406 SCOGAN, NORTON, AND RIPLEY, MINOR POETS. works, addressed to the dukes of Clarence, Bedford, and Gloucester, and sent from a tavern in the Vintry at London, is attributed to Scogan1. But our jocular bard evidently mistakes his talents when he attempts to give advice. This piece is the dullest sermon that ever was written in the octave stanza. Bale mentions his COMEDIES, [xi. 70.] which certainly mean nothing dramatic, and are perhaps only his JESTS above-mentioned. He seems to have flourished about the year 1480. Two didactic poets on chemistry appeared in this reign, John Norton and George Ripley. Norton was a native of Bristol, and the most skilful alchemist of his age3. His poem is called the ORDINAL, or a manual of the chemical art. It was presented to Nevil archbishop of York, who was a great patron of the hermetic philosophers"; which were lately grown so numerous in England, as to occasion an act of parliament against the transmutation of metals. Norton's reason for treating his subject in English rhyme, was to circulate the principles of a science of the most consummate utility among the unlearned. [Pag 106.] This poem is totally void of every poetical elegance. The only wonder which it relates, belonging to an art, so fertile in striking inventions, and contributing to enrich the store-house of Arabian romance with SO many magnificient imageries, is that of an alchemist, who projected a bridge of gold over the river Thames near London, crowned with pinnacles of gold, which being studied with carbuncles, diffused a blaze of light in the dark. [Page 26.] I will add a few lines only, as a specimen of his versification. Wherefore he would set up in higth 1 It may yet be doubted whether it belongs to Scogan; as it must have been written before the year 1447, and the writer complains of the approach of old age, col. i. v. 10. It was first printed, under Scogan's name, by Caxton, in the COLLECTION OF CHAUCER'S and Lydgate's POEMS. The little piece, printed as Chaucer's [Urr. ed. p. 548.] called FLEE FROM THE PRESSE, is expressly given to Scogan, and called PROVERBIUM JOANNIS SKOGAN, MSS. C. C. C. Oxon. 203. He speaks of the wife of William Canning, who will occur again below, five times mayor of Bristol, and the founder of St. Mary of Radcliffe church there. ORDINAL, p. 34. 3 Printed by Ashmole, in his THEATRUM CHEMICUM Lond. 1652. 8vo. p. 6. It was finished A. D. 1477. ORDIN. p. 106. It was translated into Latin by Michael Maier, M.D. Francof. 1618. 4to. Norton wrote other chemical pieces. 4 ORDIN. p. 9. 10. Norton declares, that he learned his art in 40 days, at 28 years of Ibid. p. 33. 88. 5 Ashmole, ubi supr. p. 455. Notes. age. And so continewe and not breake, Then all the londe of him would speake, &c. [Page 26.] Norton's heroes in the occult sciences are Bacon, Albertus Magnus, and Raymond Lully, to whose specious promises of supplying the coinage of England with inexhaustible mines of philosophical gold, king Edward III. became an illustrious dupe1. George Ripley, Norton's contemporary, was accomplished in many parts of erudition; and still maintains his reputation as a learned chemist of the lower ages. He was a canon regular of the monastery of Bridlington in Yorkshire, a great traveller2, and studied both in France and Italy. At his return from abroad, pope Innocent the eighth absolved him from the observance of the rules of his order, that he might prosecute his studies with more convenience and freedom. But his convent not concurring with this very liberal indulgence, he turned Carmelite at St. Botolph's in Lincolnshire, and died an anchorite in that fraternity in the year 14903. His chemical poems are nothing more than the doctrines of alchemy cloathed in plain language, The capital performance is THE and a very rugged versification. COMPOUND OF ALCHEMIE, written in the year 14714. It is in the octave metre and dedicated to Edward IV. left a few other compositions on his favorite science, printed by Ashmole, who was an enthusiast in this abused species of philosophy". One of them, the MEDULLA, written in 1476, is dedicated to archbishop Nevil. These pieces have no other merit, than that of serving to 1 Ashmol. ubi supr. p. 443. 467. And Camden's REM. p. 242. edit. 1674. Raymond Lully is said to have died at eighty years of age, in the year 1315. Cave, cap. p. 6. Ripley has By the way, Whart. APP. 2 Ashmole says, that Ripley, during his long stay at Rhodes, gave the knights of Malta 100,000 l. annually, towards maintaining the war against the Turks. Ubi supr. p. 458. Ashmole could not have made this incredible assertion, without supposing a circumstance equally incredible, that Ripley was in actual possession of the Philosopher's Stone. 3 Ashmol. p. 455. seq. Bale, viii 49. Pits. p. 677. 4 Ashmol. THEATR. CHEM. p. 193. It was first printed in 1591. 4to. Reprinted by Ashmole, It has been thrice translated into Latin, Ashm. ut supr. p. THEATR. CHEM. ut supr. p. 107. Most of Ripley's Latin works were printed by Lud. Combachius, 465. Ibid. p. 108. 110. 122. Cassel. 1619. 12mo. 5 He mentions the abbey church at Westminster as unfinished. Pag. 154. st. 27. P. 156. and st. 34 6 Ashmole conjectures, that an English chemical piece in the octave stanza, which he has printed, called HERMES'S BIRD, no unpoetical fiction, was translated from Raymond Lully, by Cremer, abbot of Westminster, a great chemist: and adds, that Cremer brought Lully into England, and introduced him to the notice of Edward III. about the year 1334. Ashmol. ubi supr. p. 213. 467. The writer of HERMES'S BIRD, however, appears by the versification and language, to have lived at least an hundred years after that period. He informs us, that he made the translation 'owte of the Frensche. Ibid. p. 214. Ashmole mentions a curious picture of the GRAND MYSTERIES OF THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE, which abbot Cremer ordered to be painted in Westminster abbey, upon an arch where the waxen kings and queens are placed, but that it was obliterated with a plasterer's brush by the puritans in Oliver's time. He also mentions a large and beautiful window, behind the pulpit in the neighbouring church of St. Margaret, painted with the same subject, and destroyed by the same ignorant zealots, who mistook these innocent hieroglyphics for some story in a popish legend. Ashmol. ibid. 211. 466. 467. Compare Widmore's Hist. WESTMINSTER-ABBEY. p. 174. seq. edit. 1751. 4to. 7 Ashm. p. 389. See also p. 374. seq. 408 THOMAS ROWLIE.-WILLIAM CANNYNGE.-CHATTERTON. develope the history of chemistry in England. They certainly contributed nothing to the state of our poetry1. SECTION XXVI. BUT a want of genius will be no longer imputed to this period of our poetical history, if the poems lately discovered at Bristol, and said to have been written by Thomas Rowlie, a secular priest of that place, about the year 1470, are genuine. It must be acknowledged, that there are some circumstances which incline us to suspect these pieces to be a modern forgery. On the other hand, as there is some degree of plausibility in the history of their discovery, as they possess considerable merit, and are held to be the real productions of Rowlie by many respectable critics; it is my duty to give them a place in this series of our poetry, if it was for no other reason than that the world might be furnished with an opportunity of examining their authenticity. By exhibiting therefore the most specious evidences, which I have been able to collect, concerning the manner in which they were brought to light', and by producing such specimens, as in another respect cannot be deemed unacceptable; I will endeavour, not only to gratify the curiosity of the public on a subject that has long engaged the general attention, and has never yet been fairly or fully stated, but to supply the more inquisitive reader with every argument, both external and internal, for determining the merits of this interesting controversy. I shall take the liberty to add my own opinion, on a point at least doubtful: but with the greatest deference to decisions of much higher authority. About the year 1470, William Cannynge, an opulent merchant and an alderman of Bristol, afterwards an ecclesiastic, and dean of Westbury college, erected the magnificent church of St. Mary of Redcliffe, 1 It will be sufficient to throw some of the obscurer rhymers of this period into the Notes. Osbern Bokenham wrote or translated metrical lives of the saints, about 1445. See supr. vol. i. p. 14. Notes. Gilbert Banester wrote in English verse the Miracle of St. Thomas, in the year 1467. CCCC. MSS. Q. viii. See supr. vol. i. p. 75. Notes. And Lel. COLLECTAN. tom. i. (p. ii.) pag. 510. edit. 1770. Wydville earl of Rivers, already mentioned, translated into English distichs, The morale Proverbes of Crystyne of Pyse, printed by Caxton, 1477. They consist of two sheets in folio. This is a couplet; Little vailleth good example to see For him that wole not the contrarie flee. The poem on this subject in the addition to the MIRROUR OF MAGISTRATES, by William This nobleman's only original piece is a Balet of four stanzas, preserved by Rouse, a cotemporary historian, Ross. Hist. p. 213. edit. Hearn. apud Leland. Itin. tom. x. edit. Oxon. 1745I refer also the NOTBROWNE MAYDE to this period. Capel's PROLUSIONS, p. 23. seq. edit. 1760. Of the same date is perhaps the DELECTABLE HISTORIE of king Edward IV and the Tanner of Tamworth &c. &c Percy, ubi supr. p. 81. Hearne affirms, that in this piece there are some romantic assertions:- otherwise 'tis a book of value, and more authority is to be given to it than is given to poetical books of LATE YEARS.' Hearne's Leland, ut supr. vol. ii. p. 103. 2 I acknowledge myself greatly indebted to Dr. Harrington, of Bath, for facilitating my enquiries on this subject. or Radcliff, near Bristol1. In a muniment-room over the northern portico of the church, the founder placed an iron chest, secured by six different locks; which seems to have been principally intended to receive instruments relating to his new structure, and perhaps to his other charities3, inventories of vestments and ornaments1. accompts of church-wardens, and other parochial evidences. He is said to have directed, that this venerable chest should be annually visited and opened by the mayor and other chief magistrates of Bristol, attended by the vicar and church-wardens of the parish: and that a feast should be celebrated every year, on the day of visitation. But this order, that part at least which relates to the inspection of the chest, was soon neglected. In the year 1768, when the present new bridge at Bristol was finished and opened for passengers, an account of the