In another letter to West of the same year he defends the practice of ‘judiciously and sparingly’ inserting phrases from Shakespeare into modern poetry because of their greater energy; a practice which he himself was to adopt in his later odes. Gray’s Shakespearian borrowings are always judicious, but it may be questioned whether the effect of such quotations from a greater writer by a less is not to create an impression of poverty in the borrower. It is more important to inquire how far Gray was successful in emulating the Shakespearian ‘pomp and prodigality’ of imagination. The prodigality clearly was beyond even his ambition. His Pegasus always required the spur rather than the reins. But the pomp, it must be admitted, he did not infrequently achieve. No one can be blind to the magnificence of the lines about Pindar in the ‘Progress of Poesy’: ‘Oh! Lyre divine, what daring Spirit Wakes thee now? Tho’ he inherit Nor the pride, nor ample pinion, That the Theban eagle bear Sailing with supreme dominion Thro’ the azure deep of air.’ And in the ‘Elegy’ we have many imaginative pictures that have the true Shakespearian quality: ‘The paths of glory lead but to the grave.’ ‘And shut the gates of Mercy on mankind.’ ‘Or Flattery soothe the dull cold ear of death.’ ‘Along the cool sequester’d vale of life They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.’ ‘Left the warm precincts of the chearful day, Nor cast one longing, ling’ring look behind.’ ‘Even in our Ashes live their wonted Fires.’ It will be remembered that in the ‘Progress of Poesy’ English poetry is represented by three names—Shakespeare, Milton, and Dryden. Dryden is praised for the energy of his heroic couplet, symbolised by the ‘Two coursers of ethereal race With necks in thunder cloath’d and long-resounding pace,’