References: Starr/Hendrickson (eds.), Complete Poems (1966), pp. 5-6; Lonsdale (ed.), Poems (1969), pp. 78-85
Summary: Written at Cambridgebetween 22 February and 1 March 1747 and sent in a letter of that date to Horace Walpole. Mason is the only source for this letter, the poem sent in it has not survived. First published in Dodsley'sCollection of Poems by Several Hands, 3 vols, vol. II. (London, 1748), pp. 267-269, reprinted in 6 vols, vol. II. (London, 1758 and later edns.), pp. 328-330.
9 Manuscripts:
Archive MS ID: mss.0108
Title: "On the Death of Selima, a Favourite Cat, who fell into a China-Tub with Gold-fishes in it, & was drown'd"
Alternate Form:
Microfilm copy available in Poetic Commonplace Books and Manuscripts of Thomas Gray, 1716-1771, from Pembroke College, Cambridge (1999), reel one
References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), item GrT 92, p. 88; Poetic C. B., Pembroke College (1999), p. 26; Sutton (ed.), Location Register (1995), p. 414; Martin, Chronologie (1931), p. 142
Contents: Autograph fair copy, here entitled "On the Death of Selima, a Favourite Cat, who fell into a China-Tub with Gold-fishes in it, & was drown'd", in Gray's Commonplace Book, vol. I, p. 381.
Archive MS ID: mss.0109
Title: "On a favourite Cat, call'd Selima, that fell into a China Tub with Gold-Fishes in it & was drown'd."
Date:[17 March 1747]
Physical Description: 2 pages, 236 mm x 183 mm; autograph fair copy
References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), item GrT 93, p. 88; Toynbee/Whibley (eds.), Correspondence (1971), letter no. 135, vol. i, pp. 272-279 (subscription required); Sutton (ed.), Location Register (1995), p. 414
Contents: Autograph fair copy, here entitled "On a favourite Cat, call'd Selima, that fell into a China Tub with Gold-Fishes in it & was drown'd.", in a letter to Thomas Wharton, [17 March 1747].
Archive MS ID: mss.0110
Title: "On the Death of a favourite Cat drown'd in a China-Tub of Gold-Fishes"
Date:[1757?]
Physical Description: 2 pages, 157 mm x 102 mm; autograph fair copy
Alternate Form:
Facsimile and description in Verlyn Klinkenborg et al., British Literary Manuscripts, Series I. From 800 to 1800 (New York, 1981), no. 98. Reserve photocopy (microfilm copy) in RP149, Manuscripts Collection, The British Library, London, UK
References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), item GrT 94, p. 88; Sutton (ed.), Location Register (1995), p. 414; Catalogue of a Sotheby's sale (18 July 1967), lot 537; Catalogue of a Christie's sale (A. A. Houghton sale, 14 June 1979), lot 234, with facsimile, plate 29
Contents: Autograph fair copy, here entitled "On the Death of a favourite Cat drown'd in a China-Tub of Gold-Fishes", annotated on verso in the hand of Carolina Pery "known to be Mr Gray's handwriting about the Year 1757".
Archive MS ID: mss.0107
Title: "Ode On the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes"
Date:[after 1748]
Physical Description: 3 pages, 180 mm x 120 mm; transcript in an unidentified hand
References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), p. 88; Crum (ed.), First-Line Index (1969), vol. II, p. 990, item T3395; Nelson (ed.), Union First Line Index. Mar. 2010. Folger Shakespeare Library. 19 March 2010. <http://firstlines.folger.edu/detail.php?id=84496>
Contents: Transcript in an unidentified hand, stanzas numbered 1.-7., in a volume of copies of verse from various sources, mainly printed, 18th cent., with a list of contents on pp. i, 1-4 (Summary Catalogue, 46462).
Surrogates: Digital facsimile [JPEG] from original MS available online.
Archive MS ID: mss.0217
Title: "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes"
Date:1780[?]
Physical Description: 6 pages, 180 mm x 110 mm; transcript in an unidentified neat and legible hand on Whatman paper
Contents: Transcript in an unidentified neat and legible hand, entitled "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes" (p. 9) ("Ode. II." [p. 11]). The poem is part of a section called "Poems", which is separately paginated and has its own table of contents (p. 129), in a volume entitled Gray's Poems. The book carries the bookplate of Gray's friend and biographer William Mason.
Archive MS ID: mss.0238
Title: "On a favourite Cat called Selima that fell into a China Cistern that had Gold Fish in it, and was Drown'd"
Date:[before 1758?]
Physical Description: 2 pages; transcript in the hand of Mary Capell, "bound in contemporary calf, but with the spine broken, gatherings loose, worn, and with light spotting or dust-staining"
Contents: Transcript in the hand of Mary Capell, beginning "T'was on a lofty Vase's side", in an autograph manuscript volume "signed by 'Mary Capell' on the first folio. Comprises an anthology of over eighty manuscript poems, of which some are dated from 1740 to 1751, with a six-page index at the end."
Archive MS ID: mss.0264
Title: "An ode on a favorite cat called Selima which fell into a china cistern..."
Date:[between 1750 and 1780]
Physical Description: [?] pages, 210mm x 170mm (volume); transcript in an unidentified hand
References: Parks, Stephen et al. (ed.), Osborn Collection First-Line Index. New Haven: Beinecke Library, Yale University, 2005, p. 911, item T3301; Nelson (ed.), Union First Line Index. Mar. 2010. Folger Shakespeare Library. 16 April 2010. <http://firstlines.folger.edu/detail.php?id=10632>
Contents: Transcript in an unidentified hand, entitled "An ode on a favorite cat called Selima which fell into a china cistern...", in a Commonplace book (c. 1750-1780), in several hands, a collection of over a hundred lighthearted, satirical, and serious poems, primarily on the subjects of politics and women's conduct.
Archive MS ID: mss.0265
Title: "On a favorite cat called Selima that fell into a china tub with goldfishes in it and was drowned"
Date: [?]
Physical Description: [?] pages; transcript in an unidentified hand
References: Parks, Stephen et al. (ed.), Osborn Collection First-Line Index. New Haven: Beinecke Library, Yale University, 2005, p. 911, item T3301; Nelson (ed.), Union First Line Index. Mar. 2010. Folger Shakespeare Library. 16 April 2010. <http://firstlines.folger.edu/detail.php?id=10644>
Contents: Transcript, in an unidentified hand, entitled "On a favorite cat called Selima that fell into a china tub with goldfishes in it and was drowned".
Archive MS ID: mss.0266
Title: "Upon a cat drown[ed] in a china basin in which were goldfish"
Date:[before 1805]
Physical Description: [?] pages, 290mm x 230mm (volume); transcript
References: Parks, Stephen et al. (ed.), Osborn Collection First-Line Index. New Haven: Beinecke Library, Yale University, 2005, p. 911, item T3301; Nelson (ed.), Union First Line Index. Mar. 2010. Folger Shakespeare Library. 16 April 2010. <http://firstlines.folger.edu/detail.php?id=10640>
Contents: Transcript, entitled "Upon a cat drown[ed] in a china basin in which were goldfish", in the Frances Boscawen and Julia Evelyn Commonplace Book, a collection of verse by various authors and some original verse, contains about 100 poems copied by the authors, beginning in 1746.
![[MS image]](http://www.thomasgray.org/images/diglib/primary/mss/mss0107/thumbs/eadthumb.jpeg)
Archive MS ID: mss.0107