the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第9节

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and　squalid　dissipation；　his　father　died；　leaving　a　mere　pittance。　　The　youth　obtained　his　bachelor's　degree；　and　left　the　university。　　During　some　time　the　humble　dwelling　to　which　his　widowed　mother　had　retired　was　his　home。　　He　was　now　in　his　twenty…first　year；　it　was　necessary　that　he　should　do　something；　and　his　education　seemed　to　have　fitted　him　to　do　nothing　but　to　dress　himself　in　gaudy　colours；　of　which　he　was　as　fond　as　a　magpie；　to　take　a　hand　at　cards；　to　sing　Irish　airs；　to　play　the　flute；　to　angle　in　summer；　and　to　tell　ghost　stories　by　the　fire　in　winter。　　He　tried　five　or　six　professions　in　turn　without　success。　　He　applied　for　ordination；　but；　as　he　applied　in　scarlet　clothes；　he　was　speedily　turned　out　of　the　episcopal　palace。　　He　then　became　tutor　in　an　opulent　family；　but　soon　quitted　his　situation　in　consequence　of　a　dispute　about　play。　　Then　he　determined　to　emigrate　to　America。　　His　relations；　with　much　satisfaction；　saw　him　set　out　for　Cork　on　a　good　horse　with　thirty　pounds　in　his　pocket。　　But　in　six　weeks　he　came　back　on　a　miserable　hack；　without　a　penny；　and　informed　his　mother　that　the　ship　in　which　he　had　taken　his　passage；　having　got　a　fair　wind　while　he　was　at　a　party　of　pleasure；　had　sailed　without　him。　　Then　he　resolved　to　study　the　law。　　A　generous　kinsman　advanced　fifty　pounds。　　With　this　sum　Goldsmith　went　to　Dublin；　was　enticed　into　a　gaming　house；　and　lost　every　shilling。　　He　then　thought　of　medicine。　　A　small　purse　was　made　up；　and　in　his　twenty…fourth　year　he　was　sent　to　Edinburgh。　　At　Edinburgh　he　passed　eighteen　months　in　nominal　attendance　on　lectures；　and　picked　up　some　superficial　information　about　chemistry　and　natural　history。　　Thence　he　went　to　Leyden；　still　pretending　to　study　physic。　　He　left　that　celebrated　university；　the　third　university　at　which　he　had　resided；　in　his　twenty…seventh　year；　without　a　degree；　with　the　merest　smattering　of　medical　knowledge；　and　with　no　property　but　his　clothes　and　his　flute。　　His　flute；　however；　proved　a　useful　friend。　　He　rambled　on　foot　through　Flanders；　France；　and　Switzerland；　playing　tunes　which　everywhere　set　the　peasantry　dancing；　and　which　often　procured　for　him　a　supper　and　a　bed。　　He　wandered　as　far　as　Italy。　　His　musical　performances；　indeed；　were　not　to　the　taste　of　the　Italians；　but　he　contrived　to　live　on　the　alms　which　he　obtained　at　the　gates　of　the　convents。　　It　should；　however；　be　observed　that　the　stories　which　he　told　about　this　part　of　his　life　ought　to　be　received　with　great　caution；　for　strict　veracity　was　never　one　of　his　virtues；　and　a　man　who　is　ordinarily　inaccurate　in　narration　is　likely　to　be　more　than　ordinarily　inaccurate　when　he　talks　about　his　own　travels。　　Goldsmith；　indeed；　was　so　regardless　of　truth　as　to　assert　in　print　that　he　was　present　at　a　most　interesting　conversation　between　Voltaire　and　Fontenelle；　and　that　this　conversation　took　place　at　Paris。　　Now　it　is　certain　that　Voltaire　never　was　within　a　hundred　leagues　of　Paris　during　the　whole　time　which　Goldsmith　passed　on　the　Continent。　