I. Birth and Parentage--Characteristics of the Goldsmith Race--Poetical
Birthplace--Goblin House--Scenes of Boyhood--Lissoy--Picture of a Country
Parson--Goldsmith's Schoolmistress--Byrne, the Village Schoolmaster--
Goldsmith's Hornpipe and Epigram--Uncle Contarine--School Studies and
School Sports--Mistakes of a Night
II. Improvident Marriages in the Goldsmith Family--Goldsmith at the
University--Situation of a Sizer--Tyranny of Wilder, the Tutor--Pecuniary
Straits--Street Ballads--College Riot--Gallows Walsh--College Prize--A
Dance Interrupted
III. Goldsmith rejected by the Bishop--Second Sally to see the World--Takes
Passage for America--Ship sails without him--Return on Fiddleback--A
Hospitable Friend--The Counselor
IV. Sallies forth as a Law Student--Stumbles at the Outset--Cousin Jane and
the Valentine--A Family Oracle--Sallies forth as a Student of
Medicine--Hocus-pocus of a Boarding-house--Transformations of a Leg of
Mutton--The Mock Ghost--Sketches of Scotland--Trials of Toryism--A Poet's
Purse for a Continental Tour
V. The agreeable Fellow-passengers--Risks from Friends picked up by the
Wayside--Sketches of Holland and the Dutch--Shifts while a Poor Student at
Leyden--The Tulip Speculation--The Provident Flute--Sojourn at Paris--
Sketch of Voltaire--Traveling Shifts of a Philosophic Vagabond
VI. Landing In England--Shifts of a Man without Money--The Pestle and
Mortar--Theatricals in a Barn--Launch upon London--A City Night
Scene--Struggles with Penury--Miseries of a Tutor--A Doctor in the
Suburb--Poor Practice and Second-hand Finery--A Tragedy in Embryo--Project
of the Written Mountains
VII. Life as a Pedagogue--Kindness to Schoolboys--Pertness In
Return--Expensive Charities--The Griffiths and the "Monthly Review"--Toils
of a Literary Hack--Rupture with the Griffiths
VIII. Newbery, of Picture-book Memory--How to keep up Appearances--Miseries
of Authorship--A Poor Relation--Letter to Hodson
IX. Hackney Authorship--Thoughts of Literary Suicide--Return to Peckham--
Oriental Projects--Literary Enterprise to raise Funds--Letter to Edward
Wells--To Robert Bryanton--Death of Uncle Contarine--Letter to Cousin Jane
X. Oriental Appointment, and Disappointment--Examination at the College of
Surgeons--How to procure a Suit of Clothes--Fresh Disappointment--A Tale of
Distress--The Suit of Clothes in Pawn--Punishment for doing an act of
Charity--Gayeties of Green-Arbor Court--Letter to his Brother--Life of
Voltaire--Scroggins, an attempt at Hock Heroic Poetry
XI. Publication of "The Inquiry"--Attacked by Griffith's "Review"--Kenrick,
the Literary Ishmaelite--Periodical Literature--Goldsmith's Essays--Garrick
as a Manager--Smollett and his Schemes--Change of Lodgings--The Robin Hood
Club
XII. New Lodgings--Visits of Ceremony--Hangers-on--Pilkington and the White
Mouse--Introduction to Dr. Johnson--Davies and his Bookshop--Pretty Mrs.
