Chapter 9

[4]Mr.Victor, speaking of this transaction, observes, that "the general observation was, what business hada gentlemanto make the purchase?"

[5]InThe Gentleman's Magazinefor 1740, p. 89, is no bad copy of verses "on the death of the famousFlyeron the Rope atShrewsbury". It is therefore here inserted.—————-Magnis tamen excidit ausis.FondIcarusof old, with rash essay,In air attempted a forbidden way;Too thin the medium for so cumb'rous freight,Too weak the plumage to support the weight.Yet less he dar'd who soar'd on waxen wing,Than he who mounts to æther on a string.Just asArachne, when the buzzing preyEntangled flutter, and would wing away,From watchful ambuscade insidious springs,And to a slender twine, ascending, clings.So on his rope, th' advent'rer climbs on high,Bounds o'er cathedral heights, and seeks the sky;Fix but his cable, and he'll tell you soon,What sort of natives cultivate the moon.An army of such wights to cross the main,Sooner thanHaddock'sfleet, shou'd humbleSpain.As warring cranes on pigmies thund'ring fall,And, without scaling ladders, mount the wall,The proudest spire inSalop'slofty townSafely he gains, and glides as safely down;Then soars again aloft, and downward springs,Swift as an eagle, without aid of wings;Shews anticks, hangs suspended by his toe;Undazzled, views th' inverted chasm below.Invites with beat of drum brave voluntiers,DefiesJack Spaniard, nor invasion fears,Land when they will, they ne'er cou'd hurthis ears.Methink I see as yet his flowing hairAnd body, darting like a falling star:Swifter than what "with fins or feathers flyThro' the ærial or the wat'ry sky."Once more he dares to brave the pathless way,Fate now pursuing, like a bird of prey;And, comet-like, he makes his latest tour,In air excentric (oh! ill-omen'd hour!)Bar'd in his shirt to please the gazing crowd,He little dreamt, poor soul! of winding shroud!Nothing could aught avail but limbs of brass,When ground was iron, and theSevernglass.As quick as lightning down his line he skims,Secure in equal poize of agile limbs.But see the trusted cordage faithless prove!Headlong he falls, and leaves his soul above:The gazing town was shock'd at the reboundOf shatter'd bones, that rattled on the ground;The broken cord rolls on in various turns,Smokes in the whirl, and as it runs it burns.So when the wriggling snake is snatch'd on highIn eagle's claws, and hisses in the sky,Around the foe his twirling tail he flings,And twists her legs, and writhes about her wings.Cadmanlaid low, ye rash, behold and fear,Man is a reptile, and the ground his sphere.Unhappy man! thy end lamented be;Nought but thy own ill fate so swift as thee,Were metamorphoses permitted now,And tunefulOvidliv'd to tell us how;His apter Muse shou'd turn thee to a daw,Nigh to the fatal steeple still to kaw;Perch on the cock, and nestle on the ball,In ropes no more confide, and never fall.J. A.

[5]InThe Gentleman's Magazinefor 1740, p. 89, is no bad copy of verses "on the death of the famousFlyeron the Rope atShrewsbury". It is therefore here inserted.

—————-Magnis tamen excidit ausis.FondIcarusof old, with rash essay,In air attempted a forbidden way;Too thin the medium for so cumb'rous freight,Too weak the plumage to support the weight.Yet less he dar'd who soar'd on waxen wing,Than he who mounts to æther on a string.Just asArachne, when the buzzing preyEntangled flutter, and would wing away,From watchful ambuscade insidious springs,And to a slender twine, ascending, clings.So on his rope, th' advent'rer climbs on high,Bounds o'er cathedral heights, and seeks the sky;Fix but his cable, and he'll tell you soon,What sort of natives cultivate the moon.An army of such wights to cross the main,Sooner thanHaddock'sfleet, shou'd humbleSpain.As warring cranes on pigmies thund'ring fall,And, without scaling ladders, mount the wall,The proudest spire inSalop'slofty townSafely he gains, and glides as safely down;Then soars again aloft, and downward springs,Swift as an eagle, without aid of wings;Shews anticks, hangs suspended by his toe;Undazzled, views th' inverted chasm below.Invites with beat of drum brave voluntiers,DefiesJack Spaniard, nor invasion fears,Land when they will, they ne'er cou'd hurthis ears.Methink I see as yet his flowing hairAnd body, darting like a falling star:Swifter than what "with fins or feathers flyThro' the ærial or the wat'ry sky."Once more he dares to brave the pathless way,Fate now pursuing, like a bird of prey;And, comet-like, he makes his latest tour,In air excentric (oh! ill-omen'd hour!)Bar'd in his shirt to please the gazing crowd,He little dreamt, poor soul! of winding shroud!Nothing could aught avail but limbs of brass,When ground was iron, and theSevernglass.As quick as lightning down his line he skims,Secure in equal poize of agile limbs.But see the trusted cordage faithless prove!Headlong he falls, and leaves his soul above:The gazing town was shock'd at the reboundOf shatter'd bones, that rattled on the ground;The broken cord rolls on in various turns,Smokes in the whirl, and as it runs it burns.So when the wriggling snake is snatch'd on highIn eagle's claws, and hisses in the sky,Around the foe his twirling tail he flings,And twists her legs, and writhes about her wings.Cadmanlaid low, ye rash, behold and fear,Man is a reptile, and the ground his sphere.Unhappy man! thy end lamented be;Nought but thy own ill fate so swift as thee,Were metamorphoses permitted now,And tunefulOvidliv'd to tell us how;His apter Muse shou'd turn thee to a daw,Nigh to the fatal steeple still to kaw;Perch on the cock, and nestle on the ball,In ropes no more confide, and never fall.J. A.

[6]Supposed to have been written by Dr.Arbuthnot, and as such preserved in the Collection of his Works. The full title is, "The Devil to pay atSt. James's: or, a full and true Account of a most horrid and bloody Battle between MadamFaustinaand MadamCuzzoni. Also of a hot Skirmish between SignorBoschiand SignorPalmerini. Moreover, howSenesinohas taken Snuff, is going to leave the Opera, and sings Psalms atHenley's Oratory. Also about the Flying Man, and how the Doctor ofSt. Martin'shas very unkindly taken down the Scaffold, and disappointed a World of good Company. As also how a certain Great Lady is gone mad for the Love ofWilliam Gibson, the Quaker. And how theWild Boyis come to Life again, and has got a Dairy Maid with Child. Also about the great Mourning, and the Fashions, and the Alterations, and what not. With other material Occurrences, too many to insert."In this pamphlet our artist is incidentally mentioned, but in such a manner as shews that he had attained some celebrity so early as 1727. Speaking of someLilliputianswine, supposed to be in the possession of DeanSwift, Dr.Arbuthnotadds, "ButHogarththe Engraver is making a print after them, which will give a juster idea of them than I can."

In this pamphlet our artist is incidentally mentioned, but in such a manner as shews that he had attained some celebrity so early as 1727. Speaking of someLilliputianswine, supposed to be in the possession of DeanSwift, Dr.Arbuthnotadds, "ButHogarththe Engraver is making a print after them, which will give a juster idea of them than I can."

[7]Perhaps he was only a fire-eater.

3.JudithandHolofernes. "Per vulnera servor, morte tuâ vivens."W. Hogarth inv. Ger. Vandergucht sc.A frontispiece to the Oratorio ofJudith.—Our heroine, instead of holding the sword by its handle, grasps it by its edge, in such a manner as should seem to have endangered her fingers. (Judithwas an Oratorio byWilliam Huggins, Esq. set to musick byWilliam De Fesch[1]late Chapel-master of the cathedral church ofAntwerp. This piece was performed with scenes and other decorations, but met with no success. It was published in 8vo, 1733.)—Theoriginal plate of the frontispiece is in the possession of Dr.Monkhouse. This design has little ofHogarth; yet if he furnished other engravers with such slight undetermined sketches as he himself is sometimes known to have worked from, we cannot wonder if on many occasions his usual characteristics should escape our notice. Whoever undertakes to perfect several of his unpublished drawings, will be reduced to the necessity of inventing more than presents itself for imitation.

[1]William Defesch, aGerman, and some time chapel-master atAntwerp, was in his time a respectable professor on the violin, and leader of the band for several seasons atMarybone-gardens. His head was engraved as a frontispiece to some musical compositions published by him; and his name is to be found on many songs and ballads to which he set the tunes forVauxhallandMarybone-gardens. He died, soon after the year 1750, at the age of 70.The following lines were written under a picture ofDefesch, painted bySoldi, 1751.Thou honor'st verse, and verse must lend her wing,To honor thee, the priest ofPhœbus'quire,Thattun'sther happiest lines in hymn or song.Milton.Defeschwas the patriotic Mr.Hollis'smusic-master.

The following lines were written under a picture ofDefesch, painted bySoldi, 1751.

Thou honor'st verse, and verse must lend her wing,To honor thee, the priest ofPhœbus'quire,Thattun'sther happiest lines in hymn or song.Milton.

Defeschwas the patriotic Mr.Hollis'smusic-master.

4. Boys peeping at Nature. "The subscription-ticket to the Harlot's Progress." A copy in aqua-tinta from this receipt was made byR. Livesayin 1781, and is to be had at Mrs.Hogarth'shouse inLeicester-square.

1.[1]The Harlot's Progress,[2]in six plates. In the first is a portrait of ColonelChartres. "Cette figurede viellard (saysRouquet) est d'aprés nature; c'est le portrait d'un officier très riche, fameux dans ce tems-là pour de pareilles expéditions, grand séducteur de campagnardes, et qui avoit toujours à ses gages des femmes de la profession de celle qui cajole ici la nouvelle débarquée." Behind him isJohn Gourlaya Pimp, whom he always kept about his person. The next figure that attracts our notice, is that of MotherNeedham. To prove this woman was sufficiently notorious to have deserved the satire ofHogarth, the following paragraphs inThe Grub-street Journalare sufficient.

March25, 1731. "The noted MotherNeedhamwas yesterday committed toThe Gatehouseby JusticeRailton."

Ibid. "Yesterday, at the quarter-sessions for the city and liberties ofWestminster, the infamous MotherNeedham, who has been reported to have beendead for some time, to screen her from several prosecutions, was brought fromThe Gatehouse, and pleaded not guilty to an indictment found against her for keeping a lewd and disorderly house; but, for want of sureties, was remanded back to prison."

Ibid.April29, 1731. "OhSaturdayended the quarter-sessions forWestminster, &c. The noted MotherNeedham, convicted for keeping a disorderly house inPark Place, St. James's,was fined One Shilling, to stand twice in the pillory, and find sureties for her good behaviour for three years."

Ibid.May6, 1731. "Yesterday the noted MotherNeedhamstood in the pillory inPark Place, nearSt. James's-street, and was roughly handled by the populace. She was so very ill that she lay along, notwithstanding which she was so severely &c. that it is thought she will die in a day or two."—Another account says—"she lay along on her face in the pillory, and so evaded the law which requires that her face should be exposed."—"Yesterday morning died MotherNeedham. She declared in her last words,[3]that what most affected her was the terror of standing in the pillory to-morrow inNew Palace-yard, having been so ungratefully used by the populace onWednesday."

The memory of this woman is thus perpetuated inThe Dunciad, I. 323.

"ToNeedham'squick the voice triumphal rode,But piousNeedhamdropt the name of God."

The note on this passage says, she was "a matron of great fame, and very religious in her way; whose constant prayer it was, that she might 'get enough by her profession to leave it off in time, and make her peace with God.'[4]But her fate was not so happy; for being convicted, and set in the pillory, she was (to the lasting shame of all her great Friends and Votaries) so ill used by the populace, that it put an end to her days."

Rouquethas a whimsical remark relative to the clergyman just arrived inLondon. "Cet ecclesiastique monté sur un cheval blanc,comme ils affectent ici de l'être."—The variations in this plate are; shade thrown by one house upon another;Londonadded on the letter the parson is reading; change in one corner of the fore-ground; the face of the Bawd much altered for the worse, and her foot introduced.

Plate II.QuincomparedGarrickinOthelloto the black boy with the tea-kettle,[5]a circumstance thatby no means encouraged ourRosciusto continue acting the part. Indeed, when his face was obscured, his chief power of expression was lost; and then, and not till then, was he reduced to a level with several other performers. In a copy of this set of plates, one of the two small portraits hanging up in theJew'sbedchamber, is superscribed,Clarke; but without authority fromHogarth. Woolstonwould likewise have been out of his place, as he had written against theJewishtenets. Of this circumstance,Hogarthwas probably told by some friend, and therefore effaced a name he had once ignorantly inserted.

In Plate III.[6](as already observed) is the portrait of SirJohn Gonson. That SirJohn Gonsonwas the person intended in this print, is evident from a circumstance in the next, where, on a door inBridewell, a figure hanging is drawn in chalk, with an inscription over it, "SirJ. G." as well as from the following explanation byRouquet: "La figure, qui paroit entrer sans bruit avec une partie de guet, est un commissaire qui se distinguoit extrêmement par son zèle pour la persecution des filles de joye."

Respecting another circumstance, however, in the third plate,Rouquetappears to have met with some particular information that has escaped me. "L'auteur a saisi l'occasion d'un morceau de beurre qui fait partie du déjeuné, pour l'enveloper plaisamment dans le titre de la lettre pastorale qu'un grand prelat[7]addressa dans ce tems-là à son diocese, & dont plusieurs exemplaires eurent le malheur d'être renvoyés à l'epicier."—The sleeve of the maid-servant's gown in this plate is enlarged, and the neck of a bottle on the table is lengthened.

For variations in Plate IV. see the roof of the room. Shadow on the principal woman's petticoat, and from the hoop-petticoat hanging up in the back ground. The dog made darker. The woman next the overseer has a high cap, which in the modern impressions is lowered.

In Plate V. Roof of the room. Back of the chair. Table. Dr.Misaubin'swaistcoat. Name of Dr.Rockon the paper lying on the close-stool. Dish at the fire.

In a despicable poem published in 1732, under the fictitious name ofJoseph Gay, and intituled "The Harlot's Progress, which is a key to the six prints lately published by Mr.Hogarth," the two quacks in attendance on the dying woman are calledTan—randG—m. It is evident from several circumstances, that this Mr.J. Gaybecame acquainted with our author's work through the medium of a copy.

In Plate VI. the woman seated next the clergyman was designed forElizabeth Adams, who, at the age of 30, was afterwards executed for a robbery,September10, 1737. The common print of her will justify this assertion.

If we may trust the wretched metrical performance just quoted, the Bawd in this sixth plate was designed for MotherBentley.

The portrait hanging up in theJew'sapartment was originally subscribed "Mr.Woolston." There was a scriptural motto to one of the other pictures; and on the cieling of the room in which the girl is dying, a certain obscene word was more visible than it is at present. The former inscription on the paper now inscribed Dr.Rock, was also a gross one. I should in justice add, that before these plates were delivered to the subscribers, the offensive particulars here mentioned were omitted.

The following paragraph inThe Grub-street JournalforSeptember24, 1730, will sufficiently justify the splendid appearance the Harlot makes inBridewell. See Plate IV. Such well-dressed females are rarely met with in our present houses of correction.

"OneMary Muffet, a woman of great note in the hundreds ofDrury, who, about a fortnight ago, was committed to hard labour inTothill-fields Bridewell, by nine justices, brought his Majesty's writ ofHabeas Corpus, and was carried before the right honourable the lord chief justiceRaymond, expecting to have been either bailed or discharged;but her commitment appearing to be legal, his lordship thought fit to remand her back again to her former place of confinement, whereshe is now beating hemp in a gown very richly laced with silver."

Rouquetconcludes his illustration of the fifth plate by observing, that the story might have been concluded here. "L'auteur semble avoir rempli son dessein. Il a suivi son heroine jusques au dernier soupir. Il l'a conduite de l'infamie à la pauvreté, par les voies séduisantes du libertinage. Son intention de tâcher de retenir, ou de corriger celles qui leur foiblesse, ou leur ignorance exposent tous les jours à de semblables infortunes, est suffisament executée; on peut donc dire que la tragedie finit à cette planche, et que la suivante est comme le petite piece. C'est une farce done la defunte est plustôt l'occasion que le sujet."—Such is the criticism ofRouquet; but I cannot absolutely concur in the justness of it.Hogarthfound an opportunity to convey admonition, and enforce his moral, even in this last plate. It is true that the exploits of our heroine are concluded, and that she is no longer an agent in her own story. Yet as a wish prevails, even among those who are most humbled by their own indiscretions, that some respect should be paid to their remains, that they should be conducted by decent friends to the grave, and interred by a priest who feels for the dead that hope expressed in our Liturgy, let us ask whether the memory of our Harlot meets with any such marks of social attention, orpious benevolence. Are not the preparations for her funeral licentious, like the course of her life, as if the contagion of her example had reached all the company in the room? Her sisters in iniquity alone surround her coffin. One of them is engaged in the double trade of seduction and thievery. A second is admiring herself in a mirror. A third gazes with unconcern on the corpse. If any of the number appear mournful, they express at best but a maudlin sorrow, having glasses of strong liquor in their hands. The very minister, forgetful of his office and character, is shamefully employed; nor does a single circumstance occur, throughout the whole scene, that a reflecting female would not wish should be alienated from her own interment.—Such is the plate which our illustrator, with too much levity, has styled a farce appended to a tragic representation.

He might, however, have exercised his critical abilities with more success onHogarth'sneglect of propriety, though it affords him occasion to display his wit. At the burial of a wanton, who expired in a garret, no escutcheons were ever hung up, or rings given away; and I much question if any bawd ever chose to avow that character before a clergyman, or any infant was ever habited as chief mourner to attend a parent to the grave.—I may add, that when these pictures were painted (a time, if news-papers are to be credited, when, having no established police, every act of violence and licentiousness was practised with impunity in our streets, and womenof pleasure were brutally persecuted in every quarter of the town), a funeral attended by such a sisterhood would scarcely have been permitted to reach the place of interment. Much however must be forgiven to the morality ofHogarth'sdesign, and the powers with which it is executed. It may also, on the present occasion, be observed, that in no other scene, out of the many he has painted, has he so widely deviated fromvraisemblance.

The following verses, however wretched, being explanatory of the set of plates already spoken of, are here re-printed. They made their appearance under the earliest and best of the pirated copies published byBowles. Hogarth, finding that such a metrical description had its effect, resolved that his next series of prints should receive the same advantage from an abler hand.

Plate I.See there, but just arriv'd in town,TheCountry Girlin home-spun gown,Tho' plain her dress appears, how neat!Her looks how innocent and sweet!Does not your indignation rise,When on the bawd you cast your eyes?Fraught with devices to betray;She's hither come in quest of prey;Screens her designs with godly airs,And talks of homilies and pray'rs,Till, by her arts, the wretched MaidTo vileFranciscois betray'd.And see, the lewd old rogue appears,How at the fresh young thing thing he leers!In lines too strong, too well exprestThe lustful satyr stands confest.On batter'd jade, in thread-bare gown,TheRural Priestis come to town—Think what his humble thought engages;Why—lesser work and greater wages.Plate II.Debauch'd, and then kick'd out of doors,The fate of allFrancisco'swhores,PoorPolly'sforc'd to walk the streets,Till with a wealthyJewshe meets.Quickly the man of circumcisionFor her reception makes provision.You see her now in all her splendour,A Monkey and a Black t' attend her.How great a sot's a keeping cully,Who thinks t' enjoy a woman solely!Tho' he support her grandeur, MissWill by the bye with others kiss.Thus Polly play'd her part; she hadABeauadmitted to her bed;But th'Hebrewcoming unexpected,Puts her in fear to be detected.This to prevent, she at breakfast picksA quarrel, and insulting kicksThe table down: while by herMaidTheBeauis to the door convey'd.Plate III.Mollydiscarded once again,Takes lodgings next inDrury-lane;Sets up the business on her ownAccount, and deals with all the town.At breakfast here in deshabille,WhileMargerydoes the tea-pot fill,Miss holds a watch up, which, by slightOf hand, was made a prize last night.From chandler's shop a dab of butter,Brought on his lordship'sPastoral Letter,A cup, a saucer, knife, and roll,Are plac'd before her on a stool.A chair behind her holds a cloak,A candle in a bottle stuck,And by't a bason—but indecentT'would be in me to say what is in't.At yonder door, see there SirJohn'sJust ent'ring with hisMyrmidons,ToBridewellto convey MissMolly,AndMargerywith her to Mill Dolly.[8]Plate IV.SeePollynow inBridewellstands,A galling mallet in her hands,Hemp beating with a heavy heart,And not a soul to take her part.TheKeeper, with a look that's sourerThanTurkor Devil, standing o'er her:And if her time she idles, thwackComes his rattan across her back.A dirty, ragged, saucy Jade,Who sees her here in rich brocadeAndMechlinlace, thumping a punny,Lolls out her tongue, and winks with one eye.That otherMauxwith half a nose,Who's holding up her tatter'd cloaths,Laughs too at Madam's working-dress,And her grim Tyrant's threat'ning face,AGamesterhard byPollyou see,In coat be-lac'd and smart toupee.Katevermin kills—chalk'd out uponA window-shutter, hangsSir John.Plate V.Released fromBridewell, PollagainDrives on her former trade amain;But who e'er heard of trading wenchesThat long escap'd disease thatFrenchis?OurPollydid not—Ills on ills,Elixirs, boluses and pills,Catharticks and emeticks dreary,Had made her of her life quite weary;At last thrown into salivationShe sinks beneath the operation.A snuffling whore in waiting by herScreams out to see the wretch expire.TheDoctorsblame each other;Meagre,With wrath transported, hot and eager,Starts up, throws down the chair and stool,And calls her brotherSquaba fool.Your pills, quothSquab, with cool disdain,Not my elixir, prov'd her bane.While they contend, a muffled PunkIs rummaging poorPolly'strunk.Plate VI.The sisterhood ofDrury-laneAre met to form the funeral train.Prissturns aside the coffin lid,To take her farewell of the dead.Katedrinks dejected;PeggystandsWith dismal look, and wrings her hands.Beckwipes her eyes; and at the glassIn orderJennysets her face.The ruin'dBawdroars out her grief;Her bottle scarcely gives relief.Madgefills the wine; his castle-topWith unconcern theBoywinds up.TheUndertakerrolls his eyesOnSukey, as her glove he tries:His leering she observes, and while heStands thus, she picks his pocket slily.TheParsonsits with look demureByFanny'sside, but leaning to her.His left hand spills the wine; his right—I blush to add—is out of sight.

