But while this inclination was still predominant, after the application to Lord Bute had failed, an opportunity was thrown in his way of fulfilling his most sanguine expectations. But opportunities he always neglected. His Traveller had procured him the unsolicited friendship of Lord Nugent, afterwards Earl of Clare; who mentioned him favourably to the Earl of Northumberland, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

This nobleman, newly returned from Ireland in 1764, invited our poet to an interview; when, from a ludicrous mistake of his excellency's groom of the chambers for himself, he expended on the latter the complimentary address he had prepared for his master: so that when the Lord Lieutenant appeared, his embarrassment was so great, that he came away without being able to explain the object of his wishes.

This Earl (afterwards Duke) of Northumberland, often regretted that he was not then made acquainted with Dr. Goldsmith's plan and desire to explore the internal regions of Asia; for if he had, he declared he would have procured him a sufficient salary on the Irish establishment, and have had it continued to him during his travels. By such appropriation, his lordship (who was chastely continent in his management of the Irish revenue,) would have considered himself as discharging his duty to that country, in thus patronizing his literary genius.

them into Britain.

When this was talked of in Johnson's company, he said, "Of all men Goldsmith is the most unfit to go out upon such an inquiry: for he is utterly ignorant of such arts as we already possess, and consequently could not know what would be accessions to our present stock of mechanical knowledge. Sir, he would bring home a grinding barrow, and think that he had furnished a wonderful improvement." Life of Johnson. Vol. iv. p. 21.

To the Bishop of Dromore.

Sir John Hawkins, who is always prodigal of his censure, and sparing only of his praise, relates in his life of Johnson, the following anecdote. "Having one day a call to wait on the late Duke, then Earl of Northumberland, I found Goldsmith waiting for an audience in an outer room; I asked him what had brought him there; he told me an invitation from his lordship. I made my business as short as I could, and as a reason, mentioned that Dr. Goldsmith was waiting without. The Earl asked me if I was acquainted with him; I told him I was, adding what I thought likely to recommend him. I retired, and staid in the outer room to take him home. Upon his coming out, I asked him the result of his conversation. His lordship, says he, told me he has read my poem, (meaning the Traveller) and was much delighted with it; that he was going Lord Lieutenant to Ireland, and that, hearing that I was a native of that country, he should be glad to do me any kindness. —And what did you answer, asked I, to this gracious offer?-Why, said he, I could say nothing but that I had a brother there a clergyman, that stood in need of help; as for myself, I have no dependence on the promises of great men; I look to the booksellers for support; they are my best friends, and I am not inclined to forsake them for others."

Sir John, with an unbecoming asperity, which the occasion neither demanded nor could justify, goes on to say, "Thus did this idiot in the affairs of the world trifle with his fortunes, and put back the hand that was held out to assist him! Other offers of a like kind he either rejected or failed to improve, contenting himself with the patronage of one nobleman, whose mansion afforded him the delights of a splendid table, and a retreat for a few days from the metropolis."

A benevolent mind would see in the recommendation of a brother to the notice and kindness of a patron, something to praise; and Dr. Goldsmith's disregard of himself, if not reconcileable with the dictates of prudence, was certainly disinterested.

Our author afterwards became better known to the Duke; and his ballad of the HERMIT, recommended him to the Dutchess, who was a most generous encourager and patroness of merit; but not till the opportunity was lost of making their protection subservient to his favourite object, which indeed he himself afterwards laid aside.

