"Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes"

• Archive Work ID: poems.odfc
• Uniform Title: "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes" [e-text]
• First Line: 'Twas on a lofty vase's side,
• Language: English
• First Published: 1748
• References: Starr/Hendrickson (eds.), Complete Poems (1966), 5-6; Lonsdale (ed.), Poems (1969), 78-85
• Summary: Written at Cambridge between 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's Collection of Poems by Several Hands, 3 vols, vol. II. (London, 1748), 267-269, reprinted in 6 vols, vol. II. (London, 1758 and later edns.), 328-330.

1 Manuscript:

• • Archive MS ID: mss.0109 (Source: EAD/XML)
  • 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
  • Language: English
  • Location: MS Egerton 2400 (Wharton MS), ff. 19v-20r, Manuscripts Collection, British Library, London, UK <http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/bldept/manuscr/>
  • References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), item GrT 93, 88; Toynbee/Whibley (eds.), Correspondence (1971), letter no. 135, vol. i, 272-279 (subscription required); Sutton (ed.), Location Register (1995), 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].