Chapter 8

[4]The originalMacheath. He used, however, to perform the heroes, particularlyAlexander. From these lines it appears thatMassanello, was a favourite part with him. FromChetwood'sHistory of the Stage, p. 141, I learn thatWalkerhad contracted the two parts ofDurfey's Massanellointo one piece, which was acted with success atLincoln's-Inn Fields.

[5]The originalLockit, who was also celebrated for his performance of SerjeantKite.

[6]The grammar and spelling of this line are trulyHogarthian.

[7]"A noted preacher nearLincoln's-Innplayhouse has taken notice of theBeggar's Operain the pulpit, and inveighed against it as a thing of very evil tendency."Mist's Weekly Journal, March30, 1728.

3. The Beggar's Opera. The title over it is in capitals uncommonly large.

Brittonsattend—view this harmonious stage,And listen to those notes which charm the age.Thus shall your tastes insoundsandsensebe shown,AndBeggar's Op'rasever be your own.

No painter or engraver's name. The plate seemsat once to represent the exhibition ofThe Beggar's Opera, and the rehearsal of anItalianone. In theformer, all the characters are drawn with the heads of different animals; asPolly, with a Cat's;Lucy, with a Sow's;Macheath, with an Ass's;Lockit, and Mr. and Mrs.Peachum, with those of an Ox, a Dog, and an Owl. In thelatter, several noblemen appear conducting the chief female singer forward on the stage, and perhaps are offering her money, or protection from a figure that is rushing towards her with a drawn sword. Harmony, flying in the air, turns her back on theEnglishplayhouse, and hastens toward the rival theatre. Musicians stand in front of the former, playing on the Jew's-harp, the salt-box, the bladder and string, bagpipes, &c. On one side are people of distinction, some of whom kneel as if making an offer toPolly, or paying their adorations to her. To these are opposed a butcher, &c. expressing similar applause.Apollo, and one of the Muses, are fast asleep beneath the stage. A man is easing nature under a wall hung with ballads, and shewing his contempt of such compositions, by the use he makes of one of them. A sign of the star, a gibbet, and some other circumstances less intelligible, appear in the back ground.

4. The same. The lines under it are engraved in a different manner from those on the preceding plate. Sold at the Print-Shop inThe Strand, nearCatherine Street.

5. A copy of the same, under the following title, &c.

The Opera House, or theItalianEunuch's Glory. Humbly inscribed to those Generous Encouragers of Foreigners, and Ruiners ofEngland.FromFrance, fromRomewe come,To help OldEnglandtotob' undone.

The Opera House, or theItalianEunuch's Glory. Humbly inscribed to those Generous Encouragers of Foreigners, and Ruiners ofEngland.

FromFrance, fromRomewe come,To help OldEnglandtotob' undone.

Under the division of the print that represents theItalian Opera, the words—Stage Mutiny—are perhaps improperly added.

On the two sides of this print are scrolls, containing a list of the presents made toFarinelli. The words are copied from the same enumeration in the second plate of the Rake's Progress.[1]

At the bottom are the following lines:

"Brittainsattend—view this harmonious stage,And listen to those notes which charm the age.How sweet the sound where cats and bearsWith brutish noise offend our ears!Just so the foreign singers moveRather contempt than gain our love.Were such discourag'd, we should findMusick at home to charm the mind!Our home-spun authors must forsake the field,AndShakespearto theItalian Eunuchsyield."[2]

Perhaps the original print was the work ofGravelot, Vandergucht,or some person unknown.[3]The idea of it is borrowed from aFrenchbook, calledLes Chats, printed atAmsterdamin 1728. In this work, facing p. 117, is represented an opera performed by cats, superbly habited. The design is byCoypel; the engraving byT. Otten. At the end of the treatise, the opera itself is published. It is improbable thatHogarthshould have met with thisjeu d'esprit; and, if he did, he could not have read the explanation to it.

[1]The following paragraph appeared in theGrub-street JournalforApril10, 1735; and to this perhapsHogarthalluded in the list of donations already mentioned: "His Royal Highness the Prince hath been pleased to make a present of a fine wrought gold snuff-box, richly set with brilliants and rubies, in which was inclosed a pair of brilliant diamond knee buckles, as also a purse of 100 guineas, to the famous SignorFarinelli, &c."

[2]These two last lines make part ofAddison'sPrologue toPhædraandHippolytus, reading only "the softScarlatti," instead ofItalian Eunuchs.

