A Descriptive Portrait of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, sketched by the Pen of Publius Lentulus, a Roman Governor, in a Letter to the Senate of Rome; and rendered into verse by Thomas Tew Morrell.

Excessively scarce (no copy on COPAC). On one side of a piece of unwatermarked wove paper, 41.5 x 25.5 cm. Text clear and entire, on aged and worn paper, with a couple of closed tears and one small hole (1.5 x 0.5 cm) to the border. Priced at three pence. Addressed on reverse (with postage stamp removed but with two postmarks) to 'Mr Dash, Bookseller, Kettering'. Attractively produced, varying between one and two columns, using a variety of point sizes, within a decorative border. Tew's poem, of 56 lines divided into 14 four-line stanzas, begins 'The SON OF GOD is past compare, | So beaut'ous is His Form; | A Figure tall, and shap'd with care, | So sweet and uniform!' It ends 'Then let us constant pray to GOD, For sending down HIS SON, | And, though oft struck with Satan's Rod, | Let's say "THY WILL BE DONE!!!" It is preceded by several scriptural quotations and a passage describing Jesus Christ, said not to be 'drawn by the Pencil of the Painter, but by the Pen of a Roman Governor, and may be relied on as being authentic and correct; and was written about the 30th year of our Saviour's Age, as God-man.' A footnote reads 'This descriptive Portrait will also be found to correspond with the beautiful Picture of the SAVIOUR, printed by that talented artist, BENJAMIN WEST, which represents Peter denying Christ; and likewise by the picture of E. U. EDDIS, in the late Exhibition of the Royal Academy, where the SAVIOUR is represented as Raising the Daughter of Jairus.' The full list of publishers reads: 'Published for the AUTHOR, in LONDON, by Messrs. EDWARDS and HUGHES, 12, Ave Maria Lane, Ludgate Hill; E. SABINE, Repository, Denmark Hill; W. WEATHERLEY, Library, Peckham; and sold by the following Booksellers and Stationers at Camberwell - Miss Tayler, Mr. Medes, Mrs. Lambert, Mr. Clark, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Chandler, Mr. Norris, and Mr. Connell: also at Peckham, by Mr. Hussey, Mr. Bowler, at Miss Thomas's Berlin Repository, and Mr. Andrews, Rye Lane. It may also be had of all Booksellers in Town and Country.'