THE POET GRAY 
history and with the works of the great masters. There was a 
harpsichord in his study, and later a forte-piano, on which he 
often played. He was a skilful draughtsman with pen and pen- 
cil, and many portfolios of drawings and of engravings and mu- 
sical scores lay about the room, or upon the shelves of his book- 
cases, wherever the crowd of books, of which he had a large and 
excellent collection, left space for them. 
The ancient classics were his intimates; his knowledge of early 
English literature was beyond that of any of his contemporaries, 
with perhaps the exception of Warton, the historian of English 
poetry ; and his familiarity with Shakespeare was that of a lover. 
He was master of Italian and of French, and was more or less ac- 
quainted with many other languages. His library represented the 
wide fields of his learning. As happens with every lover of books, 
the more he had the more he wanted, and "he had," writes the 
Reverend Mr. Cole, a familiar acquaintance of the poet in his 
later years, "not only a large collection in a room on the same 
floor with his chamber, but hired a room or two above his apart- 
ments which were completely filled with books." He adds, light- 
ing up his description with a pleasant little gleam of the poefs 
character, "I have reason to mention this . . . for he was contin- 
ually lending to me from his store." 
In the windows of his room were boxes of flowers, which he 
tended with special care. "And so you have a garden of your 
( 8 ) 
