Nowe Rowlie ynne these mokie' dayes And Turgotus and Chaucer lyves 1 Dark, gloomy. * All the poets who thus owe their existence to Chatterton, write in the same harmonous style, and display the same tact and superiority of genius. Other poets living in the same or different ages, exhibit a wide diversity in judgment, fancy, and the higher creative faculty of imagination, so that a discriminating mind can distinguish an individual character in almost every separate writer, but here are persons living in different ages; moving in different stations; exposed to different circumstances; and expressing different sentiments; yet all of whom betraying the same peculiar habits, with the same talents and facilities of composition. This is evidenced, whether it be The Abbatte, John, (living in the year 1186). Carpenter, Bishoppe of Worcester The Rawfe Chedder Chappmanne, Syr William Canynge, 1469. | Maystre John à Iscam. Syr Thybbot Gorges, 1440. And the whole of these poets, with the exception of Ladgate, completely unknown to the world, till called from their dormitory by Chatterton! Such a fact would be a phenomenon unspeakably more inexplicable than that of ascribing Rowley to a youth of less than sixteen, who had made Antique Lore' his peculiar study, and who was endowed with precocious, and almost unlimited genius. - COTTLE'S Early Recollections of Coleridge. Mr. Tyrwhitt compared the copy of the 'Songe to Ella' and 'Ladgate's Answer,' supplied by Mr. Catcott, with one made by Mr. Barrett, from the piece of vellum which Chatterton gave to him as the original MS. These are the variations of importance, exclusive of many in the spelling. VERSES TO LADGATE. In the title, for 'Ladgate,' r. 'Lydgate.' ver. 3. for "bee,' r. ' goe.' ver. 2. r. Thatt I and thee.' " 7. for 'fyghte,' r. 'wryte.' SONGE to ELLA. The title in the vellum MS. was simply Songe toe Ella,' with a small mark of reference to a note below, containing the following wordes'Lord of the Castelle of Brystowe ynne daies of yore.' It may be proper also to take notice, that the whole song was there written like prose, without any breaks, or divisions into verses. ver. 6. for brastynge,' r. burstynge.' ver. 23. for dysmall,' r. honore.' 11. for valyante,' r. 'burlie.' LADGATE'S ANSWER. No title in the Vellum MS. ver 3. for 'varses' r. ' pene.' antep. for 'Lendes,' r. Sendes. ult. for lyne,' r. 'thynge.' Mr. Barrett had also a copy of these Poems by Chatterton, which differed from that which Chatterton afterwards produced as the original, in the following particulars, among others: IN THE TITLE OF THE VERSES TO LADGATE. Orig. 'Lydgate.' ver. 3. Orig. 'goe.' Chat. Ladgate.' SONGE TO ELLA. ver. 5. Orig. 'Dacyane.' 11. Orig. burlie.' 22. Orig. kennest.' Chat. 'Dacya's. 26. Orig. Yprauncynge.'- Chat. 'Ifrayning.' 23. Orig. 'honore.' 30. Orig.'gloue.' Chat. dysmall.' Chat. 'glare.' TYRWHITT'S Edition of Rowley. Upon these variations we have these remarks: "In one copy of the 'Songe to Ella,' which Chatterton gave to Mr. Barrett, these lines were found: "Or seest the hatched steed, I frayning o'er the meed." Being called upon for the original, he the next day produced a parchment, containing the same poem, in which he had written 'yprauncing,' instead of ifrayning;' but by some artifice he had obscured the MS. so much to give it an ancient appearance, that Mr. Barrett could not make out the word without the use of galls. What follows from all this, but that Chatterton found on examination that there was no such word as 'ifrayning,' and that he substituted another in its place? In the same poem he at one time wrote 'locks,'-' burlie'-' brasting,' and kennest; at another, 'hairs' - 'valiant'-'bursting,' and 'hearest.' Variations of this kind he could have produced without end. What he called originals indeed, were probably in general more perfect than what he called copies; because the former were always produced after the other, and were, in truth, nothing more than second editions of the same pieces."-MALONE. This Poem was originally printed from a copy made by Mr. Catcott, from one in Chatterton's hand-writing. Sir Simon de Bourton, the hero of this poem, is supposed to have been the first founder of a church dedicated to "oure Ladie," in the place where the church of St. Mary Redcliffe now stands. The following account is transcribed from one of the parchment manuscripts produced by Chatterton : "Symonne de Byrtonne eldest sonne of Syrre Baldwynus de Byrtonne, was born on the eve of the annunciation, M.C.C.XXXXXXV. hee was desyrabelle of aspect, and in hys yowthe much yeven to Tourneyeynge, and M.C.C.XXXxxxxx at Wynchestre yule games won myckle honnoure, he abstaynyd from marryage, he was myckle learned and ybuylded a house in the Yle of Wyghte after fashyon of a pallayse royaul,goodlye to behoulde, wyth carvelly'd pyllars on whych was thys ryme wroten : Fulle nobille is thys Kyngelie howse And eke fulle nobille thee, As saynctes for heaven bee. Hee ever was fullen of almesdeeds, and was of the poore beloved: in M.C.C.LXXXV Kynge Edwarde* kepte hys Chrystmasse at Bryghtstowe and proceeded agaynste the Welchmenne ebroughtenne manye stronge and dowghtee knyghts, amongst whom were Syrre Ferrars Nevylle, Geoffroie Freeman, Clymar Percie, Heldebrand Gournie, Ralph Mohun, Syr Lyster Percie, and Edgare Knyvet, knyghtes of renowne, who established a three days' jouste on Sayncts Maryes Hylle: Syrre Fer. rars Nevylle appeared dyghte in ruddy armoure bearyng a rampaunte lyon Gutte de Sangue, agaynste hym came Syr Gervayse Teysdylle, who bearyd a launce issuynge proper but was quycklie overthrowen: then appeared Leonarde Ramsay, who had a honde issuante holdeynge a bloudie swerde peercynge a couroune wyth a sheelde peasenue with sylver; he ranne twayne tyltes, but Neville throwen hym on the thyrde rencountre: then dyd the aforesayd Syrre Symonne de Byrtonne avow that if he overthrowen Syrre Ferrars Neville, he woulde there erecte and buylde a chyrche to owre Ladye: allgate there stoode anigh Lamyngtonnes Ladies chamber: hee then encountred vygorously and bore Syrre Ferrars horse and man to the grounde, remaynynge konynge, victore knyght of the Jouste, ande settynge atte the ryghte honde of K. Edwarde. Inne M.CCLXXXXI hee performed hys vowen ybuylden a godelye chyrche from a pattern of St. Oswaldes Abbyes Chyrche and the day of our Lordes natyvyty M.C.CCI. Gylbert de Sante Leonfardoe Byshope of Chychestre dyd dedicate it to the Holie Vyrgynne Marye moder of Godde.' This MS., one of the pretended originals, entitled "Vita Burtoni," is 6 inches square, partly written with brown ink, and partly with perfectly black. It is smeared in the centre with glue or brown varnish, but for the most part is in an attorney's regular engrossing hand. The parchment, where it has not been disfigured, appears new and of its natural colour. Some drops of red ink appear in different parts of the parchment.-SOUTHEY'S Edition of Chatterton. * This circumstance is proved by our old chronicles under the year 1285, "Rex Edw. 1. per Walliam progrediens occidentalem intravit Glamorganciam, quæ ad Comitem Gloveruiæ noscitur pertinere: Rex dein Bristolliam veniens festum Dominicæ nativitatis eo Anno ibi tenuit."-BARRETT. THE TOURNAMENT. ENTER AN HERAWDE. 7 THE Tournament begynnes; the hammerrs sounde; Unseemelie to all orderr doe appere, 13 Yett yatte12 to menne, who thyncke and have a spryte, 13 Makes knowen thatt the phantasies unryghte. I, sonne of honnoure, spencer 14 of her joies, 1 Sport, or play. 4 Lustre. 6 Fancies or devices. 8 Fiery. 10 A young lion. 13 Soul. 14 2 Bounded, or measured. 3 Shining. 7 Painted, or displayed. 9 Ornamented, enamelled. 11 Drawings, paintings. 12 That. "I, sonne of honour, spencer of her joyes So it should be stopt. After the herald had mentioned that he was to present to the knights what belonged to them, he magnifies his own |