[3]At the back of an old impression of it, in the collection of the late Mr.Rogers, I meet with the name ofEcherlan, but am unacquainted with any such designer or engraver.——I have since been told he came over toEnglandto dispose of a number of foreign prints, and was himself no mean caricaturist. Having drawn an aggravated likeness of anEnglishnobleman, whose figure was peculiarly unhappy, he was forced to fly in consequence of a resentment which threatened little short of assassination.

1. KingHenrythe Eighth, andAnna Bullen. "Very indifferent." This plate has very idly been imagined to contain the portraits ofFrederickPrince ofWalesand MissVane;[1]but the stature and faces,both of the lady andPercy, are totally unlike their supposed originals. Underneath are the following verses byAllan Ramsay:

Here struts old piousHarry, once the greatReformer of theEnglishchurch and state:'Twas thus he stood, whenAnna Bullen'scharmsAllur'd the amorous monarch to her arms;With his right hand he leads her as his own,To place this matchless beauty on his throne;WhilstKateandPiercymourn their wretched fate,And view the royal pair with equal hate,Reflecting on the pomp of glittering crowns,And arbitrary power that knows no bounds.WhilstWolsey, leaning on his throne of state,Through this unhappy change foresees his fate,Contemplates wisely upon worldly things,The cheat of grandeur, and the faith of kings.

Mr.Charlton, ofCanterbury, has a copy of this print, with the following title and verses: "KingHenryVIII. bringing to courtAnne Bullen, who was afterwards his royal consort."Hogarth design. &. sculp.

See here the great, the daringHarrystands,Peace, Plenty, Freedom, shining in his face,With lovelyAnna Bullenjoining hands,Her looks bespeaking ev'ry heav'nly grace.SeeWolseyfrowning, discontent and sour,Feeling the superstitiousstructureshake:WhileHenry'sdriving off theRomanwhore,ForBritain'sweal, and hisLutherian'ssake.LikeBritain'sGenius our brave King appears,Despising Priestcraft, Avarice, and Pride;Nor the loud roar ofBabel'sbulls he fears,The Dagon falls before his beauteous bride.LikeEngland'sChurch, all sweetness and resign'd,The comely queen her lord with calmness eyes;As if she said, If goodness guard your mind,You ghostly tricks and trump'ry may despise.

[1]To the fate of this lady Dr.Johnsonhas a beautiful allusion in hisVanity of Human Wishes:"YetVanecould tell what ills from beauty spring,AndSedleycurs'd the form thatpleas'd a king."Perhaps the thought, that suggested this couplet, is found inLoveling'sPoems, a work already quoted:-------necGwynnamvalebatAngliaco placuisse regi.Mersa est acerbo funere sanguinisVanellaclari: nec grave spiculumAverteret fatiMachaon,Nec madidoFredericusore.

[1]To the fate of this lady Dr.Johnsonhas a beautiful allusion in hisVanity of Human Wishes:

"YetVanecould tell what ills from beauty spring,AndSedleycurs'd the form thatpleas'd a king."

Perhaps the thought, that suggested this couplet, is found inLoveling'sPoems, a work already quoted:

-------necGwynnamvalebatAngliaco placuisse regi.Mersa est acerbo funere sanguinisVanellaclari: nec grave spiculumAverteret fatiMachaon,Nec madidoFredericusore.

-------necGwynnamvalebatAngliaco placuisse regi.

Mersa est acerbo funere sanguinisVanellaclari: nec grave spiculumAverteret fatiMachaon,Nec madidoFredericusore.

2. The same plate without any verses, but with an inscription added in their room.Ramsayseems to have been particularly attached toHogarth. He subscribed, as I have already observed, for thirty copies of the largeHudibras.

The original picture was atVauxhall, in the portico of the old great room on the right-hand of the entry into the garden. See p.29.

3. Frontispiece to the "Humours ofOxford," a comedy byJames Miller; acted atDrury-Lane, and published in 8vo, 1729.[1]W. Hogarth inv. G. Vandergucht sc.The Vice-chancellor, attended by his beadle, surprizing two Fellows of a College, one of them much intoxicated, at a tavern.

[1]It met with but moderate success in the theatre; but drew on Mr.Millerthe resentment of some of the heads of the colleges inOxford, who looked on themselves as satirized in it.

