...that year, he is the worst company in the world - from a melancholy turn, from living reclusively, and from a little too much dignity, he never converses...writings are admirable; he himself is not agreeable. ( WC ix.76) Walpole's comments have been misinterpreted by some critics as constituting a final, harsh,...

...about Gray; he is the worst company in the world — from a melancholy turn, from living reclusively, and from a little too much dignity, he never converses...writings are admirable; he himself is not agreeable." Norton Nicholls, a young man who befriended Gray, disagreed with Walpole's assessment. Praising Gray,...