Over the figure of theParsonis the letter A, which conducts to the following explanation underneaththe plate. "A. The famousCouple-BeggarinThe Fleet, a wretch who there screens himself from the justice due to hisvillainies, and daily repeats them."

All but the first impressions of this set of plates are marked thus †. None were originally printed off except for the 1200 subscribers. Immediately after they were served, the plates were retouched, and some of the variations introduced.

[1]InThe CraftsmanofNov.25, 1732, we read, "This day is published, six prints in chiaro oscuro, ofThe Harlot's Progress, from the designs of Mr.Hogarth, in a beautiful green tint, by Mr.E. Kirkall, with proper explanations under each print. Printed and sold byE. Kirkall, inDockwell-court, White-Fryars; Phil. Overton, inFleet-street; H. OvertonandJ. Hoole, withoutNewgate; J. King, in thePoultry; andT. Glass, under theRoyal Exchange."Lest any of our readers should from hence suppose we have been guilty of an innacuracy in appropriating this set of prints to the year 1733, &c. it is necessary to observe, that the plates advertised as above, were only a pirated copy ofHogarth'swork, and were published before their original.

Lest any of our readers should from hence suppose we have been guilty of an innacuracy in appropriating this set of prints to the year 1733, &c. it is necessary to observe, that the plates advertised as above, were only a pirated copy ofHogarth'swork, and were published before their original.

[2]InThe Grub-street JournalforDecember6, 1733, appeared the following advertisement: "Lately published, (illustrated with six prints, neatly engraven from Mr.Hogarth'sDesigns,)The Lure of Venus; or a Harlot's Progress. An heroi-comical Poem, in six Cantos, by Mr.JosephGay."To Mr.JosephGay."Sir,"It has been well observed, that a great and just objection to the Genius of Painters is their want of invention; from whence proceeds so many different designs or draughts on the same history or fable. Few have ventured to touch upon a new story; but still fewer have invented both the story and the execution, as the ingenious Mr.Hogarthhas done, in his six prints of aHarlot's Progress; and, without a compliment, Sir, your admirable Cantos are a true key and lively explanation of the painter's hieroglyphicks."I am, Sir, yours, &c."A. Phillips."This letter, ascribed toAmbrose Phillips, was in all probability a forgery, like the name ofJoseph Gay.

"To Mr.JosephGay.

"Sir,

"It has been well observed, that a great and just objection to the Genius of Painters is their want of invention; from whence proceeds so many different designs or draughts on the same history or fable. Few have ventured to touch upon a new story; but still fewer have invented both the story and the execution, as the ingenious Mr.Hogarthhas done, in his six prints of aHarlot's Progress; and, without a compliment, Sir, your admirable Cantos are a true key and lively explanation of the painter's hieroglyphicks.

"I am, Sir, yours, &c.

"A. Phillips."

This letter, ascribed toAmbrose Phillips, was in all probability a forgery, like the name ofJoseph Gay.

[3]"MotherNeedham'sLamentation," was published inMay1731, price 6d.

[4]It seems agreed on by our comic-writers, not to finish the character of a Bawd without giving her some pretence to Religion. InDryden'sWild Gallant,Mother du Lake, being about to drink a dram, is made to exclaim, "'Tis a great way to the bottom; but heaven is all-sufficient to give me strength for it." The scene in which this speech occurs, was of use toRichardsonin hisClarissa, and perhaps toFoote, orFoote'soriginal of the character of MotherCole.

[5]So inHill's Actor, pp. 69, 70. "If there be any thing that comes in competition with the unluckiness of this excellent player's figure in this character, it is the appearance he made in his new habit forOthello. We are used to see the greatest majesty imaginable expressed throughout that whole part; and though the joke was somewhat prematurely delivered to the publick, we must acknowledge, that his appearance in that tramontane dress made us rather expect to see a tea-kettle in his hand, than to hear the thundering speechesShakspearehas thrown into that character, come out of his mouth."

[6]See the back ground of this plate, for a circumstance of such unpardonable grossness as admits of no verbal interpretation.

[7]BishopGibson.

[8]Beat hemp.

2. Rehearsal of the Oratorio ofJudith. Singing men and boys. Ticket for "A Modern Midnight Conversation." This Oratorio ofJudith, which was performed in character, was written by Mr.Huggins, as has been already observed in p.187; and the line taken from it,

"The world shall bow to theAssyrianthrone,"

inscribed on the book, is a satire on its want of success.—The corner figure looking over the notes, was designed for Mr.Tothall.

3. A Midnight Modern Conversation.W. Hogarth inv. pinx. & sculp. Hogarthsoon discovered that this engraving was too faintly executed; and therefore, after taking off a few impressions in red as well as black, he retouched and strengthened the plate. Under this print are the following verses:

Think not to find one meant resemblance here,We lash the Vices, but the Persons spare.Prints should be priz'd, as Authors should be read,Who sharply smile prevailing Folly dead.SoRabilaeslaught, and soCervantesthought,So Nature dictated what Art has taught.

Most of the figures, however, are supposed to be real portraits. The Divine and the Lawyer,[1]in particular, are well known to be so.

A pamphlet was published about the same time, under the same title as this plate. InBanks'sPoems, vol. I. p. 87. the print is copied as a head-piece to an Epistle to Mr.Hogarth, on this performance. In a note, it is said to have appeared afterThe Harlot's Progress; and that in the original, and all the larger copies, on the papers that hang out of the politician's pocket at the end of the table, was writtenThe Craftsman, andThe London Journal.

Of this print a good, but contracted copy, was published (perhaps withHogarth'spermission), and the following copy of verses engraved under it.

