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Mr. Mason, in 1754, found a patron in the Earl of Hol- 

 derness, who presented him with the living of Asian, in 

 Yorkshire. This sequestred village was favourable to his 

 love of poetry and picturesque scenery ; which displayed 

 itself at large in his English Garden, and was the founda- 

 tion of his lasting friendship with Mr. Gilpin, who to testify 

 his esteem, dedicated to him his Observations on the Wye. 

 A biographer of the late Mr. Shore, of Norton Hall, (the 

 friend of Priestley), thus mentions Aston: — "That truly 

 conscientious, and truly learned and excellent man, Mr. 

 Lindsey, spent a whole week in this neighbourhood. He 

 was during that time the guest of his friend Mr. Mason, 

 who was residing on his rectory at Aston, the biographer of 

 Gray, and one whose taste, gave beauty, and poetry, cele- 

 brity, to that cheerful village." His friendship for Mr. 

 Gray, terminated only with the life of the latter. In 1770 

 Mr. Mason was visited at Aston, for the last time, by him. 

 His last letter to Mr. Mason was from Pembroke-hall, in 

 May, 1771, and on the 31st of the next month, and at that 

 place, this sublime genius paid the debt of nature. The 

 following epitaph was written by Mr. Mason, and inscribed 

 on the monument in Westminster Abbey: 



No more the Grecian muse unrivall'd reigns ; 



To Britain let the nations homage pay . 

 She felt a Homers fire in Milton's strains, 



A Pindar's rapture in the lyre of Gray; 



He farther evinced his attachment to this elegant scholar 

 by publishing his poems and letters, to which he prefixed 

 memoirs of him. He commences the third book of his 

 English Garden with an invocation to his memory, and re- 

 cords, in lofty language, his eye glistening and his accents 

 glowing, when viewing the charms of all-majestic Nature — 

 the heights of Skiddaw and the purple crags of Borrow- 



