éminent abilities, the world would now give thee credit for more and for greater abilities.

With regard to the fact, the mother and fifter either believe, or pretend to believe, with the pewterer, that all Rowley's poems came out of the old cheft in the church. The cafe is, none of the three knows any thing of the matter. Moft readily I admit that, if Chatterton be an impoftor (i. e. the wonderful human being I firmly believe him) he impofed upon every foul who knew him. This, with me, is one trait of his greatness.

It has been thought that murders and other crimes are pointed out to discovery by the finger of Providence. But God's revenge against murder" is, in fact, only the fociableness of man's difpofition. That we may have been wifely made thus for this purpose, among others, I do not deny. But Tyburn would see fewer executions were man a lefs fociable animal. It is not good for him to be alone. Joy or forrow, villainy or otherwife, we must have fociety, we must communicate it. Man, in fpite of grammar, is a noun adjective. Does any one admire Junius for faying that his fecret should die with him, and for keeping his word? But this was only faying he would not enlarge the circle of those to whom

his

.

his fecret was already known; for, that he was, as he fays, "the fole depofitary of his own fecret," I cannot think. The original letters are clearly written in a female hand---But, Junius is now known.

Let any man, at any time of life, make an experiment of not communicating to a fingle individual, during twelve months, a single scheme, a fingle prospect, a single circumftance respecting himself. Let him try how it is to lock up every thing, trifling or ferious, fad or merry, within his own folitary breaft. There are easier tasks.. -This boy did it during his whole life.

Very few fuch men as John the Painter* have appeared in the world, from whom his fecret was only ftolen by the traiterous hand of friendship.. No fuch human being as this boy, at any period of life, has ever been known, or poffibly ever will be known. The Spartan lad was far infe

rior,

* Don't smile at my lugging in John the Painter, till you con◄fider how it applies His fecrecy was wonderful, yet lefs wonderful than C.'s in exact proportion as his fecret was more criminal, and went more to his life. But you will not deny to be odd what I know for a fact, that, among his papers, were some obfervations on Rowley's poems: if they have not been destroyed, they might furely be published.. They could not endanger our dockyards, though written by John the Painter.-Can't you give a hint of this kind, fome day, at your house 2 Moft probably be

has them..

rior, and that was the effect of education. Pfal manazar and D'Eon are not to be compared with him. That, at his timid and fociable age, wher other children are almost afraid to be left alone, C. fhould wrap his arms round him, ftand aloof from the whole world, and never lean upon a fingle individual for fociety in his fchemes (in schemes, too, neither odious nor criminal), is with me almoft more more wonderful than the schemes which I firmly believe him, without any affiftance, to have planned and executed. It fhall make a trait in the character of a general, if he have ftrength of mind enough not to communicate his plans to his first favourite, till the communition is no longer dangerous. Shall not a boy of eighteen, of feventeen, of fixteen, have merit for fecrecy much more fingular?

In this letter, from which I will detain you no longer, you will find his fifter mentions fome books fhe fent him to London. She told me many of them were in languages and in hands (types fhe meant), which fhe could not understand--that they were numerous---and that with them fhe fent a catalogue of the books he had read to the amount of many hundreds.

To this I fhould add, that, when C. tells the tory of Area Brokage in a letter to the Town

and

and Country Magazine, dated "Bristol, Jan. 3, 1770."---at the conclufion, Aftrea writes thus: --" Having told you I do not like this uncivilizea "Bristolian, you may imagine a tendresse for "fome other has made his faults more confpicu

ous. You will not be far from the truth. A young author who has read more than Magliabechi, and wrote more love letters than Ovid, is continually invoking the Nine to defcribe me."

In one part of the fifter's letter, you will not fail to recollect Dryden, who fpeaks of the alliance between understanding and madness.--I am fure that love and madnefs are near relations.

"Concious, of my own inabilitys to write to a man of letters. And reluctant to engage in the painfull recollection of the particulars of the life of my dear deceased brother. together with the ill state of health I've enjoyed fince it has been required of me, are, Sir, the real caufes of my not writing fooner. But I am invited to write as to a friend, infpired with the facred name, I will forget the incorrectness of my epistel and proceed.

My brother very early discover'd a thurft for preheminence I remember before he was 5 years old he would always prefide over his playmates as their mafter and they his hired fervants. He was dull in learning not knowing many letters at 4 years old and always objected to read in a small book. He learnt the Alphabet from an old Folio mufick book of father's my mother was then tearing up for waft paper, the capitals at the beginning of the verfes. I affifted in teaching him. I recollect nothing remarkable till he went into the school, which was in his 8th year. Excepting his promiseing my mother and me a deal of finery when

The

grew up as a reward of her care. About his 10th year he be gan (with the trifle my mother allowed him for pocket money) to hire books from the circulating library and we were informed by the usher made rapid progress in arithmatick. Between his 11th and 12th year he wrote a caterlogue of the books he had read to the number of 70. History and divinity were the chief fubjects, his school mates informd us he retired to read at the hours allotted for play. At 12 years old he was confirmed by the Bishop, he made very fenciable serious remarks on the awfullness of the ceremony and his own feelings and convictions during it. Soon after this in the week he was door-keeper he made fome verfes on the last day, I think about 18 lines, paraphrafed the 9 chapter of Job and not long after fome chapters in Ifaiah. He had been gloomy from the time he began to learn, but we remark'd he was - more chearfull after he began to write poetry. Some faterical peicis we faw foon after. His intimates in the fchool were but few and they folid lads and except the next neighbour's fons I know of none acquaintance he had out. He was 14 the 20th of Novr. and bound apprentice the 1ft of July following. Soon after his apprenticeship he correfponded with one of his school mates that had been his bedfellow, and was I believe bound to a merchhant at New-York. He read a letter at home that he wrote to his friend, a collection of all the hard words in the Englifh language, and requested him to answer it. He was a lover of truth from the earlyeft dawn of reason, and nothing would move him fo much as being bely'd. When in the fchool we were informed by the usher, his master depended on his verafity on all occations. Till this time he was remarkably indifferent to females. one day he was remarking to me the tendency fever study had to four the temper and declared he had always feen all the fex with equal indifference but thofe that nature made dear, he thought of makeing an acquaintance with a girl in the neighbourhood, fuppofeing it might soften the aufterity of temper study had ocationd, he wrote a poem to her and they commenced corrlf

ponding