anceftor, with fome fmaller pieces. Mr. Barrett, also, a refpectable surgeon in Bristol, and a man of letters, projecting a hiftory of his native city, having obtained the pieces in Mr. Catcott's poffeffion, patronifed the discoverer of them. In his first converfations with Mr. Catcott, he mentioned the names of most of the poems fince printed, as being in his poffeffion; but afterwards grew more fufpicious and referved, and it was with difficulty, that any more originals could be obtained from him. He confeffed to Mr. Catcott, that he had deftroyed feveral; and fome which he owned to have been in his poffeffion, were never afterwards feen.

His fifter remarks, that after he was introduced to thefe gentlemen, his ambition daily and perceptibly increafed: yet fome of his latter compofitions demonftrate, that he was not thoroughly fatisfied with his Briftol patrons; and Mr. Thistlethwaite does not hefitate to affert, that he felt himself greatly difappointed in his expectations of pecuniary rewards for his communications.

In the courfe of the years 1768, and 1769, Mr. Thistlethwaite frequently faw him, and defcribes, in a lively manner, the employments of his leifure hours. "One day," fays Mr. T." he might be found bufily employed in the study of heraldry and English antiquities, both of which are numbered among the most favourite of his pursuits, the next discovered him deeply engaged, confounded, and perplexed amidst the fubtleties of metaphyfical difquifition, or loft and bewildered in the abstruse labyrinth of mathematical refearches; and thefe, in an inftant, again neglected and thrown afide, to make room for music and astronomy, of both which fciences his knowledge was entirely confined to theory. Even phyfic was not without a charm to allure his imagination, and he would talk of Galen, Hippocrates, and Paracelfus, with all the confi

dence.

dence and familiarity of a modern empiric." Such is the useless indefatigability of genius! daring in its plans, but inconftant in its pursuits.

Chatterton had conceived an early difguft against the profeffion of the law, and, by an application in March 1769, to the Hon. Horace Walpole, attempted to emerge into greatnefs. Mr. Walpole lately deceived with the Offian of M'Pherson, referred the infpection of Chatterton's pacquet to Mr. Gray and to Mr. Mafon, and thofe gentlemen, at firft fight, pronounced them forgeries. Walpole, though convinced of the imposture, could not but admire the spirit of poetry which animated these productions. He, however, anfwered the applicator, by advising him to apply to his profeffion as the only and certain means of obtaining the independence he fought. This produced a peevith reply," which Mr. Walpole answered by taking a trip to Paris. On his return, which was not for fome time, he found another epiftle, from Chatterton, expreffive of much refentment, on account of the detention of his poems, roughly demanding them back, and adding," that Mr. Walpole would not have dared to ufe him fo ill, had he not been acquainted with the narrowness of his circumstances." The confequence was fuch as might be expected. Mr. Walpole returned his poems and his letters in a blank cover, and never afterwards heard from him or of him during his life. The affront was never forgiven by the disappointed poet; and in the Memoirs of a Sad Dog, under the character of "the redoubted Baron Otranto, who has spent his whole life in conjectures," perhaps it is more than repaid.

On the score of these transactions, Mr. Walpole has incurred more cenfure than he merited. Unknown as Chatterton was, his expectations of immediate patronage, only argue his ignorance of the human mind, and the customs of the great. Afterwards Mr. Wal

pole

pole fincerely regretted that he had not seen this adventurous youth.

Hitherto the reader has contemplated the virtuous though unhappy Chatterton; but he was now brought to entertain a worfe gueft than poverty. Scepticism, that disease of strong when half-informed minds, undermined the fortitude of his fpirit; while envy and malice affailed the ftrength of his reputation. The fimplicity and feeling which at twelve years of age accepted and rejoiced in the affurances of religion, was exchanged for fentiments like thefe: In the conclufion of a letter to Mr. Catcott, he says "heaven fend you the comforts of chriftianity; I request them not, for I am no chriftian.' A more effectual check cannot be given to fuch principles, than the fate of Chatterton prefents. As for the vices with which he was at this time charged, they are refuted by the united teftimonies of Mr. Lambert, Mrs. Newton, and other refpectable characters. "The opportunities," fays Mr. Thiftlethwaite, which a long acquaintance with Chatterton afforded me, juftify me in faying, that whilft he lived at Bristol, he was not the debauched character he has been reprefented. Temperate in living, moderate in his pleafures, and regular in his exercises, he was undeferving of the afperfion. I admit that among his papers may be found many paffages, not only immoral, but bordering upon a libertinim grofs and unpardonable. It is not my intention to attempt a vindication of those paffages, which, from the regard I bear his memory, 1 wifh he had never written, but which I nevertheless believe to have originated rather from a warmth of imagination, aided by a vain affectation of fingularity, than from any natural depravity, or from a heart vitiated by evil example."