The Bacchanalians; or a Midnight Modern Conversation. A Poem addressed to the Ingenious Mr.Hogarth.Sacred to thee, permit this layThy labour,Hogarth, to display!Patron and theme in one to be!'Tis great, but not too great for thee;For thee, the Poet's constant friend,Whose vein of humour knows no end.This verse which, honest to thy fame,Has added to thy praise thy name!Who can be dull when to his eyesSuch various scenes of humour rise?Now we behold in what uniteThe Priest, the Beau, the Cit, the Bite;Where Law and Physick join the Sword,And Justice deigns to crown the board:HowMidnight Modern ConversationsMingle all faculties and stations!Full to the sight, and next the bowl,Sits the physician of the soul;No loftier themes his thought pursuesThan Punch, good Company, and Dues:Easy and careless what may fall,He hears, consents, and fills to all;Proving it plainly by his faceThat cassocks are no signs of grace.Near him a son ofBelialsee;(That Heav'n andSatanshould agree!)Warm'd and wound up to proper heightHe vows to still maintain the fight,The brave surviving Priest assails,And fairly damns the first that fails;Fills up a bumper to the BestIn Christendom, for that's his taste:The parson simpers at the jest,And puts it forward to the rest.What hand but thine so well could drawA formal Barrister at Law?Fitzherbert, Littleton,andCoke,Are all united in his look.His spacious wig conceals his ears,Yet the dull plodding beast appears.His muscles seem exact to fitMuch noise, much pride, and not much wit.Who then is he with solemn phiz,Upon his elbows pois'd with ease?Freely to speak the Muse is loth—Justice or knave—he may be both—Justice or knave—'tis much the same:To boast of crimes, or tell the shame,Of raking talk or reformation,'Tis all goodModern Conversation.What mightyMachiavelart thou,With patriot cares upon thy brow?Alas, that punch should have the fateTo drown the pilot of the state!That while both sides thy pocket holds,NorD'Anversgrieves, norOsbornescolds,Thou sink'st the business of the nationInMidnight Modern Conversation!The Tradesman tells with wat'ry eyesHow Credit sinks, how Taxes rise;At Parliaments and Great Men pets,Counts all his losses and his debts.The puny Fop, mankind's disgrace,The ladies' jest and looking-glass;This he-she thing the mode pursues,And drinks in order—till he sp—s.See where the Relict of the Wars,Deep mark'd with honorary scars,A mightier foe has caus'd to yieldThan everMarlbro'met in field!See prostrate on the earth he lies;And learn, ye soldiers, to be wise.Flush'd with the fumes of gen'rous wineThe Doctor's face begins to shine:With eyes half clos'd, in stamm'ring strain,He speaks the praise of rich champaign.'Tis dull in verse, what from thy handMight even aCato'ssmile command.Th' expiring snuffs, the bottles broke,And the full bowl at four o'clock.

The Bacchanalians; or a Midnight Modern Conversation. A Poem addressed to the Ingenious Mr.Hogarth.

Sacred to thee, permit this layThy labour,Hogarth, to display!Patron and theme in one to be!'Tis great, but not too great for thee;For thee, the Poet's constant friend,Whose vein of humour knows no end.This verse which, honest to thy fame,Has added to thy praise thy name!Who can be dull when to his eyesSuch various scenes of humour rise?Now we behold in what uniteThe Priest, the Beau, the Cit, the Bite;Where Law and Physick join the Sword,And Justice deigns to crown the board:HowMidnight Modern ConversationsMingle all faculties and stations!Full to the sight, and next the bowl,Sits the physician of the soul;No loftier themes his thought pursuesThan Punch, good Company, and Dues:Easy and careless what may fall,He hears, consents, and fills to all;Proving it plainly by his faceThat cassocks are no signs of grace.Near him a son ofBelialsee;(That Heav'n andSatanshould agree!)Warm'd and wound up to proper heightHe vows to still maintain the fight,The brave surviving Priest assails,And fairly damns the first that fails;Fills up a bumper to the BestIn Christendom, for that's his taste:The parson simpers at the jest,And puts it forward to the rest.What hand but thine so well could drawA formal Barrister at Law?Fitzherbert, Littleton,andCoke,Are all united in his look.His spacious wig conceals his ears,Yet the dull plodding beast appears.His muscles seem exact to fitMuch noise, much pride, and not much wit.Who then is he with solemn phiz,Upon his elbows pois'd with ease?Freely to speak the Muse is loth—Justice or knave—he may be both—Justice or knave—'tis much the same:To boast of crimes, or tell the shame,Of raking talk or reformation,'Tis all goodModern Conversation.What mightyMachiavelart thou,With patriot cares upon thy brow?Alas, that punch should have the fateTo drown the pilot of the state!That while both sides thy pocket holds,NorD'Anversgrieves, norOsbornescolds,Thou sink'st the business of the nationInMidnight Modern Conversation!The Tradesman tells with wat'ry eyesHow Credit sinks, how Taxes rise;At Parliaments and Great Men pets,Counts all his losses and his debts.The puny Fop, mankind's disgrace,The ladies' jest and looking-glass;This he-she thing the mode pursues,And drinks in order—till he sp—s.See where the Relict of the Wars,Deep mark'd with honorary scars,A mightier foe has caus'd to yieldThan everMarlbro'met in field!See prostrate on the earth he lies;And learn, ye soldiers, to be wise.Flush'd with the fumes of gen'rous wineThe Doctor's face begins to shine:With eyes half clos'd, in stamm'ring strain,He speaks the praise of rich champaign.'Tis dull in verse, what from thy handMight even aCato'ssmile command.Th' expiring snuffs, the bottles broke,And the full bowl at four o'clock.

March22, 1742, was acted atCovent-Garden, a new scene, calledA Modern Midnight Conversation, taken fromHogarth'scelebrated print; in which was introduced,Hippisley's Drunken Man, with a comic tale of what really passed between himself and his old aunt, at her house onMendip-Hills, inSomersetshire. For Mr.Hippisley'sbenefit.

[1]These, in my first edition, I had ventured, on popular report, to say were parsonFord, and the first LordNorthington, when young. But I am now enabled to identify their persons, on the authority of SirJohn Hawkins: "When the Midnight Modern Conversation came out, the general opinion was, that the Divine was the portrait of OratorHenley; and the Lawyer ofKettleby, a vociferous bar orator, remarkable, though an utter barrister, for wearing a full-bottom'd wig, which he is here drawn with, as also for a horrible squint."In that once popular satire,The Causidicade, are the following lines on this lawyer:"UpKettlebystarts with ahorrible stare!'Behold, my good Lord, your old friend at the bar,Or rather old foe, for foes we have been,As treason fell out, and poor traitors fell in.Strong opposites e'er, and not once of a side,Attornies will always great counsel divide.Youforpersecutions, I alwaysagainst,How oft with a joke 'gainst your law have I fenc'd?How oft in your pleadings I've pick'd out a hole,Thro' which from your pounces my culprit I've stole;I've puzzled against you now eight years or nine,You, my Lord, for your King, I a ——l for mine.But what is all this? Now your Lordship will say,To get at the office this is not the way.I own it is not, so I make no requestFor myself, still firm to my party and test:But if 'tis your pleasure to give it my son,He shall take off his coif t'accept of the boon;That coif I, refusing, transferr'd upon him,For who'd be a serjeant whereP——rwas Prime?That my son is a lawyer no one can gainsay,As witness his getting offW——tet'other day.'Quo' my Lord, 'My friendAbel, I needs must allowYou have puzzled me oft, as indeed you do now;Nay, have puzzled yourself, the court and the law,And chuckled most wittily over a flaw;For your nostrums, enigmas, conundrums, and puns,Are above comprehension, save that of your son's.To fling off the coif! Oh fye, my friendAbel,'Twould be acting the part of the Cock in the Fable!'Tis a badge of distinction! and some people buy it;Can you doubt on't, whenSkinnerandHaywardenjoy it?Tho' I own you have spoil'd (but I will not enlarge on't)A good Chancery draftsman to make a bad Serjeant.'"LordNorthingtondid not come into notice till many years after the publication of this print.