This illustrious couple annually paid a visit to Bath, and one year on their return, the Dutchess related with great humour the following diverting occurrence of our eccentric bard: On one of the parades at Bath, the Duke and Lord Nugent had hired two adjacent houses. Dr. Goldsmith, who was then resident on a visit with the latter, one morning walked up into the Duke's dining room, as he and the Dutchess were preparing to sit down to breakfast. In a manner the most free and easy he threw himself on a sofa; and, as he was then perfectly known to them both, they inquired of him the Bath news of the day; and, imagining there was some mistake, endeavoured by easy and cheerful conversation to prevent his being too much embarrassed, till breakfast being served up, they invited him to stay and partake of it. Then he awoke from his reverie, declared he thought he had been in the house of his friend, Lord Nugent, and with a confusion which may be imagined, hastily withdrew; but not till they had kindly made him promise to dine with them. This was not, however,

Communicated by the Bishop of Dromore, to whom the Dutchess related the incident.

till some years after the period to which we have brought his history.

Dr. Goldsmith had in 1764 fixed his abode in the Temple, wherein he ever afterwards resided; first in the library stair-case; afterwards in the King's Bench Walk, and lastly at No. 2, in Brick Court, where he had chambers on the first stair-case elegantly furnished: and where he was visited by literary friends of the most distinguished merit.

When the club was first proposed and founded by some ingenious men and distinguished writers, which Boswell has denominated the LITERARY CLUB, (though it was a title they never assumed themselves) Goldsmith was one of the first members: and as the Memoirs of this Society inserted by that biographer in his Life of Johnson*, and since by Mr. Malone, in his account of the Life and Writings of Sir Joshua Reynolds †, will admit of some few corrections, we shall here give a more exact history of it, at least from its establishment to the death of Goldsmith; for which we are indebted to an early member‡.

It was first proposed by Sir Joshua Reynolds to Burke and Johnson, and the first members were the friends of these three.

Although it might be originally designed that the number, when complete, should be twelve: yet for the first three or four years it never exceeded nine or ten. It was intended, that if only two of these chanced to meet for the evening, they should be able to entertain each other.

The first members were Sir Joshua Reynolds§, Dr.

* Vol. i. p. 433.

Vol. i p. xlix. 4to.

The present Bishop of Dromore.

Neither he nor Sir John Hawkins had then been knighted, nor had Dr. Johnson then been presented with the doctor.

Johnson, Mr. Burke, Dr. Nugent, Dr. Goldsmith, Sir John Hawkins, Mr. Langton, Mr. Topham Beauclerk, Mr. Chamier, to whom afterwards was added Mr. Dyert.

ate, but both here and in other names below, the parties are mentioned by their most usual appellations.

* This gentleman was a physician, father of Mr. Burke's wife; not the Dr. Nugent who published Travels to Mechlinburgh, and several philological works, for whom he has been sometimes mistaken. The above Dr. Nugent was a very amiable man, much respected by Dr. Johnson.

†This gentleman was an intimate friend of Mr. Burke's who inserted in the public papers, the following character of him at the time of his death, which happened on Monday, Sept. 14th, 1772.

"On Monday morning died at his lodgings in Castle Street, "Leicester Fields, Samuel Dyer, Esq. fellow of the Royal "Society. He was a man of profound and general erudition ; "and his sagacity and judgment were fully equal to the ex"tent of his learning. His mind was candid, sincere, bene"volent: his friendship disinterested and unalterable. The

modesty, simplicity, and sweetness of his manners ren"dered his conversation as amiable as it was instructive, "and endeared him to those few, who had the happiness "of knowing intimately that valuable unostentious man, and "his death is to them a loss irreparable."

Mr Dyer was held in high estimation for his erudition by Dr. Johnson; as appears from various passages in Mr. Boswell's entertaining work: but we know not of any literary performance in which he was concerned, except that he corrected and improved the Translation of Plutarch's Lives, by Dryden and others, when it was revived by Tonson. An illnatured, unfounded, and malignant account of this respectable person having appeared in Sir John Hawkin's Life of Dr. Johnson, the literary world are much indebted to the exertions of Mr. Malone, who has pointed out the errors and misrepresentations of Sir John; and, in placing the character of Mr. Dyer in a proper point of view, has done justice to a learned, virtuous, and amiable man.-See Malone's Life of Dryden, p. 181.