churchyard. Next to the author's personal approach to his subject in the opening stanzas, it is probably this picture, drawn not without touches akin to humor, of the poet as he might have appeared to the chance observer, which is remembered most distinctly by the average reader. 95. chance perchance. 97. swain: see note on The Deserted Village, 1. 2. 101. The first draught of the poem had this stanza as follows: Him have we seen the greenwood side along, "Hard on 105. Hard by: an idiomatic use of hard. So Tennyson's the river," Lancelot and Elaine, 1. 75. Cf. also close by, fast by. 111. Another: i.e. morning. 115. read the ability to read was not so common in the eighteenth century that it could be taken for granted. —lay: is this word wholly appropriate as referring to an epitaph? 116. Here was originally inserted the following stanza, which Gray afterward cut out because he thought it too long a parenthesis in this place: There scatter'd oft, the earliest of the year, By hands unseen are show'rs of violets found; The epitaph that follows applies in spirit, though not literally perhaps, to the poet himself, in his assumed character as writer of the elegy. In any case the poet seems to have been thinking of himself in these lines. 119. Science: knowledge, learning. — frowned not: i.e. smiled. In a letter to G. E. Woodberry, Wendell Phillips Garrison (Letters and Memorials of Wendell Phillips Garrison, pp. 78-79) discusses the meaning of lines 119 and 120 of the Elegy as follows: "What bothers me in the verse in question is the conjunction, since, in your view, Melancholy's marking of Gray would have to be a sort of kindness. Higginson and, I think, most readers, take the opposite view. The youth labored under three disabilities: (1) humble origin, (2) whatever Science did by not frowning, (3) having a melancholy turn of mind. All belong in one category, else I feel the need of a disjunctive but." APPENDIX CHARACTER OF THE POOR PARSON FROM CHAUCER'S PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES A good man was ther of religioun, And was a povre PERSOUN of a toun; But riche he was of holy thoght and werk. And swich he was y-preved ofte sithes. 5 IO Of his offryng, and eek of his substaunce. Wyd was his parisshe, and houses fer asonder, 15 The ferreste in his parisshe, moche and lite, That first he wroghte, and afterward he taughte; 20 That if gold ruste, what shal yren do? For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste, 25 A shiten shepherde and a clene sheep. And leet his sheep encombred in the myre, By good ensample, this was his bisynesse : Hym wolde he snybben sharply for the nonys. THE CHARACTER OF A GOOD PARSON FROM DRYDEN'S TALES FROM CHAUCER A parish priest was of the pilgrim train; Rich was his soul, though his attire was poor; (As God had clothed his own ambassador ;) 5 For such, on earth, his bless'd Redeemer bore. Of sixty years he seem'd; and well might last Though harsh the precept, yet the preacher charm'd. And oft, with holy hymns, he charm'd their ears: IO 15 20 His lyre; and after him he sung the best. He bore his great commission in his look: 25 But sweetly temper'd awe; and soften'd all he spoke. He preach'd the joys of heaven, and pains of hell; He taught the gospel rather than the law; And forced himself to drive; but loved to draw, 30 For fear but freezes minds; though love, like heat, To threats the stubborn sinner oft is hard; The tithes, his parish freely paid, he took; 35 40 |