plead our excufe for criticifing it. It is written, he tells us*, at the request of the refpectable editor of the Biographia Britannica, in order to be inferted in that valuable work.' It behoves us then to examine accurately into an account, which, from the nature of the compilement into which it is incorporated, will be reforted to in diftant periods, and must necesfarily, in fome degree, influence the opinions of pofterity.

Dr. Gregory's publication is divided into three parts: In the firft, is given the life of Chatterton; the 2d contains his character; and the laft takes a review of the controversy concerning Rowley's Poems. We fhall not ftrialy obferve the fame order. We have little to fay on the controversy; and the particulars of Chatterton's life are fo few, and fo well known, that we can eafily recal them to the memory of our readers, while we are attempting to estimate the value of his character. Dr. Gregory, indeed, feems to think them of more importance; and as the life of every great man has been diftinguifhed by fome remarkable era in it, fo he has given to poor Chatterton,' three great eras in his.' And what are they?-Our readers may perhaps fmile- ift, His admiffion into the charity fchool: 2d, His being put apprentice: and 3d, His expedition to Lendon.' P. 81.

In order to determine the merit of Chatterton, it is unqueftionably neceffary to confider who was the author of Rowley's Poems. Dr. Gregory ftates the arguments on both sides; and though he does not abfolutely efpoule either, he seems to favour the pretenfions of Rowley. We will not examine his opinion: our fentiments have been fully given, and we see no reason to alter them. On the contrary, the more we confider the subject, the more we are confirmed in our idea, that Chatterton and Rowley are the fame. Without, therefore, bringing additional arguments to fupport what is already fufficiently proved, we fhall proceed to ascertain the degree of reputation due to the poet.

As fame (we will not enquire with what degree of reafon) feems to be one principal reward which writers expect from their labours, they who have it in their power to beftow fame, fhould endeavour to diftribute their praise in proportion to the merits of the claimants. It is quite as prejudicial to give undeserved praife, as to with-hold it where it is due. According as it is applied, it becomes a means of inciting men to proper and worthy exertions, or of directing them to attempts at beft ufelefs, and perhaps hurtful.

In the Advertisement.

In the 4th volume, just published; of which our account will foon appear.

In this view, we have, for fome time, confidered the encomiums heaped on Chatterton, by Mr. Warton, Mr. Malone, and others, as too great and extravagant. All is indifcriminate panegyric. Many circumftances have, indeed, contributed to this. The events of his life; his poverty and his youth; his fondness of English antiquities; the mystery which attended his production of Rowley's Poems, and the controverfy which they occafioned; his ill fuccefs in London, and his miferable death; all have concurred in procuring for Chatterton, what we may call a premature reputation. In this, the controverfy had the principal fhare: thofe who favoured the authenticity of the poems, argued that they poffeffed too much merit to be the writings of a youth: while fome on the contrary fide, instead of enquiring where this extraordinary merit was to be found, employed an eafier method of confuting their opponents, and infifted on the talents of their hero as equal to any tafk. Mr. Walpole, too, juftly offended at the imputation that his neglect had haftened Chatterton's cataftrophe, and at the fame time fecretly vexed that he had not paid him more attention, has allowed him a degree of merit, of which, perhaps, under other circumftances, he would not have thought him deferving. As to the writers of poetry, we are not surprised at their enthufiaẩm: the fubject is favourable. But we own that we are furprised to find their poetry conftituting a part of Dr. Gregory's work; and much more fo to fee a diftinguifhed place allotted to what appeared in Love and Madness, under the title of a parallel between MILTON ! and Chatterton. The rhapfody too from Mr. Knox's Effays, furely, might have been fpared; but what can be too extravagant in the opinion of a writer who tells us, that, as a univerfal genius, Chatterton must rank above Dryden, and perhaps only ftand fecond to Shakespeare?' p. 104. For our part, we begin to grow tired of these prodigies of genius,' thefe fingular inftances of premature abilities; which indeed at prefent have almoft loft their fingularity. We are too often obliged to witness the quick growth of thefe rare plants, which fpring up without culture, and wither without ufe.

