Thomas Gray to William Mason, 20 June 1758

I sympathize with your eyes, having been confined at Florence with the same complaint for three weeks, but (I hope) in a much worse degree, for besides not seeing, I could not sleep in the night for pain. have a care of old Women (who are all great Oculists) & do not let them trifle with so tender a part.

I have been exercising my eyes at Peterborough, Crowland, Thorney, Ely, &c: and am grown a great Fen-Antiquary; this was the reason I did not answer you directly, as your Letter came in my absence. I own, I have been all this while expecting Caractacus, or at least three Choruses, & now you do not so much as tell me, it is finish'd. sure your spiritual functions, & even your attentions to the Dutchess of Norfolk & Sir Coniers, might have allow'd you some little intervals for Poetry. if not, (now Queen Hecuba is gone) I utterly despair: for (say what you will) it was not retirement, it was not leisure, or the summer, or the country, that used to make you so voluminous: it was emulation, it was rivalry, it was the collision of tragedy against tragedy, that kindled your fires, & set old Mona in a blaze. you do not say, who succeeds her Trojan Majesty; it ought to be well consider'd: let me have none of your prosaic Curates. I shall have you write Sermons, & private Forms, & Heavens open to all Men.

That old fizzling Duke is coming here again (but I hope to be gone first) to hear speeches in his new Library with the Bp of Bristol to air his close-stool. they have fitted it up (not the close-stool, nor the Bp) but the Library with classes, that will hold any thing, but books: yet books they must hold, & all the bulky old Commentators, the Synopses, & Tractatus Tractatuums, are wash'd with white of eggs, gilt & letter'd, and drawn up in review before his Grace. your Uncle Balguy takes his Doctor's degree, & preaches ye Commencement-Sermon, at Dr Green's request.

Mr B:n sends his love, & bids me tell you that Dr W:n has sent you his new-Legation with its dedication to Ld Mansfield. would you have it sent you? Ld Strathmore goes tomorrow into the North to come of age. I keep an Owl in the Garden as like me, as it can stare; only I don't eat raw meat, nor bite people by the fingers. this is all the news of ye place. Adieu, dear M:n, & write to me directly, if it won't hurt you, or I shall think you worse, than you are.