Thomas Gray to Thomas Wharton, 20 April 1769
To
Thomas Wharton Esq
at Old-Park near
Darlington
Durham
to be left at
Sunderland-bridge
20 [A]P
You have reason to call me negligent, nor have I any thing to alledge in my own defence, but two successive fits of the gout, wch tho' weakly & not severe, were at least dispiriting, & lasted a long time. I rejoiced to hear your alarms for Robin & Kitty ended so happily, & with them (I hope), are fled a great part of your future inquietudes on their account. in the summer I flatter myself we may all meet in health once more at Old-Park, & a part of us perhaps at the foot of Skiddaw. I am to call Mason in my way, & bring him with me to visit his own works. Mr Brown admitted your Nephew according to your orders, & will provide him with a room against October.
I do not guess, what intelligence St: gave you about my employments: but the worst employment I have had has been to write something for musick against the D: of G: comes to Cambridge. I must comfort myself with the intention: for I know it will bring abuse enough on me. however it is done, & given to the V: Chancellor, & there is an end. I am come to Town for a fortnight, & find every thing in extreme confusion, as you may guess from your news-papers: nothing but force threaten'd on both sides, & the Law (as usual) watching the event & ready to side with the strongest. the only good thing I hear is, that France is on the brink of a general bankrupcy, & their fleet (the only thing they have laid out money on of late) in no condition of service.
The Spring is come in all its beauty, & for two or three days I am going to meet it at Windsor. Adieu & let us pray it may continue till July. remember me to Mrs Wharton & all the family.
Yours
Mason has just left us & is gone to Aston.
Correspondents
Dates
Places
Physical description
Content
France
Grafton, Augustus Henry Fitzroy, Duke of, 1735-1811
Ode for Music
Old Park
Skiddaw
Stonhewer, Richard, 1728-1809
Windsor
Holding Institution
(confirmed)
Egerton MS 2400, ff. 187-188, Manuscripts collection, British Library , London, UK <http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/bldept/manuscr/>
Print Versions
- The Works of Thomas Gray, 2 vols. Ed. by John Mitford. London: J. Mawman, 1816, section V, letter I, vol. ii, 509-510
- The Works of Thomas Gray, 5 vols. Ed. by John Mitford. London: W. Pickering, 1835-1843, section V, letter I, vol. iv, 128-130
- 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. CCCXLIII, vol. iii, 219-221
- 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. 493, vol. iii, 1056-1058