John Mitford

Explore the complete poetic works of Thomas Gray, presented with insightful critical notes by John Mitford. This edition offers a comprehensive look at Gray's contributions to English literature, featuring iconic poems such as "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." Mitford's notes provide valuable context and analysis, enhancing the reader's appreciation of Gray's craftsmanship and the historical significance of his verse. This collection is an essential resource for students, scholars, and anyone interested in 18th-century poetry and the evolution of English literary traditions. Rediscover the beauty and depth of Thomas Gray's poetry in this meticulously curated edition. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

When Lady Briget Perceval tricked John Mitford into supporting her campaign to promote Caroline of Brunswick, the then Princess of Wales, he was hidden away in Whitmore House, a for-profit mad-house owned by the cany and bombastic Thomas Warburton. From the inside, Mitford helped Lady Perceval place forged letters in the newspapers-an arrangement that ended badly, with a falling out and a lawsuit from which Mitford was acquitted. During his stay, he had opportunity to observe the cruel suffering to which mental patients were subjected in this and other private asylums, many of which were equally if not even more depraved and corrupt. The horrors were such that he, a Navy Officer who had seen his fair share of inhumanity and death, was moved to campaign for their abolition. In the two pamphlets collected herein, first published in the 1820s, he describes the filth and revolting conditions, the brutal punishments, the debauchery of the keeperesses, the fleecing of patients, the pretences put up for visiting relatives, the (perfectly sane) wealthy criminals absconding to evade justice, the weaponisation of certificates on insanity obtainable from quack doctors and corrupt physicians, and the preferential treatment given to those with money and aristocratic connections. The revelations helped trigger the 1827 Select Committee to investigate conditions at the Bethnal Green asylums, whose notoriety proved instrumental in the the introduction of the Act for the Regulation of Madhouses of 1828, which prescribed new rules for the committing of patients to asylums and licensed houses.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1859.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1859.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1859.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1859.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1859.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1859.