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Oliver Goldsmith（1730-1774），an eminent British essayist，poet，novelist and dramatist，was born in Ireland in 1730．He showed great talent for storytelling when he was very young，but he was not a good student．He studied at Trinity College，Dublin，scraping a degree．He then studied medicine in Edinburgh，but failed to graduate．He travelled in France，Germany，Switzerland，Italy and many other European countries，singing and playing his flute for food and lodging．He ran out of money and arrived in London in 1756．
Goldsmith rose from total obscurity to a celebrity only in a matter of a few years，mixing with aristocrats and the intellectual elite such as Samuel Johnson．He was a member of Johnson’s Literary Club．His rise began with the Enquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning in Europe （1759）．He often contributed to Monthly Review ，and soon emerged as an essayist with an engaging style and a sense of humour．A number of his essays were collected in The Citizen of the World （1762）．1764 was the year he cemented his reputation as a poet with The Traveller ．In 1770 he confirmed that reputation with the more famous Deserted Village ．
Goldsmith was very bad with money throughout his life．He was a compulsive gambler，and was generous beyond his means．During a period of financial distress，Johnson helped him to sell his novel The Vicar of Wakefield （1766）．He next turned his attention to theatre with The Good Natur ’ d Man （1768），though it was his play She Stoops to Conquer （1773）that was his biggest success．
Goldsmith died after a brief illness in 1774，at the age of just 43．
As I am one of that sauntering 1 tribe of mortals 2 ，who spend the greatest part of their time in taverns，coffee houses，and other places of public resort，I have thereby an opportunity of observing an infinite variety of characters，which，to a person of a contemplative turn 3 ，is a much higher entertainment than a view of all the curiosities 4 of art or nature．In one of these，my late rambles 5 ，I accidentally fell into the company of half a dozen gentlemen，who were engaged in a warm dispute about some political affair；the decision of which，as they were equally divided in their sentiments 6 ，they thought proper to refer to me，which naturally drew me in for a share of the conversation．
Amongst a multiplicity of other topics，we took occasion to 7 talk of the different characters of the several nations of Europe；when one of the gentlemen，cocking his hat 8 ，and assuming such an air of importance as if he had possessed all the merit of the English nation in his own person，declared that the Dutch were a parcel of avaricious wretches 9 ；the French a set of flattering sycophants 10 ；that the Germans were drunken sots 11 ，and beastly gluttons；and the Spaniards proud，haughty，and surly 12 tyrants；but that in bravery，generosity，clemency 13 ，and in every other virtue，the English excelled all the world．
This very learned and judicious 14 remark was received with a general smile of approbation 15 by all the company—all，I mean，but your humble servant 16 ；who，endeavoring to keep my gravity 17 as well as I could，and reclining my head upon my arm，continued for some time in a posture of affected thoughtfulness 18 ，as if I had been musing on something else，and did not seem to attend to the subject of conversation；hoping by these means to avoid the disagreeable necessity of explaining myself 19 ，and thereby depriving the gentlemen of his imaginary happiness．
But my pseudo⁃patriot had no mind to let me escape so easily．Not satisfied that his opinion should pass without contradiction，he was determined to have it ratified by the suffrage 20 of every one in the company；for which purpose addressing himself to me with an air of inexpressible confidence，he asked me if I was not in the same way of thinking．As I am never forward in giving my opinion 21 ，especially when I have reason to believe that it will not be agreeable；so，when I am obliged to give it，I always hold it for a maxim to speak my real sentiments 22 ．I therefore told him that，for my own part，I should not have ventured to talk in such a peremptory 23 strain 24 ，unless I had made the tour of Europe，and examined the manners of these several nations with great care and accuracy：that，perhaps，a more impartial judge would not scruple 25 to affirm that the Dutch were more frugal and industrious，the French more temperate and polite，the Germans more hardy 26 and patient of labour and fatigue，and the Spaniards more staid 27 and sedate 28 ，than the English；who，though undoubtedly brave and generous，were at the same time rash，headstrong 29 ，and impetuous 30 ；too apt to be elated with prosperity，and to despond in adversity．
I could easily perceive that all of the company began to regard me with a jealous 31 eye before I had finished my answer，which I had no sooner done，than the patriotic gentleman observed，with a contemptuous sneer，that he was greatly surprised how some people could have the conscience to live in a country which they did not love，and to enjoy the protection of a government，to which in their hearts they were inveterate 32 enemies．Finding that by this modest declaration of my sentiments，I had forfeited the good opinion of my companions，and given them occasion to call my political principles in question，and well knowing that it was in vain to argue with men who were so very full of themselves 33 ，I threw down my reckoning 34 and retired to my own lodgings，reflecting on the absurd and ridiculous nature of national prejudice and prepossession 35 ．