In　1756　the　wanderer　landed　at　Dover；　without　a　shilling；　without　a　friend；　and　without　a　calling。　　He　had；　indeed；　if　his　own　unsupported　evidence　may　be　trusted；　obtained　from　the　University　of　Padua　a　doctor's　degree；　but　this　dignity　proved　utterly　useless　to　him。　　In　England　his　flute　was　not　in　request：　　there　were　no　convents；　and　he　was　forced　to　have　recourse　to　a　series　of　desperate　expedients。　　He　turned　strolling　player；　but　his　face　and　figure　were　ill　suited　to　the　boards　even　of　the　humblest　theatre。　　He　pounded　drugs　and　ran　about　London　with　phials　for　charitable　chemists。　　He　joined　a　swarm　of　beggars；　which　made　its　nest　in　Axe　Yard。　　He　was　for　a　time　usher　of　a　school；　and　felt　the　miseries　and　humiliations　of　this　situation　so　keenly　that　he　thought　it　a　promotion　to　be　permitted　to　earn　his　bread　as　a　bookseller's　hack；　but　he　soon　found　the　new　yoke　more　galling　than　the　old　one；　and　was　glad　to　become　an　usher　again。　　He　obtained　a　medical　appointment　in　the　service　of　the　East　India　Company；　but　the　appointment　was　speedily　revoked。　　Why　it　was　revoked　we　are　not　told。　　The　subject　was　one　on　which　he　never　liked　to　talk。　　It　is　probable　that　he　was　incompetent　to　perform　the　duties　of　the　place。　　Then　he　presented　himself　at　Surgeon's　Hall　for　examination；　as　mate　to　a　naval　hospital。　　Even　to　so　humble　a　post　he　was　found　unequal。　　By　this　time　the　schoolmaster　whom　he　had　served　for　a　morsel　of　food　and　the　third　part　of　a　bed　was　no　more。　　Nothing　remained　but　to　return　to　the　lowest　drudgery　of　literature。　　Goldsmith　took　a　garret　in　a　miserable　court；　to　which　he　had　to　climb　from　the　brink　of　Fleet　Ditch　by　a　dizzy　ladder　of　flagstones　called　Breakneck　Steps。　　The　court　and　the　ascent　have　long　disappeared；　but　old　Londoners　will　remember　both。　　（A　gentleman；　who　states　that　he　has　known　the　neighbourhood　for　thirty　years；　corrects　this　account；　and　informs　the　present　publisher　that　the　Breakneck　Steps；　thirty…two　in　number；　divided　into　two　flights；　are　still　in　existence；　and　that；　according　to　tradition；　Goldsmith's　house　was　not　on　the　steps；　but　was　the　first　house　at　the　head　of　the　court；　on　the　left　hand；　going　from　the　Old　Bailey。　　See　〃Notes　and　Queries〃　（2d。　S。　ix。　280）。）　　Here；　at　thirty；　the　unlucky　adventurer　sat　down　to　toil　like　a　galley　slave。　In　the　succeeding　six　years　he　sent　to　the　press　some　things　which　have　survived　and　many　which　have　perished。　　He　produced　articles　for　reviews；　magazines；　and　newspapers；　children's　books　which；　bound　in　gilt　paper　and　adorned　with　hideous　woodcuts；　appeared　in　the　window　of　the　once　far…famed　shop　at　the　corner　of　Saint　Paul's　Churchyard；　〃An　Inquiry　into　the　State　of　Polite　Learning　in　Europe；〃　which；　though　of　little　or　no　value；　is　still　reprinted　among　his　works；　a　〃Life　of　Beau　Nash；〃　which　is　not　reprinted；　though　it　well　deserves　to　be　so　（Mr　Black　has　pointed　out　that　this　is　inaccurate：　　the　life　of　Nash　has　been　twice　reprinted；　once　in　Mr　Prior's　edition　（vol。　iii。　p。　249）；　and　once　in　Mr　Cunningham's　edition　（vol。　iv。　p。　35）。）