PRIEST

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. The recipient is not identified. Addressed to ‘My dear Sir’ and signed ‘Herbert Thurston’. He begins by thanking him for ‘the nice things you say’, and continues: ‘I fear I have no defence as regards Samuel Butler. I knew that he had written on the Sonnets and that some people thought highly of his book but I have never seen it. The fact was that I was provoked into talking up the question by some friends who have recently become obsessed by the Oxford theory.

Maguire was, his entry in the Oxford DNB states, 'one of the most popular orators of his age, and from 1829 until 1843 he addressed huge crowds and packed congregations in churches and at venues throughout England and Ireland'.

Three pages, 16mo in large hand, good condition. "The Revd Charles Voysey presents his comp[lime]nts to Rev. [S?] W. Flower & begs to thank him very sincerely for his kind note & present of books, which he will no doubt find very interesting - Rev [or Mr?] Voysey, unhappily, has no time to alter the defence which he has only just finished preparing & he has not yet received Mr Flower's valuable books. Rev [or Mr?] Voysey hopes to be able to write at greater length when he has been able to read the works." Note: a.

1p., 4to. In fair condition, aged and creased, with slight tearing at edges. She begins: 'Please forgive me for not answering your letter before, but I have been so rushed!' She is not able to 'sit for Mr. Priest just at present': 'We are just on the point of starting rehearsals for several plays to be toured and, in addition, my two small girls are ill, so that I want to spend all my spare time with them.' She is trying to 'get out of' sittings for another artist.