Thomas Gray

Thomas Gray (1716-1771) was an English poet, scholar and professor. His Elegy Written in a Country Courtyard generally regarded as his masterpiece. Gray himself was quite self-critical, and so only 13 of his pieces were published in his lifetime.

Thomas Gray in "The House That George Built"
Thomas Gray's Elegy received a response from H.L. Mencken roughly two centuries after Gray's death. Mencken contradicted Gray's assertion that Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest with his own that

Mencken had occassion to remeber Gray and his own response in February, 1941, after listening to former Baltimore minor league baseball star George Ruth lament the missed opportunities that could have led him to major league stardom.