Among all the famous sayings of antiquity，there is none that does greater honour to the author，or affords greater pleasure to the reader（at least if he be 36 a person of a generous and benevolent heart），than that 37 of the philosopher，who，being asked what “countryman he was，”replied that he was a citizen of the world．How few there are to be found in modern times who can say the same，or whose conduct is consistent with such a profession 38 ！We are now become 39 so much Englishmen，Frenchmen，Dutchmen，Spaniards，or Germans，that we are no longer citizens of the world；so much the natives of one particular spot，or members of one petty society，that we no longer consider ourselves as the general inhabitants of the globe，or members of that grand society which comprehends the whole human kind．
Did 40 these prejudices prevail only among the meanest and lowest of the people 41 ，perhaps they might be excused，as they have few，if any，opportunities of correcting them by reading，traveling，or conversing with foreigners；but the misfortune is，that they infect the minds，and influence the conduct，even of our gentlemen；of those，I mean，who have every title to 42 this appellation 43 but an exemption from prejudice，which，however，in my opinion，ought to be regarded as the characteristical mark of a gentleman：for let a man’s birth be 44 ever so high，his station ever so exalted 45 ，or his fortune ever so large，yet if he is not free from national and other prejudices，I should make bold to 46 tell him，that he had a low and vulgar mind，and had no just claim to the character of a gentleman．And in fact，you will always find that those are most apt to boast of national merit，who have little or no merit of their own to depend on，than which，to be sure，nothing is more natural：the slender vine twists around the sturdy 47 oak for no other reason in the world but because it has not strength sufficient to support itself．
Should it be alleged in defense of national prejudice，that it is the natural and necessary growth of love to our country，and that therefore the former cannot be destroyed without hurting the latter；I answer，that this is a gross fallacy and delusion．That it is the growth of love to our country，I will allow 48 ；but that it is the natural and necessary growth of it，I absolutely deny．Superstition and enthusiasm too are the growth of religion；but who ever took it in his head to affirm that they are the necessary growth of this noble principle？They are，if you will，the bastard sprouts 49 of this heavenly plant；but not its natural and genuine branches，and may safely enough be lopped off 50 ，without doing any harm to the parent stock 51 ；nay，perhaps，till once they are lopped off，this goodly 52 tree can never flourish in perfect health and vigour．
Is it not very possible that I may love my own country，without hating the natives of other countries？That I may exert the most heroic bravery，the most undaunted 53 resolution，in defending its laws and liberty，without despising all the rest of the world as cowards and poltroons 54 ？Most certainly it is：and if it were not—But why need I suppose what is absolutely impossible？—but if it were not，I must own 55 ，I should prefer the title of the ancient philosopher，viz 56 ，a citizen of the world，to that of an Englishman，a Frenchman，a European，or to any other appellation whatever．
1．saunter：to walk in a slow，relaxed way
2．tribe of mortals：ordinary men
3．a person of a contemplative turn：a person with a contemplative nature
4．curiosity：something that is unusual，interesting，and fairly rare
5．ramble：walk
6．sentiment：an opinion about something
7．take occasion to（do sth．）：take the opportunity to do sth．
8．cocking his hat：raising his hat
9．wretch：a person that you feel sympathy or pity for
10．sycophant：a person who praises important or powerful people too much and in a way that is not sincere，esp．in order to get sth．from them
11．sot：a habitual or chronic drunkard
12．surly：bad⁃tempered and rude
13．clemency：kindness shown to sb．when they are being punished；willingness not to punish sb．so severely
14．judicious：careful and sensible；showing good judgement
15．approbation：approval or praise
16．your humble servant：referring to the author himself
17．gravity：（ formal ）serious behaviour，speech or appearance
18．affected thoughtfulness：pretending to be thinking
19．explaining myself：expressing my point of view
20．ratified by the suffrage：reach an agreement by voting．Here it means that everyone present must express his opinion．
21．forward in giving my opinion：eager to express my opinion
22．I always hold it for a maxim to speak my real sentiments：It is always my motto to express what I believe is true．
23．peremptory：（esp．of sb．’s manner or behavoiur）expecting to be obeyed immediately and without question or refusal
24．strain：tone
25．scruple：to be willing to do sth．even if it might be wrong or immoral
26．hardy：strong and able to survive difficult conditions and bad weather
27．staid：not amusing or interesting；boring and old⁃fashioned
28．sedate：quiet and rather dignified，though perhaps a bit dull
29．headstrong：a headstrong person is determined to do things their own way and refuses to listen to advice
30．impetuous：acting or done quickly and without thinking carefully about the results
31．jealous：anxiously watchful
32．inveterate：done or felt for a long time and unlikely to change
33．full of oneself：（ disproving ）very proud；thinking only of oneself
34．reckoning：（ archaic ）a bill or account or its settlement；threw down my reckoning：paid my bill
35．prepossession：（ archaic ）an attitude，belief，or impression formed beforehand；prejudice
36．if he be：if he should be
37．that：referring to “saying”
38．profession：a statement about what you believe，feel or think about sth．，that is sometimes made publicly
