the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第13章

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and　the　gleams　of　pleasantry　become　rarer　and　rarer。　The　success　which　had　attended　Goldsmith　as　a　novelist　emboldened　him　to　try　his　fortune　as　a　dramatist。　　He　wrote　the　〃Goodnatured　Man；〃　a　piece　which　had　a　worse　fate　than　it　deserved。　　Garrick　refused　to　produce　it　at　Drury　Lane。　　It　was　acted　at　Covent　Garden　in　1768；　but　was　coldly　received。　　The　author；　however；　cleared　by　his　benefit　nights；　and　by　the　sale　of　the　copyright；　no　less　than　500　pounds；　five　times　as　much　as　he　had　made　by　the　〃Traveller〃　and　the　〃Vicar　of　Wakefield〃　together。　　The　plot　of　the　〃Goodnatured　Man〃　is；　like　almost　all　Goldsmith's　plots；　very　ill　constructed。　　But　some　passages　are　exquisitely　ludicrous；　much　more　ludicrous；　indeed；　than　suited　the　taste　of　the　town　at　that　time。　　A　canting；　mawkish　play；　entitled　〃False　Delicacy；〃　had　just　had　an　immense　run。　　Sentimentality　was　all　the　mode。　　During　some　years；　more　tears　were　shed　at　comedies　than　at　tragedies；　and　a　pleasantry　which　moved　the　audience　to　anything　more　than　a　grave　smile　was　reprobated　as　low。　　It　is　not　strange；　therefore；　that　the　very　best　scene　in　the　〃Goodnatured　Man；〃　that　in　which　Miss　Richland　finds　her　lover　attended　by　the　bailiff　and　the　bailiff's　follower　in　full　court　dresses；　should　have　been　mercilessly　hissed；　and　should　have　been　omitted　after　the　first　night。　In　1770　appeared　the　〃Deserted　Village。〃　　In　mere　diction　and　versification　this　celebrated　poem　is　fully　equal；　perhaps　superior；　to　the　〃Traveller；〃　and　it　is　generally　preferred　to　the　〃Traveller〃　by　that　large　class　of　readers　who　think；　with　Bayes　in　the　〃Rehearsal；〃　that　the　only　use　of　a　plan　is　to　bring　in　fine　things。　　More　discerning　judges；　however；　while　they　admire　the　beauty　of　the　details；　are　shocked　by　one　unpardonable　fault　which　pervades　the　whole。　　The　fault　we　mean　is　not　that　theory　about　wealth　and　luxury　which　has　so　often　been　censured　by　political　economists。　　The　theory　is　indeed　false：　　but　the　poem；　considered　merely　as　a　poem；　is　not　necessarily　the　worse　on　that　account。　　The　finest　poem　in　the　Latin　language；　indeed　the　finest　didactic　poem　in　any　language；　was　written　in　defence　of　the　silliest　and　meanest　of　all　systems　of　natural　and　moral　philosophy。　　A　poet　may　easily　be　pardoned　for　reasoning　ill；　but　he　cannot　be　pardoned　for　describing　ill；　for　observing　the　world　in　which　he　lives　so　carelessly　that　his　portraits　bear　no　resemblance　to　the　originals；　for　exhibiting　as　copies　from　real　life　monstrous　combinations　of　things　which　never　were　and　never　could　be　found　together。　　What　would　be　thought　of　a　painter　who　should　mix　August　and　January　in　one　landscape；　who　should　introduce　a　frozen　river　into　a　harvest　scene？　　Would　it　be　a　sufficient　defence　of　such　a　picture　to　say　that　every　part　was　exquisitely　coloured；　that　the　green　hedges；　the　apple…trees　loaded　with　fruit；　the　waggons　reeling　under　the　yellow　sheaves；　and　the　sun…burned　reapers　wiping　their　foreheads；　were　very　fine；　and　that　the　ice　and　the　boys　sliding　were　also　very　fine？　　To　such　a　picture　the　〃Deserted　Village〃　bears　a　great　resemblance。　　It　is　made　up　of　incongruous　parts。　　The　village　in　its　happy　days　is　a　true　English　village。　　The　village　in　its　decay　is　an　Irish　village。　　The　felicity　and　the　misery　which　Goldsmith　has　brought　close　together　belong　to　two　different　countries；　and　to　two　different　stages　in　the　progress　of　society。　　He　had　assuredly　never　seen　in　his　native　island　such　a　rural　paradise；　such　a　seat　of　plenty；　content；　and　tranquillity；　as　his　〃Auburn。