1.Perseus, andMedusadead, andPegasus. Frontispiece toPerseusandAndromeda. W. H. fec.

2. Another print to the same piece, ofPerseusdescending. Mr.Walpolementions only one.

3. A half-starved boy. (The same as is represented in the print ofMorning.)W. H. pinx. F. Sykes sc. Sykeswas a pupil ofThornhillorHogarth. This print bears the date of 1730; but I suspect the 0 was designed for an 8, and that the upper part of it is wanting, because the aqua fortis failed; or, that the pupil copied the figure from a sketch of his master, which at that time was unappropriated. No one will easily suspectHogarthof such plagiarism as he might justly be charged with, could he afterwards have adopted this complete design as his own; neither is it probable that any youth could have produced a figure so characteristic as this; or, if he could, that he should have published it without any concomitant circumstances to explain its meaning. The above title, which some collector has bestowed on this etching, is not of a discriminative kind. Who can tell from it whether he is to look for a boy emaciated by hunger, or shivering with cold? It is mentioned here, only that it may be reprobated. If every young practitioner's imitation of a single figure byHogarthwere to be admitted among his works, they would never be complete.

4.Gulliverpresented to the Queen ofBabilary. W. Hogarth inv. Ger. Vandergucht sc. "It is the frontispiece to the Travels of Mr.John Gulliver," son of Capt.Lemuel Gulliver, a translation from theFrenchby Mr.Lockman. There is as much merit in this print as in the work to which it belongs.

1. Two frontispieces to a translation of two ofMoliere'splays, viz.L'Avare[1]andLe Cocû imaginaire. These are part of a select collection ofMoliere'sComedies inFrenchandEnglish. They were advertised inThe Grub-street Journal, with designs by "MonsieurCoypel, Mr.Hogarth, Mr.Dandridge, Mr.Hamilton," &c. in eight pocket volumes.

[1]Of this one, Mr.S. Irelandhas the original drawing.

2. Frontispiece to "The Tragedy of Tragedies, or the Life and Death ofTom Thumb," in three acts;[1]byHenry Fielding. W. Hogarth inv. Ger. Vandergucht sc. "There is some humour in this print."

[1]This piece had before made its appearance in 1730 in one act only.

3. Frontispiece to the Opera ofThe Highland Fair, or the Union of the Clans, byJoseph Mitchell. W. Hogarth inv. Ger Vandergucht sculp.

"Forsan et hæc olim meminisse juvabit."Virg.

The date of this piece is confirmed by the following paragraph inThe Grub-street journal, March4, 1731: "We hear from the Theatre-Royal inDrury-lane, that there is now in rehearsal, and to be performed onTuesday, March16, a newScotsOpera,calledThe Highland Fair, or Union of the Clans,&c." The subject being too local for theEnglishstage, it met with little or no success.

1.Sarah Malcolm,[1]executedMarch7, 1732, formurdering Mrs.Lydia Duncombeher mistress,Elizabeth Harrison, andAnne Price; drawn inNewgate. W. Hogarth (ad vivum) pinxit & sculpsit.[2]Some copies are dated 1733, and have onlyHogarth pinx. She was about twenty-five years of age.[3]"This woman put on red to sit to him for her picture two days before her execution."[4]Mr.WalpolepaidHogarthfive guineas for the original. ProfessorMartyndissected this notorious murderess, and afterwards presentedher skeleton, in a glass case, to the Botanic Garden atCambridge, where it still remains.

