No More Learning

While premising that any one who wishes to learn the facts of the
boy-poet's life--his circumstances and surroundings--can find them
all set forth in Professor Wilson's book: while equally if he is
interested in the pseudo-Rowley's language, philologically considered,
he will find this elaborately examined in Professor Skeat's second
volume; it has been thought that the following bibliography of books
dealing with various aspects of the poet which were read and valued in
their day may be found of interest to students of literary history.

1598. Speght's edition of Chaucer, the glossary of which Chatterton
used in the compilation of his Rowley Dictionary.

1708. Kersey's _Dictionarium Anglo-Britannicum_, and

1737. Bailey's _Universal Etymological Dictionary_. (8th Enlarged
Edition. ) Bailey is largely copied from Kersey, but Chatterton
certainly used both dictionaries in making his antique language.

1777. Tyrwhitt's edition of the Rowley poems. Tyrwhitt was
Chatterton's first editor and in his edition many of the poems
were printed for the first time. 'The only really good edition is
Tyrwhitt's. ' 'This exhibits a careful and, I believe, extremely
accurate text . . .
an excellent account of the MSS. and transcripts
from which it was derived. It is a fortunate circumstance that the
first editor was so thoroughly competent. ' (Professor Skeat, Introd.
to Vol. II of his 1871 edition. )

1778. Tyrwhitt's third edition, from which the present edition is
printed. With this was printed for the first time 'An appendix . . .
tending to prove that the Rowley poems were written not by any ancient
author but entirely by Thomas Chatterton. ' This edition follows the
first nearly page for page; but was reset.

1780. _Love and Madness_ by Sir Herbert Croft. This strange book
deserves a brief description as it is the source of almost all our
knowledge of Chatterton.