at the foot of yonder nodding beech, wreathes its old fantastic roots so high, ess length at noontide would he stretch, pore upon the brook that babbles by. 104 .100. On the high brow of yonder hanging lawn." ch, in his first MS., followed this stanza: have we seen the greenwood side along, Le o'er the heath we hied, our labour done, the woodlark pip'd her farewell song, wistful eyes pursue the setting sun." her wonder (says Mason) that he rejected this it not only has the same sort of Doric delicacy rms us peculiarly in this part of the poem, but also the account of his whole day: whereas, this evee being omitted, we have only his morning walk, Don-tide repose." "Hard by yon wood, now smiling as in scorn, Mutt'ring his wayward fancies he would rove; Now drooping, woful-wan, like one forlorn, Or craz'd with care, or cross'd in hopeless love. One morn I miss'd him on the custom'd hill, Along the heath, and near his fav'rite tree; 110 Another came; nor yet beside the rill, Nor up the lawn, nor at the wood was he: "The next, with dirges due in sad array Var. V. 106. He would] Would he. мs. M. and W. Upon the brook, that brawls along this wood." V. 105. W. "Yet at my parting sweetly did she smile 66 Shakespeare. Sonnets. smylynge halfe in scorne At our foly." Skelton. Prol. to the Bouge of Courte, p. 59. "It makes me smile in scorn." App. and Virg. (Old Plays, vol. v. p. 363.) Laughing in scorn." Massinger. B. Lover. Rogers. Milt. P. L. iv. 903. “ Disdainfully half smiling." 66 W. V. 107. "For pale and wanne he was, alas! the while V. 109. W. W. V. 115. “Tell, (for you can,) what is it to be wise." "And steal (for you can steal) celestial fire." Young. "Before the Epitaph," says Mason," Gray originally inserted a very beautiful stanza, which was printed in some of the first editions, but afterwards omitted, because he thought that it was too long a parenthesis in this place. The The Heaven did a recompense as largely send: He gave to mis'ry (all he had) a tear, He gain'd from heav'n ('twas all he wish'd) a friend. No farther seek his merits to disclose, Or draw his frailties from their dread abode, (There they alike in trembling hope repose,) The bosom of his Father and his God. 125 See Mas Gray's E publica among at the induci relatio V. 123. "Has lacrymas memori quas ictus amore, fundo quod possum." Lucr. ii. 27. "His fame ('tis all the dead can have) shall live." Pope. Hom. xvi. 556. V. 127. 66 paventosa speme," Petr. Son. cxiv. Gray. Spe trepido," Lucan. vii. 297. W. And Mallet: "Divided here twixt trembling hope and fear." Beaum. Psyche, c. xv. 314. Hooker has defined hope' to be a "trembling expectation of things far removed," Eccl. Pol. B. I. cited in Quart. Rev. No. xxii. p. 315. In the Gentleman's Magaz. vol. lii. p. 20, it is asserted that Gray's Elegy was taken from Collins's Ode to Evening; while in the Monthly Rev. vol. liii. p. 102, it is said to be indebted to an Elegy by Gay. I see, however, no reason for assenting to these opinions. The passages from ⚫ Celio Magno,' produced in the Edinb. Rev. vol. v. p. 51, are very curious, and form an interesting comparison. It is well known how much the Italian poet Pignotti is indebted to the works of Gray: some passages would have been given, but the editor was unwilling to increase the number of the notes, already perhaps occupying too much space. house, upon he at they 1 such ginni roman the fo Story and r A LONG STORY.* on's Memoirs, vol. iii. p. 130, and Pennant's Life, p. 23.] egy in a Country Church-yard, previous to its tion, was handed about in manuscript; and had t other admirers the Lady Cobham, who resided mansion-house at Stoke Pogeis. The performance her to wish for the author's acquaintance, her , Miss Speed, and Lady Schaub, then at her undertook to effect it. These two ladies waited e author at his aunt's solitary habitation, where at time resided; and not finding him at home, t a card behind them. Mr. Gray, surprised at compliment, returned the visit. And as the beof this acquaintance bore some appearance of e, he soon after gave a humorous account of it in wing copy of verses, which he entitled "A Long Printed in 1753 with Mr. Bentley's designs, eated in a second edition. MS. Britain's isle, no matter where, Poem was rejected by Gray in the Collection by himself; and though published afterwards by his Memoirs of Gray, he placed it amongst the gether with the Posthumous Pieces; not thinkIf authorized to insert among the Poems, what had rejected. he mansion-house at Stoke-Pogeis, then in the of Viscountess Cobham. The house formerly o the earls of Huntingdon and the family of Mason. Sir Edmond Coke's mansion at Stokew the seat of Mr. Penn, was the scene of Gray's 7. The antique chimneys have been allowed to |