The circumftance which haftened his departure from Briftel, muft not be overlooked. Chatterton, it ap

pears,

pears, had long reflected on the act of fuicide; and a paper found on his desk, by Mr. Lambert's mother, entitled, the " Laft Will and Teftament of Thomas Chatterton," in which he seriously indicated his defign of committing fuicide on the following day, namely, Eafter Sunday, April 15th, 1770, convinced his mafter that he was no longer proper to be confidered as one of his family, he accordingly difmiffed him immediately from his fervice, in which he had continued two years, nine months, and thirteen days.

With feveral promifes of fupport from different bookfellers, in the latter end of April, 1770, he bade his native city a final adieu! and took up his first habitation in London, at Mr. Walmsley's, a plafterer in Shoreditch. In a letter, dated the 14th of the fame month, he speaks with exultation of his profpects, adding, "If Rowley had been a Londoner instead of a Briftowyan, I might have lived by copying his works.” Indeed his engagements, at that period, appear to have been numerous; but the too common uncertainty of fuch avocations, added to the generofity which he exercised in prefents to his mother and fifter, foon overcaft the dawn of his profperity.

Party writing feems to have been his delight; and fome effays, of a popular nature, introduced him to Beckford, then Lord Mayor, and Mr. Wilkes the author of the North Briton. But whatever benefits might have refulted from thefe connections, they were loft with the death of Beckford, which happened on the 21st of June, 1770. On this fandy foundation of party writing, Chatterton erected a vifionary fabric of future greatnefs; plunged, to fupport that confequence, into expences he could not fuftain, and found, too late, the weakness of those on whem he depended.

Again he had recourfe to the bookfellers. In the month of June 1770, though he had pieces in the Gofpel Magazine, the Court and City, the London,

the

the Political Regifter, &c. and though almoft the whole Town and Country for the following month was his, fo fcanty is the remuneration for thofe periodical labours, that even these uncommon exertions of induftry and genius were infufficient to ward off the approach of poverty; and from the higheft elevation of hope and illufion, he funk at once to the depths of defpair.

Early in July, he removed his lodgings from Shoreditch to Mrs. Angel's, facque-maker in Brook-street, Holborn, probably left his friends in Shoreditch, who had obferved his dream of greatness, should witness his approaching indigence. Pride was the ruling paffion of Chatterton, and a too acute fenfe of fhame is ever found to accompany literary pride. And, lowered indeed were his expectations; fince we find him reduced to the miferable hope of fecuring, the very ineligible appointment of a furgeon's mate to Africa.

"On the score of incapacity, he was refufed the neceffary recommendation, and his laft hope was blafted. Of Mrs. Angel, with whom he last refided, no enquiries have afforded any fatisfactory intelligence; but there can be little doubt that his death was preceded by extreme indigence. Mr. Crofs, an apothecary in Brook-ftreet, informed Mr. Warton, that while Chatterton lived in the neighbourhood, he frequently called at the fhop, and was repeatedly preffed by Mr. Crofs to dine and fup with him in vain. One evening, however, human frailty fo far prevailed over his dignity, as to tempt him to partake of the regale of a barrel of oysters, when he was obferved to eat moft voraciously. Mrs. Wolfe, a barber's wife, within a few doors of the house where Mrs. Angel lived, fays, "that Mrs. Angel told her, after his death, that on the 24th of Auguft, as the knew he had not eaten any thing for two or three days, fhe begged he would take fome dinner with her; but he was offended at her expreffions, which feemed to hint that he was in want,

and