Chapter VII: Preface: 'Tuâ nobis est gratiâ.'--CIC (7)

Eight trips in this way,
For Hood and for Wray,
I'll make poll sixteen in one day.
Dear Wray, don't despair,
My supplies by the air
Shall recover our losses on Monday!

_April 30, 1784._ _Procession to the Hustings after a Successful Canvass._ (No. 14.)--Fox's supporters, a body of highly respectable householders, wearing huge Fox favours in their hats, are walking in procession to the hustings, cheered by the mob, and preceded by a marrowbone-and-cleaver accompaniment. At the head of the train marches the famous Duchess, with a somewhat novel standard; the other fair canvassers, whose portraits occur in the previous prints, are following in the footsteps of their illustrious leader; one is carrying a placard, '_Fox and the Rights of the Commons_;' another has a mob-cap and an apron, borne fluttering on a pole, with the words, '_No tax on Maid-servants_.' Behind follows a monster key--_the key of the back-stairs_--carried to deride the defeated candidate and the Court influence which had vainly been brought into play for his support.

_May 1, 1784._ _Every Man has his Hobby-horse._--The successful candidate is chaired in a novel and agreeable fashion; his noble supporter, the Duchess of Devonshire, has taken him 'pick-a-back,' and, with staff and scrip, is bearing the victor on his triumphant progress; she is pausing at the door of _Mungo's Hotel, dealer in British spirits_, and soliciting the hospitality of the proprietor, a black man: 'For the good of the Constitution, give me a glass of gin!'

Various bacchanalian revels are proceeding around, on the strength of Fox's triumphant return; the mob are huzzaing around two monster standards, which are topped by the cap of Liberty, and inscribed, '_Rights of the Commons. No prerogative_,' '_Fox and Liberty all over the world_.' An ensign is introduced, as appropriate to the occasion, significantly figuring forth a pair of executioner's axes, bound with a wreath of laurel.

_May 6, 1784._ _Wisdom Led by Virtue and Prudence to the Temple of Fame._--This print is ascribed to Rowlandson, and in various points it offers a close resemblance to his style of execution. _Wisdom_ in the present case is personified by the successful candidate for Westminster; the Duchess of Devonshire and Lady Duncannon, wearing _Fox_ cockades in their head-dresses, are represented as _Virtue_ and _Prudence_. The former lady is also carrying a fox's-brush; she is crying:--

Let Envy rail and Disappointment rage,
Still Fox shall prove the wonder of the age!

To which Lady Duncannon is adding:--

Triumph and Fame shall every step attend
His king's best subject and his country's friend!

Britannia is seated, in an attitude of expectation, at the portal of the _Temple of Fame_; she is bidding her patriotic son 'welcome to her arms.' Sir Cecil Wray, represented as a disappointed Fury, is seen in the distance; he is soliloquising:--

Now, by the ground that I am banish'd from,
Well could I curse away a winter's night.

_May 11, 1784._ _A Coat of Arms. Dedicated to the Newly-created Earl of Lonsdale._--There is no publisher's name to the plate, which offers a fanciful and by no means flattering design for an appropriate coat of arms and supporters, gratuitously presented for the use of Sir James Lowther, _the newly-created Earl of Lonsdale_. Two ragged and semi-clad Volunteers, the one minus his _culottes_, the other without shoes, with the initials W. M. on their crossbelts, form the supporters of a shield, above which figures the earl's coronet. There are six quarterings, each filled in with paper scrolls: 'False Musters,' 'False Certificates for Volunteer Companies,' 'False Returns,' 'Retention of Clothing,' 'Contract for building a man-of-war (cancelled and money returned),' and 'Retention of Bounty.' The motto of this suggestive escutcheon is, '_Who doubts it?_'

Pitt had obtained his first seat in Parliament (1781) through the influence of Sir James Lowther, described by 'Junius' as 'the contemptuous tyrant of the North.' In 1784, when the King and his Prime Minister deemed it prudent to reward the adherents of their party, and at the same time strengthen the Court influence, by creating a new batch of peers, Pitt repaid his obligation to Lowther (the Duke of Rutland, Pitt's fellow-student at Cambridge, had enlisted Lowther's influence in his favour), by raising him to the House of Peers, under the title of the Earl of Lonsdale, thus overleaping the two inferior stages of the peerage. It might be supposed that this reward would have been commensurate with his pretensions, but Earl Lonsdale's name appearing at the bottom of the list of the newly-created earls published in the _Gazette_, he threatened to reject the earldom, and means were with difficulty found to appease his irritation.

