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De Principiis Cogitandi. Liber Primus. Ad Favonium.

    • Archive Work ID: poems.lt05
    • Uniform Title: De Principiis Cogitandi. Liber Primus. Ad Favonium. [e-text]
    • First Line: Unde Animus scire incipiat: quibus inchoet orsa
    • Language: Latin
    • First Published: 1775
    • References: Starr/Hendrickson (eds.), Complete Poems (1966), 156-167 (with English prose translation); Lonsdale (ed.), Poems (1969), 321-332 (with English prose translation)
    • Summary: Begun at Florence not earlier than 7 July 1740 and abandoned at Stoke Poges by June 1742. Shortly before leaving Florence, Gray sent ll. 1-53 in a letter, dated 21 April 1741, to Richard West (Favonius). First published in Mason's Memoirs (1775), 160-167.

    3 Manuscripts:

      • Archive MS ID: mss.0031 (Source: EAD/XML)
      • Title: De Principiis Cogitandi. Liber Primus: Ad Favonium
      • Date: 1740
      • Physical Description: 4 pages; autograph, revised
      • Language: Latin
      • Location: Commonplace Book, Vol. I, 129, 138, 289, 438, College Library, Pembroke College, Cambridge, Cambridge, UK <http://www.pem.cam.ac.uk/>
      • 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 23, 81; Poetic C. B., Pembroke College (1999), 22, 23, 25, 26; Martin, Chronologie (1931), 128
      • Contents: Autograph, revised, with line numbers (10, 20, etc.) and marginal notes, unfinished, annotated "Begun at Florence in 1740", in Gray's Commonplace Book, vol. I, split over four pages: p. 129 (ll. 1-27), 138 (ll. 28-79), 289 (ll. 80-151), and p. 438 (ll. 152-207). In the index to the Commonplace Book, the poem is listed as "Thinking (the Principles of) a Latin Poem, unfinish'd".

      • Archive MS ID: mss.0030 (Source: EAD/XML)
      • Title: "De Principiis Cogitandi"
      • Date: [between 1845 and 1856]
      • Physical Description: 2 pages, 180 mm x 115 mm; transcript of variant readings in the hand of John Mitford, partial [18 lines]
      • Language: Latin
      • Location: Add. MS 32561, ff. 191r, 192r, Manuscripts Collection, British Library, London, UK <http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/bldept/manuscr/>
      • References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), 81
      • Contents: Transcript of variant readings (18 lines) in the hand of John Mitford, in John Mitford, Note-Books, vol. III "Mitford. Extracts from Mr Grays Common-place books", ff. 191r, 192r.

      • Archive MS ID: mss.0205 (Source: EAD/XML)
      • Title: "De Principiis Cogitandi"
      • Date: [between 1845 and 1856]
      • Physical Description: 1 page, 180 mm x 110 mm; transcript of variant readings in the hand of John Mitford, partial [18 lines] and crossed out
      • Language: Latin
      • Location: Add. MS 32562, f. 86r, Manuscripts Collection, British Library, London, UK <http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/bldept/manuscr/>
      • References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), 81
      • Contents: Transcript of variant readings (18 lines, crossed out) in the hand of John Mitford, in John Mitford, Note-Books, vol. IV, f. 86r.

Contents

Manuscripts