THIS is the last Will and Testament of me Thomas Chatterton of the City of Bristol; being sound in body, or it is the fault of my last Surgeon; the soundness of my mind, the Coroner and Jury are to be judges of, desiring them to take notice, that the most perfect Masters of Human Nature in Bristol distinguish me by the title of the Mad Genius; therefore, if I do a mad action, it is conformable to every action of my life, which savour'd of insanity.

Item. If after my death which will happen to-morrow night before eight o'clock, being the Feast of the Resurrection, the Coroner and Jury bring it in Lunacy, I will and direct, that Paul Farr, Esq and Mr. John Flower, at their joint expence, cause my body to be interred in the Tomb of my Fathers, and raise the Monument over my body to the height of four feet five inches, placing the present flat stone on the top, and adding 6 Tablets.

On the first to be engraved in Old English Characters

On the second Tablet in Old English Characters

On the third Tablet in Roman Characters

On the fourth Tablet in Roman Characters.

On the fifth and sixth Tablets which shall front each other

Atchievements viz. On the one, vest, a fess; or, crest, a mantle of estate, gules, supported[Page 67] by a spear, sable, headed, or, on the other, or, a fess vest, crest, a cross of Knights Templars. — And I will and direct that if the Coroners Inquest bring it in felo-de-se, the said monument shall be notwithstanding erected. And if the said Paul Farr and John Flower have souls so Bristolish as to refuse this my request, they will transmit a copy of my Will to the Society for supporting the Bill of Rights, whom I hereby empower to build the said monument according to the aforesaid directions. And if they the said Paul Farr and John Flower should build the said monument; I will and direct that the 2d Edition of my Kew Gardens, shall be dedicated to them in the following Dedication. — To Paul Farr and John Flower, Esqrs this Book is most humbly dedicated by the Author's Ghost.

Item. I give all my vigour and fire of youth to Mr. G— C—, being sensible he is most in want of it.

Item. From the same charitable motive, I give and bequeath unto the Reverend Mr. C—n senior all my humility. To Mr. B—m all my Prosody and Grammar, likewise one moiety of my modesty, the other moiety to any young Lady who can prove without blushing that she wants that valuable commodity. To Bristol all my spirit and difinterestedness, parcels of goods, unknown on her quay since the days of Canning and Rowley! 'Tis true a charitable Gentleman, one Mr. Colston, smuggled a considerable quantity of it, but it being proved that he was a Papist, the Worshipful Society of Aldermen endeavour to throttle him with the Oath of Allegiance. I leave also my Religion to Dr. C— B—, D— of B—, hereby empowering the Sub-Spirit to strike him on the head when he goes to sleep in Church — My powers of utterance I give to the Reverend Mr. B—n, hoping he will employ them to a better purpose than reading Lectures on the Immortality of the Soul: I leave the Reverend Mr. C— some little of[Page 69] my free thinking, that he may put on spectacles of reason and see how vilely he is duped in believing the Scriptures literally. I wish he and his brother G— would know how far I am their real Enemy, but, I have an unlucky way of raillery, and when the strong fit of Satire is upon me I spare neither friend nor foe. This is my excuse for what I have said of them elsewhere. I leave Mr. Clayfield the sincerest thanks my gratitude can give, and I will and direct that whatever any person may think the pleasure of reading my Works worth, they immediately pay their own valuation to him, since it is then become a lawful debt to me and to him as my Executor in this case. I leave my Moderation to the Politicians on both sides the question. I leave my Generosity to our present Right Worshipful Mayor, T— H—, Esq. I give my Abstinence to the Company at the Sheriffs Annual Feast in general, more particularly the Aldermen.

Item. I give and bequeath to Mr. M— M— a mourning Ring with this Motto, "Alas! poor Chatterton!"provided he pays for it himself. — Item. I leave the young Ladies all the Letters they have had from me, assuring them that they need be under no apprehensions from the appearance of my Ghost, for I die for none of them. — Item. I leave all my debts the whole not Five Pounds to the payment of the charitable and generous Chamber of Bristol, on penalty if refused, to hinder every Member from a good dinner by appearing in the form of a Bailiff. If in defiance of this terrible spectre, they obstinately persist in refusing to discharge my debts, let my two Creditors apply to the Supporters of the Bill of Rights. — Item. I leave my Mother and Sister to the protection of my Friends if I have any. Executed in the presence of Omniscience this 14th of April 1770.