Item 94 - Letter from Peter Grant Watson to R. C. Trevelyan

West Melville, Northam, Devon. - Thanks Bob for the 'truly lovely book' ["Translations from Latin Poetry"?]. Enjoys the 'pictures of life' in it, and comments on 'how fresh that past seems to our ageing present!'. Thinks he has mentioned that he has also tried to 'live in that distant time': his book is finished and he has sent it to Constables to see if they will publish. Had a 'very friendly and favourable recommendation' from Helen Waddell - expects Bob knows her, or at least her work. Bob knows he is not a classical scholar, but he has been reading about the first century for the last two years and 'lived [himself] a little way into it'. Quotes approvingly from Bob's translation of Catullus [4: "Phaselus ille..."]. Wishes he could see Bob and hear him read, but the distance between them is 'so far'. Hopes to be in London in September, or perhaps November, and will see if he can visit then. Hopes Bob and Bessie are 'as well as we ageing creatures can hope to be'. Still enjoys bathing, and finds he feels 'young again, if only for a few minutes' when swimming. Katharine has had a 'bad summer and spring', with tonsillitis leading to a 'long operation' from which she is only slowly recovering; she gets 'very depressed at times'. Would like to take her somewhere for a change, but hotels are busy, so in October they hope to go to Cornwall; meanwhile Katharine might spend some time at her sister's flat in Hampstead. Thanks Bob again for the book which will take him 'far from this troublous age.