Ossian's poems, his soul, which was all poetry, felt it was a language in which his invention could express itself; and having lighted on the names of Rowley and Canninge, he bent his researches towards the authors of their age, and, as far as his means could reach, in so confined a sphere, he assembled materials enough to deceive those who have all their lives dealt in such uncouth lore, and not in our classic authors, nor have perceived that taste had not developed itself in the reign of Edward IV. It is the taste in Rowley's supposed poems that will for ever exclude them from belonging to that period. Mr. Tyrwhitt and Mr. Warton have convicted them of being spurious by technical criterions; and Rowley, I doubt, will remain in possession of nothing that did not deserve to be forgotten, even should some fragments of old parchments and old verses be ascertained antique.

"Thomas Chatterton, born 20th of Nov. 1752. "Educated at the Bluecoat school at Bristol, where reading and writing and accounts are only taught. "Put clerk to an attorney, July, 1766.

"First taken notice of for a paper put into Farley's Bristol Journal, and said to be from an old MS., 1st Oct. 1768.

"First inserted a little poem of his own and an extract from an old MS. in the Town and Country Magazine, February* [March], 1769.

"Sent specimens of several ancient poems to Mr. H.W. Said there were many more, and offered to transcribe the whole, March, 1769.

"He was then aged 16 years and 4 months. "Went to London, April, 1770.

"Died, August, 1770."

The melancholy fate of Chatterton is detailed by Mr. Barrett, in his History of Bristol, pp. 646, 647,† with more minuteness than is found in common biographies of this unfortunate youth. Mr. Barrett gives a letter of Chatterton, in which he acknowledges that his ruling sin was "Pride, damn'd native unconquerable pride, that plunges me into distraction." Chatterton, it appears, "took a

* See p. 538.

+ See an able review of Barrett's Bristol, by Mr. Gough, in Gent. Mag. 1789, p. 921, in which he ridicules Mr. Barrett's credulity on the subject of Rowley. Indeed, it is scarcely credible how large a share of public attention was excited by poems which now appear, at first sight, palpable forgeries. A valuable correspondence between Mr. Barrett and Dr. Ducarel, relative to his History of Bristol, is printed in Gent. Mag. 1786, pp. 460-464, 544, 580.

large dose of opium, some of which was picked out of his teeth after death, and he was found the next morning (Aug. 25, 1770) a most horrid spectacle, with limbs and features distorted as after convulsions, a frightful and ghastly corpse." He was buried in the burying-ground belonging to Shoe-lane workhouse, now the site of Fleet Market. Mr. Chalmers, in his Biographical Dictionary, has given a good digest of the Life of Chatterton and the Rowleian controversy; with a list of the writers on each side. Mr. Chalmers observes, "The event of Chatterton's suicide is not mentioned in any of the periodicals of the day, and no notice of it occurs for nearly seven years after his death, when Rowley's Poems were first published. This led to a very acute and long-protracted discussion on their merits. Those who contended for the authenticity of Rowley's Poems, were for sinking every circumstance that could prove the genius of Chatterton; while Mr. T. Warton and others brought the poems to the test of internal evidence, and discovered that, however extraordinary it was for Chatterton to produce them in the 18th century, it was impossible that Rowley could have written them in the 15th."†

Oct. 10, 1787.

CHATTERTON'S KNOWLEDGE OF HERALDRY. "MR. URBAN, "Every fragment of the truly ingenious and unfortunate Chatterton has a kind of prescriptive claim to literary regard. Whether this be founded on the pertinacity of opinions concerning the imposture or originality of the poems of Rowley, or their real merit, it may be now too late to inquire. The subjoined authentic letter, which I respectfully offer, proves him to have been no mean adept in the science of heraldry, his proficiency in which I do

In the Memoirs of the Rev. T. Maurice is an interesting Essay on Chatterton, which states that Sir William Jones was from the first convinced by internal evidence that the poems of Rowley were a fabrication, at the same time that he paid a tribute justly due to the abilities of the fabricator. The Essay mentions many circumstances of Chatterton's melancholy end; and thus concludes: "The fate of this unfortunate young man, one of the greatest geniuses, if not the greatest genius of the 18th century, should teach others, if possessed of GENIUS, to check its irregularities; if beguiled by AMBITION, to consider the envy, the danger that for ever attend it in its most successful career; if betrayed into INFIDELITY, the misery that haunts it through life, and the aggravated horrors that mark its end."

