Oliver Goldsmith: A Biography |
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Page 65
... creatures ! The world will give you reproaches , but will not give you relief . ” 1 Poor houseless Goldsmith ! we may here ejaculate - to what shifts he must have been driven to find 1 Citizen of the World , letter cxvii . shelter and ...
... creatures ! The world will give you reproaches , but will not give you relief . ” 1 Poor houseless Goldsmith ! we may here ejaculate - to what shifts he must have been driven to find 1 Citizen of the World , letter cxvii . shelter and ...
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acquaintance afterwards amusement anecdote appeared Ballymahon battle of Malplaquet Beauclerc beautiful Bennet Langton bookseller Boswell brother Burke called CHAPTER character Colman comedy conversation Covent Garden Cradock David Garrick dear delighted Deserted Village dinner Doctor England English Essay Garrick gave genius gentleman give Gold good-humor Good-Natured Green Arbor guinea heart History honor Horneck humor Ireland Irish Jessamy Bride Johnson jokes Kenrick kind lady Langton laugh learned letter Literary Club literature live London Lord manner ment merits mind nature never Newbery occasion OLIVER GOLDSMITH person play poem poet poor Goldsmith pounds purse replied river Inny scenes Sir Joshua Reynolds smith society soon Stoops to Conquer story Street style talent talk taste Temple thought tion told took town Traveller uncle Contarine Vicar of Wakefield whimsical William Filby writings wrote
Popular passages
Page 6 - His house was known to all the vagrant train, He chid their wanderings, but relieved their pain ; The long-remember'd beggar was his guest, Whose beard descending swept his aged breast ; The ruin'd spendthrift, now no longer proud, Claim'd kindred there, and had his claims allow'd : The broken soldier, kindly bade to stay.
Page 240 - How happy he who crowns in shades like these, A youth of labour with an age of ease ; Who quits a world where strong temptations try, And, since 'tis hard to combat, learns to fly! For him no wretches, born to work and weep, Explore the mine, or tempt the dangerous deep ; Nor surly porter stands in guilty state, To spurn imploring famine from the gate...
Page 8 - Yet he was kind, or, if severe in aught, The love he bore to learning was in fault; The village all declared how much he knew— 'Twas certain he could write, and cipher too, Lands he could measure, terms and tides presage, And e'en the story ran that he could gauge.
Page 54 - Methinks her patient sons before me stand, Where the broad ocean leans against the land ; And, sedulous to stop the coming tide, Lift the tall rampire's artificial pride. Onward, methinks, and diligently slow, The firm, connected bulwark seems to grow, Spreads its long arms amid the watery roar, Scoops out an empire, and usurps the shore...
Page 123 - Ah, sir, I was mad and violent. It was bitterness which they mistook for frolic. I was miserably poor, and I thought to fight my way by my literature and my wit; so I disregarded all power and all authority.
Page 243 - It is made up of incongruous parts. The village in its happy days is a true English village. The village in its decay is an Irish village. The felicity and the misery which Goldsmith has brought close together belong to two different countries, and to two different stages in the progress of society. He 'had assuredly never seen in his native island such a rural paradise, such a seat of plenty, content, and tranquillity, as his Auburn.
Page 181 - For instance (said he), the fable of the little fishes, who saw birds fly over their heads, and, envying them, petitioned Jupiter to be changed into birds. The skill (continued he) consists in making them talk like little fishes.
Page 266 - 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.
Page 27 - Where'er I roam, whatever realms to see, My heart, untravell'd, fondly turns to thee : Still to my brother turns, with ceaseless pain, And drags at each remove a lengthening chain.
Page 8 - For e'en though vanquished, he could argue still; While words of learned length, and thund'ring sound, Amazed the gazing rustics ranged around — And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew, That one small head could carry all he knew.