The wits of the 'Rolliad' made the most of the circumstance: 'Hints from Dr. Prettyman to the Premier's Porter.--Let Lord Lonsdale have _my Lord_ and _your Lordship_ repeated in his ear as often as possible; the apartment hung with garter blue is proper for his reception.'

My lords, my lords, a whisper I desire--
Dame Liberty grows stronger--some feet higher;
She will not be bamboozled as of late--
_Aristocrate et la Lanterne_
Are very often cheek by jowl, we learn,
Within a certain neigh'b'ring bustling State:
I think your lordships and your graces
Would not much like to dangle with wry faces.

PETER PINDAR'S _Ode to Lord Lonsdale_.

_May 11, 1784._ _The Westminster Mendicant._--The rejected candidate for Westminster has been sent forth a wanderer. The figure of Sir Cecil Wray is represented as a blind beggar; he is resting his head and shoulders on a long staff; under his left arm is held a _Subscription Scrutiny Box_, in allusion to the vexatious scrutiny set on foot by his party; and he holds a spaniel by a string; a second begging-box is attached to the dog's collar. The mendicant is issuing a doleful appeal to the public:--

Pity the weak and needy, pray;
Oh! pity me; I've lost the day.

Above the head of the blind man's dog is the following:--

See here the dog, of all his kind
The fittest for a beggar blind:
The beast can bark, or growl as hog;
His name is Churchill,[26]--oh, the dog!

Below the title is engraved:--

Ye Christians, charitable, good, and civil,
Pray something give to this poor wandering devil.
By men cast out, perhaps by God forgiven,
Then may one Judas find a road to heaven.

The Irish chairmen--who had played such a conspicuous part in the early riots, where they routed the sailor-mob brought up by Hood to intimidate Fox's voters--had a fling at their discomfited enemy in a 'new' ballad, '_Paddy's Farewell to Sir Cecil_':--

Sir Cecil be aisy, I won't be unshivil;
Now the Man of the Paple is chose in your stead;
From swate Covent Garden you're flung to the Divil;
By Jasus, Sir Cecil, you've bodder'd your head.
Fa-ra-lal, &c.

To be sure, much avail to you all your fine spaiches;
'Tis nought but palaver, my honey, my dear;
While all Charlie's voters stick to him like laiches,
A friend to our liberties and our _small beer_.
Fa-ra-lal, &c.

Ah, now! pray let no jontleman prissent take this ill;
By my truth, Pat shall nivir use unshivil werds;
But my varse sure must praise, which the name of Sir Cecil
Hands down to oblivion's latest records.
Fa-ra-lal, &c.

If myshelf with the tongue of a prophet is gifted,
Oh! I sees in a twinkling the knight's latter ind!
Tow'rds the verge of his life div'lish high he'll be lifted,
And after his death, never fear, he'll discind.
Fa-ra-lal, &c.

_May 18, 1784._ _The Westminster Deserter Drumm'd out of the Regiment._--This caricature brings the election scenes in Covent Garden to an end; the Court party is defeated, and the Man of the People has triumphed. Sir Cecil Wray is handcuffed as a deserter, and is being drummed away from the hustings; he is exclaiming, 'Help, Churchill! Jackson, help! or I am lost for ever!' It is worthy of record that Sir Cecil Wray's figure disappears from the caricatures until 1791, when we meet him again with a barrel of small-beer under his arm, assisting the members of the Opposition (whose ranks he rejoined) to carry out the '_hopes of the party_,' as set forth in a famous pictorial satire by Gillray (July 14, 1791).

