IIEXRY KIRKE WHITE. XSXIX 



last service to his memory, On his decease, MrB. Mad- 

 dock addressed a letter to me, informing me of the event, 

 as one who had professed an interest in his friend's for- 

 tunes. I inquired, in my reply, if there was any inten- 

 tion of publishing what he might have left, and if I 

 could be of any assistance in the publication ; this led to 

 a correspondence with his excellent brother, and the 

 whole of his papers were consigned into my hands, with 

 as many of his letters as could be collected. 



These papers (exclusive of the correspondence) filled 

 a box of considerable size. Mr Coleridge was present 

 when I opened them, and was, as well as myself, equally 

 affected and astonished at the proofs of industry which 

 they displayed. Some of them had been written before 

 his hand was formed, probably before he was thirteen. 

 There were papers upon law, upon electricity, upon che- 

 mistry, upon the Latin and Greek languages, from their 

 rudiments to the higher branches of critical study, upon 

 history, chronology, divinity, ihe fathers, &c. Nothing 

 seemed to have escaped him. His poems were nume- 

 rous ; among the earliest, was a sonnet addressed to 

 myself, long before the little intercourse which had sub- 

 sisted between us had taken place. Little did he think, 

 when it was written, on what occasion it would fall into 

 my hands. He had begun three tragedies Avhen very 

 young : one was upon Boadicea, another upon Inez de 

 Castro : the third was a fictitious subject. He had 

 planned also a history of Nottingham. There was a let- 

 ter upon the famous Nottingham election, which seemed 

 to have been intended either tor the newspapers, or for 

 a separate pamphlet. It was written to confute the ab- 

 surd stories of the Tree of Liberty, and the (goddess of 

 Beason ; with the most minute knowledge of the circum- 

 stances, and a not improper feeling of indignation against 

 so infamous a calumny ; and this came with more weight 

 from him, as his party inclinations seemed to have leaned 

 towards the side which he was opposing. This was his 

 only finished composition in prose. Much of his time, 

 latterly, had been devoted to the study of Greek pro- 

 sody : he had begun several poems in Greek, and a trans- 



