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Thomas Gray to Horace Walpole, 11 April 1754

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To
The Honble Horace Walpole Esq
in Arlington Street
London
 CAMBRIDGE 12 AP

Camb:ge April 11. 1754.
Dear Sr

I am very glad my objections serve only to strengthen your first opinion about the subject of your picture: if I casually meet with any thing more, I shall send it you. the reason I trouble you at present is to tell you, that I have got into my hands the Dugdale Mr Chute enquired after. a great number of the arms are blazon'd in the margin, not very neatly, but (I suppose) they are authentic; tho' in it I find written in an old hand

This volume no Errata's has;
The Whole may for Errata's pass.
If to correct them you intend,
You'll find it labour without end.
'Tis therefore better let them goe.
God only 'tis knows, who gets who.

Whether this is wit only, or a censure upon Dugdale's work, or upon the Heraldry added to it, I leave you to judge. the arms were done by a Sergeant-Surgeon to K: Charles 2d, who made this art his particular Study, & the book belongs to Caius-College. you are desired to send your queries forthwith, for I can not keep it a great while.

I return you thanks for the civilities you have shew'd Mason, who is here, & speaks much of your politeness to him.

Adieu, I am
Ever Yours
T G:
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Letter ID: letters.0218 (Source: TEI/XML)

Correspondents

Writer: Gray, Thomas, 1716-1771
Writer's age: 37
Addressee: Walpole, Horace, 1717-1797
Addressee's age: 36

Dates

Date of composition: 11 April 1754
Date (on letter): April 11. 1754
Calendar: Gregorian

Places

Place of composition: Cambridge, United Kingdom
Address (on letter): Camb:ge
Place of addressee: [London, United Kingdom]

Physical description

Addressed: To / The Honble Horace Walpole Esq / in Arlington Street / London (postmark: CAMBRIDGE 12 AP)

Content

Language: English
Incipit: I am very glad my objections serve only to strengthen your first opinion...
Mentioned: Cambridge
Chute, John, 1701-1776
Dugdale, Sir William
Mason, William, 1724-1797

Holding Institution

Location:
(confirmed)
GBR/1058/GRA/3/4/62, College Library, Pembroke College, Cambridge , Cambridge, UK <http://www.pem.cam.ac.uk/>
Availability: The original letter is extant and usually available for academic research purposes

Print Versions

  • The Correspondence of Gray, Walpole, West and Ashton (1734-1771), 2 vols. Chronologically arranged and edited with introduction, notes, and index by Paget Toynbee. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1915, letter no. 188, vol. ii, 147-148
  • The Yale Edition of Horace Walpole's Correspondence. Ed. by W. S. Lewis. New Haven, Conn.: Yale UP; London: Oxford UP, 1937-83, vols. 13/14: Horace Walpole's Correspondence with Thomas Gray, Richard West and Thomas Ashton i, 1734-42, Horace Walpole's Correspondence with Thomas Gray ii, 1745-71, ed. by W. S. Lewis, George L. Lam and Charles H. Bennett, 1948, vol. ii, 81-82
  • 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. 188, vol. i, 401