In that once popular satire,The Causidicade, are the following lines on this lawyer:

"UpKettlebystarts with ahorrible stare!'Behold, my good Lord, your old friend at the bar,Or rather old foe, for foes we have been,As treason fell out, and poor traitors fell in.Strong opposites e'er, and not once of a side,Attornies will always great counsel divide.Youforpersecutions, I alwaysagainst,How oft with a joke 'gainst your law have I fenc'd?How oft in your pleadings I've pick'd out a hole,Thro' which from your pounces my culprit I've stole;I've puzzled against you now eight years or nine,You, my Lord, for your King, I a ——l for mine.But what is all this? Now your Lordship will say,To get at the office this is not the way.I own it is not, so I make no requestFor myself, still firm to my party and test:But if 'tis your pleasure to give it my son,He shall take off his coif t'accept of the boon;That coif I, refusing, transferr'd upon him,For who'd be a serjeant whereP——rwas Prime?That my son is a lawyer no one can gainsay,As witness his getting offW——tet'other day.'Quo' my Lord, 'My friendAbel, I needs must allowYou have puzzled me oft, as indeed you do now;Nay, have puzzled yourself, the court and the law,And chuckled most wittily over a flaw;For your nostrums, enigmas, conundrums, and puns,Are above comprehension, save that of your son's.To fling off the coif! Oh fye, my friendAbel,'Twould be acting the part of the Cock in the Fable!'Tis a badge of distinction! and some people buy it;Can you doubt on't, whenSkinnerandHaywardenjoy it?Tho' I own you have spoil'd (but I will not enlarge on't)A good Chancery draftsman to make a bad Serjeant.'"

LordNorthingtondid not come into notice till many years after the publication of this print.

1.The Rake's Progress, in eight plates.

Extract from theLondon Daily Post, May14, 1735:

"The nine prints from the paintings of Mr.Hogarth, one representing a Fair, and the others a Rake's Progress, are now printing off, and will be ready to be delivered on the 25th ofJunenext.

"Subscriptions will be taken at Mr.Hogarth's, theGolden-Head, inLeicester-fields, till the 23d ofJune, and no longer, at half a guinea to be paid on subscribing, and half a guinea more on delivery of the prints at the price above-mentioned, after which the price will be two guineas.

"N. B. Mr.Hogarthwas, and is, obliged to defer the publication and delivery of the abovesaid prints till the 25th ofJunenext, in order to secure his property, pursuant to an act lately passed both houses of parliament, now waiting for the royal assent, to secure all new invented prints that shall be published after the 24th ofJunenext, from being copied without consent of the proprietor, and thereby preventing a scandalous and unjust custom (hitherto practised with impunity) of making and vending base copies of original prints, to the manifest injury of the author, and the great discouragement of the arts of painting and engraving."

InThe Craftsman, soon afterwards, appeared the following advertisement:

"Pursuant to an agreement with the subscribers to the Rake's Progress, not to sell them for less than two guineas each set after publication thereof, the said original prints are to be had at Mr.Hogarth's, theGolden-Head, inLeicester-fields; and atTho. Bakewell's, print-seller, nextJohnson's Court, inFleet-street, where all other print-sellers may be supplied.

"In four days will be published, copies from the said prints, with the consent of Mr.Hogarth, according to the act of parliament, which will be sold at 2s.6d.each set, with the usual allowance to all dealers in town and country; and, that the the publick may not be imposed on, at the bottom of each print will be inserted these words,viz.'Published with the consent of Mr.William Hogarth, byTho. Bakewell, according to act of parliament.'

"N. B. Any person that shall sell any other copies, or imitations of the said prints, will incur the penalties in the late act of parliament, and be prosecuted for the same."

This series of plates, however, as Mr.Walpoleobserves, was pirated byBoitardon one very large sheet of paper, containing the several scenes represented byHogarth. It came out a fortnight before the genuine set, but was soon forgotten. The principal variations in these prints are the following:

Plate I. The girl's face who holds the ring is erased, and a worse is put in.[1]The mother's head, &c. is lessened. The shoe-sole, cut from the cover of an ancient family Bible, together with a chest, is added; the memorandum-book removed into another place; the woollen-draper's shop bill,[2]appendedto a roll of black cloth, omitted; the contents of the closet thrown more into shade.

In Plate II. are portraits ofFigg, the prize-fighter;[3]Bridgeman, a noted gardener; andDubois,a master of defence, who was killed in a duel by one of the same name, as the following paragraphs inThe Grub-street JournalforMay16, 1734, &c. will testify: "Yesterday (May11) between two and three in the afternoon, a duel was fought inMary-le-bone Fields, between Mr.DuboisaFrenchman, and Mr.DuboisanIrishman, both fencing-masters, the former of whom was run through the body, but walked a considerable way from the place, and is now under the hands of an able surgeon, who has great hopes of his recovery."

May23, 1734, "Yesterday morning died Mr.Dubois, of a wound he received in a duel."

The portrait ofHandelhas been supposed to be represented in the plate before us; but "this," as SirJohn Hawkinsobserves to me, "is too much to say. Mr.Handelhad a higher sense of his own merit than ever to put himself in such a situation; and, if so, the painter would hardly have thought of doing it. The musician must mean in general any composer of operas." On the floor lies a picture representingFarinelli, seated on a pedestal, with an altar before him, on which are several flaming hearts, near which stand a number of people with their arms extended,offering him presents: at the foot of the altar is one female kneeling, tendering her heart. From her mouth a label issues, inscribed, "One God, oneFarinelli;" alluding to a lady of distinction, who, being charmed with a particular passage in one of his songs, uttered aloud from the boxes that impious exclamation. On the figure of the captain,Rouquethas the following remark: "Ce caractere ne paroit plusItalienqu'Anglois." I am not sufficiently versed inAlsatianannals to decide on the question; but believe that the bully by profession (not assassin, asRouquetseems to interpret the character) was to be found during the youth of our artist. More have heard and been afraid of these vulgar heroes, than ever met with them. This set of prints was engraved byScotinchiefly; but several of the faces were touched upon byHogarth. In the second plate the countenance of the man with the quarter-staves was wholly engraved byHogarth. In some early proofs of the print, there is not a single feature on this man's face; there is no writing either in the musician's book, or on the label; nor is there the horse-race cup, the letter, or the poem that lies at the end of the label, that being entirely blank. I mention these circumstances to shew that our artist would not entrust particular parts of his work to any hand but his own; or perhaps he had neither determined on the countenance or the inscription he meant to introduce, till the plate was far advanced. With unfinished proofs, on anyother account, this catalogue has nothing to do. As the rudiments of plates, they may afford instruction to young engravers; or add a fancied value to the collections of connoisseurs.

