Skip main navigation

[Impromptus]


You can add notes or queries to any part of the poetic text by simply clicking on the line in question and filling in the annotations form with your details. All contributions will be submitted to the editor in the first instance for review.

[Impromptus]


Extempore by Mr. Gr[ay]. on Dr. K[eene]. B[ishop]. of C[hester].

1 The Bishop of Chester
2 Though wiser than Nestor
3 And fairer than Esther,
4 If you scratch him will fester.

One day the Bishop having offered to give a Gentleman a Goose,
Mr. Gr[ay]. composed his Epitaph, thus.

5 Here lies Edmund Keene Lord Bishop of Chester,
6 He eat a fat goose and could not digest her—

And this upon his Lady—

7 Here lies Mrs Keene the Bishop of Chester,
8 She had a bad face which did sadly molest her.

Impromptu by Mr. Gray going out of Raby Castle

9 Here lives Harry Vane,
10 Very good claret and fine champagne.

A Couplet by Mr. Gray

11 When you rise from your dinner as light as before,
12 'Tis a sign you have eat just enough and no more.

Expanding the poem lines (+) shows the results of a computationally facilitated analysis of the text. These results should be considered as a basis for deeper interpretative enquiry such as can be found in the notes and queries.

0 [Impromptus]

Metrical notation:  irregular
Metrical foot type:  anapaestic (--+)
Metrical foot number:  tetrameter (4 feet), dimeter (2 feet)
Rhyme scheme:  aa
Rhyme (stanza position):  pair (aabb)
Stanza:  quatrain (4 lines), couplet (2 lines)

Notation symbols: | (foot boundary), || (caesura), / (metrical line boundary), + (metrically prominent), - (metrically non-prominent)


Extempore by Mr. Gr[ay]. on Dr. K[eene]. B[ishop]. of C[hester].

1 The Bishop of Chester    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  Chester   |   Rhyme sound:  /estə/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end

Add a correction, note or query to this line

2 Though wiser than Nestor    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  Nestor   |   Rhyme sound:  /estə/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end
Figure:  alliteration (phonological): Though/than /ð/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): Though/than /ð/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): than/Nestor /n/

Add a correction, note or query to this line

3 And fairer than Esther,    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  Esther   |   Rhyme sound:  /esðə/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end
Figure:  assonance (phonological): And/than /æ/

Add a correction, note or query to this line

4 If you scratch him will fester.    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  fester   |   Rhyme sound:  /estə/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end
Figure:  assonance (phonological): If/him/will /ɪ/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): If/fester /f/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): scratch/fester /s/

Add a correction, note or query to this line


One day the Bishop having offered to give a Gentleman a Goose,
Mr. Gr[ay]. composed his Epitaph, thus.

5 Here lies Edmund Keene Lord Bishop of Chester,    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  Chester   |   Rhyme sound:  /estə/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end
Figure:  alliteration (phonological): lies/Lord /l/
Figure:  assonance (phonological): Edmund/Chester /e/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): lies/Lord /l/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): Edmund/Lord /d/

Add a correction, note or query to this line

6 He eat a fat goose and could not digest her—    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  her   |   Rhyme sound:  /ɜː/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end
Figure:  alliteration (phonological): He/her /h/
Figure:  assonance (phonological): He/eat /iː/
Figure:  assonance (phonological): fat/and /æ/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): He/her /h/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): eat/fat/not /t/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): goose/digest /s/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): could/digest /d/

Add a correction, note or query to this line


And this upon his Lady—

7 Here lies Mrs Keene the Bishop of Chester,    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  Chester   |   Rhyme sound:  /estə/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end
Figure:  assonance (phonological): Mrs/Bishop /ɪ/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): Mrs/Chester /s/

Add a correction, note or query to this line

8 She had a bad face which did sadly molest her.    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  her   |   Rhyme sound:  /ɜː/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end
Figure:  alliteration (phonological): had/her /h/
Figure:  assonance (phonological): had/bad/sadly /æ/
Figure:  assonance (phonological): which/did /ɪ/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): had/her /h/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): had/bad/did/sadly /d/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): face/sadly/molest /s/

Add a correction, note or query to this line


Impromptu by Mr. Gray going out of Raby Castle

9 Here lives Harry Vane,    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  Vane   |   Rhyme sound:  /eɪn/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end
Figure:  alliteration (phonological): Here/Harry /h/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): Here/Harry /h/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): lives/Vane /v/

Add a correction, note or query to this line

10 Very good claret and fine champagne.    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  champagne   |   Rhyme sound:  /eɪn/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end
Figure:  assonance (phonological): claret/and/champagne /æ/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): Very/claret /r/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): fine/champagne /n/

