Page:Life of Edmond Malone.djvu/63

Rh characterizes the mass of public men of the day: “Who are most unqualified for their offices—who accumulate place upon place, sinecure upon sinecure—who are so eager to obtain the wages of the day ere the day has passed over them, as to be emphatically, and not improperly, termed ready-money voters?”

If this be even a tolerably correct picture of Irish peers and commoners—and most Irish writers unfortunately agree in the sketch—who, however they may abuse it, can wonder at the Union? What honest man can regret the extinction of a mass of corruption that formed a standing national disgrace?

From newspaper paragraphs and essays, the next usual step of candidates in letters is to editorship; and this office he now assumed. It was an edition of Goldsmith’s works, commenced in 1776, printed in Dublin the following year, and republished by Evans, a London bookseller, in 1780. Here we find his characteristic love of accuracy. He first drew forth from Dr. Wilson, Fellow of the College, memoranda of the poet and his tutor (February 24th, 1776), which came into my hands in the search for materials for his biography, and are noticed elsewhere.

In 1776, the death of his celebrated uncle, Anthony, without issue, gave Baronston his seat, and a fortune to his elder brother, For a time this produced no