GOLDSMITH, OLIVER,was born on the 10th of November 1728 at a place called Pallas, or Pallasmoro, In the parish of Forney, and county of Longford, In Ireland. Ha was the fifth among seven children of the Rev. Charles Goldsmith, who had married early In life when without means adequate for the nipped of a family, and who obtained his first church preferment, the rectory of Kilkenny West, only in 1730, two years after the birth of Oliver. The future poet was accounted a dull child ; and for this reason, as well as on account of the straitened circumstances of the father, it was at first intended to bring him up for a mercantile employment. He received the first rudiments of his education at a village school. Afterwards, when by a fondness for rhyming and other manifestations of wit he had so far excited hope that an uncle and other relations offered to undertake the expanses necessary for his being sent to the University of Dublin, be was removed to a school at Athlone, and thence, after an interval of two years, to another at- Edgworthtown. Ha entered at Trinity College, Dublin, as a aizar, in June 1745. His career here was any thing but distinguished. He did not obtain a scholarship, and having been idle, extravagant, and occasionally insubordinate, be took his degree of B.A. two years after the regular time, in February 1749. A violent and injudicious tutor seems however to have been greatly responsible for the unsatisfactory nature of Goldsmith's college career.
Goldsmith's father was now dead; but his uncle, the Rev. Thomas Contarine, who had already borne the principal part of the expenses of his education, amply supplied the father's place. Yielding to his uncle's wishes, Goldsmith consented to enter the church ; but ha spent in dissipation the two years which should have been given to prepara tion, and on applying for orders was rejected by the bishop, for what reason is not exactly known, but probably it was on account of professional incompetence, joined to the report of his dissipated habits. He then obtained the situation of private tutor in the family of a neighbouring gentleman, and very shortly gave it up in disgust. His
uncle Contarine now determined to prepare him for the profession of the law, and sent him off to London for the purpose of keeping his terms at the Temple ; but stopping at Dublin on his way, ha lost in gambling the sum wherewith he had been furnished for the expenses of his journey, and returned home penniless. The kindness of his uncle was not yet exhausted ; and having forgiven him all his former offences, he sent him after a time to Edinburgh to study medicine. Ha arrived there towards the close of 1752; and having attended moat of the medical professors, though without much assiduity, ha proceeded at the end of two years to Leyden, for the professed purpose of completing his medical studies. He resided at Leyden about a Sear, studying chemistry under Gaubius and anatomy under Albinus, and at the same time indulging greatly in dissipation.
From Leyden Goldsmith set out to make a tour of Europe un foot, having with him, as is said, only one clean shirt and no money, and trusting to his wits for support. The following passage in the ' Vicar of Wakefield' is supposed to describe his own travels :—" I had some knowledge of music, and now turned what was once my amusement into a present means of subsistence. Whenever I approached a peasant's house towards nightfall, I played one of my most merry tunes, and that procured me not only a lodging, but subsistence for the next day." By means of this and other expedients ha worked hia way through Flanders (stopping at Louvain), parts of France and Germany, Switzerland (where he composed part of the Traveller'), and the north of Italy. He remained six months at Padua, and if (which is doubtful) he ever took a medical degree, he must have taken it there, or, as his first biographer suggested, at Louvain : unfortu nately the official recorda are lost in both of these places, so that it is now impossible to ascertain the fact. Hearing while in Italy of the death of his uncle and benefactor, he immediately turned his atepa towards England; and having expended about a year on his travels, landed at Dover in the nutumu of 1756.