39．are now become：have now become
40．did：if
41．the meanest and lowest of the people：people at the bottom of the society
42．have title to：have the legal right to have or own sth．
43．appellation：（ literary ）a name or title
44．let…be：even if
45．his station ever so exalted：his social status so high
46．make bold to：（be/make so bold as to do sth．）to do something that other people feel is rude or not acceptable
47．sturdy：strong and not easily damaged
48．allow：（ formal ）to accept or admit sth．；to agree that sth．is true or correct
49．bastard sprouts：useless branches
50．lop off：If you lop something off，you cut it away from what it was attached to，usually with a quick，strong stroke
51．parent stock：stem
52．goodly：（ archaic ）physically attractive；of good quality
53．undaunted：If you are undaunted，you are not at all afraid or worried about dealing with something，especially something that would frighten or worry most people．
54．poltroon：（ archaic ）a coward
55．own：admit
56．viz：namely
Oliver Goldsmith’s place in English literature as an essayist is largely founded on his The Citizens of the World ．This collection of essays was originally published in series as Chinese Letters ．Goldsmith commented on English life and customs，mental and moral characteristics，and literary subjects by a series of letters supposedly written by a Chinese philosopher in London．We must note that these supposed Chinese letters have nothing to do with China，but they betray the increasing interest in and curiosities about Chinese and oriental cultures and civilizations．Actually，Goldsmith followed the example of Montesquieu’s Persian Letters ，where an imaginary Oriental traveller wrote letters home commenting on the customs of a certain European country．
“On National Prejudices”is included in The Citizens of the World ．It was written at a time when English capitalism was on the rise and far too many Englishmen were indulged in its“superiority”．Goldsmith，unlike those people，saw clearly both the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the nation and its people．In “On National Prejudices”，he argues that it is possible to love one’s own country without hating the people of other countries．Instead of calling himself an Englishman，he claims that he is a citizen of the world．
This essay is clearly organized and tightly structured．The author puts forward the issue of national prejudices in paragraphs one to five，and demonstrates his point of view of citizens of the world in paragraph six．He then anatomizes the causes of national prejudices and distinguishes national prejudices and patriotisms in paragraphs seven and eight．He concludes this essay and reemphasizes his thesis of “the citizen of the world”in paragraph nine．
Goldsmith uses a lot of long sentences in the essay．For example，the first paragraph comprises of only two sentences：1．“As I am one of that sauntering tribe of mortals，who spend the greatest part of their time in taverns，coffee houses，and other places of public resort，I have thereby an opportunity of observing an infinite variety of characters，which，to a person of a contemplative turn，is a much higher entertainment than a view of all the curiosities of art or nature．”2．“In one of these，my late rambles，I accidentally fell into the company of half a dozen gentlemen，who were engaged in a warm dispute about some political affair；the decision of which，as they were equally divided in their sentiments，they thought proper to refer to me，which naturally drew me in for a share of the conversation．”Paragraph three has only one sentence：“This very learned and judicious remark was received with a general smile of approbation by all the company—all，I mean，but your humble servant；who，endeavoring to keep my gravity as well as I could，and reclining my head upon my arm，continued for some time in a posture of affected thoughtfulness，as if I had been musing on something else，and did not seem to attend to the subject of conversation；hoping by these means to avoid the disagreeable necessity of explaining myself，and thereby depriving the gentlemen of his imaginary happiness．”
These long sentences and many others help make the essay solemn and grandiose，but they are not awkward or demanding thanks to his clever use of commas．
Goldsmith’s use of irony is superb．We can feel the biting satire in this example：“This very learned and judicious remark was received with a general smile of approbation by all the company—all，I mean，but your humble servant；who，endeavoring to keep my gravity as well as I could，and reclining my head upon my arm，continued for some time in a posture of affected thoughtfulness，as if I had been musing on something else，and did not seem to attend to the subject of conversation；hoping by these means to avoid the disagreeable necessity of explaining myself，and thereby depriving the gentlemen of his imaginary happiness．”
Goldsmith’s following metaphor is very vivid：“the slender vine twists around the sturdy oak for no other reason in the world but because it has not strength sufficient to support itself．”
Goldsmith uses the first⁃person point of view to expound his thesis．This method shortens the distance between the author and the readers and the readers unconsciously incline to agree with the author．
1．Do you agree with Goldsmith’s opinion on national prejudices？
2．What do you like most about the essay？
3．What stereotypical national prejudices have you encountered？
4．What stereotypical national prejudices do you think you have against other countries？
5．What do you think we can do to reduce，if we cannot eliminate，national prejudices？
1．Oliver Goldsmith， A Little Great Man ．
2．Oliver Goldsmith， A Visit to Westminster Abbey ．