LETTER XX. TO BENNET LANGTON,1 ESQ., AT LANGTON, NEAR MY DEAR SIR, Since I had the pleasure of seeing you last, I have been almost wholly in the country at a farmer's house, quite alone, trying to write a comedy. It is now finished, but when or how it will be acted, or whether it will be acted at all, are questions I cannot resolve. I am therefore so much employed upon that, that I am under the necessity of putting off my intended visit to Lincolnshire for this season. Reynolds is just returned from Paris, and finds himself now in the case of a truant that must make up for his idle time by diligence. We have therefore agreed to postpone our journey till next summer, when we hope to have the honour of waiting upon Lady Rothes and you, and staying double the time of our late intended visit. We often meet, and never without remembering you. I see Mr. Beauclerc very often, both in town and country. He is now going directly forward to become a second Boyle: deep in chemistry and physics. Johnson has been down upon a visit to a country parson, Dr. Taylor; and is returned to his old haunts at Mrs. Thrale's. Burke is a farmer, en attendant, a better place; but visiting about too. Every soul is a-visiting about, and merry, but myself; and that is hard too, as I have been trying these three months to do something to make people laugh. There have I been strolling about the 1 Mr. Langton was one of the original members of the Literary Club, and succeeded Dr. Johnson as Professor of Ancient Literature in the Royal Academy of Arts. He married the Dowager Countess of Rothes.-B. 2 First printed in the Percy Memoir by permission of Mr. Langton.ED. 3 Probably 'She Stoops to Conquer.' This house was on the Edgware Road, near Hyde. From it Goldsmith wrote Letters XXI. and XXII.; and here, it is supposed, 'She Stoops to Conquer,' most of the Animated Nature,' and some others of Goldsmith's works were written.-ED. 6 hedges, studying jests with a most tragical countenance. The Natural History,' is about half finished, and I will shortly finish the rest. God knows, I am tired of this kind of finishing, which is but bungling work, and that not so much my fault as the fault of my scurvy circumstances. They begin to talk in town of the Opposition's gaining ground; the cry of liberty is still as loud as ever. I have published, or Davies has published for me, An Abridgment of the History of England, for which I have been a good deal abused in the newspapers for betraying the liberties of the people. God knows, I had no thought for or against liberty in my head; my whole aim being to make up a book of a decent size, that, as Squire Richard says, would do no harm to nobody. However, they set me down as an arrant Tory, and consequently an honest man. When you come to look at any part of it you'll say that I am a sour Whig. God bless you, and with my most respectful compliments to her ladyship, I remain, dear Sir, Your most affectionate humble servant, Temple, Brick Court, September 7, 1771. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. LETTER XXI. TO THE REV. RICHARD PENNICK.2 [Date, about 1771.] DEAR SIR, you I know not what apology to make for troubling with this letter, but the consciousness of your readiness to oblige when it lies in your power. Without more preface, I was some time ago, when in London, looking 1 A History of the Earth and Animated Nature,' published in 1774, 8 vols. octavo. See the Preface and Extracts in our vol. iv.-ED. 2 This and the following letter were first printed by S. H. Harlowe in Notes and Queries, Feb. 10, 1877. They are undated, but may be assumed to have been written about 1771. The Rev. Richard Pennick was keeper of the reading room of the British Museum, and died in 1803.-ED. over the Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts, and in the middle, or about the middle, of that large book, the title and the beginning of an old Saxon poem struck me very much. I soon after desired our friend Doctor Percy to look out for it and get it transcribed for me, but he tells me he can find no such poem as that I mentioned. However, the poem, I am sure, is there, and there is nothing I so much desire, here, in a little country retirement where I now am, as to have that poem transcribed by one of the servants of the museum, and I don't know any body who can get that done for me except yourself. The poem is in Saxon before the time of Chaucer, and is, I think, about the middle of the volume, among the names of several other poems. The subject is a consolation against repining at distress in this life, or some such title. The poem begins with these words, which are expressed in the Catalogue, "Lollai, Lollai, littel childe, why weppest tou so sore?" If you would find it out and order it to be transcribed for me, I will consider it as a singular favour, and will take care that the clerk shall be paid his demand. I once more ask pardon for giving you this trouble, and am, Dear Sir, your very Humble Servant, OLIVER GOLDSMITH. P.S. A letter directed to me at the Temple will be received. LETTER XXII. TO THE REV. RICHARD PENNICK. Monday [1771]. DEAR SIR, I thank you heartily for your kind attention, for the poem, for your letter, and every thing. You were so kind as to say (you) would not think it troublesome to step out of town to see me. Sir Joshua Reynolds, Mr. Bickerstaff, and a friend or two more will dine with me next Sunday at the place where I am, which is a little Farmer's house1 about six miles from town, the Edgeware Road. If you come either in their company or alone I will consider it an additional obligation. I am, Dear Sir, yours most affectionately, An answer would be kind. The place I am in is at Farmer Selby's, at the six mile stone, Edgeware Road. LETTER XXIII. TO JOSEPH CRADOCK, ESQ.2 [Dec. 1771.] MR. GOLDSMITH presents his best respects to Mr. Cradock, has sent him the Prologue, such as it is. He cannot take time to make it better. He begs he will give Mr. Yates the proper instructions; and so, even so, he commits him to fortune and the public. For the Right Hon. Lord Clare (Mr. Cradock), Gosfield, Essex. 3 1 The farm-house where Goldsmith wrote She Stoops to Conquer' (see p. 461 ante), the Animated Nature, &c. It was situate on the Edgware Road, near the little village called The Hyde, and six miles from London. Prior, when writing his 'Life' of the poet, paid it a visit, and found the son of " Farmer Selby" still living, who remembered his father's lodger of some sixty years before, and told much concerning him and his ways, at the same time showing Prior the room where She Stoops to Conquer,' &c., were written: vide Prior's 'Life,' 1837, vol. ii. pp. 191, 331. Boswell likewise visited the place: vide his 'Johnson,' vol. ii. p. 177, Bohn's edition. Mr. Thorne (Environs of London,' 1876, p. 374) shows that The Hyde is in both Hendon and Kingsbury, a fact which reconciles with itself Mr. Forster's statement that the 'Animated Nature' was written either at "Hyde" or Kingsbury." -ED. 66 2 First published in Cradock's Memoirs,' 1828, vol. i. p. 224. It was sent with the 'Prologue to Zobeide' (see Poems, p. 95), and should therefore be dated December, 1771.-ED. 3 See the Haunch of Venison,' and its notes, Poems,' vol. ii., pp. 46, 50.-ED. LETTER XXIV. TO MRS. BUNBURY. MADAM, [? 1772.'] I read your letter with all that allowance which critical candour could require, but after all find so much to object to, and so much to raise my indignation, that I cannot help giving it a serious answer. I am not so ignorant, Madam, as not to see there are many sarcasms contained in it, and solecisms also, (solecism is a word that comes from the town of Soleis, in Attica, among the Greeks, built by Solon, and applied as we use the word Kidderminster for curtains from a town also of that name; but this is learning you have no taste for !)—I say, Madam, there are sarcasms in it, and solecisms also. But, not to seem an ill-natured critic, I'll take leave to quote your own words, and give you my remarks upon them as they occur. begin as follows: "I hope, my good Doctor, you will soon be here, You Pray, Madam, where did you ever find the epithet "good" applied to the title of Doctor? Had you called me learned Doctor, or grave Doctor, or noble Doctor, it might be allowable, because they belong to the profession. But, not to cavil at trifles, you talk of my "spring-velvet coat," and advise me to wear it the first day in the year, that is in the middle of winter!- -a spring-velvet in the middle of winter!!! That would be a solecism indeed! and yet, to increase the inconsistence, in another part of your letter you call me a beau. Now on one side or other, you must be wrong. If I am a beau I can never think of wearing a The date was supposed to be 1772 by Sir Henry Bunbury when he, through Prior, first printed the letter. But when Sir Henry included it with his 'Correspondence of Sir T. Hanmer,' 1838, he said the date was "1773 or 1774." The letter is the same as that which appears (with its poetry) in the Poems, vol. ii. p. 106; where will be found particulars as to the circumstances under which it was written, &c.-ED. |