THE LIFE OF

THOMAS GRAY.

THOMAS GRAY was born in Cornhill, in the

city of London, on the 26th of December, 1716. His father, Philip Gray, was a money-scrivener, but being of an indolent and profufe difpofition, he rather diminished than improved his paternal fortune. Our Author received his claffical education at Eton fchool, under Mr. Antrobus, his mother's brother, a man of found learning and refined taste, who directed his nephew to thofe pursuits which laid the foundation of his future literary fame.

During his continuance at Eton, he contracted a friendship with Mr. Horace Walpole, well known for his knowledge in the fine arts; and Mr. Richard Weft, fon of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, a youth of very promifing talents.

When he left Eton fchool in 1734, he went to Cambridge, and entered a pentioner at Peterhouse, at the recommendation of his uncle Antrobus, who had been a fellow of that college. It is faid that, from his effeminacy and fair complexion, he acquired, among his fellow ftudents, the appellation of Mifs Gray to which the delicacy of his manners feems not a little to have contributed. Mr. Walpole was at that time a fellow-commoner of King's College, in the fame University; a fortunate circumftance, which afforded Gray frequent opportunities of intercourfe with his Honourable Friend.

Mr. Weft went from Eton to Chrift Church, Oxford; and in this ftate of feparation, these two votaries of the Mufes, whofe difpofitions were congenial, commenced an epiftolary correfpondence, part of which is published by Mr. Mafon, a gentleman whofe character ftands high in the republic of letters.

Gray, having imbibed a taste for poetry, did not relish thofe abftrufe ftudies which generally occupy the minds of ftudents at college; and therefore, as he found very little gratification from academical pursuits, he left Cambridge in 1738, and returned to London, intending to apply himself to the ftudy of the law: but this intention was foon laid afide, upon an invitation given him by Mr. Walpole, to accompany him in his travels abroad; a fituation highly preferable, in Gray's opinion, to the dry ftudy of the law.

They fet out together for France, and vifited most of the places worthy of notice in that country: from thence they proceeded to Italy, where an unfortunate dispute taking place between them, a separation enfued upon their arrival at Florence. Mr. Walpole, afterwards, with great candour and liberality, took upon himself the blame of the quarrel; though, if we confider the matter coolly and impartially, we may be induced to conclude that Gray, from a conscious fuperiority of ability, might have claimed a deference to his opinion and judgment, which his Honourable Friend was not at that time difpofed to admit the rupture, however, was very unpleasant to both parties.

Gray pursued his journey to Venice on an economic plan, fuitable to the circumfcribed state of his finances, and having continued there fome weeks, returned to England in September, 1741. He appears, from his letters, published by Mr. Mafon, to have paid the minuteft attention to every object worthy of notice throughout the courfe of his travels. His defcriptions are lively and picturefque, and bear particular marks of his genius and difpofition. We admire the fublimity of his ideas when he afcends the ftupendous heights of the Alps, and are charmed with his display of nature, decked in all the beauties of vegetation. Indeed, abundant information, as well as entertainment, may be derived from his cafual letters.

In about two months after his arrival in England, he loft his father, who, by an indifcreet profufion, had fo impaired his fortune, as not to admit of his fon's profecuting the ftudy of the law with that degree of refpectability which the nature of the profeffion requires, without becoming burdenfome to his mother and aunt. To obviate, therefore, their importunities on the subject, he went to Cambridge, and took his bachelor's degree in civil law.

But the inconveniencies and diftrefs attached to a fcanty fortune, were not the only ills our Poet had to encounter at this time: he had not only loft the friendship of Mr. Walpole abroad, but poor West, the partner of his heart, fell a victim to complicated maladies, brought on by family misfortunes, on

the ift of June, 1742, at Popes, a village, in Hertfordfhire, where he went for the benefit of the air.

The exceffive degree in which his mind was agitated for the lofs of his friend, will beft appear from the following beautiful little sonnet :

"In vain to me the fmiling mornings shine, "And redd'ning Phoebus lifts his golden fire: «The birds in vain their am'rous defcant join, "Or cheerful fields refume their green attire: "These ears, alas! for other notes repine; "A different object do these eyes require; "My lonely anguish melts no heart but inine, "And in my breaft th' imperfect joys expire; "Yet morning fmiles the bufy race to cheer, "And new-born pleasure brings to happier men ; "The fields to all their wonted tribute bear; "To warm their little loves the birds complain: "I fruitless mourn to him that cannot hear; "And weep the more, because I weep in vain."

Mr. Gray now feems to have applied his mind very fedulously to poetical compofition: his Ode to Spring was written early in June, to his friend Mr. Weft, before he received the melancholy news of his death: how our Poet's fufceptible mind was affected by that melancholy incident, is evidently demonstrated by the lines quoted above; the impreffion, indeed, appears to have been too deep to be foon effaced; and the tenour of the subjects which called for the exertions of his poetical talents fubfequent to the production of this Ode, corroborates that obferva

tion; these were his Prospect of Eton, and his Ode to Adverfity. It is also fuppofed, and with great probability, that he began his Elegy in a Country Churchyard about the fame time. He paffed fome weeks at Stoke, near Windfor, where his mother and aunt refided, and in that pleafing retirement finished several of his moft celebrated Poems.

From thence he returned to Cambridge, which, from this period, was his chief refidence during the remainder of his life. The conveniencies with which a college life was attended, to a person of his narrow fortune, and ftudious turn of mind, were more than a compenfation for the diflike which, for feveral reafons, he bore to the place: but he was perfectly reconciled to his fituation, on Mr. Mafon's being elected a fellow of Pembroke-Hall; a circumftance which brought him a companion, who, during life, retained for him the highest degree of friendship and esteem.

In 1742 he was admitted to the degree of Bachelor in the Civil Law, as appears from a letter written to his particular friend Dr. Wharton, of Old Park, near Durham, formerly fellow of PembrokeHall, Cambridge, in which he ridicules, with much point and humour, the follies and foibles, and the dulnefs and formality, which prevailed in the Univerfity.

In order to enrich his mind with the ideas of others, he devoted a confiderable portion of his time to the ftudy of the best Greek authors; fo that, in the courfe of fix years, there were hardly any writers