+ Chalmers, p. 189. For full particulars of the controversy, see the various Volumes of the Gentleman's Magazine; and the General Indexes to that work, vol. I. 393, III. 377.

not remember to have found discussed by those who have so scrupulously examined every acquisition of knowledge he could possibly have made.

'To Ralph Bigland, Esq. Somerset Herald.

Sir, Hearing you are composing a book of heraldry, I trouble you with this. Most of our heralds assert Files should never be borne in even numbers. I have seen several old seals with four, six, and eight; and in the cathedral here is a coat of the Berkeleys with four.

'Curious coats in and about Bristol:—

'Barry of six, or and azure, counterchanged per fess, by Gilbert de Gaunt. Argent, a maunch gules, edged or verdoy of trefoils, by John Cosier. Or, a canton sable, by Delouvis. A seal, Quarterly, first and fourth, on a bend three annulets, second and third a head couped gutté, by the name of Sancto Lovis, to a deed dated 1204. 'Your most humble servant, THOMAS CHATTERTON..

"It is observable, that this last quartering is the armorial bearing ascribed by Chatterton to William Cannynge, and exhibited in the fac-simile published at the end of Tyrwhitt's edition of Rowley. Sir Thomas Canning, brother of William, was Lord Mayor of London, 1456, and, in Stowe's Catalogue, bears, Argent, three Moor's heads couped proper.'

6

"Were I at liberty to communicate, I could confirm an assertion, that Chatterton was as expert in the invention of coats of arms, as of the poems of the fifteenth century. The manuscripts I allude to contain a history of the family of one of his Bristol patrons, which, though eminently dignified by him, is notoriously plebeian. In the titlepage, it is said to be collected from the heralds of March and Garter's Records.' The margin is filled with references to various books of antiquity and manuscripts; and one of his authorities is Rowley. In the course of the history, some hundred bearings are described, the greater number of which are certainly forged, and the arms of many great families entirely different from what they have ever borne. His emblazoning is in no instance faulty, but seems to evince a more than ordinary knowledge of the art. J. D."*

* Probably the Rev. James Dallaway, in the Gentleman's Magazine, vol. LVII. p. 954. His opinion of Chatterton's skill in blazonry is, however, scarcely supported by the specimen above given.

567

LETTERS

Of DR. PERCY to the REV. DR. BIRCH.*

THE following Letters of Dr. Percy, relative to his early works, were preserved by DR. BIRCH among his manuscripts in the British Museum, No. 4316. Dr. Birch died Jan. 9, 1766. A memoir and character of him will be found in Literary Anecdotes, vol. V. pp. 282-290; and very numerous notices of him and his works in Index to Lit. Anec. VII. pp. 32, 33, 516. A portrait and autograph of Dr. Birch are given in Literary Illustrations, vol. IV. p. 241; and numerous letters from the Duchess of Kent, Earl of Buchan, Archbishops Herring and Secker, Bishops Hoadly and Warburton, Dr. Z. Grey, Dr. Jortin, Mr. Garrick, Dr. Ducarel, Mr. Theobald, Mr. Wray, Mr. Da Costa, &c. addressed to Dr. Birch, have been published in former volumes of the Literary Illustrations.

