both poems the democratic spirit of the romantic school is exemplified in the deliberate protest against the oppression of the poor, against luxury, and the evils which follow in its train. Thus The Traveller and The Deserted Village take their place in the transitional period, which marks the conflict between the two great schools of English literature.

STYLE AND VERSIFICATION

him to select the music to his lines.

The style of The Traveller and of The Deserted Village is touching in its simplicity and sweetness. Goldsmith seemed to have an intuitive sense which caused right word to give smoothness and But the keynote of his style is grace. His natural expression of thought and feeling takes a polished form. The simple word, the melodious phrase, the graceful expression, all blend together so perfectly that the reader is charmed. Much tenderness and shrewd humorous perception are seen in the descriptions of the village types. The truth of detail in these descriptions is accounted for by Goldsmith's natural sympathy and tenderness and the spirit with which he entered into the surrounding life. Thus the better characteristics of Goldsmith, the man, are the characteristics of Goldsmith, the poet simplicity, sweetness, grace, tenderness, and humor, for is not "the style the man"?

The Traveller and The Deserted Village are written in the iambic pentameter, sometimes called heroic measure. The line is scanned as follows:

"The heart distrust | ing asks || if this | be joy."

The pause, or cæsura, marked thus ||, occurs most commonly after the fourth or the sixth syllable. However, for the artistic use of the meter, variety of position is essential.

The rhymed couplet used by Goldsmith is not so mechanical and artificial as those of his eighteenthcentury models, Dryden and Pope. He gives freedom to the movement of his lines by the frequent use of a trochee as the initial foot, and by occasional stresses upon lighter syllables in the verse. His variations belong to the romantic school rather than to the classical.

A melody not found in his models appears in such lines as,

"Sweet was the sound, I when oft | at even | ing's close,"

"Truth from his lips | prevailed || with dou | ble sway."

"Sweet as the prim | rose peeps || beneath | the thorn; "

"Shall kiss | the cup || to pass | it to the rest.”

Again, unlike his models, Goldsmith sought the forceful and simple word, and often obtained his best effects by the use of monosyllables:

"And tell of all I felt and all I saw."

"Down, down they sink, and spread a ruin round."

"Thou source of all my bliss and all my woe."

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE WORKS OF

GOLDSMITH

The best edition of Goldsmith's works is The Works of Oliver Goldsmith, edited by Peter Cunningham, in four volumes, 1854. This edition was revised by Austin Dobson, 1901. Cunningham and Dobson are the authorities for the titles and the dates of publication given below.

1759. Enquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning in Europe.

Popular at the time of publication, but of little genuine merit. Contributions to the romantic school in criticism are seen where Goldsmith calls for direct study of the people, for idealization, and for a historical appreciation of literary and social characteristics. In his intense individualism and popular sympathy for man in this work Goldsmith is much like Burns.

1759. October 6-November 24. The Bee.

A series of short essays, eight in number, much in the manner of Addison and Steele.

1762. The Citizen of the World.

Purports to be the correspondence between a Chinese philosopher, on a visit to England, and his friends at home. In this work Goldsmith disregarded the models of eighteenth-century writers, and sketched his characters from the middle classes. His power of delineating humorous character, which developed more fully in The Vicar of Wakefield, is here seen for the first time. In his delineation of "The Man in Black," and especially of Beau Tibbs, who is

an admirable combination of the dandy and the loafer, Goldsmith is nearer to Dickens than to the eighteenth-century novelists. His individualism is more marked here than in his earlier work. The comments of the "citizen of the world" are the comments of Goldsmith on the England of the eighteenth century.

This work was first published in 1760, under the title of "Chinese Letters."

1763. History of England.

Written as a series of letters by a nobleman to his son. The work is condensed from long histories for school use, and shows no original research. The style is interesting and graceful.

1764. The Traveller, or a Prospect of Society. 1766. The Vicar of Wakefield.

A story of simple domestic life. In form, the novel is not of the romantic school, but of the essay style of the time. The rhetorical diction belongs to the classical school. But in spirit, the novel is close to the rural life of the romantic school. The characters and incidents are from common life. The novel preaches virtue, simplicity, and contentment. There is beauty and broad ridicule. There are mutterings of the coming French Revolution in the denunciation of the rich, and in the appeal for sounder conduct. (Chapters XIX and XXVI.) 1768. The Good-natured Man. A Comedy.

Very individual, in that many of Goldsmith's own characteristics are exemplified. The comedy was produced at Covent Garden.

1769. History of Rome.

Condensed from existing histories for school use in the manner of the History of England.

1770. The Deserted Village.

1773. She Stoops to Conquer, or The Mistakes of a Night. A Comedy.

Dedicated to Dr. Johnson. The source of the plot is a personal experience of Goldsmith's. In the broad humor of the comedy, Goldsmith breaks away from all restrictions of the classical school, which always seemed shy of a hearty laugh.

1774. History of Greece.

Condensed from existing histories for school use, in the manner of the other histories.

1774. History of the Earth and Animated Nature.

Hack work, produced for a bookseller, Griffin, in eight volumes. As a work on natural history, the volumes are of little value, but as an expression of Goldsmith's thought and feelings, they are of great interest.

1774. Retaliation. A Poem.

His last work, written in retort to some mock epitaphs on himself.