Thomas Gray to Horace Walpole, [5 March 1735]
To
The Honble [Mr Horace] Walpole
at [his house in] St James's [Square London]
March: 5 Cambridge
[ ]
If you please to remember, that about a fortnight ago, you sent me to Almanzor's room, there to wait for you: & there it seems I might have stayed till this time, & been never the nearer: after all this, I see nothing should hinder, but that about the 29th of next February there may be some small probability of your being just a-going to think of setting out on ye 29th of Febr: Anno Domini, 1737: at which time your humble servant will most punctually meet you; but in the mean time I would advise with you how Almanzor & I shall pass the time; whither you think it best for us to double our selves up nicely in the corner of some old Draw, that at your arrival, we may come out spick & span new in all our pleats; but perhaps by that time we may grow out of fashion, or moth-eaten; or to compose ourselves with a good dose of Laudanum for a year or two, & so dream of you; [but then you may] find it too hard a matter to wake us, or perhaps you will let us lye, & snore on till Doomsday: prithee don't mind Finances & my lord Chancellour, but make haste hither. oh! I forgot how obligingly in your last letter to me, you let us both know, that you did not care a farthing, whither you saw us this twelve-month; for I imagine you mean't it to both, because it was directed to me at Kings-colledge: I own, I quite believe you; but did not think you would mortify me so much as to tell me so; however I have learn'd to be pleased with anything, that comes from you, & still try to persuade myself, that you would think Cambridge more disagreeable without, than you will with
yours most faithfully
[ ]
Letter ID:
letters.0015 (Source: TEI/XML)
Correspondents
Writer's age: 18
Addressee's age: 17
Dates
Date (on letter): March: 5:
Calendar: Julian
Places
Address (on letter): Cambridge
Physical description
Addressed: To / The Honble [Mr Horace] Walpole / at [his house in] St James's [Square London]
Content
Language: English
Incipit: If you please to remember, that abouy a fortnight ago, you sent...
Holding Institution
Location:
(confirmed)
GBR/1058/GRA/3/4/14, College Library, Pembroke College, Cambridge , Cambridge, UK <http://www.pem.cam.ac.uk/>
(confirmed)
GBR/1058/GRA/3/4/14, College Library, Pembroke College, Cambridge , Cambridge, UK <http://www.pem.cam.ac.uk/>
Availability: The original letter is extant and usually available for academic research purposes
Print Versions
- The Correspondence of Gray, Walpole, West and Ashton (1734-1771), 2 vols. Chronologically arranged and edited with introduction, notes, and index by Paget Toynbee. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1915, letter no. 14, vol. i, 34-36
- The Yale Edition of Horace Walpole's Correspondence. Ed. by W. S. Lewis. New Haven, Conn.: Yale UP; London: Oxford UP, 1937-83, vols. 13/14: Horace Walpole's Correspondence with Thomas Gray, Richard West and Thomas Ashton i, 1734-42, Horace Walpole's Correspondence with Thomas Gray ii, 1745-71, ed. by W. S. Lewis, George L. Lam and Charles H. Bennett, 1948, vol. i, 82-83
- 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. 15, vol. i, 26-27