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Thomas Gray to Horace Walpole, [8 April 1751]

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To
The Hon. Horace Walpole Esq.
in Arlington Street,
London
9 Ap

    My Dear Sr

        From the Time I saw your Letter, I had little Reason to entertain any Hopes of poor Mr Whithed's Life, yet have not been at all less struck with the News of his Death. His youth, his fortune, & his Expectations, must make it a Subject of Compassion, even to Strangers: his Temper, his many good Qualities, & that Kindness I have constantly received from him, will make his Loss particularly sensible to me, who have (God knows) so few Friends to throw away, but I own, what most nearly interests me in it, is the Concern of Mr Chute, whose Surprize must have been equal to his Sorrow, & who perhaps had not Time or Resolution to see a Face he had been so long accustom'd to, till it was hid from him for ever. I can not think of troubling him with so useless a Thing as a Letter at such a Time, but must beg of you, if you either see, or have occasion to write to him, just to say, how much I feel for him & how eagerly I wish him that Happiness, & Ease of Mind, wch Time only can give him: for his own Reflexion & Good Sense will, I am afraid, but add to his Sensibility. You will much oblige me, when you can give me any Account of him, or of any Thing that concerns him, for you see I have no body else to apply to; & tho' the Loss you have had in your own Family (wch I am heartily sorry for) makes this an unreasonable Request, yet (I trust) you will find a quarter of an hour to satisfy my Inquietude.

Adieu, Dear Sr, I am
Ever Yours
T. Gray.
Letter ID: letters.0646 (Source: TEI/XML)

Correspondents

Writer: Gray, Thomas, 1716-1771
Writer's age: 34
Addressee: Walpole, Horace, 1717-1797
Addressee's age: 33

Dates

Date of composition: [8 April 1751]
Date (on letter): Monday
Calendar: Julian

Places

Place of composition: Cambridge, United Kingdom
Address (on letter): Cambridge
Place of addressee: [London, United Kingdom]

Physical description

Form/Extent: A.L.S.; [2] pages
Addressed: To / The Hon. Horace Walpole Esq. / in Arlington Street, / London (postmark: 9 Ap)

Content

Language: English
Incipit: From the Time I saw your Letter, I had little Reason to entertain any Hopes of poor Mr Whithed's Life,...

Holding Institution

Location:
(confirmed)
Autograph collection, Kingston Lacy , Dorset, UK <http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kingston-lacy/>
Availability: The original letter is extant, but there is no further information about its availability

Print Versions

  • Roberts, William: "A Letter from Thomas Gray to Horace Walpole". Notes & Queries 47(2) (June 2000), 198-201