we altogether compare Chatterton to one of thefe, though we fear his example has produced many strong resemblances of them; and which poffibly might not have been fo numerous if, inftead of injudicious praife, he had received fome wholefome correction. On the fubject of thefe prodigies, we often call to mind a remark, rather harth indeed, but not without juffice, which we remember to have heard from a late worthy divine of our acquaintance. When told of any of these wonders, the old gentleman used to exclaim, with a roughness of voice and manner not eafily imitated; "Don't tell me of your miracles: there was my nephew **, he was a miracle too, and I thought how

it would be; he never turned out worth a farthing. I hate your miracles !"

But if we attend to the proofs of this extraordinary genius, we fhall find, perhaps, that Dr. Gregory, like others, has been too lavish of this encomiums. Aftonished that a youth, only feventeen years old, fhould have compofed two volumes of poetry, he has expreffed his admiration in terms adapted to his furprife: it is no wonder then, that he exaggerates.-With regard to ourselves, we do not find the fame caufe for aftonishment; nor do we fee any reason why many others of the fame age with Chatterton might not, under fimilar circumftances, have produced fimilar poems."

Chatterton has been faid to have wanted every advantage of every poffible education.'-On the contrary, we think he had education fufficient for the purpofe to which he applied-the fabrication of ancient poems. In fact, he may be faid to have begun the study of antiquities with his letters, for he was taught them from the illuminated capitals in an old MS. He afterward learned to read in a black-letter bible. He was then admitted into Colton's Charity-school, and came under the tuition of Mr. Philips, the Ufher; who poff-fied a tafte for history and poetry; and by his attempts in verfe, excited a degree of literary emulation among the elder boys:' (p. 9.) The attendance here was ftrict; nine hours in fummer and feven in winter were daily fpent in the fchool. And how were thefe employed by Chatterton? Not in toiling through the rudiments of a dead larguage; but in reading fuch books as he could borrow, or hire from a circulating library. Nor was he flow in his progress: fince in his twelfth year he made a lift of feventy books which he had read. At this age, he wrote the poem called ' Apostate Will;' which evinces pretty nearly as much learning (if it must be fo called), and quite as much knowlege of the world, as any which he afterward produced: in other words, it poffeffes that kind of knowlege which might have been got from any one of the feventy books in his catalogue.

From fchool, Chatterton removed to the office of Mr. Lambert, an attorney. His daily attendance here, and it was regu lar, was during twelve hours; of which fometimes not more than two were employed in his mafter's bufinefs. The remainder was filled up by ftudies of his own; and it is worth remarking that the office-library contained, among other books, Camden's Britannia, from which, as we long fince pointed out, he borrowed much of his intelligence.

It was while he remained with Mr. Lambert, that he produced moft of the pieces attributed to Rowley.

On leaving Mr. Lambert, he came to London; and engaged to write for the Gofpel Magazine, the Town and Country Ma

gazine,

gazine, the Court and City Magazine, the London Magazine, the Political Regifter, &c. befide occafional effays in the newspapers, and fongs for Vauxhall.-Now, under thefe circumftances, reading in order to write, and writing in order to exift, is it a matter of wonder that Chatterton fhould, during the courfe of his life, fhort as it was, have produced two volumes of English poetry?

