Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/193

 GOLDSMITH. 189 acquaintance, stating, that he was in great distress, and begging that he would come to him as soon as possible. Johnson sent him a guinea, and promised to follow almost immediately; and on his arrival, found Goldsmith in a violent passion with his landlady, but consoling himself as well as he could with a bottle of Madeira, to the pur chase of which he had already devoted a part of his friend's liberal present. Johnson immediately corked the bottle, and desired Goldsmith to be calm and consider in what way he could extricate himself from his troubles; on this he produced his novel. Johnson saw i t s merits, and hur ried away with i t t o Newberry, who immediately gave 60l. f o r i t , with which Goldsmith paid h i s landlady, loading her a t the same time with many invectives. I n the pur chase o f this novel, Newberry appears rather t o have been actuated by a feeling o f benevolence towards i t s author, than under any idea o f profits b y i t s publication, a s h e retained the manuscript unpublished for nearly three years. Goldsmith's connection with Newberry now became a source o f constant supply t o him. Early i n 1763, h e re moved t o lodgings a t Canonbury House, Islington, where h e compiled several works for that gentleman; among which were “The Art o f Poetry;” a “Life o f Nash;” and a “History o f England, i n a Series o f Letters from a Nobleman t o his Son;” which latter publication was for a long time attributed t o George, Lord Lyttleton, and by many, t o Charles, Earl o f Orrery. I n the following year, h e took chambers o n the upper story o f the library staircase i n the Inner Temple, and began t o live i n a genteel style; though his general merits a s a n author were little known, except among the book sellers, till 1765, when h e published his poem “The Tra veller,” which had obtained high commendation from Dr. Johnson. Such, however, was Goldsmith's diffidence, that though h e had completed i t some years before, h e had not courage t o publish i t t i l l repeatedly urged t o i t b y Johnson. This a t once established his fame; h e was