"VICAR OF WAKEFIELD."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20868, 9 May 1931, Page 9 (Supplement)

"VICAR OF WAKEFIELD."

STORY OF THE MANUSCRIPT. The 157 th anniversary of the death* of Oliver Goldsmith, whose literary fame rests secuieiy on that charmingly quaint story, " The Vicar of Wakefield," and on Iho refreshing comedy, "She Stoops to Conquer," passed recently. The story of how the manuscript of " The Vicar of Wakefield " was sold by Dr. Johnson for AlbO, is told by IJoswell in what he claims to lie Johnson's " own exact narration."

" 1 received one morning a rnessago from poor Goldsmith that he was in great distress," said Johnson to Boswctl, " and as it was not in his power to come to me, begging that 1 would conic to him as soon as possible. 1 sent him a guinea, and promised to come t'o him as soon as possible. I accordingly went as soon as I was dressed, and found that his landlady had arrested him for bis rent, at which he was in a violent passion. I perceived that he had already changed my guinea, and bad got a bottle of Madeira and a glass before him. " I put the cork into the bottle, desired Goldsmith would be calm, and began to talk to him of the means by which he might be extricated. He then told rm> that he had a novel ready for the pi'ess. which he produced to me. 1 looked into it, and saw its merits; told the landlady I would soon return, and having gone to a bookseller, sold it for sixty pounds. I brought Goldsmith the money, and he discharged his rent, not without rating his landlady in a high tone for having used him so ill."