GOLDSMITH lence and galling to his pride. These unhappy ivlati.ms of the parties could not continue long, and accordingly, at the end of five months, the engagement was discontinued by mutual con- sent But this transaction was one of great importance to Goldsmith, for it brought him into his appropriate sphere, and discovered to himself and others the secret of his power. He accordingly continued to write for a va- riety of periodicals, but only for immediate re- sults. At this time he was appointed physi- cian and surgeon to one of the East India com- pany's factories on tho coast of Coromandel, but for some unexplained reason the post was afterward given to another. He then applied to the college of surgeons for the post of hos- pital mate, but, failing to pass the necessary examination, was rejected. In 1759 he issued his first acknowledged work, a duodecimo vol- ume entitled "An Inquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning in Europe." This brought him into public notice, and gained him acquaintance with some of the principal men of letters of the day. In the same year he en- gaged in a weekly periodical called " The Bee," which met with little encouragement, and lived only eight weeks. Soon after this he agreed with the publisher- of the daily " Public Led- ger " to contribute some articles to that news- paper, and the famous "Chinese Letters," re- published a few months after under the title of " The Citizen of the World," were the re- sult. These consist of a series of essays on so- ciety and manners, written in the assumed character of a Chinese philosopher resident in London, in a style of great purity, and in a vein of good-natured satire. The book greatly improved both the reputation and the finances of the writer. lie emerged from his garret, and took more eligible rooms in Fleet street, where he made acquaintances, among them Percy, Smollett, and Johnson, with whom he contracted a warm and lasting friendship. Burke, who had been at college with him, and Hogarth were also frequent visitors here ; and here began an intimacy with Sir Joshua Rey- nolds which only ended with Goldsmith's life. He was admitted to membership in the famous Literary club at its institution, and lived to see many persons of distinction vainly suing for the same privilege. Goldsmith now continued his labors for the booksellers as a means of tt.-iin>orary subsistence. The principal work which he produced during this time was the " History of England, in a Series of Letters from a Nobleman to his Son," which, though a mere compilation, was written with a fluency and grac^ which won for it the praise of being 4k the most finished and elegant summary of English history in the same compass that had been or was likely to be written." The im- pressions received during his tour on the con- tinent he now gave to the world in the form of a poem. " The Traveller " was published near the end of 1764, and worked its way slow- ly into popularity. " The Vicar of Wakefield " was written simultaneously with " The Trav- eller," though not published till 1766. The manuscript had been sold 18 months before for 60, to save its author from the bailiffs. He next commenced writing for the stage, and in 1767 produced "The Good-Natured Man," which was acted at Covent Garden theatre the next winter. Though its success was only partial, it added to its author's reputation, and brought him the substantial reward of 500. The winter of 1768-'9 was spent in compiling a Roman history, which was published the next May, in 2 vols. 8vo. The next year he com- menced the compilation of the " History of the Earth and Animated Nature," which was issued in 1774 in 8 vols. 8vo. In 1770 he published " The Deserted Village." The popularity of "The Traveller" had prepared the way for this poem, and its sale was immense. In 1771 he brought out another work on the " History of England," which in many parts was mere- ly a reproduction of the former. Goldsmith's condition and circumstances had greatly im- proved with the growth of his literary reputa- tion ; but his style of living advanced even more rapidly than his resources, and his pecu- niary embarrassments were daily growing upon him. The productions of his pen were in great demand, and commanded unusually large prices, but were insufficient to meet his increased ex- penses. Besides his large compilations and his anonymous contributions to periodicals, he was steadily occupied with the preparation of small volumes, and in original poetical compo- sition. His second comedy, "She Stoops to Conquer," was written early in 1772, but not acted till a year later. It was coldly received by Colman, the manager of Covent Garden, but strongly sustained by Goldsmith's literary and convivial associates, and had a great suc- cess. A rich reward of fame greeted the au- thor; and, what was more needed, its pecu- niary results were highly satisfactory, though still far short of meeting his pressing necessi- ties. In this state of his affairs, associated with the learned, the gay, and the opulent, on terms altogether honorable, he found his want of money increasing at a rate which rendered all hope of relief from his labors entirely des- perate. Near the last of March, 1774, he re- turned from a brief visit to the country, and found himself slightly indisposed by a local disorder, which was followed by a low fever, under which the overtaxed powers of his sys- tem rapidly gave way. He was in the 46th year of his age when he died. He was interred in the burial ground of the Temple church, but no memorial was set up to indicate the place of his burial, and it is now found impossible to identify it. His friends erected a monument to his memory in Westminster abbey, for which a Latin inscription was written by Dr. John- son ; and in 1837 a marble slab with an Eng- lish inscription was placed by the members of the Inner Temple in the Temple church. Of his works not already mentioned we may cite
