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about half a million dollars. He manfully | peared in 1856; within the same period he resolved to write himself free, and almost published three works in prose--The Thames succeeded. But his powers were overtasked; and its Tributaries, Popular Delusions and a stroke of apoplexy made the brain torpid Longbeard, Lord of London: A Romance. and the hand nerveless. In search of health In 1844 he removed from London to Glashe made a fruitless journey to Malta and to gow, to succeed the late Mr. Weir as editor Italy, but to no purpose. Another stroke of the Argus, then a leading Liberal journal caused him to hasten home to find the grata in the West of Scotland. During his resiquies patrice which is so longed for by dying dence in Scotland he produced The Legends He passed away from earth on the of the Isles, and Other Poems, A Series of 21st of September, 1832, the most renowned Twelve Letters to Lord Morpeth on the Eduof the illustrious men who died in that fatal cation of the People, and a volume entitled year. His son-in-law, Lockhart, has written The Scenery and Poetry of the English a full and exhaustive biography, to which the Lakes: A Summer Ramble. He also pubreader is referred for details of great value lished Voices from the Crowd, which conand interest. tained the spirit-stirring song "The Good Time Coming."

men.

CH

CHARLES MACKAY.

HARLES MACKAY, a poet and journalist, was born at Perth in 1814. He is a descendant of an honorable Highland family, the Mackays of Strathnever. Having received the rudiments of his education in London, he was in 1827 sent to a school at Brussels, and he remained in Belgium and Germany for some years. On his return to England he abandoned his intention of entering the East India service, for which he had been originally intended by his uncle, General Mackay, and devoted himself to literature. In 1835, after the publication of a small volume of poems which attracted the notice of Mr. John Black, he became connected with the Morning Chronicle.

While employed in his arduous duties as sub-editor of a daily paper, Mr. Mackay published two poetical works, The Hope of the World and The Salamandrine, a third edition of which, illustrated by Gilbert, ap

It was while Mr. Mackay remained in Scotland that he received from the University of Glasgow the honorary degree of LL.D. In 1847 he returned to the metropolis, where he succeeded to the political editorship of the Illustrated London News. He published in 1848 his Town Lyrics; in 1850, Egeria; or, The Spirit of Nature, and Other Poems, to which was prefixed "An Inquiry into the alleged Anti-poetical Tendencies of the Present Age." In 1851 he edited for the Percy Society, with notes and an introduction, an important antiquarian work entitled A Collection of Songs and Ballads relative to the London 'Prentices and Trades, and to the Affairs of London generally, during the Fourteenth, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries. He also edited A Book of English Songs and A Book of Scottish Songs, with Notes and Observations. In 1856, Dr. Mackay published the Lump of Gold, and in the following year Under Green Leaves, two poetical works abounding with

verses of the utmost melody, rich with the | Participating in all the actions of that cam

choicest English epithets and phrases.

After the publication of these works Dr. Mackay made a tour to America, where he delivered lectures upon "Poetry and Song," receiving everywhere a cordial and enthusiastic reception. After his return to England he published his Life and Liberty in America, which is characterized in the Athenaeum as a bright, fresh and hopeful book worthy of an author whose songs are oftenest heard on the Atlantic. Dr. Mackay lately published a narrative poem entitled "A Man's Heart," and has just edited A Collection of the Jacobite Ballads of Scotland.

Like all the great song-writers, Dr. Mackay is a musician and the composer of all the melodies published with many of his songs. He possesses in a high degree the rare faculty of a true lyric poet-that of working his words and music up into harmony and unison with the feelings they express.

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paign, he was so severely wounded at Chapultepec (September 13, 1847) that he was left for dead on the field. Mentioned in despatches, he was honorably discharged at the close of the war. In 1849 he started with a body of troops to aid Hungary in her struggle for independence. On his arrival in Paris he was stopped by the intelligence that the cause of Hungary was lost by the overthrow of her arms. He then settled in London and began rapidly to write books more or less imaginative, but suggested by his observation and experience in travel. The Rifle Rangers and The Scalp-Hunters were followed by a large number of volumes, many of them intended for the perusal of boys. They have been very popular. He died in October, 1883, while still in literary vigor, and with no indications of a falling off in the verve and interest of his writings.

ROBERT BLOOMFIELD.

THIS poet was born on December 3,

1766, at Honington, in Suffolk, England. He served his time as a shoemaker's apprentice. It is related of him that he read by moonlight, being too poor to purchase candles, and that many of the stanzas of his most celebrated poem, "The Farmer's Boy," for lack of pen and ink, were scribbled with a shoemaker's awl on scraps of leather. His poems are chiefly pastoral. Vivid pictures of farm-life, they teem with quiet descriptive beauty, but are lacking in enthusiasm. 19, 1823.

