- 63
Cowper, William
Estimate
2,000 - 2,500 GBP
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Description
- Cowper, William
- Autograph letter signed, to Samuel Rose
- ink on paper
containing a vociferous attack on Edward Gibbon and his religious beliefs, also mentioning visits by John Newton and Lady Hesketh, 2 pages, 4to, Weston, 6 June 1788, integral autograph address leaf, postal markings, seal tear
Condition
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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
"...Mr Gibbons [sic] thinks himself wise, and according to the wisdom of this world, so he is. But I know that a time is coming when (happily for him, if God make the discovery to him in mercy) he will find that he has been a Fool ... What is the worth of wit which when it has mistaken Truth for Falsehood and Falsehood for Truth, plumes itself on the great discovery?..."
A letter by William Cowper, then in the midst of his translation of the Iliad, fiercely attacking Gibbon's supposed anti-Christian sentiments, which concludes by comparing the great historian to those who scoffed at Noah while he was building the ark and subsequently drowned in the flood. Cowper was not alone in being disturbed by the historical treatment of early Christianity in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. His correspondent here, Samuel Rose (1767-1804), was a young lawyer who became one of Cowper's closest friends in his final decade.