In the _Westminster Deserter_ 'honest Sam House' is drumming away with a will, and Wray is obliged to run the gauntlet of a line of exasperated Chelsea Pensioners, who are expressing a wish that '_all public deserters may feel public resentment_;' a body of maid-servants are marching in the rear, with shovels, mops, and brooms, brought out in readinesss to sweep forth their antagonist. The electioneering mob is divided between hooting the 'Deserter' and applauding the success of the 'Champion of the People,' who is planting the standard of Britannia and manfully acknowledging his gratitude to his supporters: 'Friends and fellow-citizens, I cannot find words to express my feelings to you upon this victory.'

Fox's difficulties, as regarded his seat for Westminster and the hostilities of his opponents, the Court party, did not end with the election; the Ministerialists had from the first declared their intention of demanding a scrutiny if Fox succeeded, because it was known that, under the circumstances, this would be a long, tedious, and expensive affair. The returning officer acted partially, and upon Sir Cecil Wray's application for a scrutiny declined to make his return pending the investigation. Fox had secured a seat for Kirkwall, so that he was not hindered from taking his place in the House; and after some months' delay, and a great deal of fighting on both sides, the High Bailiff, Thomas Corbett, was ordered to duly return Charles James Fox as Member for Westminster, as is set forth in a caricature by Rowlandson (_see_ March 1, 1785). Fox subsequently thought proper to bring an action against the High Bailiff, and that functionary in return for his perfidy was cast in heavy damages--a fresh triumph for the Opposition.

_May 18, 1784._ _Secret Influence Directing the New Parliament._--King George III. is complacently seated on his throne; once more reassured on the subject of his Parliament, he is remarking, with self-congratulation, 'I trust we have got such a Parliament as we wanted.' _Secret Influence_ is represented on one side by a huge serpent whispering secret counsel to the monarch. The head of the reptile is that of Lord Temple. Lord Thurlow, on the other side of the throne, still wearing his Chancellor's wig, his body represented as that of a monstrous bird of prey, is observing, with his usual overbearing roughness, 'Damn the Commons! the Lords shall rule,' while the Scotch influence, in the person of Lord Bute, partially concealed behind the throne, is echoing, 'Very gude, very gude; damn the Commons!'

Britannia, unconscious of her danger, is calmly reposing, with her elbow resting on her shield, while Fox, who has recognised the dangers which are threatening the liberty of the people, is trying to rouse the slumberer, and crying, 'Thieves, thieves! Zounds, awake, madam, or you'll have your throat cut!'

SECRET INFLUENCE DIRECTING THE NEW PARLIAMENT.]

_May 18, 1784._ _Preceptor and Pupil._

Not Satan to the ear of Eve
Did e'er such pious counsel give.--MILTON.

The Prince of Wales, wearing his plumed hat, has fallen asleep; Fox, now represented as a toad, with a fox's brush for a tail--who has crept from the concealment of some neighbouring sedges--is insinuating pernicious counsel into the ear of the slumberer--

Abjure thy country and thy parents, and I will give thee dominion
over Many powers. Better to rule in hell than serve on earth.

_May 18, 1784._ _The Departure._--This affecting scene is taking place outside the Prince of Wales's residence; his Royal Highness is watching the departure of his friend from the window. Fox is mounted on a patient ass, ready to ride the road to 'Coventry;' the High Bailiff, having unlawfully refused to make his return until the conclusion of the scrutiny which Sir Cecil Wray thought proper to instigate, the caricaturist hints that, for the time, the Whig leader will be 'left out in the cold' until the question of his return is finally settled. Fox has accordingly rolled up his India Bill, and is taking a doleful farewell of his fair champions, the Duchess of Devonshire and Lady Ducannon, on either side of his steed; the sorrowing ladies are grasping his hand and crying--

Farewell, my Charley!--let no fears assail.
Ah, sister, sister, must he, then, depart?
To lose poor Reynard almost breaks my heart.

