CONTENTS
PREFACE
CHAPTER ONE -- I. Birth and Parentage—Characteristics of the Goldsmith Race—Poetical Birthplace—Goblin House—Scenes of Boyhood—Lissoy—Picture of a Country Parson—Goldsmith’s Schoolmistress—Byrne, the Village Schoolmaster— Goldsmith’s Hornpipe and Epigram—Uncle Contarine—School Studies and School Sports—Mistakes of a Night
CHAPTER TWO -- II. Improvident Marriages in the Goldsmith Family—Goldsmith at the University—Situation of a Sizer—Tyranny of Wilder, the Tutor—Pecuniary Straits—Street Ballads—College Riot—Gallows Walsh—College Prize—A Dance Interrupted
CHAPTER THREE -- III. Goldsmith rejected by the Bishop—Second Sally to see the World—Takes Passage for America—Ship sails without him—Return on Fiddleback—A Hospitable Friend—The Counselor
CHAPTER FOUR -- IV. Sallies forth as a Law Student—Stumbles at the Outset—Cousin Jane and the Valentine—A Family Oracle—Sallies forth as a Student of Medicine—Hocus-pocus of a Boarding-house—Transformations of a Leg of Mutton—The Mock Ghost—Sketches of Scotland—Trials of Toryism—A Poet’s Purse for a Continental Tour
CHAPTER FIVE -- V. The agreeable Fellow-passengers—Risks from Friends picked up by the Wayside—Sketches of Holland and the Dutch—Shifts while a Poor Student at Leyden—The Tulip Speculation—The Provident Flute—Sojourn at Paris— Sketch of Voltaire—Traveling Shifts of a Philosophic Vagabond
CHAPTER SIX -- VI. Landing In England—Shifts of a Man without Money—The Pestle and Mortar—Theatricals in a Barn—Launch upon London—A City Night Scene—Struggles with Penury—Miseries of a Tutor—A Doctor in the Suburb—Poor Practice and Second-hand Finery—A Tragedy in Embryo—Project of the Written Mountains
CHAPTER SEVEN -- VII. Life as a Pedagogue—Kindness to Schoolboys—Pertness In Return—Expensive Charities—The Griffiths and the “Monthly Review”—Toils of a Literary Hack—Rupture with the Griffiths
CHAPTER EIGHT -- VIII. Newbery, of Picture-book Memory—How to keep up Appearances—Miseries of Authorship—A Poor Relation—Letter to Hodson
CHAPTER NINE -- IX. Hackney Authorship—Thoughts of Literary Suicide—Return to Peckham— Oriental Projects—Literary Enterprise to raise Funds—Letter to Edward Wells—To Robert Bryanton—Death of Uncle Contarine—Letter to Cousin Jane
CHAPTER TEN -- X. Oriental Appointment, and Disappointment—Examination at the College of Surgeons—How to procure a Suit of Clothes—Fresh Disappointment—A Tale of Distress—The Suit of Clothes in Pawn—Punishment for doing an act of Charity—Gayeties of Green-Arbor Court—Letter to his Brother—Life of Voltaire—Scroggins, an attempt at Hock Heroic Poetry
CHAPTER ELEVEN -- XI. Publication of “The Inquiry”—Attacked by Griffith’s “Review”—Kenrick, the Literary Ishmaelite—Periodical Literature—Goldsmith’s Essays—Garrick as a Manager—Smollett and his Schemes—Change of Lodgings—The Robin Hood Club
CHAPTER TWELVE -- XII. New Lodgings—Visits of Ceremony—Hangers-on—Pilkington and the White Mouse—Introduction to Dr. Johnson—Davies and his Bookshop—Pretty Mrs. Davies—Foote and his Projects—Criticism of the Cudgel
CHAPTER THIRTEEN -- XIII. Oriental Projects—Literary Jobs—The Cherokee Chiefs—Merry Islington and the White Conduit House—Letters on the History of England—James Boswell—Dinner of Davies—Anecdotes of Johnson and Goldsmith
CHAPTER FOURTEEN -- XIV. Hogarth a Visitor at Islington—His Character—Street Studies—Sympathies between Authors and Painters—Sir Joshua Reynolds—His Character—His Dinners—The Literary Club—Its Members—Johnson’s Revels with Lanky and Beau—Goldsmith at the Club
CHAPTER -- XV. Johnson a Monitor to Goldsmith—Finds him in Distress with his Landlady—Relieved by the Vicar of Wakefield—The Oratorio—Poem of The Traveler—The Poet and his Dog—Success of the Poem—Astonishment of the Club—Observations on the PoemFIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN -- XVI. New Lodgings—Johnson’s Compliment—A Titled Patron—The Poet at Northumberland House—His Independence of the Great—The Countess of Northumberland—Edwin and Angelina—Gosford and Lord Clare—Publication of Essays—Evils of a rising Reputation—Hangers-on—Job Writing—Goody Two-shoes—A Medical Campaign—Mrs. Sidebotham
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN -- XVII. Publication of the Vicar of Wakefield—Opinions concerning it—Of Dr. Johnson—Of Rogers the Poet—Of Goethe—Its Merits—Exquisite Extract—Attack by Kenrick—Reply—Book-building—Project of a Comedy
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN -- XVIII. Social Condition of Goldsmith—His Colloquial Contests with Johnson—Anecdotes and Illustrations
CHAPTER NINETEEN -- XIX. Social Resorts—The Shilling Whist Club—A Practical Joke—The Wednesday Club—The “Ton of Man”—The Pig Butcher—Tom King—Hugh Kelly—Glover and his Characteristics
CHAPTER TWENTY -- XX. The Great Cham of Literature and the King—Scene at Sir Joshua Reynolds’s—Goldsmith accused of Jealousy—Negotiations with Garrick—The Author and the Actor—Their Correspondence
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE -- XXI. More Hack Authorship—Tom Davies and the Roman History—Canonbury Castle—Political Authorship—Pecuniary Temptation—Death of Newbery the elder
