'de nova doctissimi Camdeni Britannia, quid ad ipsum scribam, videre poteris. Sculptorem certe minus legitime, quam par fuisset, antiquos nummos expressisse vehementer doleo, vereorque ne id, praesertim apud Italos, eruditissimarum eius observationum fidem minuat. Sed et plerosque alios nummos notatu dignissimos, quos apud te vidi, omissos fuisse norim
...
Simulque ectypos duos Roma ad me missos a R.D. Laelio Pasqualino, inter rei antiquariae in Italia peritos facile Principe, qui mihi prototypos ipsos argenteos libenter obtulit, si eos desiderem: quod sane, cum tibi rem gratam me facturum putem, non recusabo. Quamvis autem/enim Offa Merciorum regis plerosque nummos apud te viderim, in nullo tamen hanc inscriptiones ordinem observavi: OFfa Rex Ɏ encircum. Deinde nullum prorsus BEORHTRICI REGIS nummum invenio in indicibus illis, quos ex ditissimo thesauro tuo deprompsi, ideoque ecmagmata illa interim dum prototypos expectamus, non injucunda tibi fore spero. enixeque scjo, ut haec qualiacunque sint aequi bonique consulas, atque affectus et observantiae meae potius, quam ipsorum rationem habeas.'
['You will be able to see what I wrote to Camden, concerning his new Britannia. I really regret that the engraver has cut the ancient coins much less correctly that would have been right, and I am afraid that it will reduce confidence in his very scholarly observations, especially among the Italians. And I also know that many other coins, which I saw with you and which are very worthy of being noted, have been left out
...
And at the same time [I send] those two casts, sent to me from Rome by the Rev. Dr. Laelio Pasqualini, easily the Prince among experts in antiquity in Italy, who freely offered me the actual silver originals, if I wanted them: and obviously I will not refuse them, since I think I will make the matter pleasing to you. For, although I saw many coins of Offa King of the Mercians in your possession, on none of them did I observe this form of inscription: Offa Rex around Ɏ. Next, I find no coin precisely of King Beorhtric in those lists which I drew up from your very rich collection, and so meanwhile, while we await the originals, I hope the casts will not be displeasing to you. And I very certainly know that whatever they may be, you will take them in good part, and that you will take my affection and regard more into account than the things themselves.']
(Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Smith 74 ff.95-6; extract and translation from Burnett 2020b, p. 130 n. 79, p. 175)
Abstract from EMLO: Repeated letters and coins despatched from various places have failed to elicit a response from C., but now he is sending by the hand of his brother a letter along with coins which he describes and explains e.g. a wax coin of Hadrian with an inscription, "Exerc. Britannia" and three silver coins of Severus, Bassianus and Gita. He will be glad too to send what he has obtained from Lelius Pasqualini, foremost antiquarian in Italy. Although he has seen several coins of Offa he could find no inscription on them. He fears Camden's comments on coins in his Brittannia are sure to diminish confidence in him among Italians. If C. wishes he will send him his seal of Edward the Confessor.