Fox is observing, before his departure--

If that a Scrutiny at last takes place,
I can't tell how 'twill be, and please your Grace!

Burke is standing, equipped as a postilion, in readiness to drive off his ally, with a _plan of economy_ under his arm.

_May 25, 1784._ _Liberty and Fame Introducing Female Patriotism to Britannia._

She smiles--
Infused with a fortitude from heaven.
SHAKESPEARE'S _Tempest_.

This print has nothing of the caricature about it, excepting, perhaps, the unusual spirit, lightness, and ease of execution. All the figures are graceful and elegant, and the attitudes leave nothing to be desired. Britannia is on her throne, the British lion is at her feet, and the ocean, with her ships riding triumphant, is extending as far as can be seen; the figures of _Liberty_ and _Fame_, with their respective attributes, are tripping up to the throne, leading the beautiful Georgiana forward to receive the laurels of victory.

_May 20, 1784._ _For the Benefit of the Champion. A catch, to be performed at the New Theatre, Covent Garden. For admission apply to the Duchess. N.B. Gratis to those who wear large tails._

The 'catch' is performed by the Duchess of Devonshire, Fox, and Lord North; the grief expressed by the singers is, of course, apocryphal. The Duchess is leading; she wears a Fox favour in her hat, which is further garnished with a fox's brush; she is pointing to a tombstone topped with the death's head and crossbones, and inscribed, 'Here lies poor Cecil Ray.' 'Look, neighbours, look! Here lies poor Cecil Wray.' 'Dead and turned to clay,' sings Fox; to which Lord North adds, 'What! old Cecil Wray?' The sharp profile of Burke is thrust through the door. The pictures hanging round the room are appropriate to the subject: a committee of foxes are wondering over 'The Fox who has lost his tail;' 'The Fox and the Crow,' in which sly Reynard is represented as gazing longingly at the cheese held in the crow's beak; 'Fox and the Grapes,' and 'Fox and Goose.'

_May 28, 1784._ _The Petitioning Candidate for Westminster._--Designed according to a note on the plate, by Lord James Manners, and executed by Rowlandson. As we stated in an earlier caricature, due precautions were employed that Fox should not be left without a place in the newly-constituted Parliament, and accordingly in the present print--nearly the last of the series put forth on the Westminster Election for 1784--Fox, with a fox's head and brush, completely dressed in a suit of tartan, is speeding along, on a Highland pony, away from Kirkwall (for which he took his seat) back to London, flourishing his plaid, and crying, 'From the heath-covered mountains of Scotia I come.'

We can now take leave of the caricatures called forth on the Westminster Election and continue our review of the remainder of the satirical prints issued by Rowlandson in the course of 1784.

_November 2, 1784._ _The Minister's Ass._ Vide _Gazetteer_, November 11, 1784. Published by S. W. Fores, 3 Piccadilly.--Three mounted figures are shown crossing Wimbledon Common; one gentleman's donkey is speeding along briskly; a gallant lady, mounted on a grey horse, is riding between the two cavaliers and their donkeys; she is giving a friendly cut with her whip at the animal bestridden by her left-hand neighbour--the minister's ass, in fact, which is refusing to gallop forward; the rider is wearing his blue riband. A figure in the rear is endeavouring to reduce the refractory beast to reason with a scientifically administered kick.

_December 10, 1784._ _Anticipation of an intended Exhibition, with an excellent new ballad to be sung by a High Character, to the tune of 'The Vicar and Moses.'_ Mark Lane, delin. and fecit. Published by T. Harris, High Street, Marylebone.--This caricature sets forth by anticipation the fate of Christopher Atkinson, M.P., who was sentenced on November 27, 1784, and pilloried November 25, 1785. A print by Gillray (August 12, 1782) gives a view of the trial under the title of '_The Victualling Committee Framing a Report_.' Peter Pindar also makes a poetical allusion to the circumstances. Christopher Atkinson, M.P. for Heydon, Yorkshire, was convicted of peculation in his semi-official capacity as corn-factor to the Victualling Board. He was finally tried at the King's Bench for perjury, found guilty, and expelled from the House of Commons.

