New-York tribune., 1885-01-11
GRAYS UNPUBLISHED VERSE
MR.. GOssE's DISCOVERIES.

Blk. GOSSE'S DlSCOFChACos
HE DESCRIBES THE FINDING OF LoNG-Losr EPr-
TAPH-sOME FINE TRANsLAT1oNs-A QUAINT
sKIr.
It has been nv privilege for three or four years
past to be engaged on the life and works OF one
of ths greatest of English poets, Thomas Gray .he
author of the Elegy in q Country Chnrchyaro'
For century and quarter critics OF the most
diverse schools have been united on single pont'
their praise of that unique poem The last express
sion of a master upon this point which have come
across was made to myself, but few days ago. oy
the Autocrat of the Breakfast Table Any critical
formula said DR.. Holmes to me in conversation
any theory of poetry which should exclude the
Elegy would be self-condemned." This has been
the opinion of every writer of authority from the
DAYS of Horace Walpole downward. But, In spite
of the popularity of Gray. and Of the extraordinary
merit of his work. he had missed bographer until
had the good luck to be chosen to write his llfe III
the little volume which was published in lSs2. ana
his works remain to this day scattered in various
publications. Since 1881 | have been collecting
and arranging the-needful material for the first
complete edition of Grays WORKS in prose and
verse. and this is now almost ready to appear.
am encouraged to believe that it NAV be interesting
to American students Of Gray to 10 introduced to
such new pieces rs have been fortunate enough to
find before my edition comes into their hands.
As Dickens said, no celebrated author has gone
down TO posterity with so small book under his
arm as Gray and it il not to be expected That more
than century after his death much should still
remain unknown of a genius whose liquid amber
" aa distilled in such rare aud precious drops 1t
is rather. think extraordinary that anything of
"A poet so admired rs Gray should still remain un-
published.
The great stOrehouse Of Gray MSS. Is Pembroke
College, Cambridge As the visitor to our English
university drives up into tho town the first colleges
he is apt to see are those identified with the life OF
Gray He passes between Peterhouse where he may
still see the iron bar across the poets window. from
which Gray descend led at the alarm of fire into the
tub which the wicked undergraduates had prepared
for him. and Pembroke to which he retired in
dignity when he found that no punishment waste
atone for that impious freak At Peterhouse little
or nothing of GRAY remains. bit the opposite col
ege is rich in relics In a strong box in the Mas
ter's Lodge are preserved the folio commonplace-
books of the poet. These were examined by
Matthias the author of The Pursuits of Literature"
when he prepared his edition of Gray published in
1914, and never again until. by the very kind in
vtation of the Master and Fellows was enabled
carefully to go through them seventy years later
The notes in Gray's delicate writing. each letter
be ny carefully formed with a crow-quil. and they
all his life accnuluIating His remarks on ancient
geography alone would ill a thickly printed
volume. 1t was however. more interesting to me
10 discover that On the back of some OF these
learned p,g,s Gray hal cppiel out almost
all his poems those which were not printed
until after his death. and that in almost every case
he had appended some little note which illustrates
their history. ! must not lnger here over the
minute dierencss of text or tho matters OF minor
biographical interest contained In these precious
folio volumes. OF poctical work which Is entirely
new there - not little even ii most Of 1t II Of In
Ierest mainly to the student | copied from Gray's
handwriting aud shall print in an appendix to my
forthcoming edition a little Ode dating from his
undergraduates years. which | suppose to be h.s
earliest English copy of verses. very fine transla-
tion from Propertius poet in whom Gray de-
lighted is of mach more Importance. This Is GER
talnly his and he has dated il 1872 the year Of his
first great outburBt of pootical composition. The
year in which the Elcgy in = Country Church
yard was begun. This. then. belongs tn his
mature years. AMI form, the best example we pos
sess of Gray's powers in the execution Of tho dis
itch. His treatment of these coupl-ts shows that
ho was still far more influenced by Dryden than by
Pope. fh,- charming psraphraso OF Propertlus
starts AS follows:
You asx. WHY thus my Loves still rchear.e.
From Cynthia all that in my nuinbcrs .hincs:
She II my Genius shc inspires the Lines
No Ph@bus else. no other Muse know;
She my easy Rhine. and gives tho Lay 10 now.
II the Loose Curl. around her Forehead play.
n the thin Coan Web her shape reyenl,
AMI half disclose those Limb' 1t should conceal;
oi those o'ss Cnrls that Iyory Front write.
OF the dear Web whole Volumes ~ lite:
ORR 10 Mu,irk she the Iyre awake,
That the soft Subject ofmy Song make.
Aud sing with what n careless Grace she nngs
Yer antu hand s,ros, the sounainr strings.
Her langnid LIDS favour her kcpose
Win lulng Notes. aud thousand bcanties SEQ
That SLAIN 'er brings To aid my Poetry
Besides these pissary a number of exercises in
Latin verse; belonging to Grays college dnys. woro
found little wnile ago at Pembroke and these !
shall PRINT for tho first tune for the curiosity of
scholars, who will perceive with regret that Gray
had by no means, IN hs early youth, attained q
very nigh standard OF La,inity.
For n year or two the store, of Gray MSS at
Cambridge and a large volume Of autograph letters
from the poet to his friend. Dr. Whar OIL, Of Old
Park. III Durham. preserved among the Egcrton
MSS. IN the British Museum. the only import
ant collections OF material to which cou a Obtain
access. Among these latter letters to Wharton /
sought vainIy for little poem which | knew had
onceexistcd-an epaph written in June 1855. at the
request OF DR.. Wharton, whose eldest an thoa only
son had died in niancy carly Ia the month Of Apr
h' poem had oeen seen and described thirty yors
ago, but began to despair Of re,torny it when. |
just ~ was going to press, IL into my hands
IN avery curious way NJ. Sketchey. tho librarian |
OF the Dice and Foster Lorarles at South Ken |
sngton. was dusting a book on an npper shelf. |
which had not been disturbed for years, when q |
paper hntterej out from between tho leaves, |
and proved to be copy, in the hand |
writing Of Alexander Dycc. Of the long |
lost and now first Published Epitaph-
on CHILD.
Here freed from pain. secure from misery, lies
child-tue darling Of his parents cyea
. A centlrr lanb nr'cr spOrtei on tho pliini