Lord Bathurst's letter (12 February 1729–30) intimated that he certainly understood the message, and interpreted it as a work of comedy:
lˈɔːɹd bˈæθɜːsts lˈɛɾɚ twˈɛlv fˈɛbɹuːˌɛɹi wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti nˈaɪn θˈɜːɾi ˈɪntɪmˌeɪɾᵻd ðæt hiː sˈɜːʔn̩li ˌʌndɚstˈʊd ðə mˈɛsɪdʒ, ænd ɪntˈɜːpɹɪɾᵻd ɪɾ æz ɐ wˈɜːk ʌv kˈɑːmədi: