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Thomas Gray to James Brown, 26 May 1761

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To The Revd Mr Brown M:A: President of Pembroke Hall Cambridge
26 MA GR

Dear Sr

I thank you for your kind enquiries & impatience about me. had I not been so often disappointed before, when I thought myself sure, I should have informed you before this time of my motions. I thought I was just setting out for Cambridge, when the Man (on whom I have a mortgage) gave me notice, that he was ready to pay in his money: so that now I must necessarily stay to receive it, & it will be (to be sure) the middle of June before I can see Cambridge, where I have long wish'd to be. Montagu had thoughts of going thither with me, but I know not what his present intentions may be: he is in real affliction for the loss of Sr W: Williams, who has left him one of his Executors, & (as I doubt his affairs were a good deal embarrass'd), he possibly may be detain'd in Town on that account. Mason too talk'd of staying part of the summer with me at Pembroke, but this may perhaps be only talk. My Lord goes into Yorkshire this summer, so I suppose the Parson must go with him. you will not see any advertisement till next winter at soonest. Southwell is going to Ireland for two months, much against his will. I have not seen my new Lady E:, but her Husband I have; so (I'm afraid) I soon must have that honor. God send Fobus may lie in just about the Commencement, or I go out of my wits. that's all .. the news of the surrender of Bellisle is daily expected. they have not, nor (they say) possibly can throw in either Men or provisions, so it is look'd upon as ours. I know it will be so next week, because I am then to buy into the Stocks.

God bless you! I am ever
Yours
T G.
Letter ID: letters.0385 (Source: TEI/XML)

Correspondents

Writer: Gray, Thomas, 1716-1771
Writer's age: 44
Addressee: Brown, James, 1709-1784
Addressee's age: 52[?]

Dates

Date of composition: 26 May 1761
Date (on letter): May 26. 1761
Calendar: Gregorian

Places

Place of composition: [London, United Kingdom]
Place of addressee: [Cambridge, United Kingdom]

Physical description

Addressed: To The Revd Mr Brown M:A: President of Pembroke Hall Cambridge (postmark: 26 MA GR)

Content

Language: English
Incipit: I thank you for your kind enquiries & impatience about me....
Mentioned: Belleisle
Cambridge

Holding Institution

Location:
(confirmed)
GBR/1058/GRA/3/3/1, College Library, Pembroke College, Cambridge , Cambridge, UK <http://www.pem.cam.ac.uk/>
Availability: The original letter is extant, but there is no further information about its availability

Print Versions

  • The Correspondence of Thomas Gray and William Mason, with Letters to the Rev. James Brown, D.D. Ed. by the Rev. John Mitford. London: Richard Bentley, 1853, letter LXVI, 260-262
  • The Letters of Thomas Gray, including the correspondence of Gray and Mason, 3 vols. Ed. by Duncan C. Tovey. London: George Bell and Sons, 1900-12, letter no. CCXXI, vol. ii, 214-215
  • Correspondence of Thomas Gray, 3 vols. Ed. by the late Paget Toynbee and Leonard Whibley, with corrections and additions by H. W. Starr. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971 [1st ed. 1935], letter no. 334, vol. ii, 738-739