— Thomas Gray, Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College (full text here) Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France). Events February – Horace Walpole's tabby cat Selima drowns in a Chinese porcelain vase while pursuing goldfish in his London home; he commissions an epitaph from Thomas Gray, who sends him "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes" on March 1. Works published Sir William Blackstone, The Panthion, published anonymously, attribution uncertain William Dunkin, Boeotia Philip Francis, A Poetical Translation of the Works of Horace, parallel Latin and English texts; first collected edition (originally published in separate parts: The Odes, Epodes and Carmen Seculare of Horace 1743) Thomas Gray, Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College (text), published anonymously (see quotation, above) Charlotte Lennox, Poems on Several Occasions William Livingston, Philosophic Solitude; or, The Choice of a Rural Life, celebrating rural life and nature; the book would go through five printings in the author's life; English Colonial America David Mallet, Amyntor and Theodora; or, The Hermit William Mason, Musaeus, a Monody to the memory of Pope, published anonymously; written in imitation of John Milton's Lycidas Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Six Town Eclogues, with some other Poems Samuel Niles, A Brief and Plain Essay on God's Wonder Working Providence for New-England [. . .], a verse account of the battle of Louisburg in Nova Scotia, described as a sign of God's favor for the victors; English Colonial America Josiah Relph, A Miscellany of Poems Tobias Smollett, Reproof: A satire, published anonymously; a sequel to Advice 1746 Thomas Warton, the younger, The Pleasures of Melancholy, published anonymously Works wrongly dated as 1747 William Collins, Odes on Several Descriptive and Allegoric Subjects, published 1746, although the book is dated this year Births Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article: January 12 – Susanna Blamire (died 1794), English poet and writer of Lallans songs January 15 – John Aikin (died 1822), English doctor, writer and poet February 19 – Heinrich Leopold Wagner (died 1779), German writer and poet June 24 – John O'Keeffe (died 1833), Irish dramatist and poet October 31 – Johann Karl Wezel (also "Carl"; died 1819), German poet, writer and educator December 22 – Johann Jakob Thill (died 1772), German December 31 – Gottfried August Bürger (see