She Stoops to Conquer, or, the Mistakes of a

An Oratorio; first printed in the Paris edi-

tion, in 1825, from the original in Dr.

PREFACES AND CRITICISM.

The Preface to Dr. Brookes's Natural His-

Introduction to a New History of the World, 228 XIII. An account of Westminster Abbey, 260

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MEMOIRS

OF THE

LIFE AND WRITINGS

OF

Oliver Goldsmith.

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There are few writers for whom the reader feels | villages claim the honour of having given him
such, personal kindness as for Oliver Goldsmith. birth: Pallas in the county of Longford; and El-
The fascinating ease and simplicity of his style; phin, in the county of Roscommon. The former
the benevolence that beams through every page; is named as the place in the epitaph by Dr. John-
the whimsical yet amiable views of human life and son, inscribed on his monument in Westminster
human nature; the mellow unforced humour, Abbey; but later investigations have decided in fa-
blended so happily with good feeling and good vour of Elphin.

sense, throughout his writings; win their way ir-
He was the second son of the Rev. Charles
resistibly to the affections and carry the author with Goldsmith, a clergyman of the established church,
them. While writers of greater pretensions and but without any patrimony. His mother was
more sounding names are suffered to lie upon our daughter of the Rev. Oliver Jones, master of the
shelves, the works of Goldsmith are cherished and diocesan school at Elphin. It was not till some
laid in our bosoms. We do not quote them with time after the birth of Oliver that his father ob-
ostentation, but they mingle with our minds; they tained the living of Kilkenny-West, in the county
sweeten our tempers and harmonize our thoughts; of Westmeath. Previous to this period he and his
they put us in good humour with ourselves and wife appear to have been almost entirely dependent
with the world, and in so doing they make us hap- on her relations for support.

pier and better men.

His father was equally distinguished for his liteWe have been curious therefore in gathering to- rary attainments and for the benevolence of his gether all the heterogeneous particulars concerning heart. His family consisted of five sons and two poor Goldsmith that still exist; and seldom have we daughters. From this little world of home Goldmet with an author's life more illustrative of his smith has drawn many of his domestic scenes, works, or works more faithfully illustrative of the both whimsical and touching, which appeal so forauthor's life. His rambling biography displays cibly to the heart, as well as to the fancy; his fahim the same kind, artless, good humoured, excur- ther's fireside furnished many of the family scenes sive, sensible, whimsical, intelligent being that he of the Vicar of Wakefield; and it is said that the appears in his writings. Scarcely an adventure or learned simplicity and amiable peculiarities of that a character is given in his page that may not be worthy divine have been happily illustrated in the traced to his own parti-coloured story. Many of character of Dr. Primrose.

his most ludicrous scenes and ridiculous incidents The Rev. Henry Goldsmith, elder brother of
have been drawn from his own blunders and mis- the poet, and born seven years before him, was a
chances, and he seems really to have been buffeted man of estimable worth and excellent talents.
into almost every maxim imparted by him for the Great expectations were formed of him, from the
instruction of his readers.

promise of his youth, both when at school and at
Oliver Goldsmith was a native of Ireland, and college; but he offended and disappointed his
was born on the 29th of November, 1728. Two

"The present biography is principally taken from the Scotch edition of Goldsmith's works, published in 1821.

friends, by entering into matrimony at the early
age of nineteen, and resigning all ambitious views
for love and a curacy. If, however, we may be-
lieve the pictures drawn by the poet of his brother's

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