In Rowlandson's view of the novel situation of the contractor the pillory is raised on the Corn Exchange, and the criminal is standing with his head and hands enclosed in a board, with two dwarf corn-sheaves on either side; the Sheriffs, with a numerous crowd of citizens, are attending the exhibition, which Atkinson does not find to his taste. The sentiments of the pilloried contractor are expounded in a ballad:--

Here stand I, poor soul,
With my head in a hole,
To be gazed at by all passers by;
And what's this about,
This racket and rout,
But for swearing a mercantile lie!

They say that for gain
I've a rogue been in grain
But what is all that to the point?
If all were so serv'd
Who, like me, have deserv'd,
The State would be soon out of joint.

Many agents, I fear,
Would have their heads here,
And, like me, be expos'd to detractors;
What would you do then,
For Parliament men,
Should any of them be contractors?

For my part I rejoice,
And with loud, grateful voice
Proclaim it to all my beholders;
Notwithstanding your scoff,
I think I'm well off,
That my head is still left on my shoulders.

I know it full well,
And for once truth will tell,
Tho' my speech in this d--d place may falter:
Not a session goes by
But much less rogues than I
Their last contract make with a halter.

But as I am quitting
I think it is fitting
My future pursuits you should know:
When I leave the King's Bench
I will live with the French;
To the devil my country may go.

1784. _John Stockdale, the Bookselling Blacksmith, one of the King's New Friends._ (See _Intrepid Magazine_.)--Old Stockdale, the somewhat notorious publisher of his day, who, like the hero of the last picture, had the honour of standing in the pillory, is shown at his forge, surrounded by hammers and horseshoes, and with a tethered jackass waiting his attentions, as soon as the _Bookselling Blacksmith_ shall have completed the work he has in hand, the somewhat incongruous occupation of hammering out folio volumes on an anvil.

SOCIAL CARICATURES.

_January 24, 1784._ _A Sketch from Nature._ Published by J. R. Smith, 83 Oxford Street.--This plate is apparently scarce, since the only impression the writer has seen is one in the French National Collection of Engravings, Paris, where the admirer of Rowlandson's works will be gratified to discover a very fair gathering of caricatures by this master, the collection containing certain scarce subjects which it is difficult to find elsewhere, besides several proofs of rare plates. The prints throughout are in capital preservation; in several instances an impression from a rare plate, and a coloured print from the same, are mounted side by side.

_A Sketch from Nature_, which is the first and perhaps the best print of the Paris series, is rendered, like most of the plates published by J. R. Smith, exceptionally interesting from the care and delicacy bestowed on the engraving, and the success with which the tender expressions, which Rowlandson knew so well how to throw into the faces of his female beauties, are preserved and transferred to the copper. The subject is engraved in stipple, and, as a print after Rowlandson, it exhibits unusual quality and finish. The subject is somewhat hazardous: a situation borrowed from that inexhaustible epic the _Rake's Progress_, presenting all the license of debauchery, but expressed without coarseness. A mixed party of nymphs and roysterers are performing bacchanalian orgies; the 'Lady Abbess' has succumbed to her potations, and is slumbering heavily in her armchair. Punch and wine are flowing indiscriminately; a poodle has come in for the contents of a punch-glass, which is overturned, and a man in tipsy wantonness is upsetting a punch-bowl over the dog's head. The arms of a sweetly pretty Bacchante are entwined round the neck of the maudlin reveller. Beside the well-filled table sits a youthful military 'blood;' another nymph, whose adolescent charms are liberally displayed, is seated on the knee of this son of Mars. The young lady is evidently disposed to be frolicsome, since she is flourishing in the air a full-bottomed wig, which she has snatched from the head of a corpulent Silenus, in whom age has failed to bring sober reason or to correct frivolity; this ancient buck is deservedly getting his face scratched and clawed in an amorous struggle with a handsome maiden, dressed in a hat and feathers, who is forcibly repelling the advances of the elderly rake.

