EACH DAY'S PRICE OF STOCKS IN JANUARY, 1800. India India S. Seal Old Bank 3perCt. 3 per Ct. 14perCt. sperCt./sperCt. Long Short Stock B Red. Confols. Confol Navy. 1797 Ann. Stock. Bonds. Stock. Ann.

Ann:

Ann.

Bills.

New Exchq Om- Trilh Imp. Eng. Lott. Irish P. Irish P. aium. 5perCt. 3perCt. Tickets. rft Lot. 2d Lot.

13 1543 14 1542 15 155 16 155 1 1562 18

25 1562

9° gc

90%

оо

66

901 904

666

901

90

904

555

26

94

5

15 18

86

5916

O C 86

85

592

86

591

86

16 1 15 I 16 2 C

85

TROUTHE

Chatterton's Prologue to Godwyn. "MY HONEST FRIEND, MY FAULTE HAS

TO SERVE GODDE AND MYE PRYNCE." Chatterton's Brifiowe Tragedie.

I

DEAR SIR, ***** CANNOT be expected, by any man of honour or feeling, * to defcend to an* fwer a fcurrilous ***** perfon, figning him felf Robert Southey, in a letter fent to me here by a friend. You, fir, have a gentleman's mind, and one always friendly to literature. Be pleafed to reprint in your Magazine, Mr. S.'s letter (that it may never be faid I garbled his correfpondence as he has mine), along with these remarks upon it; and to let a line be written to Mr. S. informing him you have done fo. This I particularly requeft, though he thought it juft and gentlemanly to addrets his letter to the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, and to print and circulate it as a handbill, I am informed, in coffeehouses and public places, without any connunication of it to me, or any friend of mine; at a time he knew I had been for three years out of the Kingdom; and precifely at the moment (December) when the froft interrupts all communication with the north of Europe.

1800.

On an abufive writer, fo little acquainted with the common rules of justice, I shall never make any further remarks than these; whatever may come from his pen: unless he should lay any FACTS before the Publick. But I demand of him, what I prefume even this Mr. Southey will not DARE to deny me, that he print, in his edition of Chatterton (whofe little finger I have ever reverenced, more than Mr. Southey knows how to refpect the poor boy's whole body), his unjust attack upon me in my abfence; and my remarks upon it, the moment I faw it; and any further fcurrility, with which he may be pleafed to honour me. I learn fo much of Mr. Southey's juftice from his abufe, that I thould be afhamed of myself, were this perfon ever to difgrace me by his praife; which might happen, did he wish to gain money, or fame, by becoming the officious editor of my works. Befides, if Pope were talking of fuch Epic Poets as Blackmore, inftead of the eternal race of fools, I would apply to the author of Joan of Arc two lines, in the Prologue to the Sa tires, I think

"A fool, quite angry, is quite innocent: Alas! 'tis ten times worfe when they repent."

The following is what Mr. S.'sideas of juftice have circulated with uncommon induftry. The Italics are Mr. S.'s own. In this cafe they might be fuppofed to take their name from the Italian ufe of the Stiletto.

The circumfiances of the FAMILY of

CHATTERTON, and the treatment they have experienced, are detailed in the following Letter, which was printed in the Monthly Magazine for November, 1799.

"To

Bis deathe a means unto my life shulde bee.” Chatterton's Goldwyn. "In ftriving to flee him, ourselves we flee." Id.]

"Sir, As a fubfcription edition of all CHATTERTON's remains is about to be published for the benefit of his fitter and niece, I bez leave, by means of your Magazine, to invite the public attention to thofe circumstances which render this act of justice neceffarv.

"It might have been supposed that the interest which the fate of Chatterton excited in the public mind, would, in fome meafure, have fupplied his lofs to his family, by procuring for them active and henevolent friends. The publication of all his works for their emolument would at that time have fecured to them the comforts of life. Your readers, fir, probably will learn with furprize, that the whole fam they have ever received from the profits of his productions, amounts only to jeventern guineas and fixpence. In this I do not include the voluntary affistance of thofe individuals on whose justice they had no claim. They remember with gratitude the kindness of Dr. Glynn, of Mr. Bryant, above all of Mifs Hannah More and her fifters.

"The papers and poems attributed to Rowley, had been procured from Chatterton, during his life time, chiefly by Mr. Barrett and Mr. Catcott. The poems were purchased for fifty pounds, of which fix guineas were given to the mother and filter. A great part of Mr. Barrett's Hiftory of Briful composed of Chatterson's communications; the only return the family ever received from him was his forgical affittance, gratuitoufly afforded to the fifter, Ms. Newton, once in a complaint of the breath, once in curing a whitlow on her finger.

"When Chatterton was more particuJarly the object of public toriofity, a clergyman called upon his fifter, prefented her half a guinea, and requested to fee what ever letters of her brother the had preferved. She produced them. He then begged permiffion to take them away for one bour, affigning as a reason, that it would be too pamful to his feelings to read them in the prefence of that fifter, to whom they were addreffed. On the fame pretext he procured the letters in Mrs. Chatterton's poffeffion, who lived feparately from her daughter; thefe alfo, he promised to return in an bour, and the prefent of a guinea, and the language of confolatory friendship prevented all fufpicion, indeed, fo contolatory and to full of religion was his lan

guage to the mother, that the faid the almost looked upon him as a guardian angel.

"A fortnight elapfed, the letters had not been returned, and they knew not the name of the person to whom they had entrusted them. At the end of the fortnight Mrs. Chatterton received a letter from that perfon, Mr. H-C-. "Be not alarmed, Mrs. Chatterton," he said; "all the little treasure thall be faithfully returned to you again;" with the originals he promised to fend tranfcripts of all the letters, with which the curiofity of ftrangers might be gratified, while the hand-writing of Chatterton fhould be preferved. He again confoled Mrs Chatterton for the fate of her fon. "Perhaps," faid he, " he now beholds with pleature the deferved progrefs his reputation is making every day, and the friends and the affiftances which his name brings to you and to his fiter:" the date of the letter was Lincoln's-Inn, July 27th, 1778.

"Lo a fecond letter, August 24th, 1778, Mr. C- requested the filter to write to him, whatever the and her mother could recollect, concerning Chatterton, "Believe me you are writing to one who refpe&ts his memory, and wilhes you both well;" the promise of returning the letters and magazines containing Chatterton's pieces, which he had borrowed at the fame time, were repeated; and in the courfe of the Autumn they were accordingly returned. Nothing more was heard till in the following July, to the astonishment of the family, Mr. C― published the letters, and the information he had obtained from Mrs. Newton, in his Love and MADNESS. The mother wrote to him! and upbraided him for duplicity; he replied, by fending ten pounds, to be divided between her and her daughter; again profeffing friendship for them, and faying, "Be affured the family of Thomas Chatterton shall never be forgotten by HC-'

"Four months afterwards he again wrote to juftify himself, and used these expreflions, "What has been done was with a view to pave the way for fervices to your family; and I hɔpe, fooner than you think, to be of more fervice to you than any perfon who has hitherto enquired about your fon, for I have a true regard for his memory."

"In November 1780, he wrote a fifth letter, defiring Mrs. Newton would fend him a particular account of her circumftances, as he was about to promote a pub ic fubfcription for her; and in April 1781,, they received a note from him, requiring an acknowledgment of the ten pounds.

"Here Mr. C- dropt his correfpondence with the family; they heard no more of the future fervices and the public fubfcrip