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GOLDSMITH. 191 composed in order to compliment him on the honour he had done to me; when to my great astonishment he told me that I had mistaken him for his master, who would see me immediately. At that instant the Duke came into the apartment, and I was so confounded on the occasion, that I wanted words, barely sufficient to express the sense I entertained of the Duke's politeness, and went away exceedingly chagrined at the blunder I had committed.” Such is the Doctor's own account of the interview ; Sir John Hawkins, however, relates, that when the lord-lieu tenant said, he should be glad to do him any kindness; Goldsmith answered, that “he had a brother in Ireland a clergyman, that stood in need of help; as for himself, he had no dependence on the promise of great men; he looked to the booksellers; they were his best friends, and he was not inclined to forsake them for others.” This was very characteristic of our author, who, as Sir John Hawkins adds, “was an ideot in the affairs of the world;” an epithet peculiarly harsh on such an occasion, when his affection for his brother, and his grateful remembrance of his former kindness to him, prompted him to endeavour to make him a suitable return by transferring his lord ship's favour and patronage to his benefit. The following anecdote, though resting perhaps on an insufficient authority, is worthy of record. At the time of this visit, Goldsmith was much embarrassed in his pecuniary concerns, but vain of the honour done him, was continually mentioning i t . One o f those ingenious executors o f the law, a bailiff, who had a writ against him, determined t o turn this circumstance t o his own advantage. He wrote him a letter, that h e was steward t o a nobleman, who was charmed with reading his last production, and had ordered him t o desire the Doctor t o appoint a place where h e might have the honour o f meet ing him t o conduct him t o h i s lordship. The vanity o f poor Goldsmith immediately swallowed the bait. He appointed the British . Coffee-house, t o which h e was accompanied b y his friend Mr. Hamilton, printer o f the