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INTRODUCTOBY ESSAY. 19

that Verral was a pupil of Clouet's, and that Olouet
was the Soyer of his age; because this enabled me to
understand the lines in the "Address of William
Shakespeare to M*⁸ Anne, Regular servant to the
Kev. M^r Precentor of York"—

" So York shall taste what Clouet never knew,

So from our works sublimer fumes shall rise;
While Nancy earns the praise to Shakespeare due,
For glorious puddings and immortal pies."

His devotion to this branch of 'fair science' is a
quaint trait in our poet's character. Like Pope, a
weakling, he was probably more careful than Pope in
the matter of diet; but if not an epicure, he was at
least fastidious and epicurean, Samuel Rogers told
Mitford "that Gray in London saw little Society.
Had a nice dinner from the Tavern brought to his
lodgings, a glass or two of sweet wine, and as he
sippd it talked about great People¹." This 'talking of
great people' is another little weakness, over which
one must pass lightly; Gray's temptations and oppor-
tunities lay in that direction; yet externals have
more to do with contemporary judgments than pos-
terity is able to realise; social prejudices, the influ-
ence of cliques and coteries will cloud the strongest
minds; those who are forced to labour at the first
task that comes to hand, are not well-disposed to
their more fortunate brethren of the pen who can

¹ [Mitford, Add. Mss. Brit. Mus, 355,562, vol. in. p. 188.]



	INTRODUCTOBY ESSAY. 19 that Verral was a pupil of Clouet's, and that Olouet was the Soyer of his age; because this enabled me to understand the lines in the "Address of William Shakespeare to M⁸ Anne, Regular servant to the Kev. M^r Precentor of York"— " So York shall taste what Clouet* never knew, So from our works sublimer fumes shall rise; While Nancy earns the praise to Shakespeare due, For glorious puddings and immortal pies." His devotion to this branch of 'fair science' is a quaint trait in our poet's character. Like Pope, a weakling, he was probably more careful than Pope in the matter of diet; but if not an epicure, he was at least fastidious and epicurean, Samuel Rogers told Mitford "that Gray in London saw little Society. Had a nice dinner from the Tavern brought to his lodgings, a glass or two of sweet wine, and as he sippd it talked about great People¹." This 'talking of great people' is another little weakness, over which one must pass lightly; Gray's temptations and oppor- tunities lay in that direction; yet externals have more to do with contemporary judgments than pos- terity is able to realise; social prejudices, the influ- ence of cliques and coteries will cloud the strongest minds; those who are forced to labour at the first task that comes to hand, are not well-disposed to their more fortunate brethren of the pen who can ¹ [Mitford, Add. Mss. Brit. Mus, 355,562, vol. in. p. 188.]