If then it is not the mere quantity of his writings which is to excite our admiration, it must be fomething in their quality: let us enquire a little into their pretenfions to fuperior excellence. The first circumftance which attracts our notice is the learning which is faid to be contained in thefe poems, and which has given occafion to Dr. Gregory to celebrate Chatterton's extenfive and abftrufe erudition.' (p. 6.) But where is this difplayed? We have fearched for it, and our fearch has been fruitless. It muft confift, we fuppofe, in his knowlege of ancient language and ancient cuftoms. With refpect to the first, his deficiency has been noticed, and his ignorance of the common modes of inflecting words, as practifed by our earlier writers, has been fufficiently pointed out by Mr. Tyrwhitt; neither does he appear to have made any very remarkable proficiency in the latter. The information which was fuppofed to be out of the reach of Chatterton, and hardly indeed attainable by any one who had not lived in the 15th century, has been fhewn, by ourselves as well as by others, to have been derived from the most common fources, and which were always open to his fearch. It may be obferved too, that in the ufe which he has made of his reading, there appears no extraordinary exertion of the mind, there is no judgment fhewn, no thinking evinced. The learning of the Author of Rowley's Poems confifts in gathering together fuch circumftances as he could find relating to the times concerning which he wrote; and in giving, by allufions to theft, an appearance of antiquity to his compofitions.

If, however, this knowlege, fuch as it was, ftill appears extraordinary in a youth of Chatterton's age, let it be remembered that it was his favourite and almost only study; and that while others are more foberly and ufefully employed in forming a found and clear judgment from various and well-regulated information, be was neglecting all rational means of improvement, and only intent on furprifing us with a difplay of learning, which is chiefly wonderful because it is uncommon.

But, fays Dr. Gregory (p. 150.), infinite imagination is dif played in the conftruction of the plots or fables of Rowley's Poems. Can our author be ferious in this? Is there a poem, Ella alone excepted, which can be faid to poffefs any plot! And is not the plot of Ella to be met with in fifty different writers; while at the fame time it can add no merit to its original inventor?

inventor? It is indeed impoffible to avoid fmiling when we are told that Chatterton's genius is fhewn by the firft "mynftrelles fonge" in Ella, becaufe, as our author adds (p. 157.), it contains a complete plot.' It is the old theme of boyish paftoral, which has been handed down from age to age, and will probably remain in use while boys continue to write. It is a mere copy, not only in its conftruction, but in its fentiments and language. The fame character is applicable to the Eclogues, which are here fo lavishly commended: p. 163. to 167. Indeed, with a very few exceptions, the whole tenor of the poems is such as might be expected from a youth; who rather borrowed the ideas of others, than ftudied for himfelf; and who, by the help of obfcure diction, has given a fictitious air of importance to fentiments which, in themselves, are uninterefting-We have faid that this holds true, with fome exceptions; for we meet with detached parts where Chatterton appears to have expreffed his own thoughts, and to have expreffed them with vigour. Thefe fenfibly add to our regret for his untimely lofs, but cannot fo far warp our judgment as to induce us to prefer him to Dryden, or compare him with Milton! Let thofe who think with Dr. Gregory, confider, how easy it is to compofe a poem where all the licences of ancient language are allowed; and then determine if, rejecting fome ancient abfurdities which no modern poetafter would admit, and ufing the fmooth verfification which every school-boy now can ufe, it requires any immenfe genius to produce what Chatterton has written.

When Chatterton left Bristol, and repaired to London, his prospects, in fome measure, changed. The compofitions under Rowley's name were dropped, and others were fubftituted, which were more immediately productive. The character of thefe being already given, in what we have advanced concerning Rowley's Poems, we need only to add, that as they were compofed with lefs attention, they proved more faulty.

The moral character of Chatterton, like his genius, has been reprefented juft as fuited the arguments of the different writers in the controverfy. Dr. Gregory labours to defend it; but, in many inftances, we fear, it admits no defence. His total neglect of both religious and moral principle cannot be palliated: nor fhould his pr de be justified, as being the ftrong consciousness of intellectual excellence :' p. 12. This is holding out pardon to a vice, that deferves no quarter.

It is curious too, that what Chatterton picked up at places of public amusement, is dignified by the name of a new science which it was neceflary for him to learn;' and is even brought forward as an inftance of his genius in thus acquiring a knowlege of the world.' (p. 105.) But of this knowlege, he poff ffed little or none. It is not an effay or two in a magazine, that

can