the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第11章

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at　is　the　extent　of　his　knowledge　of　zoology。〃　　How　little　Goldsmith　was　qualified　to　write　about　the　physical　sciences　is　sufficiently　proved　by　two　anecdotes。　　He　on　one　occasion　denied　that　the　sun　is　longer　in　the　northern　than　in　the　southern　signs。　　It　was　vain　to　cite　the　authority　of　Maupertuis。　　〃Maupertuis！〃　he　cried；　〃I　understand　those　matters　better　than　Maupertuis。〃　　On　another　occasion　he；　in　defiance　of　the　evidence　of　his　own　senses；　maintained　obstinately；　and　even　angrily；　that　he　chewed　his　dinner　by　moving　his　upper　jaw。　Yet；　ignorant　as　Goldsmith　was；　few　writers　have　done　more　to　make　the　first　steps　in　the　laborious　road　to　knowledge　easy　and　pleasant。　　His　compilations　are　widely　distinguished　from　the　compilations　of　ordinary　book…makers。　　He　was　a　great；　perhaps　an　unequalled；　master　of　the　arts　of　selection　and　condensation。　　In　these　respects　his　histories　of　Rome　and　of　England；　and　still　more　his　own　abridgements　of　these　histories；　well　deserve　to　be　studied。　　In　general　nothing　is　less　attractive　than　an　epitome：　　but　the　epitomes　of　Goldsmith；　even　when　most　concise；　are　always　amusing；　and　to　read　them　is　considered　by　intelligent　children；　not　as　a　task；　but　as　a　pleasure。　Goldsmith　might　now　be　considered　as　a　prosperous　man。　　He　had　the　means　of　living　in　comfort；　and　even　in　what　to　one　who　had　so　often　slept　in　barns　and　on　bulks　must　have　been　luxury。　　His　fame　was　great　and　was　constantly　rising。　　He　lived　in　what　was　intellectually　far　the　best　society　of　the　kingdom；　in　a　society　in　which　no　talent　or　accomplishment　was　wanting；　and　in　which　the　art　of　conversation　was　cultivated　with　splendid　success。　　There　probably　were　never　four　talkers　more　admirable　in　four　different　ways　than　Johnson；　Burke；　Beauclerk；　and　Garrick；　and　Goldsmith　was　on　terms　of　intimacy　with　all　the　four。　　He　aspired　to　share　in　their　colloquial　renown；　but　never　was　ambition　more　unfortunate。　　It　may　seem　strange　that　a　man　who　wrote　with　so　much　perspicuity；　vivacity；　and　grace；　should　have　been；　whenever　he　took　a　part　in　conversation；　an　empty；　noisy；　blundering　rattle。　　But　on　this　point　the　evidence　is　overwhelming。　　So　extraordinary　was　the　contrast　between　Goldsmith's　published　works　and　the　silly　things　which　he　said；　that　Horace　Walpole　described　him　as　an　inspired　idiot。　　〃Noll；〃　said　Garrick；　〃wrote　like　an　angel；　and　talked　like　poor　Poll。〃　　Chamier　declared　that　it　was　a　hard　exercise　of　faith　to　believe　that　so　foolish　a　chatterer　could　have　really　written　the　〃Traveller。〃　　Even　Boswell　could　say；　with　contemptuous　compassion；　that　he　liked　very　well　to　hear　honest　Goldsmith　run　on。　　〃Yes；　sir；〃　said　Johnson；　〃but　he　should　not　like　to　hear　himself。〃　　Minds　differ　as　rivers　differ。　　There　are　transparent　and　sparkling　rivers　from　which　it　is　delightful　to　drink　as　they　flow；　to　such　rivers　the　minds　of　such　men　as　Burke　and　Johnson　may　be　compared。　　