west married a miss bartlett with whom he lived in wickham in kent and was appointed treasurer of chelsea hospital which provided him a modest income. during this period, following dialogue with george lyttelton, 1st baron lyttelton he published the essay "observations on the history and evidence of the resurrection of jesus christ" (1747) for which oxford university awarded him an lld. in 1749 west published his translations of the odes of pindar; his translation of pindar remained the standard version throughout the following century. only late in his life did west achieve a measure of financial success when he was appointed to a clerkship of the privy council in 1752. he died four years later.