1784. _English Curiosity, or the Foreigner Stared out of Countenance._--From this social caricature it seems that some distinguished foreigner was visiting this country in 1784, whose general appearance was exciting more public attention than would be considered polite. The foreigner is dressed in a gay military uniform, and has gone to enjoy himself at the theatre; but the eyes of the audience do little else but stare at his uniform. The identity of this bird of passage is not very positive at this date. The plate, as a whole, is as characteristic and well-drawn an example of Rowlandson's etchings as can be found; the countenances of the spectators are capitally filled in, the various types of theatre-goers are hit off with spirit, and the female faces and figures are rendered with remarkable sweetness.

1784. _Counsellor and Client._--A simple citizen has waited on his lawyer with a document; the client is seated, very ill at ease; we can see that he is the person who will suffer; his face expresses perplexity and suspense. The counsellor is, on the contrary, very much at his ease, and is looking over the document confided to him, with a sly and satisfied expression, evidently seeing his way to some 'excellent practice.'

_May 4, 1784._ _La Politesse Françoise, or the English Ladies' Petition to His Excellency the Mushroom Ambassador._ Published by H. Humphrey, Bond Street.--The representative of Louis XVI. is all bows and smirks, lace ruffles and cravat, sword, bagwig, and shoe-buckles; he has turned his face away from a bevy of fair English beauties, bejewelled, prodigiously feathered, and wearing long court trains; the ambassador is obdurate to the entreaties of his petitioners. 'Parbleu, mesdames, _vous n'y viendrez pas_.'

With clasped hands and bended knees,
They humbly sought the Count to please,
And begged admission to his house.
Not that for him they cared a louse,
But wished within his walls to shine,
And show those charms they think divine.
His Ex. beheld these belles unmov'd--
His back their impudence reproved.

_July 24, 1784._ _1784, or the Fashions of the Day._ H. Repton inv., T. Rowlandson fecit.--The Park, with its mixed crowd of fashionable promenaders and pleasure-seekers, has afforded the designer ample scope for the delineation of both grotesque and graceful figures, modishly apparelled. In 1784, while the older generation still clung to the garments characteristic of the earlier Georges, the younger branches rushed into all the latest innovations--costumes which are generally received as distinctive of the end of the last and the beginning of the present century. Thus to the observer of the picturesque the fashions of 1784 offered the external habits of two distinct epochs. Among other features, indicative of the introduction of novelties, the artist has represented the parasol, or more properly the umbrella, then an object likely to occasion remark, as its general use was just coming into fashion.

_August 8, 1784._ _The Vicar and Moses._ Published by H. Humphrey, 18 New Bond Street.--A pictorial heading, in Rowlandson's characteristic style, to the famous old song of '_The Vicar and Moses_,' by G. A. Stevens. The Vicar has been dragged unwillingly from his ale-cup, by his clerk, to assist at the burial of a child; the family mourners are waiting in the churchyard, as shown in the picture; Moses, the clerk, has put on his bands and found the parson's place in his book, and he is lighting the erratic footsteps of his patron with a broken candle placed in a horn lantern; as to the rotund dignitary of the Church, he is reeling along reluctantly; he wears his cassock and bands, as was the daily fashion at one time, and his hat is thrust well over his full-bottomed wig, which is somewhat awry; in one hand he retains his faithful pipe, and his tobacco-box is held in the other. The verses, which are tolerably well known, offer a whimsical description of how the Vicar, who happened to be _non si ipse_ (_i.e._ 'the parson was tipsy'), having been disturbed at his meditations over a pot of ale, was informed that he was required to read the burial service over the body of one of his flock; the pastor felt strongly inclined to remain where he was, and proposed to postpone the ceremonial.

Then Moses reply'd:
'Sir, the parish will chide
For keeping them out in cold weather.'
'Then, Moses,' quoth he,
'Go and tell 'em from me
I'll bury them warm all together!'

