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Thomas Gray to James Brown, 22 October 1761

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To The Revd Mr Brown President of Pembroke Hall Cambridge

Dear Sr

I have sent down by Gillam's waggon to-day 28 parcels of different bulks, wch I suppose will be deliver'd on Monday morning, & must beg the favour, that you will see put into my rooms. they are as follows

1, x2 Chests of Books.
x3 A Fire grate & instruments
4 Steel-Fender
x5 Basket of Earthen-ware, glasses, &c.
x6 Black Travelling Chest.
x7 Wainscot-Box
x8 Sofa.
9 Back to the same.
x10 Deal Book-Case taken to pieces.
x11 Wainscot Chest of Drawers.
x12 Night-Table.
x13 Round Table, &c.
x14 Breakfast-Table, &c.
x15 Small Chest of Drawers.
x16, x17 Two Feather Beds, &c
x18, x19 Bedstead in two parts.
20 Settee & Stools.
x21, x22, x23 Six Chairs.
x24, x25, x26 Six slighter chairs.
x27 Fly-Table and Wash-Stand.
x28 Basket with pillows, cushions, &c:

Those marked with a cross are easier to break, & therefore pray observe if they appear to have received any damage in coming. you will take notice of No 6, & 7 for another reason, because in them are Papers & other things of value to me. they may all stand pack'd up as they are, till I come, wch will be in about three weeks, I guess: in the mean time I beg no fire may be made, nor any body go flaunting in with a candle, for so many mats & so much packing will make it very dangerous.

Mr Gillam (I reckon) will stay for his money till I arrive.

We are all much out of countenance about this pension. I dare not see Delaval any more, & expect to hear Mason has taken Laudanum.

Adieu! I am ever
Yours
T G:

How goes T. L:s affair?

Letter ID: letters.0398 (Source: TEI/XML)

Correspondents

Writer: Gray, Thomas, 1716-1771
Writer's age: 44
Addressee: Brown, James, 1709-1784
Addressee's age: 52[?]

Dates

Date of composition: 22 October 1761
Date (on letter): Oct: 22. 1761
Calendar: Gregorian

Places

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

Physical description

Addressed: To The Revd Mr Brown President of Pembroke Hall Cambridge

Content

Language: English
Incipit: I have sent down by Gillam's waggon to-day 28 parcels of different bulks,...
Mentioned: Mason, William, 1724-1797

Holding Institution

Location:
(unconfirmed)
Private collection
Availability: The original letter is extant, but there is no further information about its availability; a MS copy is at Pembroke College, Cambridge, GBR/1058/GRA/5/6; Christie's, 14 June 1979 (A. A. Houghton Sale), Lot 237, sold to Fleming

Print Versions

  • The Athenæum, 21 Feb. 1891, printed by Edmund Gosse
  • 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. CCXXXII, vol. ii, 240-241
  • 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. 347, vol. ii, 759-761