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Thomas Gray to James Brown, [c. 14 May 1765]

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Dear Sr

I hope to be with you by Thursday or Friday-se'nnight: you will hardly go before that time out of college, but if you do, the writings will be as safe in your drawers as in mine. you have heard so much news from the party, that were going to Scotland, that it would be a vain thing for me to talk about it. I can only add, that you will shortly hear (I think) of a great change of affairs, wch whenever I come to Town, always follows. today I meet with a report, that Mr Pitt lies dangerously ill, but I hope & rather believe, it is not true. when he is gone, all is gone, & England will be old England again, such as (before his administration) it always was eversince we were born.

I went today to Becket's to look at the last Vol. of Seba. it comes unbound to 4 Guineas & 1/2, & contains all the insects of that collection (wch are exceeding numerous) & some plates of fossiles. the graving, as usual, very unequal, & the descriptions as poor as ever. as you have the rest, I conclude you must have this, wch compleats the work, & contains the index.

Are you not glad of the Carlisle history? walking yesterday in Windsor-Park I met the Brother of the disgraced party, & walked two hours with him. I had a vast inclination to wish him joy, but did not dare.

Adieu!
I am ever Yours.
Letter ID: letters.0456 (Source: TEI/XML)

Correspondents

Writer: Gray, Thomas, 1716-1771
Writer's age: 48
Addressee: Brown, James, 1709-1784
Addressee's age: 56[?]

Dates

Date of composition: [c. 14 May 1765]
Date (on letter): Tuesday-night
Calendar: Gregorian

Places

Place of composition: London, United Kingdom
Address (on letter): London

Content

Language: English
Incipit: I hope to be with you by Thursday or Friday-se'nnight: you will hardly go...
Mentioned: Seba, Albert

Holding Institution

Location:
(confirmed)
GBR/1058/GRA/3/3/3, 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 XCIII, 346-348
  • 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. CCLXX, vol. iii, 72-74
  • 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. 402, vol. ii, 873-874