[1]OnSundaymorning, the 4th ofFebruary, Mrs.Lydia Duncombe, aged 80,Elizabeth Harrison, her companion, aged 60, were found strangled, andAnn Price, her maid, aged 17, with her throat cut, in their beds, at the said Mrs.Duncombe'sapartments inTanfield-CourtinThe Temple. Sarah Malcolm, a chare-woman, was apprehended the same evening on the information of Mr.Kerrol, who had chambers on the same stair-case, and had found some bloody linen under his bed, and a silver tankard in his close-stool, which she had hid there. She made a pretended confession, and gave information againstThomas Alexander, James Alexander,andMary Tracey,that they committed the murder and robbery, and she only stood on the stairs as a watch; that they took away three hundred pounds and some valuable goods, of which she had not more than her share; but the coroner's inquest gave their verdictWilful MurderagainstMalcolmonly.—On the 23d her trial came on atThe Old Bailey: when it appeared that Mrs.Duncombehad but 54l.in her box, and 53l.11s.6d.of it were found uponMalcolmbetwixt her cap and hair. She owned her being concerned in the robbery, but denied she knew any thing of the murder till she went in with other company to see the deceased. The jury found her guilty of both. She was strongly suspected to have been concerned in the murder of Mr.Nesbitin 1729, nearDrury-lane, for which oneKelly, aliasOwen, was hanged; the grounds for his conviction being only a bloody razor found under the murdered man's head that was known to be his. But he denied to the last his being concerned in the murder; and said, in his defence, he lent the razor to a woman he did not know.—OnWednesday, March7, she was executed on a gibbet oppositeMitre-court, Fleet-street, where the crowd was so great, that a Mrs.Strangways, who lived inFleet-street, nearSerjeant's-Inn, crossed the street, from her own house to Mrs.Coulthurst'son the opposite side of the way, over the heads and shoulders of the mob. She went to execution neatly dressed in a crape mourning gown, holding up her head in the cart with an air, and looking as if she was painted, which some did not scruple to affirm. Her corpse was carried to an undertaker's uponSnow-hill, where multitudes of people resorted, and gave money to see it: among the rest a gentleman in deep mourning, who kissed her, and gave the people half a crown. She was attended by the Rev. Mr.Pedington, lecturer ofSt. Bartholomewthe Great, seemed penitent, and desired to see her masterKerrol; but, as she did not, protested all accusations against him were false. During her imprisonment she received a letter from her father atDublin, who was in too bad circumstances to send her such a sum as 17l.which she pretended he did. The night before her execution, she delivered a paper to Mr.Pedington(the copy of which he sold for 20l.), of which the substance is printed inThe Gentleman's Magazine, 1733, p. 137. She had given much the same account before, at her trial, in a long and fluent speech.

[2]The words "& sculpsit" are wanting in the copies. In the three last of them the figure also is reversed.

[3]"This woman," saidHogarth, after he had drawnSarah Malcolm, "by her features, is capable of any wickedness."

[4]"Monday Sarah Malcolmsat for her picture inNewgate, which was taken by the ingenious Mr.Hogarth: SirJames Thornhillwas likewise present."Craftsman, Saturday, March10, 1732-3.

2. An engraved copy of ditto.

3. Ditto, mezzotinto.

4. Ditto, part graven, part mezzotinto.

The knife with which she committed the murder is lying by her.

5. Another copy of this portrait[1](of which only the first was engraved byHogarth), with the addition of a clergyman holding a ring in his hand, and a motto, "No recompence but Love."[2]

InThe Grub-street JournalofThursday, March8, 1732, appeared the following epigram:

"ToMalcolm Guthrie[3]cries, confess the murther;The truth disclose, and trouble me no further.Think on both worlds; the pain that thou must bearIn that, and what a load of scandal here.Confess, confess, and you'll avoid it all:Your body shan't be hack'd atSurgeons Hall:NoGrub-streethack shall dare to use your ghost ill,Henlyshall read upon your post a postile;Hogarthyour charms transmit to future times,AndCurllrecord your life in prose and rhimes."Sarahreplies, these arguments might doFromHogarth, Curll,andHenly, drawn by you,Were I condemn'd atPadingtonto ride:But now fromFleet-street Pedington'smy guide."

The office of thisPedington[4]may be known from the following advertisement inThe Weekly Miscellany, N° 37.August25, 1733. "This day is published, Price Six-pence, (on occasion of the Re-commitment of the twoAlexanders; with a very neat effigies ofSarah Malcolmand herReverend Confessor, both taken from the Life) The Friendly Apparition: Being an account of the most surprising appearance ofSarah Malcolm'sGhost to a great assembly of her acquaintance at a noted Gin-shop; together with the remarkable speech she then made to the whole company."

[1]A copy of it in wood was inserted inThe Gentleman's Magazine, 1733, p. 153.

[2]This print was designed as a frontispiece to the pamphlet advertised inThe Weekly Miscellany. (See text, above.)

[3]The Ordinary ofNewgate.

[4]Mr.Pedingtondied September 18, 1734. He is supposed to have made some amorous overtures toSarah.

6. The Man ofTaste. The Gate ofBurlington-house. Popewhite-washing it, and bespattering the Duke ofChandos'scoach. "A satire onPope'sEpistle on Taste. No name." It has been already observed that the plate was suppressed; and if this be true, the suppression may be accounted for from the following inscription, lately met with at the back of one of the copies.