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO -- XXII. Theatrical Maneuvering—The Comedy of False Delicacy—First Performance of The Good-Natured Man—Conduct of Johnson—Conduct of the Author—Intermeddling of the Press
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE -- XXIII. Burning the Candle at both Ends—Fine Apartments—Fine Furniture—Fine Clothes—Fine Acquaintances—Shoemaker’s Holiday and Jolly Pigeon Associates—Peter Barlow, Glover, and the Hampstead Hoax—Poor Friends among Great Acquaintances
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR -- XXIV. Reduced again to Book-building—Rural Retreat at Shoemaker’s Paradise—Death of Henry Goldsmith—Tributes to his memory in The Deserted Village
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE -- XXV. Dinner at Bickerstaff’s—Hiffernan and his Impecuniosity—Kenrick’s Epigram—Johnson’s Consolation—Goldsmith’s Toilet—The bloom-colored Coat—New Acquaintances—The Hornecks—A touch of Poetry and Passion—The Jessamy Bride
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX -- XXVI. Goldsmith in the Temple—Judge Day and Grattan—Labor and Dissipation—Publication of the Roman History—Opinions of it—History of Animated Nature—Temple Rooker—Anecdotes of a Spider
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN -- XXVII. Honors at the Royal Academy—Letter to his brother Maurice—Family Fortunes—Jane Contarine and the Miniature—Portraits and Engravings—School Associations—Johnson and Goldsmith in Westminster Abbey
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT -- XXVIII. Publication of the Deserted Village—Notices and Illustrations of it
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE -- XXIX. The Poet among the Ladies—Description of his Person and Manners— Expedition to Paris with the Horneck Family—The Traveler of Twenty and the Traveler of Forty—Hickey, the Special Attorney—An Unlucky Exploit
CHAPTER THIRTY -- XXX. Death of Goldsmith’s Mother—Biography of Parnell—Agreement with Davies for the History of Rome—Life of Bolingbroke—The Haunch of Venison
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE -- XXXI. Dinner at the Royal Academy—The Rowley Controversy—Horace Walpole’s Conduct to Chatterton—Johnson at Redcliffe Church—Goldsmith’s History of England—Davies’s Criticism—Letter to Bennet Langton
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO -- XXXII. Marriage of Little Comedy—Goldsmith at Barton—Practical Jokes at the Expense of his Toilet—Amusements at Barton—Aquatic Misadventure
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE -- XXXIII. Dinner at General Oglethorpe’s—Anecdotes of the General—Dispute about Dueling—Ghost Stories
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR -- XXXIV. Mr. Joseph Cradock—An Author’s Confidings—An Amanuensis—Life at Edgeware—Goldsmith Conjuring—George Colman—The Fantoccini
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE -- XXXV. Broken Health—Dissipation and Debts—The Irish Widow—Practical Jokes—Scrub—A Misquoted Pun—Malagrida—Goldsmith proved to be a Fool—Distressed Ballad-Singers—The Poet at Ranelagh
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX -- XXXVI. Invitation to Christmas—The Spring-velvet Coat—The Haymaking Wig —The Mischances of Loo—The fair Culprit—A dance with the Jessamy Bride
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN -- XXXVII. Theatrical delays—Negotiations with Colman—Letter to Garrick—Croaking of the Manager—Naming of the Play—She Stoops to Conquer—Foote’s Primitive Puppet Show, Piety on Pattens—First Performance of the Comedy—Agitation of the Author—Success—Colman Squibbed out of Town
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT -- XXXVIII. A Newspaper Attack—The Evans Affray—Johnson’s Comment
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE -- XXXIX. Boswell in Holy-Week—Dinner at Oglethorpe’s—Dinner at Paoli’s—The policy of Truth—Goldsmith affects Independence of Royalty—Paoli’s Compliment—Johnson’s Eulogium on the Fiddle—Question about Suicide—Boswell’s Subserviency
CHAPTER FORTY -- XL. Changes in the Literary Club—Johnson’s objection to Garrick—Election of Boswell
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE -- XLI. Dinner at Dilly’s—Conversations on Natural History—Intermeddling of Boswell—Dispute about Toleration—Johnson’s Rebuff to Goldsmith—His Apology—Man-worship—Doctors Major and Minor—A Farewell Visit
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO -- XLII. Project of a Dictionary of Arts and Sciences—Disappointment—Negligent Authorship—Application for a Pension—Beattie’s Essay on Truth—Public Adulation—A high-minded Rebuke
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE -- XLIII. Toil without Hope—The Poet in the Green-room—In the Flower Garden—At Vauxhall—Dissipation without Gayety—Cradock in Town—Friendly Sympathy—A Parting Scene—An Invitation to Pleasure
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR -- XLIV. A return to Drudgery—Forced Gayety—Retreat to the Country—The Poem of Retaliation—Portrait of Garrick—Of Goldsmith—of Reynolds—Illness of the Poet—His Death—Grief of his Friends—A last Word respecting the Jessamy Bride
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE -- XLV. The Funeral—The Monument—The Epitaph—Concluding Reflections
