This was the 'Memoirs of a Protestant, condemned
to the Galleys of France for his Religion', being the authentic record
of the sufferings of one Jean Marteilhe of Bergerac, a book of which
Michelet has said that it is 'written as if between earth and heaven.'
Marteilhe, who died at Cuylenberg in 1777, was living in Holland in
1758; and it may be that Goldsmith had seen or heard of him during his
own stay in that country. The translation, however, did not bear
Goldsmith's name, but that of James Willington, one of his old
class-fellows at Trinity College. Nevertheless, Prior says distinctly
that Griffiths (who should have known) declared it to be by Goldsmith.
Moreover, the French original had been catalogued in Griffiths' magazine
in the second month of Goldsmith's servitude, a circumstance which
colourably supplies the reason for its subsequent rendering into
English.
The publication of Marteilhe's 'Memoirs' had no influence upon
Goldsmith's fortunes, for, in a short time, he was again installed at
Peckham, in place of Dr.
Pages:
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41