；　a　superficial　and　incorrect；　but　very　readable；　〃History　of　England；〃　in　a　series　of　letters　purporting　to　be　addressed　by　a　nobleman　to　his　son；　and　some　very　lively　and　amusing　〃Sketches　of　London　Society；〃　in　a　series　of　letters　purporting　to　be　addressed　by　a　Chinese　traveller　to　his　friends。　　All　these　works　were　anonymous；　but　some　of　them　were　well…known　to　be　Goldsmith's；　and　he　gradually　rose　in　the　estimation　of　the　booksellers　for　whom　he　drudged。　　He　was；　indeed；　emphatically　a　popular　writer。　　For　accurate　research　or　grave　disquisition　he　was　not　well　qualified　by　nature　or　by　education。　　He　knew　nothing　accurately：　　his　reading　had　been　desultory；　nor　had　he　meditated　deeply　on　what　he　had　read。　　He　had　seen　much　of　the　world；　but　he　had　noticed　and　retained　little　more　of　what　he　had　seen　than　some　grotesque　incidents　and　characters　which　had　happened　to　strike　his　fancy。　　But；　though　his　mind　was　very　scantily　stored　with　materials；　he　used　what　materials　he　had　in　such　a　way　as　to　produce　a　wonderful　effect。　　There　have　been　many　greater　writers；　but　perhaps　no　writer　was　ever　more　uniformly　agreeable。　　His　style　was　always　pure　and　easy；　and；　on　proper　occasions；　pointed　and　energetic。　　His　narratives　were　always　amusing；　his　descriptions　always　picturesque；　his　humour　rich　and　joyous；　yet　not　without　an　occasional　tinge　of　amiable　sadness。　　About　everything　that　he　wrote；　serious　or　sportive；　there　was　a　certain　natural　grace　and　decorum；　hardly　to　be　expected　from　a　man　a　great　part　of　whose　life　had　been　passed　among　thieves　and　beggars；　street…walkers　and　merry　andrews；　in　those　squalid　dens　which　are　the　reproach　of　great　capitals。　As　his　name　gradually　became　known；　the　circle　of　his　acquaintance　widened。　　He　was　introduced　to　Johnson；　who　was　then　considered　as　the　first　of　living　English　writers；　to　Reynolds；　the　first　of　English　painters；　and　to　Burke；　who　had　not　yet　entered　parliament；　but　had　distinguished　himself　greatly　by　his　writings　and　by　the　eloquence　of　his　conversation。　　With　these　eminent　men　Goldsmith　became　intimate。　　In　1763　he　was　one　of　the　nine　original　members　of　that　celebrated　fraternity　which　has　sometimes　been　called　the　Literary　Club；　but　which　has　always　disclaimed　that　epithet；　and　still　glories　in　the　simple　name　of　The　Club。　By　this　time　Goldsmith　had　quitted　his　miserable　dwelling　at　the　top　of　Breakneck　Steps；　and　had　taken　chambers　in　the　more　civilised　region　of　the　Inns　of　Court。　　But　he　was　still　often　reduced　to　pitiable　shifts。　　Towards　the　close　of　1764　his　rent　was　so　long　in　arrear　that　his　landlady　one　morning　called　in　the　help　of　a　sheriff's　officer。　　The　debtor；　in　great　perplexity；　despatched　a　messenger　to　Johnson；　and　Johnson；　always　friendly；　though　often　surly；　sent　back　the　messenger　with　a　guinea；　and　promised　to　follow　speedily。　　He　came；　and　found　that　Goldsmith　had　changed　the　guinea；　and　was　railing　at　the　landlady　over　a　bottle　of　Madeira。　　Johnson　put　the　cork　into　the　bottle；　and　entreated　his　friend　to　consider　calmly　how　money　was　to　be　procured。　　Goldsmith　said　that　he　had　a　novel　ready　for　the　press。　　Johnson　glance