MEMORANDA, &c., BY GOLDSMITH. [The following, dealing as they do with the publication of Goldsmith's works, and with his numerous monetary difficulties, have both biographical and literary interest. Moreover, being mostly, if not wholly, written by Goldsmith, they may, we think, be fittingly placed with his Letters.-ED.] TO MR. R. GRIFFITHS. [About 1758-9.] Received from Mr. Ralph Griffiths the sum of ten pounds ten shillings, for the translation of a book entitled Memoirs of my Lady B., as witness my hand. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. "The [From the Heber collection. The date would be about 1758-9. Memoirs of my Lady B" are now unknown-if they were published under that name.-ED.] TO MR. NEWBERY. Received from Mr. Newbery, three guineas for a pamphlet respecting the Cock Lane Ghost. March 5, 1762. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. [The original is in Mr. John Murray's collection of Newbery MSS. We give the sometimes doubted 'Cock-Lane Ghost' pamphlet in our vol. ii.-ED.] TO MR. NEWBERY. Received from Mr. Newbery eleven guineas and a half for an abridgment of Plutarch's Lives. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. March 5, 1762. TO MR. NEWBERY. Received of Mr. Newbery, five guineas, which, with what I have received at different times before, is in full for the copy of the Chinese Letters, as witness my hand. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. March 5, 1762. [Most of these Newbery receipts are from the Goldsmith collection made by Mr. William Newbery, John Newbery's grandson, and were first printed in Prior's Life of Goldsmith.' When Prior wrote, Mr. John Murray, sen., the publisher, lent him the MSS.—ED.] TO MR. NEWBERY. Received of Mr. Newbery at different times, and for which gave receipts, fourteen guineas, which is in full for the copy of the Life of Mr. Nash. March 5, 1762. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. [See the Life of Richard Nash, Esq.,' in our vol. iv.] TO MR. NEWBERY. Received two guineas of Mr. Newbery, for the conclusion of the English History. July 7th, 1762. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. MEMORANDUM. Ir is agreed between Oliver Goldsmith, M.B. on one hand, and James Dodsley on the other, that Oliver Goldsmith shall write for James Dodsley a book called a Chronological History of the Lives of Eminent Persons of Great Britain and Ireland, or to that effect, consisting of about two volumes 8vo., about the same size and letter with the Universal History published in 8vo. ; for the writing of which and compiling the same, James Dodsley shall pay Oliver Goldsmith three guineas for every printed sheet, so that the whole shall be delivered complete in the space of two years at farthest; James Dodsley, however, shall print the above work in whatever manner or size he shall think fit, only the Universal History above mentioned shall be the standard by which Oliver Goldsmith shall expect to be paid. Oliver Goldsmith shall be paid one moiety upon delivery of the whole copy complete, and the other moiety, one half of it at the conclusion of six months, and the other half at the expiration of twelve months next after the publication of the work, James Dodsley giving, however, upon the delivery of the whole copy, two notes for the money left unpaid. Each volume of the above intended work shall not contain more than five-and-thirty sheets, and if they should contain more, the surplus shall not be paid for by James Dodsley. Oliver Goldsmith shall print his name to the said work. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. March 31st, 1763. TO MR. NEWBERY. Oct. 11th, 1763.-Received of Mr. John Newbery eleven guineas in full, for writing the introductions and preface to Dr. Brookes's Natural History. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. [Mr. Newbery's papers show that Goldsmith received other amounts on account of this work. We publish the whole of these Introductions in our fourth volume. Bishop Percy was exceedingly wroth with his editors and publishers for leaving these out of his 1801 edition of Goldsmith's works.-ED.] 1 From the original, in Goldsmith's hand, formerly in the possession of Samuel Rogers, the poet. Mr. Rogers lent the MS. to Prior, and afterwards presented it to the British Museum. The agreement seems to have broken down, for the book it appears was never published.-ED. Received October 11, 1763, the contents, of Mr. Newbery. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. [This is in Goldsmith's hand in the Newbery MSS. It appears to be a summary account, including some items for which separate receipts had been given. It was accompanied by the following "promise to pay," bearing the same date, and the two documents, taken together, seem to show that both the £63 and the £48 18. 6d. were due to Newbery upon an account of £111 1s. 6d. previously lent.-ED.] TO MR. NEWBERY. I promise to pay Mr. John Newbery or order fortyeight pounds one shilling and sixpence on demand, for value received. October 11, 1763. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. TO MR. NEWBERY. Oct. 11th, 1763.-Received of Mr. John Newbery twenty-one pounds for translating the Life of Christ and the Lives of the Fathers. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. 1 Several of these works cannot be traced now. Prior thought the item"Critical and Monthly" indicated either contributions to the Christian's Magazine' (then or soon after edited by the unfortunate Dr. Dedd), or criticisms of works belonging to Newbery which Goldsmith found means of getting inserted in the two reviews, the 'Critical' and the Monthly.' The Life of Christ' and 'Lives of the Fathers' were translations, as will be seen by a subsequent receipt.-ED. TO MR. NEWBERY. Received from Mr. Newbery twenty-five guineas, for which I promise to account. December 17, 1763. £26.5.0 OLIVER GOLDSMITH. [Prior says there is a tradition that this loan was wanted by Goldsmith for a trip to Yorkshire, which, as the story goes, led to an incident that suggested to the author the idea of writing the Vicar of Wakefield.' If this is true, what a magnificent fulfilment of the "promise to account" was the Vicar! See, however, ante, pp. 66, 237, and also the History of Miss Stanton,' in vol. iv., and Prior's 'Life of Goldsmith,' vol. i., p. 485.-ED.] TO MR. NEWBERY. Oct. 11th, 1763.-Received of Mr. John Newbery, three guineas for a Preface to the History of the World. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. [This, from other of the Newbery accounts, seems to have been an additional payment. This Preface will be found in our vol. iv.—ED.] TO MR. NEWBERY. Oct. 11th, 1763.-Received of Mr. John Newbery twenty-one pounds, which with what I received before is in full for the copy of the History of England in a series of Letters, two volumes in 12mo. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. [This History was that addressed "by a nobleman to his son," which proved so successful because it was attributed to Chesterfield, Lyttelton, and other noblemen: see our Life of Goldsmith,' p. 21.-ED.] |