's house he now was not so distant but that he contrived to send to his brother, who came to him, cloathed and carried him back to college, where he effected something of a reconciliation with his tutor; but, as may easily be imagined, they were never afterwards on cordial terms.

"Soon after this event his worthy father died, of whom he gives an account in the Citizen of the

World,

World, under the character of the man in black. His good uncle Contarine endeavoured to supply his loss, and wished him to prepare for holy orders. But for the clerical profession he had no liking, having always a strong inclination for visiting foreign countries; and when he did apply to the bishop he was rejected because he was too young. His uncle however procured him the office of private tutor in the family of a neighbouring gentleman, where he continued about a year: but being averse to the necessary confinement, he quitted his friends, and having saved about thirty pounds, and procured a good horse, he left the country.

"His friends, after an absence of six weeks, without having heard what had become of him, concluded he had quitted the kingdom; when he suddenly returned to his mother's house without a penny, upon a poor little horse not worth twenty shillings, which he called Fiddle-Back. His mother, as might be expected, was highly offended, but his brothers and sisters had contrived to meet him there, and at length effected a reconciliation.

Being required to account for the loss of his money and linen, and the horse on which he had departed; he told them that he had been at Cork, where he had sold his horse, and paid for his pas

* The tradition in the diocese of Elphin is, that he was rejected by bishop Synge, to whom he offered himself a candidate, either because he had neglected the professional studies, or from a (perhaps exaggerated) report of irregularities at college.

sage