In the third plate isLeather-coat,[4]a noted porter belonging toThe RoseTavern, with a large pewter dish in his hand, which for many years served as a sign to the shop of a pewterer onSnow-Hill. In this utensil the posture-woman, who is undressing, used to whirl herself round, and display other feats of indecent activity: "II suffit" (I transcribe fromRouquet, who is more circumstantial) "de vous laisser à deviner la destination de la chandelle. Ce grand plat va servir a cette femme comme à une poularde. Il sera mis au milieu de la table; elle s'y placera sur le dos; et l'ivresse et l'esprit de débauche feront trouver plaisant un jeu, qui de sang-froid ne le paroit guères."Rouquet, in his description of anEnglishtavern, such as that in which our scene lies, mentions the following as extraordinary conveniencies and articles of magnificence: "Du linge toujours blanc[5]—de tables de boisqu'on appelle ici mahogani—grand feu et gratis." Variations:Pontac'shead is added in the room of a mutilatedCæsar. Principal woman has a man's hat on. Rake's head altered. Undrest woman's head altered. Woman who spirts the wine, and she who threatens her with a drawn knife, have lower caps, &c.

So entirely do our manners differ from those of fifty years ago, that I much question if at present, in all the taverns ofLondon, any thing resembling the scene here exhibited byHogarthcould be found. That we are less sensual than our predecessors, I do not affirm; but may with truth observe, we are more delicate in pursuit of our gratifications.—No young man, of our hero's fortune and education, would now think of entertaining half a score of prostitutes at a tavern, after having routed a set of feeble wretches, who are idly called our Guardians of the Night.

Plate IV.Rakewellis going to court on the first ofMarch, which was QueenCaroline'sbirth-day, aswell as the anniversary ofSt. David. In the early impressions a shoe-black steals the Rake's cane. In the modern ones, a large group of blackguards[6][the chimney-sweeper peeping over the poll boy's cards, and discovering that he has two honours, by holding up two fingers, is among the luckiest ofHogarth'straits] are introduced gambling on the pavement; near them a stone inscribedBlack's, a contrast toWhite'sgaming-house, against which a flash of lightning is pointed. The curtain in the window of the sedan chair is thrown back. This plate is likewise found in an intermediate state;[7]the sky being made unnaturally obscure, with an attempt to introduce a shower of rain, and lightning very aukwardly represented. It is supposed to be a first proof after the insertion of the group of black-guard gamesters; the window of the chair being only marked for an alteration that was afterwards made in it.Hogarthappears to have so far spoiled the sky, that he was obliged to obliterate it, and cause it to be engraved over again by another hand.[8]Not foreseeing, however, the immense demand for his prints, many ofthem were so slightly executed, as very early to stand in need of retouching. The seventh in particular was so much more slightly executed than the rest, that it sooner wanted renovation, and is therefore to be found in three different states. The rest appear only in two.

In Plate V. is his favourite dogTrump. In this, also the head of the maid-servant is greatly altered, and the leg and foot of the bridegroom omitted.

From the antiquated bride, and the young female adjusting the folds of her gown, in this plate, is taken aFrenchprint of a wrinkled harridan of fashion at her toilet, attended by a blooming coëffeuse. It was engraved byL. Suruguein 1745, from a picture in crayons byCoypel, and is entitled,La Folie pare la Decrepitude des ajustemens de la Jeunesse. From theFrenchman, however, theDevonshire-squaredowager of our artist has received so high a polish, that she might be mistaken for a queen mother ofFrance.

Mr.Gilpin, in his remarks on this plate, appears not to have fully comprehended the extent of the satire designed in it. Speaking of the church, he observes, that "the wooden post, which seems to have no use, divides the picture disagreeably."Hogarth, however, meant to expose the insufficiency of such ecclesiastical repairs as are confided to the superintendance of parish-officers. We learn, from an inscription on the front of a pew, that "This church was beautified in the Year 1725.Tho. Sice, Tho. Horn,Churchwardens."[9]The print before us came out in 1735 (i. e. only ten years afterwards), and by that time the building might have been found in the condition here exhibited, and have required a prop to prevent part of its roof from falling in.—As a proof that this edifice was really in a ruinous state, it was pulled down and rebuilt in the year 1741.

Fifty years ago,Marybonechurch was considered at such a distance fromLondon, as to become the usual resort of those who, like our hero, wished to be privately married.

In Plate VI. the fire breaking out, alludes to the same accident which happened atWhite's, May3, 1733. I learn from a very indifferent poem descriptive of this set of plates (the title is unfortunatelywanting), that some of the characters in the scene before us were real ones:

"But see the careful plain old man,M——[10], well-known youth to trepan,ToC———sh[11]lend the dear bought pence,C———shquite void of common sense,Whose face, unto his soul a sign,Looks stupid, as does that within.A quarrel from behind ensues,The sure retreat of those that lose.An honest'Squiresmells the cheat,And swears the villain shall be beat:ButG——ddwisely interferes,And dissipates the wretch's fears."

The original sketch in oil for this scene is at Mrs.Hogarth'shouse inLeicester-fields. The principal character was then sitting, and not, as he is at present, thrown upon his knees in the act of execration.

The thought of the losing gamester pulling his hat over his brows is adopted from a similar character to be found among the figures of the principal personages in the court ofLouisXIV. folio. This work has no engraver's name, but was probably executed about the year 1700.

Plate VII. The celebratedBeccaria, in his "Essay on Public Happiness," vol. II. p. 172, observes,"I am sensible there are persons whom it will be difficult for me to persuade: I mean those profound contemplators, who, secluding themselves from their fellow-creatures, are assiduously employed in framing laws for them, and who frequently neglect the care of their domestic and private concerns, to prescribe to empires that form of government, to which they imagine that they ought to submit. The celebratedHogarthhath represented, in one of his moral engravings, a young man who, after having squandered away his fortune, is, by his creditors, lodged in a gaol. There he sits, melancholy and disconcerted, near a table, whilst a scroll lies under his feet, and bears the following title: 'being a new scheme for paying the debt of the nation. ByT. L.now a prisoner inThe Fleet.'"

The Author of the poem already quoted, intimates that the personage in the night-gown was meant for some real character:

"His wig was full as old as he,In which one curl you could not see.His neckcloth loose, his beard full grown,An old torn night-gown not his own.L———, great schemist, that can pay,The nation's debt an easy way."

In Plate VIII. (which appears in three different states) is a half-penny reversed (struck in the year 1763) and fixed against the wall, intimating, thatBritanniaherself was fit only for a mad-house. Thiswas a circumstance inserted by our artist (as he advertises) about a year before his death. I may add, that the man drawing lines against the wall just over the half-penny, alludes toWhiston'sproposed method of discovering the Longitude by the firing of bombs, as here represented. The idea of the two figures at each corner of the print appears to have been taken fromCibber'sstatues atBedlam. The faces of the two females are also changed. That of the woman with a fan, is entirely altered; she has now a cap on, instead of a hood, and is turned, as if speaking to the other.

Mr.Gilpin'sopinion concerning this set of prints is too valuable to be omitted, and is therefore transcribed below.[12]The plates were thus admirably illustrated by Dr.John Hoadly.

