[Thomas Edwards to Samuel Richardson, 18 July 1754, on his practice of writing sonnets:] 'The reading of Spenser's Sonnets was the first occasion of my writing that species of little poems, and my first six were written in the same sort of stanza as all his and Shakespeare's are. But after that Mr Wray brought me acquainted with the Italian authors, who are the originals of that sort of poetry, and whose measures have more variety and harmony in them, -- ever since, I wrote in that stanza; drawing from the same fountain as Milton drew from'.