The Works of Oliver Goldsmith: Biographies. Reviews. Animated Nature. Cock Lane ghost. Vida's game of chess. Letters. IndexJohn Murray, 1854 - 1 pages |
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acquaintance admiration amusement appear BALLYMAHON Bath beauty Bolingbroke called character Cicero criticism DAVID GARRICK dear distress endeavoured England English Epigoni fame father favour fond fortune French frequently friends gamester genius gentleman give guineas hand happy honour imagination King labour lady language learning letter lived London Lord Lord Bolingbroke Madame de Maintenon Mandane mankind manner merit mighty hand mind Nash nature never obliged observe occasion OLIVER GOLDSMITH once Ovid pain Parnell passion performance perhaps person play pleased pleasure poem poet poetry poor Pope possessed present Pretender Prince proper published Queen reader reason received resolved RICHARD NASH scarcely Scotland Scythian seems soon spirit sublime things Thomas Parnell thou thought translation trifling Tunbridge verse virtue Voltaire Whigs whole write young
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Page 226 - Of all men, Goldsmith is the most unfit to go out upon such an inquiry ; for he is utterly ignorant of such arts as we already possess, and consequently could not know what would be accessions to our present stock of mechanical knowledge. Sir, he would bring home a grinding barrow, which you see in every street in London, and think that he had furnished a wonderful improvement.
Page 317 - Where each old poetic mountain Inspiration breathed around; Every shade and hallow'd fountain Murmur'd deep a solemn sound: Till the sad Nine, in Greece's evil hour Left their Parnassus for the Latian plains.
Page 178 - Signed, sealed, published, and declared, by the said testator, as and for his last will and testament, in the presence of OLIVER PRICE.
Page 418 - Above all things, let him never touch a romance or novel ; these paint beauty in colours more charming than nature, and describe happiness that man never tastes. How delusive, how destructive are those pictures of consummate bliss ! They teach the youthful mind to sigh after beauty and happiness which never existed ; to despise the little good which fortune has mixed in our cup, by expecting more than she ever gave...
Page 419 - I know not whether I should tell you — yet why should I conceal those trifles, or indeed any thing from you ? — there is a book of mine will be published in a few days, the life of a very extraordinary man — no less than the great Voltaire. You know already by the title, that it is no more than a catchpenny. •]• However, I spent but four weeks on the whole performance, for which I received twenty pounds.
Page 408 - Padareen mare there one season, than given in rewards to learned men since the time of Usher. All their productions in learning amount to perhaps a translation, or a few tracts in divinity ; and all their productions in wit to just nothing at all. Why the plague, then, so fond of Ireland ? Then, all at once, because you, my dear friend, and a few more who are exceptions to the general picture, have a residence there. This it is that gives me all the pangs I feel in separation. I confess I carry this...
Page 418 - ... itself; in short, I have thought myself into a settled melancholy, and an utter disgust of all that life brings with it. Whence this romantic turn that all our family are possessed with ? Whence this love for every place and every country but that in which we reside, — for every occupation but our own ? — this desire of fortune, and yet this eagerness to dissipate...
Page 419 - And now imagine after his soliloquy, the landlord to make his appearance in order to dun him for the reckoning : Not with that face, so servile and so gay, That welcomes every stranger that can pay : With sulky eye he smoked the patient man, Then pull'd his breeches tight, and thus began, &c.
Page 419 - Your last letter, I repeat it, was too short ; you should have given me your opinion of the design of the heroi-comical poem which I sent you. You remember I intended to introduce the hero of the poem as lying in a paltry alehouse. You may take the following specimen of the manner, which I flatter myself is quite original. The room in which he lies may be described somewhat...
Page 398 - I had not given the poor woman the other half-crown, as I thought all my bills of humanity would be punctually answered by this worthy man. I revealed to him my whole soul ; I opened to him all my distresses...