http://www.thomasgray.org.uk/cgi-bin/display.cgi?text=elcc
Thomas Gray (1716-1771) was an English poet and is considered a forerunner of the romantic poets. Born in Cornhill, London, he was the fifth of 12 children of an exchange broker and a milliner and the only child in his family to survive infancy. He lived with his mother after she left his abusive father.
He was educated at Eton College where his uncle was one of the masters. He recalled his schooldays as a time of great happiness, as is evident in his Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College. Gray was a delicate and naturally scholarly boy who spent his time reading great literature and avoiding athletics. It was probably fortunate for the young and sensitive Gray that he was able to live in his uncle’s household rather than at college.
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