〃　　He　had　assuredly　never　seen　in　England　all　the　inhabitants　of　such　a　paradise　turned　out　of　their　homes　in　one　day　and　forced　to　emigrate　in　a　body　to　America。　　The　hamlet　he　had　probably　seen　in　Kent；　the　ejectment　he　had　probably　seen　in　Munster：　　but；　by　joining　the　two；　he　has　produced　something　which　never　was　and　never　will　be　seen　in　any　part　of　the　world。　In　1773　Goldsmith　tried　his　chance　at　Covent　Garden　with　a　second　play；　〃She　Stoops　to　Conquer。〃　　The　manager　was　not　without　great　difficulty　induced　to　bring　this　piece　out。　　The　sentimental　comedy　still　reigned；　and　Goldsmith's　comedies　were　not　sentimental。　　The　〃Goodnatured　Man〃　had　been　too　funny　to　succeed；　yet　the　mirth　of　the　〃Goodnatured　Man〃　was　sober　when　compared　with　the　rich　drollery　of　〃She　Stoops　to　Conquer；〃　which　is；　in　truth；　an　incomparable　farce　in　five　acts。　　On　this　occasion；　however；　genius　triumphed。　　Pit；　boxes；　and　galleries；　were　in　a　constant　roar　of　laughter。　　If　any　bigoted　admirer　of　Kelly　and　Cumberland　ventured　to　hiss　or　groan；　he　was　speedily　silenced　by　a　general　cry　of　〃turn　him　out；〃　or　〃throw　him　over。〃　　Two　generations　have　since　confirmed　the　verdict　which　was　pronounced　on　that　night。　While　Goldsmith　was　writing　the　〃Deserted　Village；〃　and　〃She　Stoops　to　Conquer；〃　he　was　employed　on　works　of　a　very　different　kind；　works　from　which　he　derived　little　reputation　but　much　profit。　　He　compiled　for　the　use　of　schools　a　〃History　of　Rome；〃　by　which　he　made　300　pounds；　a　〃History　of　England；〃　by　which　he　made　600　pounds；　a　〃History　of　Greece；〃　for　which　he　received　250　pounds；　a　〃Natural　History；〃　for　which　the　booksellers　covenanted　to　pay　him　800　guineas。　　These　works　he　produced　without　any　elaborate　research；　by　merely　selecting；　abridging；　and　translating　into　his　own　clear；　pure；　and　flowing　language　what　he　found　in　books　well…known　to　the　world；　but　too　bulky　or　too　dry　for　boys　and　girls。　　He　committed　some　strange　blunders；　for　he　knew　nothing　with　accuracy。　　Thus　in　his　〃History　of　England；〃　he　tells　us　that　Naseby　is　in　Yorkshire；　nor　did　he　correct　this　mistake　when　the　book　was　reprinted。　　He　was　very　nearly　hoaxed　into　putting　into　the　〃History　of　Greece〃　an　account　of　the　battle　between　Alexander　the　Great　and　Montezuma。　　In　his　〃Animated　Nature〃　he　relates；　with　faith　and　with　perfect　gravity；　all　the　most　absurd　lies　which　he　could　find　in　books　of　travels　about　gigantic　Patagonians；　monkeys　that　preach　sermons；　nightingales　that　repeat　long　conversations。　　〃If　he　can　tell　a　horse　from　a　cow；〃　said　Johnson；　〃that　is　the　extent　of　his　knowledge　of　zoology。〃　　How　little　Goldsmith　was　qualified　to　write　about　the　physical　sciences　is　sufficiently　proved　by　two　anecdotes。　　He　on　one　occasion　denied　that　the　sun　is　longer　in　the　northern　than　in　the　southern　signs。　　It　was　vain　to　cite　the　authority　of　Maupertuis。　　〃Maupertuis！〃　he　cried；　〃I　understand　those　matters　better　than　Maupertuis。〃　　On　another　occasion　he；　in　defiance　of　the　evidence　of　his　own　senses；　maintained　obstinately；　and　even　angrily；　that　he　chewed　his　dinner　by　moving　his　upper　jaw。　Yet；　ignorant　as　Goldsmith　was；　few　writers　have　done　more　to　make　the　first　steps　in　the　laborious　road　to　knowledge　easy　and　pleasant。　　His　compilations　are　widely　distinguished　from　the　compilations　of　ordinary　book…makers。　　He　was　a　great；　perhaps　an　unequalled；　master　of　the　arts　of　selection　and　condensation。　　In　these　respects　his　histories　of　Rome　and　of　England；　and　still　more　his　own　abridgements　of　these　histories；　well　deserve　to　be　studied。　　In　general　nothing　is　less　attractive　than　an　epitome：　　but　the　epitomes　of　Goldsmith；　even　when　most　concise；　are　al