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"houfe towards night-fall," he used to fay, "I played one of my most merry

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tunes, and that generally procured me "not only a lodging, but fubfiftence for "the next day: but, IN TRUTH" (his conftant expreffion) "I must own, when"ever I attempted to entertain persons of "a higher rank, they always thought my performance odious, and never made "me any return for my endeavours to please them."

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On his arrival at Geneva, he was recommended as a proper perfon for a travelling tutor to a young man, who had been unexpectedly left a confiderable fum of money by his uncle Mr. S****** This youth, who was articled to an attor ney, on receipt of his fortune determined to fee the world; and, on his engaging

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with his preceptor, made a provifo, that he should be permitted to govern himfelf: and our traveller foon found his pupil understood the art of directing in money concerns extremely well, as avarice was his prevailing paffion.

During Goldfinith's continuance in Switzerland, he affiduously cultivated his poetical talent, of which he had given fome ftriking proofs at the college of Edinburgh. It was from hence he fent the first sketch of his delightful epiftle, called the TRAVELLER, to his brother Henry, a clergyman in Ireland, who, giving up fame and fortune, had retired with an amiable wife to happiness and obfcurity, on an income of only forty pounds a year. The great affection Goldsmith bore for this brother, is thus expreffed in

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Itriking picture of his fituation.

Remote, unfriended, melancholy, flow,
Or by the lazy Scheld, or wandering Po;
Or onward, where the rude Carinthian boor,
Against the houseless ftranger fhuts the door;
Or where Campania's plain forfaken lies,
A weary wafte expanding to the skies;
Where'er I roam, whatever realms to fee,
My heart untravel'd fondly turns to thee:
Stili to my brother turns, with ceafeless pain,
And drags at each remove a length'ning chain;
Eternal bleffings crown my earliest friend,
And round his dwelling guardian faints attend;
Bleft be that spot, where chearful guests retire,
To paufe from toil, and trim their evening fire;
Bleft that abode, where want and pain repair,
And every ftranger finds a ready chair;
Bleft be thofe feafts with fimple plenty crown'd,
Where all the ruddy family around,

Laugh at the jefts or pranks that never fail,

Or figh with pity at fome mournful tale

Or

Or prefs the bafhful ftranger to his food,
And learn the luxury of doing good.

From Geneva Mr. Goldsmith and his pupil proceeded to the fouth of France, where the young man, upon fome difagreement with his preceptor, paid him the fmall part of his falary which was due, and embarked at Marfeilles for England. Our wanderer was left once more upon the world at large, and paffed through a number of difficulties in traversing the greatest part of France. At length his curiofity being gratified, he bent his courfe towards England, and arrived at Dover, the beginning of the winter, in the year 1758.

His finances were fo low on his return. to England, that he with difficulty got to the metropolis, his whole ftock of cafh amounting

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MEMOIRS OF

amounting to no more than a few halfpence! An entire ftranger in London, his mind was filled with the most gloomy reflections in confequence of his embarraffed fituation! He applied to several apothecaries in hopes of being received in the capacity of a journeyman, but his broad Irish accent, and the uncouthness of his appearance, occafioned him to meet with infult from moft of the medicinal tribe. The next day, however, a chymist near Fish-ftreet, ftruck with his forlorn condition, and the fimplicity of his manner, took him into his laboratory, where he continued till he discovered that his old friend Dr. Sleigh was in London. That gentleman received him with the warmest affection, and liberally invited him to fhare his purfe till fome establishment could be procured for him. Goldfmith,

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