Many authorities have supported the view that Goldsmith was the author
of "Goody Two Shoes." Conspicuous among them was Washington Irving,
who says, "It is suggested with great probability that he wrote for Mr
Newbery the famous nursery story of 'Goody Two Shoes.'" It is said
also that William Godwin held this opinion; and I believe there is
authority for stating that the Misses Bewick, the daughters of the
celebrated engraver, who illustrated an edition of the book for T.
Saint, of Newcastle, understood from their father that it was by
Oliver Goldsmith.

But let us turn to the book itself and see if it furnishes any
evidence on the point. The very title, with its quaint phrasing, shows
no common genius, and as Washington Irving says, "bears the stamp of
his [Goldsmith's] sly and playful humour." As the book was published
in 1765, it would most likely have been written just at the time when
Goldsmith was working most industriously in the service of Newbery
(1763-4), at which period it will be remembered that he was living
near Newbery at Islington, and his publisher was paying for his board
and lodging.

Without, of course, claiming that similarity of idea in different
writings necessarily betokens the same authorship, I think the
parallels that are to be found in this little book, with many of the
sentiments in Oliver Goldsmith's acknowledged work--to say nothing of
the almost universally recognized likeness to Goldsmith's style that
is found in "Goody Two Shoes" may fairly be considered as throwing
some light upon the question.

The most striking of these parallels is perhaps that furnished by the
curious little political preface to the work--a preface which is quite