The genius of Mr. Gray, which was averse from the mechanism and toil of business, joined to his paffion for study and literature, inclined him to live at Cambridge, where he had free access to many valuable libraries. From the winter of the year 1742, to the end of his life, it was the feat of his refidence; and he was seldom abfent from it, except on occafional vifits to his mother, and during that period *, when, on the opening of the British Museum, he took lodgings in Southampton-Row, for the purpose of examining, and extracting from, the Harleian and other manufcripts.

It was not till the year 1750, that

* Between the years 1759 and 1762.

he

he put the laft hand to his much-celebrated Elegy in a Country Church-yard. Mr. Walpole, who was infinitely delighted with it, communicated it in manuscript to many perfons of diftinction, who failed not to feel for and to bestow on the author the admiration and applaufe he so justly merited. In this po ́lite and fashionable circle was Lady Cob ham, who wishing much to be acquainted with Mr. Gray, procured this pleafure, by the means of her relation Mifs Speed, and of Lady Schaub. The hiftory of this incident, the circumstances of which were fomewhat peculiar, he has thrown into a ballad, intitled, A True Story. Of this piece the humour does not appear very striking; and, though it has found admirers, the au

thor

thor himself refufed it a place in his

own edition of his poems.

The

year 1753 was memorable to Mr. Gray, by the lofs of his mother, whom he loved with an exemplary affection. In the year 1756, fome young men, who lived in the fame stair-case, and who fancied that birth and fortune gave them a title to be impertinent, difturbing him frequently and intentionally with their infults and riots, he found it neceffary to remove from Peter-houfe, and went to Pembroke-hall. In the year 1768, by the unsolicited influence of the Duke of Grafton, he was nominated King's Profeffor of Modern Hif tory in the University of Cambridge, at place of 4001. a year.

It

It appears, that in the early part of his life, he had entertained the defire of publishing an edition of Strabo; and, among his papers, there were many geographical difquifitions, which had been made with that intention, He also left many explanatory and critical observations on the writings of Plato; and he had bestowed uncommon labour on the Anthologia. A project worthy of him, and more interesting than any of thofe, was, A History of English Poetry, on which he had long meditated, but thought proper to abandon, when he was informed that Mr. Warton, of Trinity College, Oxford, was engaged in a fimilar pursuit.

Among the branches of knowledge

in which he excelled, it would be improper not to mention Architecture; and his fkill in Heraldry was exact and extenfive. But what was most peculiarly to his taste, and engaged his attention the most conftantly, was Natural Hiftory. He left many notes on Linnæus, and on Hudfon's Flora Anglica; and while employed on Zoology, he studied Aristotle on that fubject, and explained many of the obfcure paffages of that distinguished Antient. Music he knew moft exquifitely; and, while abroad, he had acquired a fkill in Painting. In a word, if Mathematics are excepted, there was not a part of human learning which he had not cultivated with fuccefs.

A pro