Thomas Gray to John Chute (12 October 1746) Alexander Huber Editor Thomas Gray Archive
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 UK Sherborne St John The Vyne Chute of The Vyne, Sherborne St John

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 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. 124, vol. i, 248-249 http://www.e-enlightenment.com/search/letters/print/?printref_sourceedition=graythOU0084&printref_docnumber=124 The Letters of Thomas Gray, including the correspondence of Gray and Mason, 3 vols. Ed. by Duncan C. Tovey. London: George Bell and Sons, 1900-12, letter no. LXIX, vol. i, 145-147 https://www.thomasgray.org/texts/diglib/primary/ToD_1900i/1/145 The Works of Thomas Gray, 5 vols. Ed. by John Mitford. London: W. Pickering, 1835-1843, section IV, letter XII, vol. iii, 21-22 https://www.thomasgray.org/texts/diglib/primary/MiJ_1843iii/1/21 Gray, Thomas, 1716-1771 Cambridge, United Kingdom Chute, John, 1701-1776 Fareham, United Kingdom

Julian

 English Walpole, Horace, 1717-1797

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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.

 Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF)

To John Chute Esq at Mr Whithed's of Southwick near Fareham in Hampshire
CAMBRIDGE 13 OC

My Dear Sr

You have not then forgot me, & I shall see you again: it suffices, & there needed no other Excuse. I loved You too well not to forgive you without a Reason; but I could not but be sorry for myself.

You are lazy (you say) & listless & gouty & old, & vex'd and perplex'd: I am all that (the Gout excepted) & many Things more, that I hope you never will be: so that what you tell me on that Head est trop flateux pour moi: our Imperfections may at least excuse, & perhaps recommend us to one another: methinks I can readily pardon Sickness & Age & Vexation for all the Depredations they make within & without, when I think they make us better Friends & better Men, wch I am persuaded is often the Case. I am very sure, I have seen the best-temper'd generous tender young Creatures in the World, that would have been very glad to be sorry for People they liked, when under any Pain, and could not; merely for Want of knowing rightly, what it was, themselves.

I find Mr Walpole then made some Mention of me to you. yes, we are together again. it is about a Year, I believe, since he wrote to me to offer it, & there has been (particularly of late) in Appearance the same Kindness & Confidence almost as of old. what were his Motives I can not yet guess: what were mine, you will imagine, & perhaps blame me. however as yet I neither repent, nor rejoice overmuch: but I am pleased. he is full, I assure you, of your Panegyric. never any body had half so much Wit as Mr Chute (wch is saying every thing with him, you know) & Mr W.d is the finest young Man, that ever was imported. I hope to embrace this fine Man (if I can) & thank him heartily for being my Advocate, tho' in vain: he is a good Creature, & I am not sure but I shall be tempted to eat a Wing of him with Sellery-Sauce – I am interrupted. whenever I know of your Time, I will be in Town presently. I can not but make Mrs Chute my best Acknowledgements for takeing my Part. Heaven keep you all!

I am, my best Mr Chute, very faithfully Yours T G: Cambr:ge Oct: 12. Sunday.