Thomas Gray to William Mason (24 or 31 May 1757) Alexander Huber Editor Thomas Gray Archive
info@thomasgray.org https://www.thomasgray.org/
Oxford

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

 USA New York, NY New York Public Library Humanities and Social Sciences Library Henry W. And Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature

The original letter is extant and usually available for academic research purposes

 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. 238, vol. ii, 501-503 http://www.e-enlightenment.com/search/letters/print/?printref_sourceedition=graythOU0084&printref_docnumber=238 The Correspondence of Thomas Gray and William Mason, with Letters to the Rev. James Brown, D.D. Ed. by the Rev. John Mitford. London: Richard Bentley, 1853, letter XVIII, 79-82 https://www.thomasgray.org/texts/diglib/primary/MiJ_1853/1/79 The Poems of Mr. Gray. To which are prefixed Memoirs of his Life and Writings by W[illiam]. Mason. York: printed by A. Ward; and sold by J. Dodsley, London; and J. Todd, York, 1775, letter xxv, section iv, 247-248 https://www.thomasgray.org/texts/diglib/primary/1775/1/247 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. CXL, vol. i, 331-333 https://www.thomasgray.org/texts/diglib/primary/ToD_1900i/1/331 The Works of Thomas Gray, 2 vols. Ed. by John Mitford. London: J. Mawman, 1816, section IV, letter LVIII, vol. ii, 281-282 https://www.thomasgray.org/texts/diglib/primary/MiJ_1816ii/1/281 The Works of Thomas Gray, 5 vols. Ed. by John Mitford. London: W. Pickering, 1835-1843, section IV, letter LXVI, vol. iii, 159-161 https://www.thomasgray.org/texts/diglib/primary/MiJ_1843iii/1/159 The Letters of Thomas Gray, 2 vols. in one. London: J. Sharpe, 1819, letter XCIII, vol. ii, 14-15 https://www.thomasgray.org/texts/diglib/primary/1819/2/14 The Works of Thomas Gray, 2 vols. Ed. by Thomas James Mathias. London: William Bulmer, 1814, section IV, letter XXV, vol. i, 356-357 https://www.thomasgray.org/texts/diglib/primary/MaW_1814i/1/356 Gray, Thomas, 1716-1771 Cambridge, United Kingdom Mason, William, 1724-1797 London, United Kingdom

Gregorian

 English Hurd, Richard, 1720-1808 The Bard. A Pindaric Ode Mason, William, 1724-1797 Hurd, Dr. Richard

This letter is part of the Primary Texts section of the Thomas Gray Archive.

XML created for the Thomas Gray Archive.

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) Camb:. Tuesday. May. 1757. Dear Mason

You are so forgetful of me, that I should not forgive it, but that I suppose Caractacus may be the better for it. yet I hear nothing from him neither in spite of his promises: there is no faith in Man, no, not in a Welch-Man, and yet Mr Parry has been here, & scratch'd out such ravishing blind Harmony, such tunes of a thousand year old with names enough to choak you, as have set all this learned body a'dancing, & inspired them with due reverence for Odikle, whenever it shall appear. Mr Parry (you must know) it was, that has put Odikle in motion again, & with much exercise it has got a tender Tail grown, like Scroddles, and here it is. if you don't like it, you may kiss it.

You remember the Visions of Glory, that descended on the heighths of Snowdon, & unroll'd their glitt'ring skirts so slowly.

ANTIST: 3a.

Haughty Knights, & Barons bold With dazzling helm & horrent spear, And gorgeous Dames, & Statesmen old Of bearded majesty, appear: In the midst a Form divine; Her Eye proclaims her born of Arthur's line, Her lyon-port, her awe-commanding face, Attemper'd sweet to Virgin-grace. What strings symphonious tremble in the air? What strains of vocal transport round her play? Hear from the grave, great Taliessin, hear! They breath a Soul to animate thy clay. Bright Rapture wakes, & soaring, as she sings, Waves in the eye of heaven her many-colour'd wings.

EPODE 3a.

The Verse adorn again Fierce War & faithful Love, And Truth severe by fairy Fiction drest. In mystic measures move Pale Grief, & pleasing Pain, With Horror wild, that chills the throbbing breast. A Voice as of the Cherub-Quire Gales from blooming Eden bear; And distant warblings lessen on my ear, That lost in long futurity expire. Fond impious Man! thinkst thou, yon sanguine cloud Raised by thy breath has quench'd the Orb of Day? Tomorrow he repairs the golden flood, And warms the Nations with redoubled ray. Enough for me. with joy I see The diff'rent doom our Fates assign: Be thine Despair, & sceptred care; To triumph & to die are mine. He spoke, & headlong from the mountain's height Deep in the roaring tide he sunk to endless night.

I am well aware of many weakly things here, but I hope the End will do. pray, give me your full & true opinion, & that not upon deliberation, but forthwith. Mr Hurd himself allows, that lyon-port is not too bold for Q: Elizabeth. all here are well, & desire their respects to you. I read yesterday of a Canonry of Worc:r vacant in the News-paper.

Adieu, dear Mason, & believe me most truly Yours.

It will not be long, before I shall go to London.