He died August

66

RETALIATION.1

А РОЕМ.

[graphic]

S the cause of writing the following printed poem called Retaliation" has not yet been fully explained, a person concerned in the business begs leave to give the following just and minute account of the whole affair.

At a meeting of a company of gentlemen who were well known to each other, and diverting themselves, among many other things, with the peculiar oddities of Dr. Goldsmith, who never would allow a superior in any art, from writing poetry down to dancing a hornpipe, the doctor with great eagerness insisted upon trying his epigrammatic powers with Mr. Garrick,

and each of them was to write the other's

epitaph. Mr. Garrick immediately said that his epitaph was finished, and spoke the following distich extempore:

"Here lies NOLLY Goldsmith, for shortness called Noll, Who wrote like an angel, but talked like poor Poll."

Goldsmith, upon the company's laughing very heartily, grew very thoughtful, and either would not or could not write anything at that time. However, he went to work, and some weeks after produced the following printed poem

1 Printed for G. Kearsly, at No. 46 in Fleet Street, A. D. 1774. 4to.

At the St. James's coffee-house, in St. James's Street. See Art. "James's (St.) Coffee-House," in Cunningham's Hand-Book of London, 2d ed., 1850, p. 254.

called "Retaliation," which has been much admired and gone through several editions. The public in general have been mistaken in imagining that this poem was written in anger by the doctor: it was just the contrary. The whole on all sides was done with the greatest good humor, and the poems in manuscript were written by several of the gentlemen on purpose to provoke the doctor to an answer, which came forth at last with great credit to him in "Retaliation." D. GARRICK [MS.].3

Or old, when Scarron his companions invited,

Each guest brought his dish, and the feast was united;

If our landlords supplies us with beef and

with fish,

Let each guest bring himself-and he brings

the best dish.

For this highly interesting account (now first printed, or even referred to, by any biographer or editor of Goldsmith) I am indebted to my friend Mr. George Daniel of Islington, who allowed me to transcribe it from the original in Garrick's own handwriting discovered among the Garrick papers, and evidently designed as a preface to a collected

edition of the poems which grew out of Goldsmith's trying

his epigrammatic powers with Garrick. I may observe also that Garrick's epitaph or distich on Goldsmith is (through this very paper) for the first time printed as it was spoken by its author.

"Retaliation" was the last work of Goldsmith and a posthumous publication, appearing for the first time on th 18th of April, 1774. PETER CUNNINGHAM. Paul Scarron, a popular French writer of burlesque. Died 1660.

5 The landlord of the St. James's coffee-house.

Our Dean' shall be venison, just fresh from Then, with chaos and blunders encircling my the plains;

head,

Our Burke2 shall be tongue with the garnish Let me ponder, and tell what I think of the of brains;

dead.

Our Will shall be wild-fowl of excellent flavor, Here lies the good Dean," reunited to earth, And Dick with his pepper shall heighten the Who mixed reason with pleasure and wisdom with mirth :

savor;

Our Cumberland's sweet-bread its place If he had any faults, he has left us in doubt— shall obtain, At least, in six weeks I could not find 'em out;

And Douglas is pudding substantial and Yet some have declared and it can't be de

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Here, waiter, more wine! Let me sit while To persuade Tommy Townshend13 to lend him I'm able,

a vote;

Till all my companions sink under the ta- Who, too deep for his hearers, still went on ble;

1 Thomas Barnard, then (1774) dean of Derry, afterward

refining,

And thought of convincing while they though.t

of dining;

(1780) bishop of Killaloe and (in 1794) bishop of Limerick. Though equal to all things, for all things

He died in 1806, in his eightieth year.

2 The Right Hon. Edmund Burke.

3 Mr. William Burke, a kinsman of Edmund Burke. Died 1798.

Mr. Richard Burke, a barrister, and younger brother of Edmund Burke. He died, recorder of Bristol, in 1794. 5 Richard Cumberland, the dramatist. Died 1811.

John Douglas, a Scotchman by birth, then (1774) canon of Windsor, afterward (1787) bishop of Carlisle and (1791) bishop of Salisbury. He died in 1807.

7 David Garrick.

8 John Ridge, a member of the Irish bar.

Sir Joshua Reynolds.

10 "Honest Tom Hickey," an Irish attorney. Died 1794.

unfit;

Too nice for a statesman, too proud for a wit; For a patriot too cool; for a drudge, disobedient;

And too fond of the right to pursue the expedient.

11 Dean Barnard. See note 1.

12 Edmund Burke.

13 Thomas Townshend, M. P. for Whitchurch, afterward Lord Sydney. Died 1803.

NEW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX

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