492 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2»d s. No 77., JoNE 20. '67. 



the academical dress, but as an ecclesiastical dis- 

 tinction. The dress of the Christ's Hospital boys 

 is merely the old tunic, the common garb of lay- 

 men, at least since the Saxon times, and modified 

 in different ways at different periods. But I was 

 quite ignorant of what Dr. Gauntlett states as 

 to the scarlet and furred subtunic proper to 

 LL.D.s and M.D.s. Will he do me the further 

 favour of saying where this is prescribed, and at 

 which of our national Universities (the question is 

 not as to foreign customs) it was worn, or is still 

 retained ? 



Another Query in 'connexion with my former 

 Note. On reconsidering Wood and Fuller, I sus- 

 pect that Doctor, Master, and Informator in 

 Gramtnar are convertible terms. Is this so ? 



John Jbbb. 



CHATTERTOH S PORTRAIT. 



(2"" S. iii. 53.) 



J. M. G. thinks that " it is very unlikely that 

 any portrait of Chatterton by Gainsborough ever 

 was painted, as Mr. Fulcher mentions in his 

 Life of Gainsborough ; and that it was made 

 during the intervals between 1768 and 1773, when 

 he declined sending specimens to the Royal Aca- 

 demy, and that this portrait was a master-piece." 

 The grounds alleged for this opinion are these : — 



" Chatterton left Bristol for the metropolig at the end 

 of April, 1770, and committed suicide there the latter 

 end of August, in the same year. Now, unless it can be 

 shown that Gainsborough painted his portrait in Bristol 

 before April, 1770, it is highly improbable that during 

 the few months that Chatterton resided in London he 

 did so." 



This statement may (unintentionally, I am sure, 

 on the part of J. M. G.) mislead the readers of 

 "N. & Q." It is not asserted in the Life of 

 Gainsborough that he painted a portrait of Chat- 

 terton ; nor is the period assigned by J. M. G. for 

 the execution of such a work (between 1768 and 

 1773) mentioned in connexion with the young 

 poet. Before, however, quoting what the volume 

 says on the subject, I must briefly allude to the 

 circumstances which led to any reference to a 

 portrait of Chatterton by Gainsborough. 



In answer to an advertisement which I inserted 

 In The Times, requesting information on the sub- 

 ject of that painter and his works, I received, 

 amongst others, a letter from a Mr. Naylor (whose 

 address J. M. G. may learn from the Editor of 

 "N. & Q."), Informing me that he was the pos- 

 sessor of a fine portrait of Chatterton by Gains- 

 borough. I immediately wrote to Mr. Naylor, 

 desiring him to send me a full description of the 

 picture ; and, shortly after, I received the follow- 

 ing communication : — 



" The portrait is 22 in. by 18 in., and reaches down to 

 the boy's waist, IJe is dressed in a green, apparently a 



charity, coat. The hair falls very much over the fore- 

 head, and reaches at the side to the shoulders. The face 

 is looking sideways, and three parts of it can be seen. 

 There has never been a doubt of its being a genuine 

 Gainsborough : the beauty of the painting has been the 

 praise of every artist who has seen it. Several persons 

 from Bristol have seen it, and all declare it to be Chatter- 

 ton. I had it 12 or 14 years back from a Bristol man, 

 who is now dead. The painting is quite pure as it came 

 from the easel. Chatterton appears to be about 16 or 17 

 years of age." 



As I was unable personally to inspect this pic- 

 ture before the publication of the memoir, I 

 merely alluded to it (when enumerating some of 

 the " famous portraits of famous men executed by 

 Gainsborough during his residence in Bath ") in 

 these qualified terms : — 



" It is said that Chatterton also sat to Gainsborough, 

 and that the portrait of the marvellous boy, with his long 

 flowing hair and child-like face, is a master-piece." — 

 P. 87. 



There can be little doubt that if Chatterton 

 ever sat to Gainsborough, he did so before leaving 

 Bristol, i. e. before April, 1770. The fact of the 

 subject of Mr. Naylor's portrait being dressed 

 " apparently In a charity-coat," is noteworthy ; 

 for it Is well known that Chatterton was placed at 

 Colstons Charity School, and that he remained 

 there till July 1, 1767, when he had not quite at- 

 tained the age of fifteen. Mr. Naylor merely 

 says that the youth represented is about sixteen^ or 

 seventeen years old. At this period then, whilst 

 he was still in the garb of a charity scholar, Chat- 

 terton may have sat to Gainsborough. He needed 

 neither a fine coat, nor a full pocket, to recom- 

 mend him to the generous, genius-loving painter. 

 Nor, it may be added, would the lad who desired 

 to possess a cup with " an angel on it with wings 

 and a trumpet to trumpet his name over the 

 world," be unambitious of the honour of having his 

 portrait taken by such an artist ; or he who offered 

 " to furnish Mr. Walpole with anecdotes of paint- 

 ing" be wanting in shrewdness in making his 

 application. E. S. Fulcher. 



Sudbury. 



Ireland's tragedy of vortigern. 

 (2'>-i S. iii. 442.) 

 I observe in the above Number of "N. & 

 Q." an article written by a correspondent who 

 was present at the representation of Ireland's 

 tragedy, which took place on Saturday, April 2, 

 1796. Being one of those who were fortunate in 

 gaining admittance and a seat on the second ro# 

 In the pit, I am anxious, while my Hfe is spared, 

 to state what I saw and heard on this memorable 

 occasion. I agree with your correspondent that 

 the crowd and the rush for admittance were 

 almost unprecedented. I do not think that 

 twenty females were in the pit, such was the 



