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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.
Write by all means forthwith to Ld L:, give a little into his way of thinking, seem to fear you have
gone a little too far in communicating so much of T:s letter, wch was not intended for his eye; but say you thought, you saw at bottom
so much of respect & affection for him, that you had the less scruple to lay open the weaknesses & little suspicions of a
Friend, that (you know beyond a doubt) very gratefully & sincerely loves him. remind him
eloquently (that is, from your heart, & in such expressions as that will furnish) how many idle suspicions a sensible mind, naturally disposed to melancholy, & depress'd by misfortune,
is capable of entertaining, especially if it meets with but a shadow of neglect or contempt from the very (perhaps the only) person, in
whose kindness it had taken refuge. remind him of his former goodness frankly & generously shewn to T:, & beg him not to
destroy the natural effects of it by any appearance of pique or resentment, for that even the fancies & chimæras of a worthy heart
deserve a little management & even respect. assure him, as I believe, you safely may, that a few kind words, the slightest
testimony of his esteem will brush away all T:s suspicions & gloomy thoughts & that there will need after this no constraint on
his own behaviour (no, not so much as to ring a bell) for, when one is secure of people's intentions,
all the rest passes for nothing.
To this purpose (but in my own way) would I write, & mighty respectfully withall. it will come well from you, & you can say
without consequence what in T: himself it would be mean to say. Ld L: is rather more piqued than needs, methinks. the truth is, the
causes of this quarrel on paper do appear puerile, as to the matter; but the manner is all, & that we do not see. I rather stick by
my Ld still, & am set against Madam Minx: yet (as I told you before) the house lies hard at my stomach.
There are many letters & things, that I never saw, as that strange one in Wales, & that to
Lady Lisb:, now without these how can I judge? you have seen more of the matter, & perhaps may be right: but as yet I do not
believe it. what can that firm & spirited letter be? I fear it will make
matters worse, & yet it was sent away before he had seen T:s letter to you. if he had, it would have made it worse still.
You ask, if you should copy Ld L:s, and send it to T:. I think, rather not. he has now had one from him himself. if you are obliged to do so, it should be only the sense of it, & that abated & mollified, especially all that tastes of contempt.
Adieu! bless your stars, that you are snug in fat-goose living, without a Minx, & without a Lord.