Oliver Goldsmith 

‘Hamish took his book of Goldsmith’s poems out of his bag and read his account of how to travel cheaply: “Whenever I approached a peasant's house towards nightfall, I played one of my most merry tunes. That generally procured me not only lodging, but food for the next day.” In a hopeful voice he went on “I can do the singing, Claudie boy. Can you do the flute?” “Claudius is my name,” came the reply. “I can’t do much on the flute but I can play the violin.”’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024). 

More about Oliver Goldsmith

The famous poet was a skilled player of the German flute. He used this talent, playing in taverns, to help finance his studies while studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh. This may have inspired him, in The Vicar of Wakefield, to have Sir William Thornhill playing the flute. After leaving Edinburgh, Goldsmith embarked on a walking tour through Flanders, France, Switzerland, and Northern Italy, earning by playing his flute. Claudius Buchanan wrote about how he followed Goldsmith’s example after leaving Scotland in disgrace: "I had the example of the celebrated Dr. Goldsmith before me, who travelled through Europe on foot, and supported himself by playing on his flute. I could play a little on the violin, and on this I relied for occasional support during my long and various travels.”