'But, sir, it rains hard;
Pray have some regard.'
'Regard! ay, 'tis that makes me stay,
For no corpse, young or old,
In rain can catch cold;
But faith, Moses, you and I may!'

Moses begg'd he'd be gone,
Saying, 'Sir, the rain's done;
Arise, and I'll lend you my hand.'
'It's hard,' quoth the Vicar,
'To leave thus my liquor--
To go when I'm sure I can't stand.'

At length, tho' so troubled,
To the churchyard he hobbled,
Lamenting the length of the way.
Then 'Moses,' said he,
'Were I a Bishop, d'ye see,
I need neither walk, preach, or pray!'

The whole composition is more humorous than reverential, but it indicates the taste of the period, according to the last lines:--

'And thus we have carried the farce on:
The taste of the times
Will relish our rhymes,
When the ridicule runs on a parson.'

_November 1, 1784._ _New-Invented Elastic Breeches._ Designed by Nixon. Etched by Rowlandson. Published by W. Humphrey.

_November 8, 1784._ _Money-Lenders._--A young nobleman is receiving the visits of certain usurers. One Hebrew gentleman, the principal, or 'capitalist,' is dressed with a certain attention to the fashion of the day, which proves that he is by no means an insignificant member of the money-lending fraternity. A deed or bond, the security on which the young spendthrift is expecting an advance, is being duly examined by a more miserly-looking Shylock--'a little Jew-broker,' in fact. As to the borrower, it is clearly indicated that he is quite at his ease in the transaction; it seems evident that whatever money he may raise (regardless of the sacrifices to which he submits in obtaining it) will be quickly thrown to the winds, and 'the dose will have to be repeated as before' until his resources are exhausted.

_September 25, 1784._ _Bookseller and Author._--A characteristic drawing, in Rowlandson's best recognised style, bearing the name of Henry Wigstead as inventor, published by J. R. Smith. The persons of the publisher and author present the marked and conventional extreme contrasts which the two spheres of life were supposed to suggest--the one gross and prosperous, the other meagre and miserable. The scene of the interview may be assumed to be the back-shop of the bookseller; it is fitted around with shelves lined with books. The trader is stout and solid; his spectacles are thrust up on his forehead, his pen is behind his ear, and his hands are held beneath his coat-tails, in a self-assertive attitude, implying well-to-do pomposity.

Wigstead, whose name is associated with authorship (although his professional position as a magistrate exempted him from the sufferings of a struggling literary hack), has painted the professional gentleman in no flattering colours; the man of letters is wretchedly lean in person, and abjectly subservient in manner to the trafficker who is buying his ideas; his hat is held respectfully under his arm, and his manuscript, which he is endeavouring to recommend to his patron, is in his hand. One of the bookseller's clients, a respectable Church dignitary, who is looking through the library, with great owl-like horn spectacles on his reverend nose, is present at the interview, and is regarding the poor literary hack with an air of inflated superiority.

1784. _London, Made and Sold by Broderip and Wilkinson, 13 Haymarket._--A plate for a trade advertisement, introducing the figures Apollo, Daphne, &c., drawn and etched with considerable grace and spirit. Among Rowlandson's renderings of the works of other men we may mention a sketch after T. Mortimer, etched by T. R., 1784. This study portrays the back view of an Italian or Spanish peasant woman, playing the flute.

1784. _The Historian Animating the Mind of a Young Painter._--This subject represents the painting-room of a young artist, furnished with a drawing-table, an easel, a couple of chairs, a settee, and a bust, while a few sketches of figure subjects are pinned on the walls. The painter, who is a well-favoured youth, is seated with his back to his easel, on which is a classic study in course of execution. His palette is on the ground, and he is holding a crayon in one hand, and a folio, which is serving as his drawing-board, in the other, ready to dash down his conceptions as soon as his imagination is sufficiently inspired by the effects of his friend's readings. The learned historian, whose hat and gloves are at his feet, wears a full-bottomed wig and large round rimmed spectacles. His appearance is somewhat clerical, and he is evidently filled with enthusiasm for the subject on which he is declaiming, book in hand. The limner's wife, in a morning dress, is seated by the fire, amusing her infant son, who is standing on her knee in a nude state, the infant being probably impressed into the service of the fine arts as the model for a cherubim. No publisher's name is given on this plate, which is delicately rendered.

