:lii LIFE OF 



painter would have wished to fix his likeness, and the 

 lover of poetry would delight to contemplate him, in the 

 fair morning of his virtues, the full spring blossom of his 

 hopes, — ^just at that age hath death set the seal of eter- 

 nity upon hira, and the beautiful hath been made per- 

 manent. To the young poets who come after him, Henry 

 v.-ill be what Chatterton was to him ; and they will find 

 in him an example of hopes, with regard to worldly for- 

 tune, as humble, and as exalted in all better things as 

 are enjoined equally by wisdom and religion, by the ex- 

 perience of man, and the word of God. And this ex- 

 ample will be as encouraging as it is excellent. It has 

 been too much the custom to complain that genius is ne- 

 glected, and to blame the public when the public is not 

 in fault. They who are thus lamented as the victims of 

 genius, have been, in almost every instance, the victims 

 of their own vices; while genius has been made, like 

 charity, to cover a multitude of sins, and to excuse that 

 which in reality it aggravates. In this age, and in this 

 country, whoever deserves encouragement is, sooner or 

 later, sure to receive it. Of this Henry's history is an 

 honourable proof. The particular patronage which he 

 accepted was given as much to his piety and religious 

 opinions as to his genius ; but assistance \vas offered him 

 from other quarters. Mr P. Thomson (of Boston, Lin- 

 colnshire), merely upon perusing his little volume, wrote 

 to know how he could serve him ; and there vrere many 

 friends of literature who were ready to have afforded him 

 any support which he needed, if he had not been thus 

 provided. In the university he received every encour- 

 agement w*hich he merited, and from Mr Simeon, and 

 his tutor, Mr Catton, tho most fatherly kindness. 



" I can venture," says a lady of Cambridge, in a letter 

 to his brother, "I can venture to say, with certainty, there 

 was no member of the University, however high his rank 

 or talents, who would not have been happy to have availed 

 themselves of the opportunity of being acquainted with 

 Mr Henry Kirke "White. I mention this to introduce a 

 v-ish, which has been expressed to me so often by the 

 gcnior members of the University, that I dare not decline 