"Botthis book of Mr.Wayte, atThe Fountain Tavern, inThe Strand, in the presence of Mr.Draper, who told me he had it of the Printer, Mr.W. Rayner.[1]

"J. Cosins."

On this attested memorandum a prosecution seems meant to have been founded.Cosinswas an attorney, andPopewas desirous on all occasions to make the law the engine of his revenge.

[1]Raynerwas at that time already under prosecution for publishing a pamphlet called, "Robin'sGame, or Seven's the Main." Neglecting to surrender himself, he was taken by a writ of execution from the crown, and confined to theKing's Bench; where he became connected with LadyDinely, whole character was of equal infamy with his own.

7. The same, in a smaller size; prefixed to a pamphlet, intituled, "A Miscellany of Taste, by Mr.Pope," &c. containing his Epistles, with Notes and other poems. In the former of these Mr.Popehas a tie-wig on, in the latter a cap.

8. The same, in a size still smaller; very coarsely engraved. Only one of them is noted by Mr.Walpole.

A reader of these Anecdotes observes, "That the total silence ofPopeconcerning so great an artist, encourages a suspicion that his attacks were felt though not resented. The thunders of the poet were usually pointed at inglorious adversaries; but he might be conscious of a more equal match in our formidable caricaturist. All ranks of people have eyes for pencil'd ridicule, but of written satire we have fewer judges. It may be suspected, that the 'pictured shape' would never have been complained of, had it been produced only by a bungler in his art. But from the powers ofHogarth, Popeseems to have apprehended more lasting inconvenience; and the event has justified his fear. The frontispiece toSmedley's Gulliverianahas been long forgotten; but theGate ofBurlington houseis an object coveted by all who assemble prints of humour.—It may be added, that our painter's reputation was at the height ten years before the death ofPope, who could not therefore have overlooked his merit, though, for some reason or other, he has forborne to introduce the slightest allusion to him or his performances. Yet these, or copies from them, were to be met with in almost every public and private house throughout the kingdom; nor was it easy for the bard ofTwickenhamto have mixed in the conversation of the times, without being obliged to hear repeated praises of the author ofThe Harlot's Progress."

The sheet containing this page having been shewn to a friend, produced from him the following remark: "ThatPopewas silent on the merits ofHogarth(as one of your readers has observed) should excite little astonishment, as our artist's print on theSouth Seaexhibits the translator ofHomerin no very flattering point of view. He is represented with one of his hands in the pocket of a fat personage, who wears a hornbook at his girdle. For whom this figure was designed, is doubtful. Perhaps it was meant forGay, who was a fat man, and a loser in the same scheme."—"Gay," says Dr.Johnson, "in that disastrous year had a present from youngCraggsof someSouth-seastock, and once supposed himself to be master of twenty-thousand pounds. His friends persuaded him tosell his share; but he dreamed of dignity and splendour, and could not bear to obstruct his own fortune. He was then importuned to sell as much as would purchase an hundred a year for life, which, saysFenton, will make you sure of a clean shirt and a shoulder of mutton every day. This counsel was rejected; the profit and principal were lost, andGaysunk under the calamity so low that his life became in danger.—The Hornbook appended to his girdle, perhaps, refers to the Fables he wrote for the Duke ofCumberland. Some of your ingenious correspondents, or Mr.Walpole, who isinstar omnium, may be able to give a further illustration. The conclusion to the inscription under this plate—Guess at the rest, you'll find out more—seems also to imply a consciousness of such personal satire as it was not prudent to explain. I may add, that the print before us exhibits more than one figure copied fromCallot. Among the people going along the gallery to raffle for husbands, the curious observer will recognize theOld Maidwith lappets flying, &c. afterwards introduced into the scene ofMorning. Dr.Johnson, however, bears witness to the propriety of our great poet's introduction into a satire on the 'disastrous year of national infatuation, when more riches thanPerucan boast were expected from theSouth Sea; when the contagion of avarice tainted every mind; andPope, being seized with the universal passion, ventured some of his money. The stock rose in itsprice; and he for a while thought himselfThe Lord of Thousands. But this dream of happiness did not last long: and he seems to have waked soon enough to get clear with the loss only of what he once thought himself to have won, and perhaps not wholly that.'"

