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LIFE OF GRAY.
xi

Gray during the latter part of his life. "When matters (he says) were made up between Gray and Walpole, and the latter asked Gray to Strawberry Hill, when he came, he without any ceremony told Walpole, that he came to wait on him as civility required, but by no means would he ever be there on the terms of his former friendship, which he had totally cancelled." Such is the account given by Mr. Cole, and which I suppose is worthy of credit: at any rate, it does not seem at all inconsistent with the independence and manly freedom which always accompanied the actions and opinions of Gray.[1]

Having thus lost his companion, and, with the separation of friendship, all inducement to remain abroad, Gray went immediately to Venice, and returned through Padua and Milan, following almost the same road through France, which he had travelled before. If he sent any letters to West on his return,[2] it was not thought requisite to publish them; those to his father were only accounts of his health and safety. Though he returned to England

  1. ↑ For a further elucidation of this subject, the reader is referred to the second volume of this Work, p. 174-5, where I have stated what are the supposed causes of the quarrel; and the terms of the reconciliation will be best learned, from the expressions which Gray uses in his letter to Mr. Wharton on this subject.
  2. ↑ Some letters from Walpole to West, while the former was on his travels with Gray, are in Walpole's Works, vol. iv. p. 419-463. There is one letter from Reggio, May 10th, but not mentioning any quarrel, nor even Gray by name.
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