5 THE MONTHLY VISITOR. JANUARY, 1797. MEMOIRS OF THOMAS CHATTERTON. TW WENTY-SIX years have now elapfed, fince the unhappy exit of the fubject of these memoirs, and fince thirteen publications contefted or fupported the authenticity of Rowley's poems. At this diftance of time, when the interefts and rancour of controversy are fuppofed to reft, guided by the light of candour, may be poffible to form an unbiassed opinion on the merits and pretenfions of Chatterton. it 66 His fhort but eventful life commenced on the 20th of November, 1752, in Pyle-ftreet Briftol. At five years old, he was committed to the care of a Mr. Love, and by him remanded to his mother as a dull boy, incapable of improvement. Nothing is more fallacious, fays Dr. Gregory, than the judgments which are formed, during infancy, of the future abilities of youth. Mrs. Chatterton was rendered extremely unhappy by the apparently tardy understanding of her fon, till he fell in love, as the expreffed herself, with the illuminated capitals of an old mufical manufcript, in French, which enabled her, by taking advantage of his momentary paffion, to initiate him in the alphabet. She taught him afterwards to read from an old black-lettered testament, or bible. Perhaps the bent of moft men's ftudies may, in fome measure, be determined by accident, and frequently in very early life; nor is it unreasonable to suppose that his peculiar attachment A 3 attachment to antiquities may, in a confiderable degree, have refulted from this little circumftance." The narrow means of his parents, precluded him from the advantages of liberal instruction; and between the years of feven and eight, he was admitted into Colfton's charity-school at Bristol. In July 1767, he left school, and his acquirements are thus described. Some knowledge of mufic, probably, derived from the rudiments of vocal mufic taught to charity boys. A tafte for drawing, which he afterwards greatly improved; and the usher of the school afferted he had made a rapid progrefs in arithmetic. During this period, Chatterton had manifefted a strong inclination for fatirical poetry, in feveral detached pieces; and, from his confirmation by the bishop, which took place before he quitted the school, fome fpecimens of a facred kind, in verfes on the last day, a paraphrafe of the ninth chapter of Job, and fome parts of Ifaiah. None of thefe compofitions, however, indicated the mufe of Rowley; though viewed as the efforts of childhood, they are marks of real talent. But it is in his difpofition we trace the ftrong characteristics of genius melancholy, and dignified, he could not brook the indignities of his new fituation. Apprenticed by the parish, to Mr. Lambert, attorney of Bristol, he flept in the fame room with the foot-boy, expofed to the ufual jeers of ignorance. Yet, from eight in the morning till eight at night, he conftantly attended the bufinefs of his mafter's office, who gave him an exemplary character for temperance and industry; and, in the poffeffion of Mr. Lambert, is a large folio book, containing 344 pages of precedents, clofely written, and another of 30 pages, both the work of Chat terton. Spirited, About a year after his apprenticeship, in October 1768, on completing the new bridge at Bristol, there appeared in Farley's Briftol Journal, "Description of the Fryars paffing over the Old Bridge, taken from an ancient ancient manufcript." So fingular a memoir excited much curiofity; but the printer, Mr. Farley, could give no account of it. After great enquiry, it was difcovered that the manufcript was brought by a youth between fifteen and fixteen years of age, of the name of Thomas Chatterton. "To the threats of those who treated him (agreeably to his appearance) as a child, he returned nothing but haughtiness, and a refufal to give any account. By milder ufage he was fomewhat foftened, and appeared willing to give all the information in his power. He at firft alledged, that he was employed to tranfcribe the contents of certain ancient manuscripts by a gentlemen, who had alfo engaged him to furnish complimentary verses, infcribed to a lady with whom that gentleman was in love. On being further pressed, he at last informed the enquirers, that he had received the paper in queftion, together with many other manufcripts, from his father, who had found them in a large cheft, in the upper room over the chapel, on the north fide of Redcliffe church." This account has been moftly confirmed by a laborious examination of facts. Chatterton's father had covered the fchool books with feveral pieces of parchment, taken from Canynge's cheft, which first led his fon to a discovery of their value. When fenfible of the importance of the acquifition, Chatterton fearched every part of the houfe for any remaining papers, and even vifited the room from whence his father had first taken them, to fecure the ungathered fragments. For a circumstantial, account of "Canynge's cofre," we must refer the reader to Dr. Gregory's Life of Chatterton. The appearance of the paper in Farley's Journal becoming the fubject of general converfation, procured Chatterton many acquaintances; to one of whom, Mr. Catcott, he readily gave, without any reward, "The Briftow Tragedy, Rowley's Epitaph on Mr. Canynge's ancestor, |