ceremonies observed on occasion of opening the old bridge, appeared in one of the Bristol Journals; taken, as it was declared, from an ancient manuscripts Curiosity was naturally raised to know from whence it came. At length, after much enquiry concerning the person who sent this singular memoir to the newspaper, it was discovered that he was a youth about seventeen years old, whose name was Chatterton; and whose father had been sexton of Radcliffe church for many years, and also master of a writing-school in that parish, of which the church-wardens were trustees. The father however was now dead: and the son was at first unwilling to acknowledge, from whom, or by what means, he had procured so valuable an original. But after many promises, and some threats, he confessed that he received a MSS. on parchment containing the narrative above-mentioned, together with many other MSS. on parchment, from his father; who had found them in an iron chest, the same that I have mentioned, placed in a room situated over the northern entrance of the church. It appears that the father became possessed of these MSS. in the year 1748. For in that year, he was permitted, by the church-wardens of Radcliffe church, to take from this chest several written pieces of parchment, supposed to be illegible and useless, for the purpose of con 1 He is said to have rebuilt Westbury college. Dugd. WARWICKSH. p. 634, edit. 1730. And Atkyns, GLOCESTERSH. p. 802. On his monument in Radcliffe-church, he is twice represented, both in an alderman's and a priest's habit. He was five times mayor of Bristol. See Godwin's BISH. p. 446. [But see edit. fol. p. 467.] 2 It is said there were four chests; but this is a circumstance of no consequence. 3 These will be mentioned below. 4 See an inventory of ornaments given to this church by the founder, Jul. 4, 1470, formerly kept in this chest, and printed by Walpole, ANECD. PAINT. i. p. 45 The old bridge was built about the year 1248. HISTORY OF BRISTOL, MSS. Archiv. Bodl. C. iii. By Abel Wantner. Archdeacon Furney, in the year 1755, left by will to the Bodleian library, large collections, by various hands, relating to the history and antiquities of the city, church, and county of Gloucester, which are now preserved there, Archiv. C. ut supr. At the end of N. iii. is the MSS. HISTORY just mentioned, supposed to have been compiled by Abel Wantner, of Minchin-Hampton in Glocestershire, who published proposals and specimens for a history of that County, in 1683. 410 THE TALENTS OF CHATTERTON, HIS POETIC FORGERIES. verting them into covers for the writing-books of his scholars. It is impossible to ascertain, what, or how many, writings were destroyed, in consequence of this unwarrantable indulgence. Our school-master, however, whose accomplishments were much above his station, and who was not totally destitute of a taste for poetry, found, as it is said, in this immense heap of obsolete MSS., many poems written by Thomas Rowlie above mentioned, priest of St. John's church in Bristol, and the confessor of alderman Cannynge, which he carefully preserved. These at his death, of course fell into the hands of the son of Cannynge. In Of the extraordinary talents of this young man more will be said hereafter. It will be sufficient to observe at present, that he saw the merit and value of these poems, which he diligently transcribed. the year 1770, he went to London, carrying with him these transcripts, and many originals, in hopes of turning so inestimable a treasure to his great advantage. But from these flattering expectations, falling into a dissipated course of life, which ill suited with his narrow circumstances, and finding that a writer of the most distinguished taste and judgment, Mr. Walpole, had pronounced the poems to be suspicious, in a fit of despair, arising from distress and disappointment, he deSome of the poems stroyed all his papers, and poisoned himself. however, both transcripts and originals, he had previously sold, either to Mr. Catcott, a merchant of Bristol, or to Mr. Barrett, an eminent surgeon of the same place, and an ingenious antiquary, with whom they now remain1. But it appears, that among these there were but very few of parchment: most of the poems which they purchased were poems in his own hand. He was always averse to give any distinct or satisfactory account of what he possessed: but from time to time, as his necessities required, he produced copies of his originals, which were bought by these gentlemen. The originals, one or two only excepted, he chose to retain in his possession. The chief of these poems are, the TRAGEDY of ELLA, the EXECUTION of sir CHARLES BAWDWIN, ODE to ELLA, the BATTLE of HASTINGS, the TOURNAMENT, one or two DIALOGUES, and a Description of CANNYNGE'S FEAST. The TRAGEDY OF ELLA has six characters; one of which is a lady, It has a chorus consisting of minstrels, whose songs named Birtha. are often introduced. Ella was governor of the castle of Bristol, and a puissant champion against the Danes, about the year 920. The story seems to be the poet's invention. The tragedy is opened with the following soliloquy. Before yonne CELMONDE atte Brystowe. roddie sonne has droove hys wayne 1 Mr. Barrett, to whom I am greatly obliged for his unreserved and liberal information on this subject, is now engaged in writing the ANTIQUITIES of BRISTOL |