and affured her he was not hungry." In these defperate circumftances, his mind reverted to what (we learn from Mr. Thiftlethwaite and others) he had accustomed himself to regard as a last resource."Over his death, for the fake of the world," says the author of Love and Madness, "I would willingly draw a veil. But this must not be. They who are in a condition to patronife merit, and they who feel a consciousness of merit that is not patronised, may form their own refolutions from the catastrophe of his tale; thofe, to lofe no opportunity of befriending genius; thefe, to feize every opportunity of befriending themfelves, and, upon no account, to harbour the most diftant idea of quitting the world, however it may be unworthy of them, left defpondency fhould at laft deceive them into fo unpardonable a step. Chatterton, as appears by the Coroner's Inqueft, fwallowed arfenic in water, on the 24th of Auguft 1770, and died in confequence thereof the next day. He was buried in a fhell, in the burying ground of Shoe-lane workhoufe." Whatever unfinished pieces he might have, he cautiously deftroyed them before his death; and his room, when broken open, was found covered with little fcraps of paper. What muft increase our regret for this hafty and unhappy step, is the information that the late Dr. Fry, head of St. John's College in Oxford, went to Bristol, in the latter end of Auguft 1770, in order to fearch into the history of Rowley and Chatterton, and to patronife the latter, if he appeared to deferve affiftance-when, alas! all the intelligence he could procure was, that Chatterton had, within a few days, destroyed himself. "The perfon of Chatterton, like his genius, was premature; he had a manliness and dignity beyond his years, and there was a something about him uncommonly prepoffeffing. His most remarkable feature was his eyes, which, though grey, were uncommonly piercing; when he was warmed in argument, they VOL. I. fparkled B fparkled with fire, and one eye, it is faid, was still more remarkable than the other." That to prove the authenticity, or the fabrication of Rowley's poems, is of confiderable importance to the fame of Chatterton, may be argued from the very eminent writers who on this occafion covered the field of difputation. The father of Chatterton for fome time mafter of the free-school at Bristol, had, as hath been already stated, covered the bibles belonging to the boys under his care, with feveral pieces of parchment; fome of which are allowed to have contained a part of the poems in queftion; this led young Chatterton to an acquaintance with them. Of the existence of Canynge, there can be no doubt, it having been proved from the records of the city of Briftol: and it is equally certain that a cheft, denominated Canynge's Cofre, containing deeds and other writings, was configned to the care of the churchwardens of Redcliffe church. "Perrot, the old fexton, who fucceeded Chatterton's great uncle, took Mr. Shiercliffe, a miniature painter, of Bristol, as early as the year 1749, through Redcliffe Church, he fhewed him in the North porch a number of parchments, fome loofe and fome tied up, and intimated, "that there were things there, which would one day be better known, and that, in proper hands, they might prove a treasure." Many of the manufcripts in Mr. Barrett's hands bear all the marks of age, and are figned by Rowley himself. The characters, in each inftance, appear to be fimilar, and the hand-writing the fame in all." Even the identical existence of the poet Rowley, is far from conjectural. In the regifter of the Diocese of Wells, there are two perfons of the name of Thomas Rowley, cotemporaries with Canynge, mentioned as admitted into Holy Orders, one of whom might be the author of the poems. To an objection, why these poems were not left to a literary fociety, rather than to the cuftody of parish officers, officers, the reply is obvious. Rowley, granting his being, was an unambitious though a wonderful genius; moft probably the intimate friend of Canynge; and dying before his friend, left him the productions of his pen. Neither the deviation in point of language from the then contended ufage of the times, nor the obscurity of the productions, oppose these ideas. Chatterton, it is known, where he could not trace the original words of the different poems, fubftituted others of his own invention, by the aid of old dictionaries, and the judgment he entertained of the connection of the piece; which naturally accounts for the ftrange admixture of novel and obfolete terms to be found in the poems of Rowley. And, in the 15th century, when printing was hardly reforted to, it is not furprizing that poems, known only to a few friends, fhould have efcaped public obfervation. The writings of Occleve, who is fuppofed to have lived about the time of Rowley, and who has very lately come into notice, highly favour this conjecture. From the firft difclosure of Rowley's poems, to the day of his own decease, Chatterton conftantly declared that he had copied and published them from the ancient manufcripts he had found; and is not this a ftrong prefumption that he was not the author of them? A prefumption, confirmed by his acknowledged productions being greatly inferior to any thing which he avowed as Rowley's. As foon as he had discovered the parchments, he told his mother; " that he had found a treasure, and was fo glad nothing could be like it:" And, Mrs. Newton, his fifter, being asked, if the remembers his having mentioned Rowley's poems, after the discovery of the parchments, fays, "that he was perpetually talking on that fubject." Let us alfo recollect that remarkable paffage in his letter to his mother, May 14th, 1770, had Rowley been a Londoner, inftead of a Briftowyan, I could have lived by copying his works:” yet he exhibited nothing of Rowley's after this period! And, if Chatterton were Rowley, how can this declaration be reconciled with his neglect? So far from having felt any prejudice against Chatterton, we began this inquiry with a bias in his favour. We have thought for ourselves; and we wish every one to do the fame. It may, however, be proper to declare, that we have not brought Chatterton forward, with the leaft defign of reviving the fpirit of controverfy, but, with a hope to afcertain the truth, and an earneft defire to vindicate his real genius. Though we do not believe Chatterton to have been the author of Rowley's poems, and, though this belief admitted, may tend to unhinge his fame, yet independent of them, we think him entitled to immortality. In a boy of twelve years old, to burn with the fire, and to rescue from deftruction, the compofitions of Rowley, evinced uncommon abilities. Accompanied with Rowley's manufcripts, he would frequently walk in Redcliffe meadows: and there was one fpot in particular, full in view of the church, in which he seemed to take a peculiar delight. He would lay himself down, fix his eyes upon the church, and feem as if he were in a kind of trance. Then, on a fudden and abruptly, fays Mr. Smith, he would tell me, “that steeple was burnt down by lightning: that was the place where they formerly acted plays."-Who of fenfibility does not difcern, in this portrait, the grand features of the bard? Poor Chatterton was -"no vulgar boy; Deep thought oft feemed to fix his infant eye. The neighbours ftared and fighed, yet blessed the lad; Some deemed him wondrous wife, and fome believed him mad." Remembering Remembering the narrowness of his education, the age at which he commenced his literary career, that he wanted fome months of eighteen years, when he finished his mournful existence, and that he has left one published, and more than another unpublished volumeof his works, what might he not have effected, had he met that encouragement which he fo ardently fought! Here are two fpecimens of his talents : DESCRIPTIVE. FROM AN ELEGY TO THE MEMORY OF MR. "PALE rugged winter bending o'er his head Upon my mind I feel a thick'ning gloom! SATIRICAL. FROM A POEM ON HAPPINESS. "PULVIS, whofe knowledge centres in degrees, |