unanointed with eighteenth-century sympathy, borders perilously upon the ludicrous.

But

In the same year in which "Edwin and Angelina" was printed, Goldsmith again attempted to earn a livelihood as a physician. This step, prompted by the uncertainty of his finances, is said to have been recommended by Reynolds, by Mrs. Montagu (to whom he had recently become known), and other friends. Evidence of his resumed profession speedily appeared in his tailor's account book, which, under the date of June, 1765, records the purchase of purple silk small clothes, and the orthodox "scarlet roquelaure buttoned to the chin" at four guineas and a half. These excesses must have been productive of others, for, in the short space of six months, three more suits are charged for, and this expenditure involves the complementary items of wig, cane, sword, and so forth. After these followed a man-servant. all this lavish equipment seems to have failed in securing a practice. We hear, indeed, of one patient, whose moving story is told by Prior as he had received it from a lady to whom Reynolds had related it: "He [Goldsmith] had been called in to a Mrs. Sidebotham, an acquaintance, labouring under illness, and having examined and considered the case, wrote his prescription. The quality or quantity of the medicine ordered, exciting the notice of the apothecary in attendance, he demurred to administer it to the patient; an argument ensued, which had no effect in convincing either party of error, and some heat being produced by the contention, an appeal was at length made to the patient, to know by I Mrs. Gwyn, vide post, p. 155.

I

whose opinion and practice she chose to abide. She, deeming the apothecary the better judge of the two from being longer in attendance, decided for him; and Goldsmith quitted the house highly indignant, declaring to Sir Joshua he would leave off prescribing for friends. 'Do so, my dear Doctor,' replied Topham Beauclerk, when he heard the story, and afterwards jested with him on the subject; 'whenever you undertake to kill, let it be only your enemies.""

The next noteworthy occurrence in Goldsmith's life is the publication, on the 27th of March, 1766, in "two Volumes in Twelves," of the novel of "The Vicar of Wakefield." The imprint was The imprint was "Salisbury: Printed by B. Collins; For F. Newbery, in Pater-Noster-Row," by which latter it was advertised for sale, "Price 6s. bound, or 5s. sewed." There was no author's name on the titlepage, but the "Advertisement" was signed "Oliver Goldsmith." The motto "Sperate miseri, cavete felices," is to be found in Burton's "Anatomy," from which storehouse of quotation Goldsmith had probably borrowed it. Collins, the printer, it will be remembered, is the same person who, as related at the close of chapter v., had purchased a third share in the book for twenty guineas in October, 1762, more than three years before. That it was sold in this way is further confirmed by the fact that some years later, according to old accounts consulted by Mr. Welsh, it still belonged to Collins and two other shareholders, those shareholders being John Newbery's successors and Johnson's friend Strahan. This story of the sale is perfectly in accordance with eighteenth-century practice; and, except that it is difficult to understand

why the book remained so long unpublished, calls for no
especial remark. And even the delay in publication can
be explained by neglect on the author's part (not at all a
fanciful supposition !) to put the finishing touches to work
which had been already paid for. But the attraction of
Mr. Welsh's discovery lies in its apparently destructive
conflict with the time-honoured and picturesque narrative
given (through Boswell) by Johnson, and by others for .
the most part deriving their data from him, of the
original sale of the manuscript. It is as follows (vol. i.
p. 225 of Boswell, 1st edn., 1791): "I [Johnson] re-
ceived one morning a message from poor Goldsmith
that he was in great distress, and, as it was not in his
power to come to me, begging that I would come to him
as soon as possible. I sent him a guinea, and promised
to come to him directly. I accordingly went as soon as
I was drest, and found that his landlady had arrested
him for his rent, at which he was in a violent passion. I
perceived that he had already changed my guinea, and
had got a bottle of Madeira and a glass before him. I
put the cork into the bottle, desired he would be calm,
and began to talk to him of the means by which he might
be extricated. He then told me that he had a novel
ready for the press, which he produced to me. I looked
into it, and saw its merit; told the landlady I should
soon return; and having gone to a bookseller, sold it for
sixty pounds. I brought Goldsmith the money, and he
discharged his rent, not without rating his landlady in a
high tone for having used him so ill."

Such is Boswell's report, taken, as he says, “authentically" from Johnson's "own exact narration."

Else

But

where, recording a conversation at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, in April, 1778, he supplies some further particulars. "His "Vicar of Wakefield,'" said Johnson, "I myself Idid not think would have had much success. It was written and sold to a bookseller before his 'Traveller'; but published after; so little expectation had the bookseller from it. Had it been sold after 'The Traveller,' he might have had twice as much money for it, though sixty guineas was no mean price." Here, it will be observed, Johnson says "guineas" instead of "pounds." "pounds" and "guineas," as Croker points out in one of his notes, were then convertible terms. The same story, or rather a story having for its central features Goldsmith's need, Johnson's aid, and the consequent sale of a manuscript, is told with variations by other writers. Mrs. Piozzi, for example, in her "Anecdotes of Johnson," 1786, makes him leave her house to go to Goldsmith's assistance; but upon the question of the price, she only says that he brought back "some immediate relief." It is now known, however, that she did not make Johnson's acquaintance until January, 1765, and, looking to the express statement by Johnson that the "Vicar" was sold before the publication of "The Traveller" in December, 1764, is obviously at fault in one material point of her story. Hawkins, again, in his "Life of Johnson," 1787, gives a jumbled version, which places the occurrence at Canonbury House, makes the bookseller Newbery, and the amount forty pounds. Lastly Cumberland, writing his garrulous Memoirs in 1807, gives the incident as (he alleges) he had heard Dr. Johnson relate it "with infinite humour." In this account the publisher is Dodsley; the

price "ten pounds only"; and piquancy is added by an unexpected detail. Goldsmith "was at his wit's-end how to wipe off the score and keep a roof over his head, except by closing with a very staggering proposal on her [his landlady's] part, and taking his creditor to wife, whose charms were very far from alluring, while her demands were extremely urgent."

The foregoing accounts, that of Hawkins excepted, profess to be based upon Johnson's narrative of the facts. From the only other actor in the drama, Goldsmith—if we except a wholly incredible statement to Boswell that he had received four hundred pounds for a novel, supposed to be "The Vicar of Wakefield "—there is nothing except the following passage in Cooke's reminiscences, which, probably because it was hopelessly at variance with the generally accepted story, seems to have been entirely neglected by Goldsmith's biographers. Cooke, doubtless, made some mistakes; but he is certainly entitled to be heard by the side of Hawkins, Cumberland, and Mrs. Piozzi. "The Doctor," he tells us, "soon after his acquaintance with Newbery, for whom he held 'the pen of a ready writer,' removed to lodgings in Wine Office Court, Fleet Street, where he finished his 'Vicar of Wakefield,' and on which his friend Newbery advanced him twenty guineas: 'A sum,' says the Doctor, 'I was so little used to receive in a lump, that I felt myself under the embarrassment of Captain Brazen in the play, "whether I should build a privateer or a play-house with the money!"" It will be noted that, in more than one particular, this account

I

1 l.e., in the "Recruiting Officer," Act v., Sc. 3. Goldsmith greatly admired Farquhar.