Davies--Foote and his Projects--Criticism of the Cudgel
XIII. Oriental Projects--Literary Jobs--The Cherokee Chiefs--Merry
Islington and the White Conduit House--Letters on the History of
England--James Boswell--Dinner of Davies--Anecdotes of Johnson and
Goldsmith
XIV. Hogarth a Visitor at Islington--His Character--Street
Studies--Sympathies between Authors and Painters--Sir Joshua Reynolds--His
Character--His Dinners--The Literary Club--Its Members--Johnson's Revels
with Lanky and Beau--Goldsmith at the Club
XV. Johnson a Monitor to Goldsmith--Finds him in Distress with his
Landlady--Relieved by the Vicar of Wakefield--The Oratorio--Poem of The
Traveler--The Poet and his Dog--Success of the Poem--Astonishment of the
Club--Observations on the Poem
XVI. New Lodgings--Johnson's Compliment--A Titled Patron--The Poet at
Northumberland House--His Independence of the Great--The Countess of
Northumberland--Edwin and Angelina--Gosford and Lord Clare--Publication of
Essays--Evils of a rising Reputation--Hangers-on--Job Writing--Goody
Two-shoes--A Medical Campaign--Mrs. Sidebotham
XVII. Publication of the Vicar of Wakefield--Opinions concerning it--Of
Dr. Johnson--Of Rogers the Poet--Of Goethe--Its Merits--Exquisite
Extract--Attack by Kenrick--Reply--Book-building--Project of a Comedy
XVIII. Social Condition of Goldsmith--His Colloquial Contests with
Johnson--Anecdotes and Illustrations
XIX. Social Resorts--The Shilling Whist Club--A Practical Joke--The
Wednesday Club--The "Ton of Man"--The Pig Butcher--Tom King--Hugh
Kelly--Glover and his Characteristics
XX. The Great Cham of Literature and the King--Scene at Sir Joshua
Reynolds's--Goldsmith accused of Jealousy--Negotiations with Garrick--The
Author and the Actor--Their Correspondence
XXI. More Hack Authorship--Tom Davies and the Roman History--Canonbury
Castle--Political Authorship--Pecuniary Temptation--Death of Newbery the
elder
XXII. Theatrical Maneuvering--The Comedy of False Delicacy--First
Performance of The Good-Natured Man--Conduct of Johnson--Conduct of the
Author--Intermeddling of the Press
XXIII. Burning the Candle at both Ends--Fine Apartments--Fine
Furniture--Fine Clothes--Fine Acquaintances--Shoemaker's Holiday and Jolly
Pigeon Associates--Peter Barlow, Glover, and the Hampstead Hoax--Poor
Friends among Great Acquaintances
XXIV. Reduced again to Book-building--Rural Retreat at Shoemaker's
Paradise--Death of Henry Goldsmith--Tributes to his memory in The Deserted
Village
XXV. Dinner at Bickerstaff's--Hiffernan and his Impecuniosity--Kenrick's
Epigram--Johnson's Consolation--Goldsmith's Toilet--The bloom-colored
Coat--New Acquaintances--The Hornecks--A touch of Poetry and Passion--The
Jessamy Bride
XXVI. Goldsmith in the Temple--Judge Day and Grattan--Labor and
Dissipation--Publication of the Roman History--Opinions of it--History of
Animated Nature--Temple Rooker--Anecdotes of a Spider
XXVII. Honors at the Royal Academy--Letter to his brother Maurice--Family
Fortunes--Jane Contarine and the Miniature--Portraits and
Engravings--School Associations--Johnson and Goldsmith in Westminster Abbey
XXVIII. Publication of the Deserted Village--Notices and Illustrations of
it
XXIX. The Poet among the Ladies--Description of his Person and Manners--
Expedition to Paris with the Horneck Family--The Traveler of Twenty and the
Traveler of Forty--Hickey, the Special Attorney--An Unlucky Exploit
XXX. Death of Goldsmith's Mother--Biography of Parnell--Agreement with
Davies for the History of Rome--Life of Bolingbroke--The Haunch of Venison
XXXI. Dinner at the Royal Academy--The Rowley Controversy--Horace Walpole's
Conduct to Chatterton--Johnson at Redcliffe Church--Goldsmith's History of
England--Davies's Criticism--Letter to Bennet Langton
XXXII. Marriage of Little Comedy--Goldsmith at Barton--Practical Jokes at
the Expense of his Toilet--Amusements at Barton--Aquatic Misadventure
XXXIII. Dinner at General Oglethorpe's--Anecdotes of the General--Dispute
about Dueling--Ghost Stories
XXXIV. Mr. Joseph Cradock--An Author's Confidings--An Amanuensis--Life at
Edgeware--Goldsmith Conjuring--George Colman--The Fantoccini
XXXV. Broken Health--Dissipation and Debts--The Irish Widow--Practical
Jokes--Scrub--A Misquoted Pun--Malagrida--Goldsmith proved to be a
Fool--Distressed Ballad-Singers--The Poet at Ranelagh
XXXVI. Invitation to Christmas--The Spring-velvet Coat--The Haymaking Wig
--The Mischances of Loo--The fair Culprit--A dance with the Jessamy Bride
XXXVII. Theatrical delays--Negotiations with Colman--Letter to
Garrick--Croaking of the Manager--Naming of the Play--She Stoops to
Conquer--Foote's Primitive Puppet Show, Piety on Pattens--First
Performance of the Comedy--Agitation of the Author--Success--Colman
Squibbed out of Town