WORKS

OF

THOMAS GRAY;

Containing his

POEMS, AND CORRESPONDENCE WITH SEVERAL EMINENT LITERARY CHARACTERS.

To which are added,

MEMOIRS

OF

HIS LIFE AND WRITINGS,

BY W. MASON, M. A.

THE THIRD EDITION, CAREFULLY CORRECTED.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR VERNOR, HOOD, AND SHARPE; J. AND A. ARCH; J. WALKER; LONGMAN, HURST, REES, AND ORME;

J. MURRAY; AND J. BOOKER;

At the Union Printing-Office, St. John's Square, by W. Wilson.

1807.

LETTER 10. To Mr. WEST.-Of his own peculiar species of melancholy.Inscription for a wood in Greek Hexameters.Argument and exordium of a Latin Heroic Epistle from Sophonisba to Massinissa

p. 1

Account of Mr. WEST's death.-Of Mr. Gray's English Poetry, written about this time, with the general plan, argument of the first book, and all the parts which the Author finished of a Latin Didactic Poem, "De Principiis Cogitandi"

p. 7

SECTION IV.

Prefatory narrative.—Mr. Gray takes his degree in Civil Law, and makes Cambridge his principal residence for the rest of his life. The Editor of these Memoirs becomes acquainted with him in the year 1747.-He corresponds with Dr. Wharton and several other persons till the year 1768, when he is appointed Professor of Modern History

p. 23

LETTER 1. To Dr. WHARTON, on taking his degree of Bachelor of Civil Law

p. 27

Fragment of an Hymn to Ignorance

p. 30

LETTER 2. To Dr. WHARTON.-Ridicule on University laziness. Of Dr. Akenside's Poem on the Pleasures of Imagination

p. 32

p. 35

LETTER 3. To Dr. WHARTON.-His amusements in Town.Reflections on riches.-Character of Aristotle LETTER 4. To Mr. WALPOLE.-Ridicule on Cibber's Observations on Cicero. On the modern Platonic Dialogue.---Account of his own and Mr. West's poetical compositions LETTER 5. To Mr. WALPOLE.-Criticisms on Mr. Spence's Polymetis

.

p. 38

P. 42 LETTER 6. To Mr. WALPOLE.-Ludicrous compliment of condolence on the death of his favourite Cat, inclosing an Ode on that subject P. 45 LETTER 7. To Dr. WHARTON.-Loss by fire of a house in Cornhill-On Diodorus Siculus.-M. Gresset's Poems.-Thomson's Castle of Indolence.-Ode to a Water-Nymph, with a character of its Author

p. 47 LETTER 8. To Dr. WHARTON.-More on M. Gresset.-Account of his own projected Poem on the alliance between government and education

P. 19

Fragment of that Poem, with a commentary, notes, and detached sentiments relative to it

p. 53

LETTER 9. To Dr. WHARTON.-Character of. M. de Montesquieu's L'Esprit des Loix

P. 64

LETTER 10. To Dr. WHARTON.-Account of books continued.

.

P. 65

Crebillion's Catalina.-Birch's State Papers. Of his own studies, and a table of Greek Chronology, which he was then forming LETTER 11. To Dr. WHARTON.-Ludicrous account of the Duke of Newcastle's Installation at Cambridge.-On the Ode then performed, and more concerning the Author of it P. 68 LETTER 12. To his MOTHER.-Consolatory on the death of her sister

.

P. 70

LETTER 13. To Dr. WHARTON.-Wishes to be able to pay him a visit at Durham.-On Dr. Middleton's death.-Some account of the first volumes of Buffon's Histoire Naturelle

P. 72

Narrative of the incident which led Mr. Gray to write his Long Story.-That Poem inserted, with Notes by the Editor, and prefaced with his idea of Mr. Gray's peculiar vein of humour

P. 74

LETTER 14. To Dr. WHARTON.-On the ill reception which the foregoing Poem met with in town when handed about in manuscript, and how much his Elegy in a Country Church-Yard was applauded p. 86 LETTER 15. To Mr. WALPOLE.-Desires him to give, his Elegy to Mr. Dodsley to be printed immediately, in order to prevent its publication in a magazine p. 83 LETTER 16. To Dr. WHARTON.-Of Madame Maintenon's Character and Letters.-His high opinion of M. Racine.—Of Bishop Hall's Satires, and of a few of Plato's Dialogues . p. 89 LETTER 17. To Mr. WALPOLE,-Concerning the intention of publishing Mr. Bentley's designs for his Poems,-Refuses to have his own portrait prefixed to that work

P. Q1