"REV. DOCTOR,

Easton Mauduit, April 21, 1763. "I was lately in London for a few days, but was prevented from paying my respects to you, partly by a very severe cold which confined me a good deal, and partly by the dilatoriness of the printer of the Duke of Buckingham's Works. He promised me the new 'Key to the Re

* Dr. Percy entered into an agreement with Messrs. Tonson in 1761 for an edition of "The Works of George Villiers, second Duke of Buckingham," for which he received fifty-two guineas; and March 24, 1763, for an edition of Lord Surrey's Poems, for twenty guineas. Both these works were printed, but never published, by Bp. Percy. See Lit. Anec. III. 753. I have an imperfect copy of Bp. Percy's unpublished edition of the Works of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, in 2 vols. 8vo. Vol. I. contains "The Rehearsal," ," "The Chances," "The Restoration, or Right will take place;" and "A new Key to the Rehearsal," incomplete, ending with page 464. Vol. II. contains "Poems on several Occasions;" Dialogues and Pieces of Humour, viz. The Battle of Sedgmoor, a farce; A Conference with an Irish Priest; The Militant Couple, or a Husband may thank himself; A Character of an Ugly Woman, or a Hue and Cry after Beauty. Speeches in Parliament. Familiar Letters. Tracts and Controversial Pieces, viz. A Letter to Sir T. Osborn; A Letter to Martin Clifford; A short Discourse upon the

hearsal' should be ready for me to present to you and my Lord Hardwicke as soon as I got to town; and I deferred waiting on you till I could bring my work with me, till the whole time elapsed that I was obliged to leave town without presenting the work either to my Lord or yourself. I am, however, in hopes it will be sent in a few days, both to you and his Lordship, to whom be pleased to present my most humble respects. Along with the copy to you, will be sent your Life of Addison,' for the loan of which I return my best thanks.

6

"With regard to the Key to the Rehearsal,' I must beg the favour of you never to show it to any one till the book is published, which will not be soon. I shall be glad to be favoured with any hints, either for perfecting that work or the proposed edition of the Spectator, Guardian, and Tatler, which will be an addition to the favour already conferred on, Rev. Doctor, your most obedient and obliged servant,

"REV. DOCTOR,

"THOS. PERCY."

Easton Mauduit, July 2, 1763. "I received the favour of your obliging letter, and the very curious papers that accompanied it. They are to me invaluable, and will give an importance to my proposed work, which it must otherwise have wanted. Be pleased to accept my sincere thanks for the same, and present my most humble acknowledgments to my Lord Royston, for condescending to interest himself so much in my favour. reasonableness of Men's having a Religion or Worship of God; A Short Answer to the Duke of Buckingham's Paper concerning Religious Toleration and Liberty of Conscience; The Duke's Answer to the unknown Author of The Short Answer, &c.-Doubtful Pieces. Under this head the only piece is "Poetical Reflections on Absolom and Achitophel," which is unfinished, ending with page 240.-I have also an imperfect copy of Bp. Percy's edition of the Poetical Works of Lord Surrey, Sir Thomas Wyat, &c. The chief contents of this scarce volume are, Songes and Sonnettes by the Earl of Surrey, p. 1 to 40. Songes and Sonnettes by Sir T. Wyat the elder, pp. 41 to 111. Songes and Sonnettes of uncertain authors, pp. 112 to 260. Songes written by N. G. pp. 261-272. The Second Boke of Virgile Aenæis by the Earl of Surrey, in blank verse, p. 1 to 48 [imperfect]. My copy unfortunately wants the Selection of early Blank Verse, edited by Bp. Percy and the Rev. H. Meen, in 1796 and 1797, and which forms the subject of many letters in the present volume between the Bishop and Mr. Steevens (see pp. 5 to 21); and between the Bishop and Mr. Meen (see pp. 38 to 44). But a copy is fortunately in the possession of Mr. J. Payne Collier. N.

* Dr. Percy entered into an agreement with Messrs. Tonson, May 5, 1764, to furnish notes for an edition of the Tatler, Spectator and Guardian, for which he was to have 100 guineas. See Lit. Anec. III. 753.