It appears fromPope'scorrespondence withAtterbury, that the stock he had was at one time valued at between twenty and thirty thousand pounds; and that he was one of the lucky few who had "the good fortune to remain with half of what they imagined they had."—"Had you got all you have lost beyond what you ventured," said the good Bishop in reply, "consider that your superfluous gains would have sprung from the ruin of several families that now want necessaries."[1]

[1]Letters to and from BishopAtterbury, 1782, vol. I. p. 71.

1. The Laughing Audience. "1733. Recd.Decbr.18of the Right Honnble. Lord BironHalf a Guinea being the first Payment for nine Prints 8 of which Represent a Rakes Progress and the 9tha Fair, Which I promise to Deliver at Michaelmass Next on Receiving one Guinea more. Note the Fair will be Deliver'd next Christmass at Sight of this receipt the Prints of the Rakes. Progress alone will be 2 Guineas each set after the Subscription is over."

The words printed inItalicksare in the hand-writing ofHogarth.

2. TheFair[1][atSouthwark].Invented, painted, and engraved by W. Hogarth.. The show-cloth, representing the Stage Mutiny, is taken from a large etching byJohn Laguerre(son ofLouis Laguerre, the historical painter), who sung atLincoln's-Inn FieldsandCovent-GardenTheatres, painted some of their scenes, and died in 1748.The Stage-Mutineers, orA Playhouse to be let, a tragi-comi farcical-ballad-opera, which was published in 1733, will throw some light on the figures here represented byHogarth. See also theSupplementtoDodsley'sPreface to his Collection of Old Plays, and the "Biographia Dramatica, 1782."

It is remarkable that, in our artist's copy of this etching, he has added a paint-pot and brushes at the feet of the athletic figurewith a cudgel in his hand, who appears on the side ofHighmore.[2]Fromthese circumstances it is evident thatJohn Ellisthe painter (a pupil of SirJames Thornhill, a great frequenter ofBroughton'sgymnasium, the stages of other prize-fighters, &c.) was the person designed.Elliswas deputy-manager for Mrs.Wilks, andtook up the cudgelsalso for the new patentee. Mr.Walpoleobserves thatRysbrack, when he produced that "exquisite summary of his skill, knowledge, and judgment," theHerculesnow in Mr.Hoare'sTemple atStourhead, modelled the legs of the God from those ofEllis. This statue was compiled from the various limbs and parts of seven or eight of the strongest and best-made men inLondon, chiefly the bruisers, &c. of the then famous amphitheatre inTottenham Court road.

InBanks'sWorks, vol. I. p. 97. is a Poetical Epistle on this print, which alludes to the disputes between the managers ofDrury-Lane, and such of the actors as were spirited up to rebellion byTheophilus Cibber, and seceded toThe Haymarketin 1733.Cibberis represented under the character ofPistol;[3]Harperunder that ofFalstaff. The figure in the corner was designed forColley Cibberthe Laureat, who had just sold his share in the play-house to Mr.Highmore, who is represented holding a scroll, on which is written "it cost £.6000." A monkey isexhibited sitting astride the iron that supports the sign ofThe Rose, a well-known tavern. A label issuing from his mouth contains the words: "I am a gentleman."[4]The Siege of Troy, upon another show-cloth, was a celebrated droll, composed byElkanah Settle, and printed in 1707; it was a great favourite at fairs. A booth was built inSmithfieldthis year for the use ofT. Cibber, Griffin, Bullock,andH. Hallam; at which the Tragedy ofTamerlane, withThe Fall of Bajazet, intermixed with the Comedy ofThe Miser, was actually represented. The figure vaulting on the rope was designed for SignorViolante, who signalized himself in the reign ofGeo.I.; and the tall man exhibited on a show-cloth, wasMaximilian, a giant fromUpper Saxony. The man flying from the steeple was oneCadman, who, within the recollection of some persons now living, descended in the manner here described from the steeple ofSt. Martin'sintoThe Mews. He broke his neck soon after, in an experiment of the like kind, atShrewsbury, and lies buried there in the churchyard ofSt. Mary Friars, with the following inscription on a little tablet inserted in the church-wall just over his grave.[5]The lines are contemptible, but yet serve to particularize the accident that occasioned his death.

Let this small monument record the nameOfCadman, and to future times proclaimHow, by an attempt to fly from this high spireAcross theSabrinestream, he did acquireHis fatal end. 'Twas not for want of skill,Or courage, to perform the task, he fell:No, no,—a faulty cord, being drawn too tight,Hurry'd his soul on high to take her flight,Which bid the body here beneath, good night.

