study of their race, and who find a delight in examining into the darkest mysteries of the human heart, and exploring the most hidden springs of the human will, the present edition of Chatterton has been issued from the press. His fiery passions; his premature yet manly intellect; his plastic imagination; his affectionate nature; his dark destiny; his perpetual struggles; his brief but glorious career, and the solemn agony and terrific grandeur of his death, render him at once a sublime study for the poet, and a character of the most absorbing interest to the psychologist. But besides the reasons for the republication of the Poems of Chatterton, which result from their intrinsic merit, and the wonderful genius and wild career of their author, we have another motive. The only edition which has any pretensions to completeness, is that which bears the names of Dr. Southey and Mr. Cottle. This edition is now extremely rare, and consequently of difficult attain ment. A new Life of Chatterton, of a more comprehensive nature than any that has hitherto been published, has been prefixed to these volumes. We have endeavoured to supply the defects of preceding memoirs; and both public investigation and private correspondence have been rendered available in compiling the notices of his life. We are therefore moderately certain that, however future biographers may surpass us in a philosophical estimate of the creator of the Rowley Poems, or excel us in beauty and correctness of style, they will find it nearly impossible to adduce a new fact, or throw a clearer light on the external life of Thomas Chatterton. In order to furnish the general reader with some account of the reception which these poems met on their first publication, a history of the Rowley Controversy has been drawn up, which it is believed will be found sufficiently explicit and satisfactory. The remarks of Sir Walter Scott, Southey, Malone, and the greater part of the controversialists, have been incorporated in the work; and to those who come to the study of "Rowley" for the first time, will offer a critical desideratum of no trifling value. A selection has been made from the prose works of such pieces as are of peculiar interest, or, from their connexion with the career of Chatterton, appeared to require insertion. In conclusion, we offer our sincerest thanks to the friends who have so kindly rendered their assistance. The readiness and ability with which our questions have been answered, are gratefully acknowledged; and the valuable information which has been communicated, has, it is with pleasure admitted, rendered our notices of the Life of Chatterton more complete and satisfactory than they would otherwise have been. |