But　there　are　rivers　of　which　the　water　when　first　drawn　is　turbid　and　noisome；　but　becomes　pellucid　as　crystal；　and　delicious　to　the　taste；　if　it　be　suffered　to　stand　till　it　has　deposited　a　sediment；　and　such　a　river　is　a　type　of　the　mind　of　Goldsmith。　　His　first　thoughts　on　every　subject　were　confused　even　to　absurdity；　but　they　required　only　a　little　time　to　work　themselves　clear。　　When　he　wrote　they　had　that　time；　and　therefore　his　readers　pronounced　him　a　man　of　genius：　　but　when　he　talked　he　talked　nonsense；　and　made　himself　the　laughing…stock　of　his　hearers。　　He　was　painfully　sensible　of　his　inferiority　in　conversation；　he　felt　every　failure　keenly；　yet　he　had　not　sufficient　judgment　and　self…command　to　hold　his　tongue。　　His　animal　spirits　and　vanity　were　always　impelling　him　to　try　to　do　the　one　thing　which　he　could　not　do。　　After　every　attempt　he　felt　that　he　had　exposed　himself；　and　writhed　with　shame　and　vexation；　yet　the　next　moment　he　began　again。　His　associates　seem　to　have　regarded　him　with　kindness；　which；　in　spite　of　their　admiration　of　his　writings；　was　not　unmixed　with　contempt。　　In　truth；　there　was　in　his　character　much　to　love；　but　very　little　to　respect。　　His　heart　was　soft　even　to　weakness：　　he　was　so　generous　that　he　quite　forgot　to　be　just：　　he　forgave　injuries　so　readily　that　he　might　be　said　to　invite　them；　and　was　so　liberal　to　beggars　that　he　had　nothing　left　for　his　tailor　and　his　butcher。　　He　was　vain；　sensual；　frivolous；　profuse；　improvident。　　One　vice　of　a　darker　shade　was　imputed　to　him；　envy。　　But　there　is　not　the　least　reason　to　believe　that　this　bad　passion；　though　it　sometimes　made　him　wince　and　utter　fretful　exclamations；　ever　impelled　him　to　injure　by　wicked　arts　the　reputation　of　any　of　his　rivals。　　The　truth　probably　is；　that　he　was　not　more　envious；　but　merely　less　prudent；　than　his　neighbours。　　His　heart　was　on　his　lips。　　All　those　small　jealousies；　which　are　but　too　common　among　men　of　letters；　but　which　a　man　of　letters　who　is　also　a　man　of　the　world　does　his　best　to　conceal；　Goldsmith　avowed　with　the　simplicity　of　a　child。　　When　he　was　envious；　instead　of　affecting　indifference；　instead　of　damning　with　faint　praise；　instead　of　doing　injuries　slily　and　in　the　dark；　he　told　everybody　that　he　was　envious。　　〃Do　not；　pray；　do　not　talk　of　Johnson　in　such　terms；〃　he　said　to　Boswell；　〃you　harrow　up　my　very　soul。〃　　George　Steevens　and　Cumberland　were　men　far　too　cunning　to　say　such　a　thing。　　They　would　have　echoed　the　praises　of　the　man　whom　they　envied；　and　then　have　sent　to　the　newspapers　anonymous　libels　upon　him。　　Both　what　was　good　and　what　was　bad　in　Goldsmith's　character　was　to　his　associates　a　perfect　security　that　he　would　never　commit　such　villany。　　He　was　neither　ill　natured　enough；　nor　long　headed　enough；　to　be　guilty　of　any　malicious　act　which　required　contrivance　and　disguise。　Goldsmith　has　sometimes　been　represented　as　a　man　of　genius；　cruelly　treated　by　the　world；　and　doomed　to　struggle　with　difficulties　which　at　last　broke　his　heart。　　But　no　representation　can　be　more　remote　from　the　truth。　　He　did；　indeed；　go　through　much　sharp　misery　before　he　had　done　anything　considerable　in　literature。　　