1784. The print of a group of three figures; in the centre is a pretty simple maiden, whose face wears an artless expression, such as Rowlandson excelled in delineating, seated in an armchair, and grasping the hand of a youth, who has opened a vein in his arm, while another maid, in a morning cap and dress, is lending her assistance. The name of R. Batty has been given in MS. as 'sculpsit.' Both the drawing of the figures and the style of the etching are strongly indicative of Rowlandson's handiwork.

1784. _Rest from Labour on Sunny Days._ Designed and etched by T. Rowlandson.--A peasant is sitting in an easy attitude perched upon the ruins of a temple, playing the flute; a pretty peasant maid is leaning beside him, with her dog at her feet. Etching and aquatinta.

1784. _Billingsgate._--All the humours of this famous academy of slang are displayed. The fish-selling fags have their baskets planted in rows in front of the landing-place. The hampers of the porters and the masts of ships are seen beyond. The Billingsgate hawkers are offering their fish vociferously for sale, getting drunk, and generally behaving in the disorderly style attributed to them. A gouty customer, evidently an epicure, who has come to select a turbot for his table, is seized unceremoniously by his wig and coat-tails and tripped up in the exertions of a fishfag aided by her urchin to arrest the passer, and call attention to certain goods she is holding out for inspection.

1784. _Miller's Waggon._
1784. _A Timber Waggon._ Published by E. Jackson,
14 Marylebone Street, Golden Square.
1784. _Country Cart Horses._ "
1784. _Dray Horses. Draymen and Maltsters._ "
1784. _Higglers' Carts._ "
1784. _A Post-chaise._ "
1784. _A Cabriolet._ "

_Rowlandson's Imitations of Modern Drawings._ Folio. 1784-88.

F. Wheatley A Coast Scene, fishermen, fisherwomen, &c.
" A Companion "
Gainsborough A Sketch; trees, cottages, &c.
" Cattle, river side.
F. Wheatley A Fair.
Bartolozzi A Pair of Cupids.
Barret and Gilpin Mares and Foals.
" Cattle.
Gainsborough Landscape sketch.
Mortimer A Storm at Sea.
Gainsborough Cows.
Zucchi Harmony. Two nymphs singing, another
playing a lyre.
Mortimer The Philosopher.
Barret Ruins, and a Park.
Mortimer A Study.
Barret Ruins, &c.
Gainsborough A Cottage, &c.
" An Open Landscape.
Mortimer Scene in 'The Tempest,' from Shakespeare.
Republished 1801. J. P. Thompson, Soho.
G. Barret Lake Scene.
Saurey Gilpin, R.A. Horses.
G. Holmes The Sage and his Pupil.
Michael Angelo Leda and the Swan.
G. B. Cipriani Sleeping Venus and Love.

FOOTNOTES:

[24] 'General Johnson reminded Mr. Fox that he had undertaken to bring in another East India Bill. Mr. Fox did not deny that he had said he could have his Bill ready within a day or two--he said so still; but, as there was not, at present, any Government--any strong, and efficient, and constitutional Government--he thought it would be absurd to enter on the discussion of any measure; since, whatever it might be, it would not be carried into execution.'--_Morning Post_, Feb. 9, 1784.

[25] Lord Thurlow, whose private life, if we may believe the caricaturists, was not of the purest.

[26] In several of the caricatures directed against Wray the discomfited candidate is invoking the assistance of Churchill, who was, however, apparently unable to offer his patron any effectual aid.

1785.

_January 7, 1785._ _The Fall of Achilles._--It was evident from the first that the chances of the members of the late Coalition Ministry returning to power were weakened in the new Parliament, and it soon became obvious that, even as an Opposition, their party was without either weight or influence. Fox in looking round the recently elected House found himself surrounded by country gentlemen, