+++ Mr. Dale reminds us of a poftfcript to a letter in his Supplement, &c. (fee Review for Feb. Art. 20) which escaped our notice. From this poftfcript it appears, that he actually withdrew from the Laudable Society, in April, as foon as the payments which he required were returned to him; and therefore that our advice in that Article, which was not intended to fuggeft any reflection on his integrity, was needlefs. Our Readers, we apprehend, will not be much entertained or edified by a Correfpondence, which principally relates to the members of that inftitution; and Mr. Dale will excuse us for returning his papers, according to his defire.

R..s.

** Amicus, of Worcestershire, cannot poffibly be ferious; and yet he feems but a fober joker. He fays, the Author of the Epiftle to Sir W. Chambers has avowed himself, under the name of Malcolm McGregor. If it be true that poor Amicus has been hummed, we have charity enough to fet him right, by informing him that, in confequence of his letter, we have made inquiry among the pretended M'Gregor's friends, and have discovered that his real name is not Malcolm M'Gregor, but Rigdum Funnidos.

tot We have nothing to object against T. B. but that his Letter is not worth the postage.

tt An occafional Correfpondent' takes notice of a paffage in Mr. Hume's Life, inferted in our Review for last Month, p. 209; and obferves that the Author advances a falfe fact, in afcribing the "Remarks on the Natural Hiftory of Religion," to the pen of Dr. Hurd at the fame time charging the Doctor with all the illiberal petulance, arrogance, and fcurrility, which diftinguith the Warbur tonian school,' But our Correfpondent afferts, on the contrary, that Dr. Hurd did not write that pamphlet, whatever its merits may be.'-In answer to this, we have only to infert Mr. Cadell's advertisement prefixed to the new edition (juft published) of the Remarks, &c. viz." The following is fuppofed to be the pamphlet referred to by the late Mr. David Hume, in p. 21 of his Life, as being written by Dr. HURD. Upon my applying to the Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry for his permiflion to republish it, he very readily gave me his confent. His Lordship only added, he was forry he could not take to himself the wHOLE infamy of the charge brought against him; but that he should hereafter, if he thought it worth his while, explain himself more particularly on that fubject.

Strand, March 1777.

T. CADELL."

From the foregoing advertisement, it is fufficiently clear that either our Occafional Correfpondent was not WHOLLY in the fecret, with regard to the publication in queftion, or that he fought, in fome degree, to disguise the fact, at the fame time that he was exclaiming against the infidelity or uncertainty of hiftory-It is now fufficiently apparent that, whoever was wholly, or partly concerned in writing the ingenious remarks on Hume's Nat. Hitt. &c. the charge is brought pretty home to the "Warburtonian school."-For our opinion of the merit of the Remarks, fee Rev. vol xvii, p. 189.

This Gentleman wishes, alfo, to clear the memory of Martin Lu ther the reformer, from the imputation of preaching against indulgences out of refentment of the affront put upon his order; which motive is attributed to him in Noortbouck's Claffical Dictionary: fee Rev. for laft Month, p. 183. But he has himself fupplied the only juftification that can perhaps now be given for adopting fuch a remark, viz. that "Mr. Noorthouck did not invent it, but found it." If circumftances difpofed mankind to think fo, of Luther, and nothing decifive can be produced to the contrary, it may still remain the most natural account of his firft quarrel with the Dominicans, and their fpiritual merchandife; without detracting from the fincerity of his fubfequent vigorous zeal against the doctrines and ufurpations of the church in which he was bred. Refentment, however " might ftimulate inquiries, that could not fail to lead a man of tapaltry," lents and honefty to conviction. The most excellent character, if exalted above the standard of human nature, rifes to the incredi ble, and is thus only the more expofed to degradation.

An ambiguity in the fame work, relating to a translation of Longinus faid to be made by Edmund Smith, the author of Phædraud Hippolitus, has been remarked by another Correfpondent: on this head it is fufficient to obferve, that the translation of Longinus, fo well known under the name of Smith's, is the work of the prefent Dean of Chefter. N.

ERRATA in our last.

P. 174, 1. 3, for Genoa, r. Geneva.

-176, about the middle" 9th of Aug. 25 days before the victory at
Rofbach;" a mistake of the Author, or Translator, of Vol-

taire's Life, as that victory is justly dated the 5th of Nov.
in l. ult. of p. 174.

177, 1. 32, for feventeenth, r. eighteenth:

183, 1. 13 from bottom, dele and at beginning.

185,

1. ult. for brought, r. bought.

186, Title of Article VI. Gallic, fhould be Gaëlie'

122, 1. penult, for is, r. are.

197, ten lines from bottom, for

203, 1. 19, for it is, r. is it.

-218, Art. VIII. 1. 10, no ftop after fubje&.

224, Article 17, in the torrid zone; an overfight, as Chili lies
wholly beyond, or fouth of the torrid zone.

231, 1, 17, at the end dele and.

236. 1. 5, for or, r. on.

240, 1. 4. long. Query (to our Correfpondent R. E. R.) Whether
it fhould not be high? as long is ambiguous, and may refer
to the extent of the flight.

Ibid. To the Errata in the Reviews for Jan. and Feb. already noticed,
after that in p. 21, 1. 8, a material one in 1. 26 of that
page, viz for world, t. word.

Though not right in the book.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For MAY, 1777.

WE

ART. I. Rowley's Poems continued. Vid. laft Month's Review. E refume this Article with laying before our Readers fuch proofs of the authenticity of these poems, as have been communicated to us by our friends and correspondents; among the reft we are particularly obliged to Mr. George Catcott, a learned antiquary in Bristol, and to Dr. Thomas Smith, an eminent phyfician of Wrington in Somerfetfhire. The following account comes from the hands of Mr. Catcott:

The poetical compofitions contained in this book were most of them written during the contentions between the houses of York and Lancaster of course they may ferve to convince pofterity that the flames of civil difcord did not entirely confu me the genius of poetry; that this period (which almost every hiftorian affures us was deftitute of poetical productions) had its poets, and that this fublime and engaging part of literature was by no means at a ftand, even in thofe difaftrous times.

The progrefs of poetry may juftly be confidered as the progrefs of human nature from barbarity to refinement; and, furely, it must be a pleafing difquifition to trace the gradual advances of the human mind, from its infancy to a state of maturity. It is an obfervation of Lord Orrery, that no poet or hiftorian of note was born in this calamitous period; but the fortunate discovery of thefe valuable works of genius affords a full refutation of his Lordfhip's opinion.

I think it neceffary, for the information of the Public, to mention all I know of the discovery of Rowley's Poems, and what authority I have for believing them to have been really written in the reign of Edward the Fourth, and collected by Mr. William Canynge the fole founder of St. Mary Redclifft church, in the city of Briftol, and left by him in the faid church at his decease.' VOL. LVI.

Y

After

After mentioning what was quoted exprefsly from him in the preface to thefe poems (fee our laft Review) Mr. Catcott thus proceeds:

It does not appear precifely at what time Chatterton's father made this difcovery; but there are some reasons for thinking it was about the year 1748; and particularly it is faid, that upon his applying to the veftry for paper to cover the boy's copy books, the churchwardens, through a strange kind of inattention to things of this fort, told him, that he might make ufe of the old parchments which were in the chefts beforementioned, and which they fuppofed were valuable upon no other account. It is impoffible to fay what, or how many writings were deftroyed in confequence of this permiffion; but Mr. Chatterton, having, it feems, a tafte for poetry, and meeting with feveral of Mr. Rowley's compofitions in that way, he copied many of them: however, during his life, none of them were made public. At his decease the remaining MSS. and copies fell into the hands of his fon, a young man of very UNCOMMON ABILITIES, but BAD PRINCIPLES. His education was no other than what he received from a school on St. Auguftin's Pack, in which nothing was taught but English, writing, and accounts. Yet, with thefe difadvantages, he difcovered an UNCOMMON TASTE FOR POETRY, and I have now in my poffeffion fome good fpecimens of his abilities in that way. He was also a great PROFICIENT IN HERALDRY, and very foon made himself acquainted with the OLD CHARACTERS of the MSS. his father left behind him, and as quickly discover'd their value. He was not, however, of an OPEN OR INGENUOUS DISPOSITION, and, confequently, would never give any SATISFACTORY ACCOUNT of what he poffeffed; but only from time to time, as HIS NECESSITIES obliged him, produced fome tranfcripts from these originals, and it was with great difficulty, and fome expence, I procured what I have. Knowing that Mr. William Barrett, an eminent furgeon in Bristol, was then writing a treatife on the Antiquities of that city, I introduced young Chatterton to him, and of him Mr. B. purchafed fome of the originals. He has frequently confeffed to me that he deftroyed many others, and mentioned the titles of fome at that time in his poffeffion, which I could never get a fight of; as, The Tragedy of the Apostate (of which Mr. Barrett above-mentioned has a fhort extract) the fubject was, a perfon's apoftatifing from the Chriftian to the Jewish religion. He alfo informed me that his father (who took great delight in mufical compofitions) had a book of that fort compofed by Rowley; but I do not recollect, whether his fon ever had it in his poffeffion. In tranfcribing these poems he feems never to have departed from the obfolete language in

which they were written, unless we fuppofe him to have done
it in fome inftances in the Bristow Tragedy, which ftands in lefs
need of a Gloffary than any of the others; in all the reft, at
leaft, he appears to have adhered ftrictly to the original lan-
guage, and, in order to make it intelligible, he has added a
Gloflary to fome of them, which, though not complete in all
refpects, facilitates the reading. It is very obfervable, in many
inftances, that, where he could not make out the true original
reading, HE HAS INSERTED WORDS THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY
UNINTELLIGIBLE, rather than fupply others from the current
ftock. Many proofs of this may be feen in the Tragedy of
Ælla (fee an extract from this in our laft Review) which feems
to have been tranfcribed, from the beginning to the end, with
the moft fcrupulous attention. The language of this tragedy
is pathetic, and the fituations are affecting. Prior to Rowley's
time the plays were mostly taken from holy writ, and the church
was the theatre where, fometimes, the moft monftrous abfurdities.
were exhibited. In his Epiftie to Mr. Canynge, previous to
this tragedy, he seems to have broken through the prejudice of
the times in which he lived, and to have introduced a new kind
of drama, almoft upon the fame plan on which our present
theatrical compofitions are formed his words are thefe:

Plaies madde fromme hallie tales I holde unmete,
Lette fomme greate florie of a manne be fonge;
Whanne as a manne wee Godde and Jefus treate,

Ynne mie poore mynde wee doe the Godhedde wronge.
In 1770, Chatterton went to London, and carried all this
treasure with him, in hopes, as we may very reasonably fup-
pofe, of difpofing of it to his advantage; he accordingly ap-
plied, as I have been informed, to that learned antiquary,
Mr. Horace Walpole, but met with little or no encourage-
ment from him; foon after which, in a fit of defpair, as it is
fuppofed, he put an end to his unhappy life, having first cut to
pieces and deftroyed all the MSS. he had in his poffeffion.

With respect to the antiquity of these poems, it needs only to be obferved, that Mr. Canynge, the great friend and patron of Rowley, died in the year 1474, and by his will directed that thefe, together with a vast collection of other writings, fufficient to fill three or four large chefts, fhould be depofited in Redclift church, in the room before-mentioned, requesting that the mayor and chief magiftrates of the city, attended by the town-clerk, together with the minifter and church- wardens of the parish would annually infpect the fame, and fee that every thing was carefully preferved; ordering, moreover, that

AN ENTERTAINMENT SHOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THEM ON
THE DAY WHEN THIS VISITATION SHOULD BE HELD. Mr.
Canynge indeed had used the utmost precaution for their fecurity,

Y 2

for