But；　after　his　name　had　appeared　on　the　title…page　of　the　〃Traveller；〃　he　had　none　but　himself　to　blame　for　his　distresses。　　His　average　income；　during　the　last　seven　years　of　his　life；　certainly　exceeded　400　pounds　a　year；　and　400　pounds　a　year　ranked；　among　the　incomes　of　that　day；　at　least　as　high　as　800　pounds　a　year　would　rank　at　present。　　A　single　man　living　in　the　Temple　with　400　pounds　a　year　might　then　be　called　opulent。　　Not　one　in　ten　of　the　young　gentlemen　of　good　families　who　were　studying　the　law　there　had　so　much。　　But　all　the　wealth　which　Lord　Clive　had　brought　from　Bengal；　and　Sir　Lawrence　Dundas　from　Germany；　joined　together；　would　not　have　sufficed　for　Goldsmith。　　He　spent　twice　as　much　as　he　had。　　He　wore　fine　clothes；　gave　dinners　of　several　courses；　paid　court　to　venal　beauties。　　He　had　also；　it　should　be　remembered；　to　the　honour　of　his　heart；　though　not　of　his　head；　a　guinea；　or　five　or　ten；　according　to　the　state　of　his　purse；　ready　for　any　tale　of　distress；　true　or　false。　　But　it　was　not　in　dress　or　feasting；　in　promiscuous　amours　or　promiscuous　charities；　that　his　chief　expense　lay。　　He　had　been　from　boyhood　a　gambler；　and　at　once　the　most　sanguine　and　the　most　unskilful　of　gamblers。　　For　a　time　he　put　off　the　day　of　inevitable　ruin　by　temporary　expedients。　　He　obtained　advances　from　booksellers；　by　promising　to　execute　works　which　he　never　began。　　But　at　length　this　source　of　supply　failed。　　He　owed　more　than　2000　pounds；　and　he　saw　no　hope　of　extrication　from　his　embarrassments。　　His　spirits　and　health　gave　way。　　He　was　attacked　by　a　nervous　fever；　which　he　thought　himself　competent　to　treat。　　It　would　have　been　happy　for　him　if　his　medical　skill　had　been　appreciated　as　justly　by　himself　as　by　others。　　Notwithstanding　the　degree　which　he　pretended　to　have　received　at　Padua；　he　could　procure　no　patients。　　〃I　do　not　practise；〃　he　once　said；　〃I　make　it　a　rule　to　prescribe　only　for　my　friends。〃　　〃Pray；　dear　Doctor；〃　said　Beauclerk；　〃alter　your　rule；　and　prescribe　only　for　your　enemies。〃　　Goldsmith　now；　in　spite　of　this　excellent　advice；　prescribed　for　himself。　　The　remedy　aggravated　the　malady。　　The　sick　man　was　induced　to　call　in　real　physicians；　and　they　at　one　time　imagined　that　they　had　cured　the　disease。　　Still　his　weakness　and　restlessness　continued。　　He　could　get　no　sleep。　　He　could　take　no　food。　　〃You　are　worse；〃　said　one　of　his　medical　attendants；　〃than　you　should　be　from　the　degree　of　fever　which　you　have。　　Is　your　mind　at　ease？〃　　〃No；　it　is　not；〃　were　the　last　recorded　words　of　Oliver　Goldsmith。　　He　died　on　the　third　of　April　1774；　in　his　forty…　sixth　year。　　He　was　laid　in　the　churchyard　of　the　Temple；　but　the　spot　was　not　marked　by　any　inscription；　and　is　now　forgotten。　　The　coffin　was　followed　by　Burke　and　Reynolds。　　Both　these　great　men　were　sincere　mourners。　　Burke；　when　he　heard　of　Goldsmith's　death；　had　burst　into　a　flood　of　tears。　　Reynolds　had　been　so　much　moved　by　the　news　that　he　had　flung　aside　his　brush　and　palette　for　the　day。　A　short　time　after　Goldsmith's　death；　a　little　poem　appeared；　which　will；　as　long　as　our　language　lasts；　associate　the　names　of　his　two　illustriou