Pope, Alexander

advising him that “Mr Lintot came to me at Twitnam, & says he has found a Receipt in his Father's books, which will satisfy me that I gave him a Discharge in full for all Books, remaining of my Homers”, and asking Arbuthnot to confirm the documentation (“...I have no memory of having given him any such books, & I believe it can only be some annual Receit for the Vols of that year...”), 1 page, 4to, integral autograph address leaf, n.p., “Wednesday” [April or May 1742], seal tear with slight residue of red wax seal, tears to address leaf

Arthur A. Houghton, Jr.; his sale, Christie's New York, 17 May 1989, lot 199

The Correspondence of Alexander Pope, ed. Sherburn (1956), vol. IV, p.394

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

George Arbuthnot was the son of Pope's fellow satirist and member of the Scriblerus Club, John Arbuthnot (d.1735). This letter is an attempt to unpick a complicated history of rights to Pope's works in which the poet was engaged with the son of another old friend, his publisher Barnaby Lintot (d.1736). Henry Lintot continued his father's business and maintained his literary copyrights, but when he bought the rights to the Dunciad he found himself entangled in a Chancery law case with Pope, who was preparing a revised and expanded edition of his great poem. Pope mentions in this letter that he “would not proceed in our Bill” until the question over his translation of Homer had been resolved, which suggests that both sides intended the chancery suit to resolve wider issues relating to Pope's copyright beyond the Dunciad.