THE POEMS OF OLIVER GOLDSMITH [Illustration: THE POEMS OF OLIVER GOLDSMITH ] [Illustration] THE POEMS OF OLIVER GOLDSMITH. EDITED BY ROBERT ARIS WILLMOTT, AUTHOR OF THE “PLEASURES OF LITERATURE,” “SUMMER TIME IN THE COUNTRY,” ETC., ETC. A NEW EDITION, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY BIRKET FOSTER AND H. N. HUMPHREYS, PRINTED IN COLOURS BY EDMUND EVANS. [Illustration] LONDON AND NEW YORK GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS. 1877. [Illustration: EDMUND EVANS ENGRAVER & PRINTER] [Illustration: PREFACE] Oliver Goldsmith, the fifth child of Charles and Ann Goldsmith, was born at Pallas, a hamlet of the parish of Forney, county of Longford, Ireland, November 10th, 1728. His father, the “Preacher” of the “Deserted Village,” having been presented to the Rectory of Kilkenny-West, about the year 1730, removed his family to Lissoy, the “Auburn” of the Poet. The “modest mansion” is a ruin, or, by this time, has quite disappeared. His first schoolmaster is described, by one who remembered him, as a man “stern to view,” in whose “morning face” the disasters of the day might be easily read. Goldsmith made small progress under the ferule of Paddy Burns, and, after being for some time a pupil in the diocesan school of Elphin, he was placed with a competent teacher at Athlone, where he remained two years. He was then transferred to the care of Mr. Hughes, vicar of Shruel, who treated him with kindness, and whom he always mentioned with respect and gratitude. His eldest sister has given a specimen of her brother’s early and ready humour. A large company of young people had assembled in his uncle’s house, at Elphin, and Oliver, then nine years old, was desired to dance a hornpipe, under very unfavourable circumstances, for his figure was short and thick, and the marks of recent small-pox were still conspicuous. A young man, who played the violin, compared him to Æsop dancing; but Oliver, stopping short in the performance, immediately disabled his satirist with a sharp epigram:-- “Our herald hath proclaim’d this saying, See Æsop dancing, and his monkey playing.”