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This letter is part of the correspondence calendar of the complete correspondence of Thomas Gray. The calendar contains detailed bibliographic records for all known original, copied, or published letters written by or to the poet as well as the full-text, where available. Each record is accompanied by digitised images of the manuscript, where available, or digitised images of the first printed edition.
It is some time, since I received from Mr Foulis two copies of my poems, one by the hands of Mr T: Pitt, the other by Mr Merrill, a Bookseller of this Town. it is indeed a most beautiful edition, & must certainly do credit both to him, & to me: but I fear, it will be of no other advantage to him; as Dodsley has contrived to glut the Town already with two editions beforehand, one of 1500, & the other of 750, both indeed far inferior to that of Glasgow, but sold at half the price. I must repeat my thanks, Sr, for the trouble you have been pleased to give yourself on my account, & thro' you I must desire leave to convey my acknowledgements to Mr Foulis, for the pains & expence he has been at in this publication.
We live at so great a distance, that perhaps you may not yet have learn'd, what I flatter myself you will not be displeased to hear: the middle of last summer his Majesty was pleased to appoint me Regius Professor of Modern History in this University: it is the best thing the Crown has to bestow (on a Layman) here: the salary is 400£ per ann: but what enhances the value of it to me is, that it was bestowed without being ask'd. the Person, who held it before me, died on the Sunday, & on Tuesday following the Duke of Grafton wrote me a letter to say, that the King offer'd me this Office, with many additional expressions of kindness on his Grace's part, to whom I am but barely known, & whom I have not seen either before or since he did me this favor. instances of a benefit so nobly confer'd, I believe, are rare, & therefore I tell you of it as a thing that does honor, not only to me, but to the Minister.
As I lived here before from choice, I shall now continue to do so from obligation. if business or curiosity should call you southwards, you will find few Friends, that will see you with more cordial satisfaction, than Sr