A prelate being asked permission for a line to be fixed to the steeple of a cathedral church, for this daring adventurer, replied, the man might fixtothe church whenever he pleased, but he should never give his consent to any one's flyingfromit. It seemsthat some exhibitor of the same kind met with a similar inhibition here inLondon. I learn fromMist'sJournal forJuly8, 1727, that a sixpenny pamphlet, intituled, "The Devil to pay atSt. James's, &c."[6]was published on this occasion, Again, inThe Weekly MiscellanyforApril17, 1736. "Thomas Kidman, the famous Flyer, who has flown from several of the highest precipices inEngland, and was the person that flew offBromhamsteeple inWiltshirewhen it fell down, flew, onMondaylast, from the highest of the rocks nearThe Hot-wellatBristol, with fire-works and pistols; after which he went up the rope, and performed several surprising dexterities on it, in sight of thousands ofspectators, both fromSomersetshireandGloucestershire." In this print also is a portrait which has been taken for that of Dr.Rock, but was more probably meant for another Quack, who used to draw a crowd round him by seeming to eat fire, which, having his checks puffed up with tow, he blew out of his mouth.[7]Some other particulars are explained in the notes to the poetical epistle already mentioned.

[1]In the Craftsman, 1733, was this advertisment; "Mr.Hogarthbeing now engraving nine copper-plates from pictures of his own painting, one of which represents the Humours of a Fair, the other eight the Progress of a Rake, intends to publish the prints by subscription, on the following terms: each subscription to be one guinea and a half: half-a-guinea to be paid at the time of subscribing, for which a receipt will be given on a new-etched print, and the other payment of one guinea on delivery of all the prints when finished, which will be with all convenient speed, and the time publicly advertised. The Fair, being already finished, will be delivered at the time of subscribing. Subscriptions will be taken in at Mr.Hogarth's, theGolden Head, inLeicester Fields, where the pictures are to be seen."

[2]Highmorewas originally a man of fortune; butWhite'sgaming-house, and the patent ofDrury-Lanetheatre, completely exhausted his finances. Having proved himself an unsuccessful actor as well as manager, in 1743 he publishedDettingen, a poem which would have disgraced a Bell-man. In 1744 he appeared again in the character ofLothario, for the benefit of Mrs.Horten. From this period his history is unknown. IfHogarth'srepresentation of him, in the print entitledThe Discovery, was a just one, he had no external requisites for the stage.

[3]In a two-shilling pamphlet, printed forJ. MechellatThe King's ArmsinFleet street, 1740, entitled "An Apology for the life of Mr.T—— C——, comedian; being a proper sequel to the apology for the life of Mr.Colley Cibber, comedian; with a historical view of the stage to the present year; supposed to be written by himself in the stile and manner of the Poet Laureat," but in reality the work ofHarry Fielding; the following passages, illustrative of our subject, occur. "In that year when the stage fell into great commotions, and theDrury Lanecompany, asserting the glorious cause of liberty and property, made a stand against the oppressions in the patentees—in that memorable year when the Theatric Dominions fell in labour of a revolution under the conduct ofmyself, that revolt gave occasion to several pieces of wit and satirical flirts at the conductor of the enterprize. I was attacked, as my father had been before me, in the public papers and journals; and the burlesque character ofPistolwas attributed to me as a real one. Out came aPrintofJack Laguerre's, representing, in most vile designing, this expedition of ours, under the name ofThe Stage Mutiny, in which, gentle reader,your humble servant, in thePistolcharacter, was the principal figure. This I laughed at, knowing it only a proper embellishment for one of those necessary structures to which persons out of necessity repair." p. 16, &c.—Again, p. 88.—"At the Fair ofBartholomew, we gained some recruits; but, besides those advantages over the enemy, I myself went there in person, and publicklyexposedmyself. This was done to fling defiance in the Patentee's teeth; for, on the booth where I exhibited, I hung outThe Stage Mutiny, withPistolat the head of his troop, our standard bearing this motto,—We eat."—Whether this account whichCibberis made to give of his own conduct is entirely jocular, or contains a mixture of truth in it, cannot now be ascertained.Hogarthmight have transplanted a circumstance fromBartholomewtoSouthwarkFair; orFielding, by design, may have misrepresented the matter, alluding at the same time toHogarth'sprint.

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