once from the highest elevation of hope and illufion, to the depths of defpair. Pride was the ruling paffion of Chatterton, and a too acute fenfe of fhame is ever found to accompany literary pride.

Of Mrs Angel, with whom he laft refided, no enquiries have afforded any fatisfactory intelligence; but there can be little doubt that his death was preceded by extreme in digence. Mr Cross, an apothecary in Brook-street, 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 or fup with him in vain. One even ing, 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 houfe where Mrs Angel lived, has alfo afforded ample teftimony, both to his poverty and his pride. She fays, that Mrs Angel told her, after his death, that on the 24th of Auguft, as fhe knew he had not eaten any thing for two or three days, he begged he would take fome dinner with her; but he was offended at her expreflions, which feemed to hint he was in want, and affured her was not hungry.' In thefe defperate circumftances, his mind reverted to what (we learn from Mr Thiftlethwaite, and other quarters) he had accustomed himself to regard as a last refource Over his death, for the fake of the world,' fays the author of Love and Madness, I would willingly, draw a veil. But this must not be. They who are in à condition to patronise merit, and they who feel a consciousness of merit which is not patronifed, may form their own refolutions from the catastrophe of his tale ;-thofe, to lofe no opportunity of befriending genius; thefe, to feize every oppor

tunity of befriending themselves, 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 ftep. Chatterton, as appears by the Coroner's Inqueft, fwallowed arfenick in water, on the 24th of Augaft 1770, and died in confequence thereof the next day, at the age of feventeen years and nine months. He was buried in a shell, in the burying ground of Shoe-lane work-houfo.'

The perfon of Chatterton, like his genius, was premature; he had a manliness and dignity beyond his years, and there was fomething about him uncommonly prepoffeffing. His most remarkable feature was his eyes, which, tho' gray, were uncom monly piercing; when he was warmed in argument, or otherwife, they fparkled with fire; and one eye, it is faid, was ftill more remarkable than the other. His genius will be most completely eftimated from his writings. He had an uncommon ardour in the purfuit of knowledge, and uncommon facility in the attainment of it. It was a favourite maxim with him, that man is equal to any thing, and that every thing might be atchieved by diligence and abstinence.' His imagination, like Dryden's, was more fertile than corre&t; and he feems to have erred rather through hatte and negligence, than through any deficiency of taste. He was above that puerile affectation. which pretends to borrow nothing; he knew that original genius confists in forming new and happy combinations, rather than in fearching after thoughts and ideas which never had occurred before; and that the man who never imitated, has feldom acquired a habit of good writing, It thofe poems, which pafs under the name of Rowley, be really the productions of Chatterton, he pof

felfed:

rous imagination and a found judgment, in forming great, confiftent, and ingenious plots, and making choice of the most interesting fubjects. If Rowley and Chatterton be the fame, it will be difficult to fay whether he excelled most in the fublime or the fatirical; and as a univerfal genius, he muft rank above Dryden, and perhaps only ftand fecond to Shakespeare. If, on the other hand, we are to judge altogether from thofe pieces which are confefsedly his own, we muft undoubtedly affign the preference to thofe of the fatirical clafs. In moft of his ferious writings, there is little that indicates their being compofed with a full relish; when he is fatirical, his foul glows in his compofition.

Mr Catcott affirms that Chatterton understood no language but his mother tongue; the fame fact feems to be implied in his own confeffion, that he spoke no tongue but his own.' When we confidert he variety of his engagements while at Bristol, his extenfive reading, and the great knowledge he had acquired of the ancient language of his native country, we cannot wonder that he had not time to occupy himself in the study of other languages; and after his arrival in London, he had a new and neceffary fcience to learn, the world; and that he made the moft advantageous ufe of his time is evident from the extenfive knowledge of mankind difplayed in the different effays which he produced occafionally for periodical publications. The lively and vigorous imagination of Chatterton contributed, doubtless, to animate him with that fpirit of enterprife, which led him to form fo many impracticable and vifionary fchemes, for the acquifition of fame and fortune. His ambition was evident from his earlieft youth; and perhaps the inequality of his fpirits might, in a great

His natural melancholy was not corrected by the irreligious principles, which he had fo unfortunately imbibed. To these we are certainly to attribute his premature death and, if he can be proved guilty of the licentiousness which is by fome. laid to his charge, it is reasonable to believe that a fyftem, which exonerates the mind from the apprehenfion of future punishment, would not contribute much to restrain the crimininal exceffes of the paflions. Had Chatterton lived, and been fortunate enough to fall into fettled and faber habits of life, his excellent underftanding would, in all probability, have led him to fee the fallacy of thofe principles, which he had hastily embraced; as it was, the only prefervatives of which he was poffeffed against the contagion of vice, were the enthusiasm of literature, and that delicacy of fentiment which taste and reading infpire. But tho thefe auxiliaries are not wholly to be defpifed, we have too many ftances of their inefficacy in fupporting the caufe of virtue, to place any confident reliance on them.

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and attachment to his mother and relations. Every favourite project for his advancement in life was accompanied with promifes and encouragement to them; while in London, he continued to fend them prefents, at a time when he was known himself to be in want: and indeed, the unremitting attention, kindnefs, and refpect, which appear in the whole of his conduct towards them, are deferving the imitation of thofe in more fortunate circumstances, and under the influence of better principles of faith than Chatterton poffefsed. It can never be fufficiently lamented, that this amiable propenfity was not more uniform in Chatterton. A real love for his relations ought to have arrefted the hand of fuicide; but when religion is loft, all uniformity of principle is loft.

By the accounts of all who were acquainted with him, there was fomething uncommonly infinuating in his manner and converfation. Mr Crols informed Mr Warton, that in Chatterton's frequent visits while he refided at Brook-itreet, he found his converfation, a little infidelity excepted, most captivating. His extensive, though in many inftances fuperficial knowledge, united with his genius, wit, and fluency, muft have admirably accomplished him for

the pleafures of fociety. His pridė, which perhaps fhould rather be termed the ftrong consciousness of intellectual excellence, did not destroy his affability. He was always acceffible, and rather forward to make acquaintance, than apt to decline the advances of others. There is reafon however to believe, that the inequality of his fpirits, affected greatly his behaviour in company. His fits of abfence were frequent and long. 'He would often look ftedfaftly in a perfon's face without speaking, or feeming to see the perfon, for a quarter of an hour or more."

Chatterton had one ruling paffion which governed his whole conduct, and that was the defire of literary fame; this paffion intruded itself on every occafion, and abforbed his whole attention. Whether he would have continued to improve or the contrary, muft have depended in fome meafure on the circumstances of his future life. Had he fallen into profigate habits and connections, he would probably have loft a great part of his ardour for the cultivation of his mind; and his maturer age would only have diminished the admiration which the efforts of his childhood have fo justly excited.