Plate I.O Vanity ofAge, untoward,Ever spleeny, ever froward!Why these Bolts, and massy chains,Squint suspicions, jealous Pains?Why, thy toilsome Journey o'er,Lay'st thou in an useless store?Hopealong withTimeis flown,Nor canst thou reap the field thou'st sown.Hast thou a son? in time be wise—.He views thy toil with other eyes.Needs must thy kind, paternal care,Lock'd in thy chests be buried there?Whence then shall flow that friendly ease,That social converse, home-felt peace,Familiar duty without dread,Instruction from example bred,Which youthful minds with freedom mend,And with thefathermix thefriend?Uncircumscrib'd by prudent rules,Or precepts of expensive schoolsAbus'd at home, abroad despis'd,Unbred, unletter'd, unadvis'd;The headstrong course of youth begun,What comfort from this darling son?Plate II.Prosperity(with harlot's smiles,Most pleasing when she most beguiles)How soon, sweet foe, can all thy trainOf false, gay, frantic, loud, and vain,Enter the unprovided mind,And Memory in fetters bind;LoadFaithandLovewith golden chain,And sprinkleLetheo'er the brain!Pleasure, in her silver throne,Smiling comes, nor comes alone;Venuscomes with her along,And smoothLyæusever young;And in their train, to fill the press,Come apishDance, and swol'nExcess,MechanicHonour, viciousTaste,AndFashionin her changing vest.Plate III.O vanity of youthful blood,So by misuse to poisongood!Woman, fram'd for social love,Fairest gift of powers above;Source of every houshold blessing,All charms in innocence possessing—But turn'd to Vice, all plagues above,Foe to thy Being, foe to Love!Guest divine to outward viewing,Ablest Minister of Ruin!And thou, no less of gift divine,"Sweet poison of misused wine!"With freedom led to every part,And secret chamber of the heart;Dost thou thy friendly host betray,And show thy riotous gang the wayTo enter in with covert treason,O'erthrow the drowsy guard of reason,To ransack the abandon'd place,And revel there in wild excess?Plate IV.O vanity of youthful blood,So by misuse to poisongood!Reason awakes, and views unbarr'dThe sacred gates he watch'd to guard;Approaching sees the harpy,Law,AndPoverty, with icy paw,Ready to seize the poor remains—That Vice has left of all his gains.ColdPenitence, lameAfter-thought,With fears, despair, and horrors fraught,Call back his guilty pleasures dead,Whom he hath wrong'd, and whom betray'd.Plate V.New to the School of hardMishap,Driven from the ease of Fortune's lap,What schemes will Nature not embraceT' avoid less shame of drear distress!Goldcan the charms of youth bestow,And mask deformity with show:Gold can avert the sting ofShame,In winter's arms create a flame;Can couple youth with hoary age,And make antipathies engage.Plate VI.Gold, thou bright son ofPhœbus, sourceOf universal intercourse;Of weeping Virtue soft redress,And blessing those who live to bless!Yet oft behold this sacred truth,The tool of avaricious Lust:No longer bond of human kind,But bane of every virtuous mind.What chaos such misuse attends!Friendship stoops to prey on friends;Health, that gives relish to delight,Is wasted with the wasting night;Doubt and mistrust is thrown onHeaven,And all its power toChanceis given.Sad purchase of repentant tears,Of needless quarrels, endless fears,Of hopes of moments, pangs of years!Sad purchase of atortur'd mindTo animprison'd bodyjoin'd!Plate VII.Happy the man, whose constant thought(Though in the school of hardship taught)Can sendRemembranceback to fetchTreasures from life's earliest stretch;Who, self-approving, can reviewScenes of past virtues, which shine throughThe gloom of age, and cast a rayTo gild the evening of his day!Not so the guilty wretch confin'd:No pleasures meet his conscious mind;No blessings brought from early youth,But broken faith and wrested truth,Talents idle and unus'd,And every trust of Heaven abus'd.In seas of sad reflection lost,From horrors still to horrors toss'd,Reasonthe vessel leaves to steer,And gives the helm to maddespair.Plate VIII.Madness!thou chaos of the brain;What art, that pleasure giv'st and pain?Tyranny of Fancy's reign!MechanicFancy!that can buildVast labyrinths and mazes wild,With rule disjointed, shapeless measure,Fill'd withhorror, fill'd withpleasure!Shapes ofhorror, that would evenCast doubt of mercy upon Heaven!Shapes ofpleasure, that but seenWould split the shaking sides ofspleen.O vanity of age! here seeThe stamp of Heaven effac'd by thee!The headstrong course of youth thus run,What comfort from this darling son?His rattling chains with terror hear;Behold Death grappling with despair;See him by thee to ruin sold,And curseThyself, and curse thyGold.

On this occasion also appeared an 8vo pamphlet, intituled, "The Rake's Progress, or the Humours ofDrury-Lane, a poem in eight canto's, inHudibrastickverse, being the ramble of a modernOxonian, which is a compleat key to the eight prints lately published by the celebrated Mr.Hogarth." The second edition with additions, particularly an "epistle to Mr.Hogarth" was "printed forJ. Chetwood, and sold atInigo Jones's-HeadagainstExeter ChangeinThe Strand, 1735." This is a most contemptible and indecent performance. Eight prints are inserted in some copies of it; but they are only the designs ofHogarthmurdered, and perhaps were not originally intended for the decoration of the work already described.

The original paintings, both of the Rake's and Harlot's Progress, were atFonthill, inWiltshire, the seat of Mr.Beckford,[13]where the latter were destroyed by a fire, in the year 1755; the former set was happily preserved. Mr.Barnes, ofRippon, inYorkshire, has the Harlot's Progress in oil. It must, however, be a copy. Mr.Beckfordhas alsotwenty-five heads from the Cartoons byHogarth, for which he paid twenty-five guineas.

There is reason to believe thatHogarthonce designed to have introduced the ceremony of aMarriage Contractinto the Rake's Progress, instead of theLevee. An unfinished painting of this scene is still preserved. We have here the Rake's apartment as now exhibited in Plate II. In the anti-room, among other figures, we recognize that of the poet who at present congratulates our hero on his accession to wealth and pleasure. The bard is here waiting with an epithalamium in his hand. The Rake has added connoisseurship to the rest of his expensive follies. One of his purchases is a canvas containing only the representation of a human foot. [Perhaps this circumstance might allude to the dissection ofArlaud's Leda. See Mr.Walpole'sAnecdotes, &c. vol. IV. p. 39.] A second is so obscure, that no objects in it are discernible. [A performance of the same description is introduced in our artist'sPiquet, or Virtue in Danger.] A third presents us with aMadonalooking down with fondness on the infant she holds in her arms. [This seems intended as a contrast to the grey headed bride who sits under it, and is apparently past child-bearing.] The fourth is emblematical, and displays perhaps too licentious a satire on transubstantiation. The Blessed Virgin is thrusting her Son down the hopper of a mill, in which he is ground by priests till he issues out in the shape of the consecratedwafer, supposed by Catholicksto contain thereal presence. At a table sits a toothless decrepit father, guardian, or match-maker, joining the hand of the rake with that of the antiquated female, whose face is highly expressive of eagerness, while that of her intended husband is directed a contrary way, toward a groom who is bringing in a piece of plate won at a horse-race.[14]On the floor in front lie a heap of mutilated busts, &c. which our spendthrift is supposed to have recently purchased at an auction. The black boy, who is afterwards met with in Plate IV. of Marriage Alamode, was transplanted from this canvas. He is here introduced supporting such a picture ofGanymedeas hangs against the wall of the lady's dressing-room in the same plate of the same work.

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