A Strange Find at Waipawa.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 53, 31 July 1885, Page 4

A Strange Find at Waipawa.

A correspondent of the Hawke's Bay \ Herctld at '■■ Waipawa : states that Mr EL 3\ B;aker,of. that- place, while turning over What he conceived to lie a lot of lumber the other day, found a treasure m the fo.rni of . an authograph letter from the ppet Pope to Williani Pitt, the elder. 'The fallowing "is an ' exact copy of the letter^:— ;; .- ... ■ • -. ; ? ; Twikenham, Nr Hampton Court, July 23, 1726.— Sir, — I received a letter from ybif with satisfaction,. haying long been Meslroiis of an& occasion of testifying 'my. regard for youfand particularly of acknowledging the pleasure your version of Wida's Poetick : had '-'afforded me. I had it not indeed from your Book-seller, but read it with eagerness &. think it both a correct, and a -spirited translation. lam ■ pleas'd to have been (as you~tell me) ye : : occasiph ; ,of > ye ; undertaking, that work : that is' spme.sort ofjuerit; ,& if I have any m! nie,, it really consists-in an earnest desire jto promote & produce, as far as I can, tliatof others. VBut as to my being ye Piiljlisher,' or any way, concerned m; reviewing or -.recommending ;Of, Lintots .miscellany. -It is • what I never did m my Ufa; tho : he (like ye rest of his Tribe) ■ rrialce a very .free use of my name. He; has often: reprinted my things, <& so scuryily, that, finding, he was doing so again, I. corrected ye sheets, as far as they went ; of my own 1 only. And being told by hini r-yt he had 2 or 3 copies of yours (wch you also had. formerly sent me (as he. thro his-, hands) I obliged him to write foryr consent, before he made use of 'm. ! This Was all : yr second book he has just now delivered to me, ye inscription of. which to 5 myself I. will take care p he shall ileave out; and either return ye rest of yr verses to him, or not, as yu shall jlike'best. lam obliged to you, sr, for expressing a " much higher opinion of me ..•than: I know I deserve : The freedom with wch you write is yet what obliges and pleases me more ; and it is with sincerity that I say, I wd rathor ba thought by 'every iiigenious man m ye world, his ' Servantjthan his Rival.— l am very much yours, As. Pope. 1 . The ; letter is written with a light hand, : the'ink inclined to brown, and the paper is laid, of a coarse texture, and strawcoloured! hearing every appearance of authenticity. The letter is endorsed, "Letter from Mr, Pope to Mr Pitt, July 23, 172 G.! 1 r A ;i^