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| 1728 | November 10. Born at Pallas, near Ballymahon, in the county of Longford, Ireland. |
| 1730 | Family remove to Lissoy, in the county of Westmeath. |
| 1731 | Under Elizabeth Delap. |
| 1734 | Under Mr. Thomas Byrne of the village school. |
| 1736-44 | At school at Elphin (Mr. Griffin's), Athlone (Mr. Campbell's), Edgeworthstown (Mr. Hughes's). |
| 1744 | June 11. Admitted a sizar of Trinity College, Dublin, 'annum agens 15.' |
| 1747 | Death of his father, the Rev. Charles Goldsmith. May. Takes part in a college riot. June 15. Obtains a Smythe exhibition. Runs away from college. |
| 1749 | February 27. Takes his degree as Bachelor of Arts. |
| 1751 | Rejected for orders by the Bishop of Elphin. Tutor to Mr. Flinn. Sets out for America (via Cork), but returns. Letter to Mrs. Goldsmith (his mother). |
| 1752 | Starts as a law student, but loses his all at play. Goes to Edinburgh to become a medical student. |
| 1753 | January 13. Admitted a member of the 'Medical Society'
of Edinburgh. May 8. Letter to his Uncle Contarine. September 26. Letter to Robert Bryanton. Letter to his Uncle Contarine. |
| 1754 | Goes to Leyden. Letter to his Uncle Contarine. |
| 1755 | February. Leaves Leyden. Takes degree of Bachelor of Medicine at Louvain (?). Travels on foot in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. Sketches The Traveller. |
| 1756 | February 1. Returns to Dover. Low comedian; usher (?); apothecary's journeyman; poor physician in Bankside, Southwark. |
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| 1757 | Press corrector to Samuel Richardson, printer and novelist;
assistant at Peckham Academy (Dr. Milner's). April. Bound over to Griffiths the bookseller. Quarrels with Griffiths. December 27. Letter to his brother-in-law, Daniel Hodson. |
| 1758 | February. Publishes The Memoirs of a Protestant,
condemned to the Galleys of France for his Religion. Gives up literature and returns to Peckham. August. Leaves Peckham. Letters to Edward Mills, Bryanton, Mrs. Jane Lawder. Appointed surgeon and physician to a factory on the Coast of Coromandel. November (?). Letter to Hodson. Moves into 12 Green Arbour Court, Old Bailey. Coromandel appointment comes to nothing. December 21. Rejected at Surgeons' Hall as 'not qualified' for a hospital mate. |
| 1759 | February (?). Letter to Henry Goldsmith. March. Visited by Percy at 12 Green Arbour Court. April 2. Enquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning in Europe published. 'Prologue of Laberius' (Enquiry). October 6. The Bee commenced. 'On a Beautiful Youth struck blind with Lightning' (Bee). October 13. 'The Gift' (Bee). October 18. 'The Logicians Refuted' (Busy Body). October 20. 'A Sonnet' (Bee). October 22. 'Stanzas on the Taking of Quebec' (Busy Body). October 27. 'Elegy on Mrs. Mary Blaize' (Bee). November 24. The Bee closed. |
| 1760 | January 1. The British Magazine
commenced. January 12. The Public Ledger commenced. January 24. First Chinese Letter published (Citizen of the World). May 2. 'Description of an Author's Bedchamber' ('Chinese Letter' in Public Ledger). October 21. 'On seeing Mrs. . . . perform,' etc. ('Chinese Letter' in Public Ledger). Editing Lady's Magazine. Compiling Prefaces. Moves into 6 Wine Office Court, Fleet Street. |
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| 1761 | March 4. 'On the Death of the Right Hon. . . . ('Chinese
Letter' in Public Ledger). April 4-14. 'An Epigram'; to G. C. and R. L. ('Chinese Letter in Public Ledger). May 13. 'Translation of a South American Ode.' ('Chinese Letter' in Public Ledger) August 14. Last Chinese Letter published (Citizen of the World). Memoirs of M. de Voltaire published in Lady's Magazine. |
| 1762 | February 23. Pamphlet on Cock Lane Ghost published. February 26. History of Mecklenburgh published. May 1. Citizen of the World published. May 1 to Nov. 1. Plutarch's Lives, vol. i to vii, published. At Bath and Tunbridge. October 14. Life of Richard Nash published. October 28. Sells third share of Vicar of Wakefield to B. Collins, printer, Salisbury. At Mrs. Fleming's at Islington. |
| 1763 | March 31. Agrees with James Dodsley to write a Chronological History of the Lives of Eminent Persons of Great Britain and Ireland. (Never done.) |
| 1764 | 'The Club,' afterwards the Literary Club, founded. Moves into lodgings on the library staircase of the Temple. June 26. History of England, in a series of Letters from a Nobleman to his Son published. October 31. Oratorio of The Captivity sold to James Dodsley. December 19. The Traveller published. |
| 1765 | June 4. Essays by Mr. Goldsmith published.
'The Double Transformation,' 'A New Simile'
(Essays). Edwin and Angelina (The Hermit) printed privately for the amusement of the Countess of Northumberland. Resumes practice as a physician. |
| 1766 | March 27. Vicar of Wakefield published.
'Elegy on a Mad Dog'; 'Olivia's Song' (Vicar of
Wakefield). May 31. Vicar of Wakefield, 2nd edition. June. Translation of Formey's Concise History of Philosophy and Philosophers published. August 29. Vicar of Wakefield, 3rd edition. December 15. Poems for Young Ladies published. |
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| 1766 | December 28. English Grammar written. |
| 1767 | April. Beauties of English Poesy
published. July 19. Living in Garden Court, Temple. July 25. Letter to the St. James's Chronicle. December 22. Death of John Newbery. |
| 1768 | February 5. Publishes The Good Natur'd Man,
a Comedy, produced at Covent Garden, January 29. 'Epilogue to
The Good Natur'd Man.' Moves to 2 Brick Court, Middle Temple. May. Death of Henry Goldsmith. Living at Edgware. |
| 1769 | February 18. 'Epilogue to Mrs. Lenox's
Sister.' February 29. Agreement for 'a new Natural History of Animals' (Animated Nature). May 18. Roman History published. June 13. Agreement for History of England. December. Appointed Professor of History to the Royal Academy. |
| 1770 | January. Letter to Maurice Goldsmith. April 24-May 26. Portrait by Reynolds exhibited. May 26. The Deserted Village published. July 13. Life of Thomas Parnell published. July. On the Continent with the Hornecks. Letters to Reynolds. September 15. Agreement for abridgement of Roman History. December 1. Marchi's print from Reynold's portrait published. December 19. Life of Bolingbroke published. Vicar of Wakefield, 4th edition. |
| 1771 | Haunch of Venison written. (?) August 6. History of England published. December 11. 'Prologue to Cradock's Zobeide.' |
| 1772 | February 20. Threnodia Augustalis
published. Watson's Engraving of Resignation published. December. Abridgement of Roman History published. |
| 1773 | March 26. Publishes She Stoops to Conquer; or, The Mistakes of a Night, a Comedy, produced at Covent Garden, March 15. 'Song in She Stoops to Conquer,' 'Epilogue to She Stoops to Conquer.' |
| 1773 | March 24. Kenrick's libel in the London
Packet. March 31. Letter in the Daily Advertiser. May 8. The Grumbler produced. Projects a Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. |
| 1774 | March 25. Illness. April 4. Death. April 9. 'Buried 9th April, Oliver Goldsmith, MB, late of Brick-court, Middle Temple' (Register of Burials, Temple Church). April 19. Retaliation published. April. Vicar of Wakefield, 5th edition (dated 1773). June. Song ('Ah me, when shall I marry me?') published. June 28. Letters of Administration granted. June. An History of the Earth and Animated Nature published. 'Translation from Addison.' (History, etc., 1774.) |
| 1776 | The Haunch of Venison published. 'Epitaph on
Thomas Parnell,' and 'Two Songs from The Captivity
(Haunch of Venison). Monument with medallion by Nollekens erected in the south transept of Westminster Abbey. |
| 1777 | Poems and Plays published. 'The Clown's Reply,' 'Epitaph on Edward Purdon' (Poems, etc., 1777). |
| 1779 | Vicar of Wakefield, 6th edition. |
| 1780 | Poetical and Dramatic Works, Evans's edition,
published. 'Epilogue for Lee Lewes' (Poetical, etc., Works, 1780). |
| 1801 | Miscellaneous Works, Percy's edition, published. 'Epilogues (unspoken) to She Stoops to Conquer' (Misc. Works, 1801). |
| 1820 | Miscellaneous Works, 'trade' edition, published. An Oratorio' (The Captivity). (Misc. Works, 1820.) |
| 1837 | Miscellaneous Works, Prior's edition, published.
'Verses in Reply to an Invitation to Dinner'; 'Letter in Prose and
Verse to Mrs. Bunbury' (Misc. Works, 1837). Tablet erected in the Temple Church. |
| 1854 | Goldsmith's Works, Cunningham's edition, published. 'Translation of Vida's Game of Chess' (Works, 1854, vol. iv). |
| 1864 | January 5. J. H. Foley's statue placed in front of Dublin University. |