Add a correction, note or query to this line


A Couplet by Mr. Gray

11 When you rise from your dinner as light as before,    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  before   |   Rhyme sound:  /ɔː/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end
Figure:  alliteration (phonological): you/your /j/
Figure:  assonance (phonological): rise/light /aɪ/
Figure:  assonance (phonological): your/before /ɔː/
Figure:  assonance (phonological): dinner/before /ɪ/
Figure:  assonance (phonological): as/as /æ/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): When/dinner /n/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): you/your /j/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): rise/as/as /z/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): from/before /f/

Add a correction, note or query to this line

12 'Tis a sign you have eat just enough and no more.    
Rhyme:  aa   |   Rhyme word(s):  more   |   Rhyme sound:  /ɔː/   |   Rhyme (line position):  end
Figure:  assonance (phonological): 'Tis/enough /ɪ/
Figure:  assonance (phonological): have/and /æ/
Figure:  assonance (phonological): just/enough /ʌ/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): 'Tis/eat /t/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): sign/enough/no /n/
Figure:  consonance (phonological): sign/just /s/
Figure:  aphaeresis (morphological): 'Tis

Add a correction, note or query to this line


Expanding the poem lines (+) shows notes and queries taken from various critical editions of Gray's works, as well as those contributed by users of the Archive. There are 0 textual and 1 explanatory notes/queries.

All notes and queries are shown by default.

0 [Impromptus] 1 Explanatory

Title/Paratext] "Edmund Keene (1714-81), Bishop successively [...]" H.W. Starr/J.R. Hendrickson, 1966.

"Edmund Keene (1714-81), Bishop successively of Chester and Ely and a supporter of Lord Sandwich [...], was not a favourite of Gray and his friends. The date of the verses on him and his wife is uncertain, but obviously they were composed after his accession to the see of Chester in 1752 and his marriage in 1753 and before he became Bishop of Ely on 9 Jan. 1771. Since there are several references to him in Gray's letters during the years 1769 and 1770 and comparatively few during the earlier years of his bishopric, it seems likely that these verses were composed in the late 1760's.
    Mrs. Keene's attraction for her husband, if one may judge by Walpole's remarks [...], seems to have been based more securely on her considerable private fortune than on her physical charms.
    Raby Castle, in Co. Durham, was the seat of Henry Vane (c. 1705-58), Lord Barnard, created first Earl of Darlington. A similar view of his abilities is reflected in a poem sent by Walpole to Gray [...]:

ON LD DARL[INGTON]'S BEING MADE JOINT PAYMASTER [OF THE FORCES, 1755]

Wonders, Newcastle, mark thy ev'ry hour;
But this last Act's a plenitude of pow'r:
Nought but the force of an almighty reign
Could make a Paymaster of Harry V[ane]."

The Complete Poems of Thomas Gray: English, Latin and Greek. Edited by Herbert W. Starr and J. R. Hendrickson. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1966, 240.

Add a note or query to this line


Extempore by Mr. Gr[ay]. on Dr. K[eene]. B[ishop]. of C[hester].

1 The Bishop of Chester
2 Though wiser than Nestor
3 And fairer than Esther,
4 If you scratch him will fester.

One day the Bishop having offered to give a Gentleman a Goose,
Mr. Gr[ay]. composed his Epitaph, thus.

5 Here lies Edmund Keene Lord Bishop of Chester,
6 He eat a fat goose and could not digest her—

And this upon his Lady—

7 Here lies Mrs Keene the Bishop of Chester,
8 She had a bad face which did sadly molest her.

Impromptu by Mr. Gray going out of Raby Castle

9 Here lives Harry Vane,
10 Very good claret and fine champagne.

A Couplet by Mr. Gray

11 When you rise from your dinner as light as before,
12 'Tis a sign you have eat just enough and no more.

Works cited

  • The Complete Poems of Thomas Gray: English, Latin and Greek. Edited by Herbert W. Starr and J. R. Hendrickson. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1966.

Spelling has been modernized throughout, except in case of conscious archaisms. Contractions, italics and initial capitalization have been largely eliminated, except where of real import. Obvious errors have been silently corrected, punctuation has been supplied. The editor would like to express his gratitude to the library staff of the Göttingen State and University Library (SUB Göttingen) for their invaluable assistance.

About this text

  • Composition: after 1753
  • Publication: 1828/1884
  • Base text: Wharton MS
  • Metre: mixed metres
  • Rhyme scheme: aa, aaa
  • Verse form: couplets, triplet
  • Genre: epigrams
  • Finding Aid: MS witnesses
  • Notes/Queries: 1
  • Source: TEI/XML
  • Visualization: Poem Viewer