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THE life of a scholar," Dr. Goldsmith, has remarked, "feldom abounds "with adventure; his fame is acquired in

* In the Memoirs, which were published in London, foon after the death of Dr. Goldsmith, were several mistakes, with respect to our author's age, the time of his admission into the college of Dublin, &c. which are here corrected from accurate in

formation.

VOL, I.

a

"folitude

"

"folitude, and the historian who only " views him at a distance, must be con"tent with a dry detail of actions by "which he is scarce diftinguished from "the rest of mankind: but we are " fond of talking of those who have given " us pleasure, not that we have any thing " important to say, but because the fub"ject is pleasing."

Oliver Goldsmith, son of the reverend Charles Goldsmith, was born at Elphin, in the county of Roscommon in Ireland, in the year 1729. His father had four fons, of whom Oliver was the third. After being well instructed in the classics, at the school of Mr. Hughes, he was admitted a fizer in Trinity-college, Dublin, on the 11th of June, 1744. While he refided there, he exhibited no specimens of that genius, which, in his maturer

years,

years, raised his character so high. On the 27th of February, 1749, O. S. (two years after the regular time) he obtained the degree of Batchelor of Arts. Soon after, he turned his thoughts to the profession of phyfic; and, after attending fome courses of anatomy in Dublin, proceeded to Edinburgh, in the year 1751, where he studied the several branches of medicine under the different professors in that university. His beneficent difpofition foon involved him in unexpected difficulties; and he was obliged precipitately to leave Scotland, in consequence of having engaged himself to pay a confiderable sum of money for a fellow-student.

A few days after, about the beginning of the year 1754, he arrived at Sunderland, near Newcastle, where he was ar

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arrested at the suit of one Barclay, a taylor in Edinburgh, to whom he had given fecurity for his friend. By the friendship of Mr. Laughlin Maclane and Dr. Sleigh, who were then in the college, he was foon, delivered out of the hands of the bailiff, and took his passage on board a Dutch ship to Rotterdam, where, after a short stay, he proceeded to Brussels. He then visited great part of Flanders; and, after passing some time at Strasbourg and Louvain, where he obtained a degree of Batchelor in phyfic, he accompanied an English gentleman to Geneva.

It is undoubtedly a fact, that this ingenious, unfortunate man, made most part of his tour on foot. * He had left England

* " Countries wear different appearances to tra

vellers of different circumstances. A man who is

whirled

land with very little money; and, being of a philofophical turn, and at that time possessing a body capable of fustaining every fatigue, and a heart not easily terrified by danger, he became an enthusiast to the design he had formed of feeing the manners of different countries. He had fome knowledge of the French language, and of music; he played tolerable well on the German flute; which, from an amusement, became at some times the means of subsistence. His learning produced him an hospitable reception at most of the religious houses that he visited; and his music made him welcome to the peasants of Flanders and Germany.

whirled through Europe in a post-chaise, and the pilgrim who walks the grand tour on foot, will form very different conclufions. Haud inexpertus loquor." Goldsmith's Present State of Learning in Europe, 1758.

"When

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