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This letter is part of the correspondence calendar of the complete correspondence of Thomas Gray. The calendar contains detailed bibliographic records for all known original, copied, or published letters written by or to the poet as well as the full-text, where available. Each record is accompanied by digitised images of the manuscript, where available, or digitised images of the first printed edition.
I sent an impatient letter to you (to use Mrs. Mincings Epithet to dinner) at
Stoke, & the day after it went, recd yours from London, with its accompanyment of Criticisms; for
wch a thank severally, & ten a peice for evry emendation, that is to say evry alteration. Yet I can't help thinking that if you had
not seen the joint critique from Prior park, you would not have judgd
so hardly of some of my new lines. True, I did not think evry thing that all my Criticks have remarkd necessary to be alterd, yet I
alterd them for this reason, Criticks like Indians are proud of the number of scalps they make in a Manuscript, & if you dont let
them scalp theyll do you no service. However it appears I have Scalp'd myself in some places particularly at the beginning. Yet I
cannot help thinking that chills the pale plain beneath him is an improvement, yet I can unscalp if you bid me.
there is one unfortunate thing wch attends shewing either a markd or an alterd Manuscript, & you yourself prove it to me; The
person that reads it regards only the marks & alterations & considers whether they are right or wrong, & hence a number of
faulty Passages in the gross escape his observation. I remember I shewd Caract: this summer to a certain Critick who read it all over,
& returnd it me with this single Observation, "I have read it & I think those faults wch are markd with a pencil ought to be
alterd." I was surprizd at this because I did not know the Ms was markd at all at that time. I examind it & found here & there
about 7 or eight almost invisible little X X. I could not conceive who had done it; I askd Delap if he
had, & he cryd peccavi, assuring me he only did it to remember to tell me of some minutiæ wch he thought inaccurate, but that he
thought he had almost made them invisible. so quicksighted is the Eye of a Critic!
But to proceed – I agree to allmost all your Criticisms; however they make against me, your absolution from Madors song makes
amends for all. Yet I am sorry about the scene between Evelina & Elidurus tis what the generality will think the principal scene,
& wch yet is not as it should be. I am afraid of making it more pathetic & yet if it is not so it will not satisfy. I send you
with this my third Ode you will find it must be inserted soon after the discription of the Rocking Stone, & the last line of the
sheet I send you will connect with this So certain that in our absolving tongues.
So
that a few lines must be cancelld in the copy you have. my reason for this change is that I myself I thought
(& no body else) that a Lustration Ode would take up too much time in the place first intended & that the action went on too
slow there. I shall therefore shew more of Caractacus himself in the scene subsequent to the next I shall send you; & I am pretty
sure that (toute ensembles considerd) this will be an improvement. As to this Ode, I do not expect you to like it so well as you do the
2d, yet I hope 'tis well enough, & will have some effect in the place it comes in. Explicit pars Poesiωs
& incipit Pars Chitchatices. I dare not face Rutherforth that saintly Butcher in his purple Robes
of Divinity, & therefore, sorely against good Mr Brown's Gizzard, I have given up my fellowship & this post carries my
civilities to Dr Long concerning this great resignation. Indeed if I could dispute Black into white like my Uncle Balguy this act would have fallen out too unluckily for me to have thought of
keeping it, for I am resolvd not to set my face southward these several Months, not evn if I publish this spring. For Ill either have
the sheets sent down to me, or get somebody in town to correct the press, do you think either Dr Wharton or Stonehewer could be
prevaild on to take this trouble. You are perpetually twitting me about my motive of Gain, could I
write half as well as Rousseau I would prove to you that this is the only motive any reasonable Man should have in this matter, but
pray distinguish the matter I mean Gain is not my only motive for writing, God forbid it should; I write for Fame, for Posterity, &
all sort of fine things. But Gain is my only motive for Publishing for I publish to the present Age, whom I would fleece if I could
like any Cossack Calmuck or Carcolspack. Now do you understand me, & if you do, don't you agree
with me?
This resuscitation of Poor Smart pains me, I was in hopes he was safe in that state where the best of us will be better than we are & the worst I hope as little worse as infinite Justice can permit. But is he returnd to his senses? if so I fear that will be more terrible still, pray, if you can dispose of a Guinea so as it will in any sort benefit him (for tis too late for a ticket) give it for me. My best regard to Dr Wharton and Mrs if this finds you there.
You will find from my last letter that Hurd is disposd to gratify the Drs Humanity. Have you seen Jortins Life of Erasmus? Was there ever such a lumbering Slovenly Book? I shant send a pacquet till I hear again from you, dont be long first.