The record-union., 1892-07-23

windows-Sweeter still were now and
then waited the organ notes and voices of
the singers engaged below in vesper
service. The open, rotting and discarded
muniment Golfers. or 'cOfres,n are still
here. No one knows their age. 1t must
be very gleat. But these yeritable an
cient chests were the ones whose con-
tents, first largely piltered and scattered
by the parish authorities themselves,
furnished Chatterton with the impulse
and means of attracting public attention
10 his own compositions, to appear in
the guise of antique manuscripts from
the pen OF the fictitious monk Rowley,
the whole the creation of his own fertile
brain.
one must confess to a strange sense of
nearness to this pOoram. bilious boy when
standing among these empty old cof-
ters. The picture Of his pale, eager face,
half hidden among the musty parch-
ments, flashes upon one almost as If with
certain recognition. Here he came times
without number, and delved and toiled
and dreamed. AS / stood there held and
fascinated by the foOdsof associations of
the place, Vagrant bird, OF gray plu-
mage, flew into one of the narrow Splayed
windows, wheeled round and round be-
meath the oaken ceiling, and suddenly
aIlghted upon one Of the rotten boxes.
Turning Its head to the right and left and
times upon the Golfer with a sharp, echo
ing sound. AS suddenly it rose, perched
upon one of the oaken braces, uttered a
few notes of saddening melody, and in
an instant, like dart of light piercing
the outer light, had swept away-titting
type Of MIN who had come for that brief
time, pecked for moment at the dark,
dead age behind him, and sung and
flashed into the outer light of Immortal
ity.
There are few other Chatterton memo
rials in Bristol. The Colston Hospital or
school, where he had secured nomination
as charity scholar, was removed to the
old Episcopal Palace at Stapleton over a
quarter OF century ago. The building
IN which were located the offices of John
Lambert. attorney, to whom Chatterton
was articled as apprentice, is still stand
ing in Corn street. The place where the
boy poet was born, in Pile street, near it's
conjunction with Thomas street, is inn
mediately opposite the north side of Red
clitfe Church. 1t is a dreary, mildewed
spot to-day though the old buildings are
supplanted by others. A free school is
still conducted at the place by a weaZened
spinster. The yard is narrow, damp and
dank; the structure is damp and danll
and narrow; and the little tots whom L
saw leaving the place are ragged, pinched
and squalid.
Between this place and the church op-
posite, upon the hill, within the church.
yard, though not within ''consecratedn
grOund-fOr though churches sing the
boy-poets hymns, and this church re-
ceiYed the Colston boy into its saving en-
brace through confirmation, ecclesiastic
moderation insists upon his damnation
on the ground that he died by his own
hand and an ''infide''-stands the monu-
ment TO his memory. Redcliffe Church,
more dishOnor to it, forbade its erection
within the editice, where lie in pompous
state the remains of libertines and trad
ers in their fellow-men.
After the bitterest OF struggles on the
part of the poets friends, this cenotaph
was finally put in place, outside the
church, between the tower and the muni-
ment-room. so intimately associated with
his youthful dreams and struggles. But
repairs upon the north porch soon gave
an excuse for its removal, for it was dis
covered that the monument impinged
on ''consecrated" ground. Then it was
taken to pieces and bundled away.
After years OF further struggles with
bigOted consistories it was finally re-
erected where it now stands, near the
northeast entrance, just within the church.
yard green. But even then these fine
folk OF the cloth turned the face of the
statue surmounting the cenotaph away
from Redclifie Church. And that was
we'll. Chatterton, with his back to Red
cliffe Church. his tiny face half in smiles,
gazing atfectionately down upon his
birthplace across the way, is fitting
enough satire, while stone may last, upon
the intolerance and vindictiveness thus
so aptly recalled and emphasized.
The figure is represented in the habili-
ments of a Colston schoolboy, muffin
cap with band and bali, a coat with long
plated skirt, leathern belt, corduroy
knee breeches and rough-ribbed stock
ings. The left hand holds an open scroll
upon which is written, ELLA, Trag-
edy." In one Of the monuments inches
is torn or severed scroll, with the le-
gend, 1.-The Poems of Rowhe," while
the chief panel bears the words from the
poets own pen, written half in Jest, half
in earnest, but incompatible in their ap-
titude: ITO the Memory of Thomas Chat
tertOn. Reader, judge not, if thou art a
Christian. Believe that he shall be Judged
by superior Power. To that Power
alone is he now answerable."
AS / stood regarding the cenotaph the
afternoon sun swept around the lofty
spire of Redcliffe Church. Its rays filtered
between the slender spires and pinnacles
at its base, and fell upon the cenotaph.
lighting it up wondrously. Then a huge
cloud, Tapping its sable wings up from
the Bristol Channel, darkened the scene
and the grimy city for a moment, 1t
was for a moment only, for the sun burst
through again and held its place glori-
ously. So, l thought, as l turned away,
will it be with the name and fame of this
little lad to whom the godly of Bristol
have been so pitilessly ungenerous.
If something like a resentfulness and
heartache did not come at every turn
when seeking for kindly Chatterton
shrines, one would be deeply charmed
into tod in hn
toric and literary "reminiscences of this
fine old Bristol town.
Cabot, who should be equally honored
with Columbus, sailed on his voyage of
American discovery from this port. The
"Great Western" the first steam craft to
successfully demonstrate the practicable
ity Of steam navigation between the two
continents, was built and manned at Bris-
tol. The great Burke, friend of Ameri-
ca represented the city in Parliament.
and the unhappy ex-Empress Eugenie
was once school girl here.
have come upon names and local
"reminiscences of nearly sixty really noted
men and women of letters who were born
in or for time lived at Bristol. Defoe
frequented its RED Lion" and Selkirk
for a time lived in st. Stephens parish,
Hugh Conway" was born and Canon
Kingsley educated here. Hallam came
out of its grammar school and Hume
was a Bristol merchants clerk. The au-
thor of Buffers Analogy was Bishop of
Bristol; Hannah Moore. though living
most of her life at "Barleywood, a few
miles distant, was born in and died at
Bristol; the Porter sisters, Mary Robin
son and Amelia b. Edwards, were all
Bristol women; while charming book
could be alone written on the early ca
reers of Southey and Coleridge, both be-
gun in Utopian dreams of 'fPantisocra-
cy'' in this grimy yet rich and mellow
old west of England seaport town.
EDGAR l.. WAKEMAN,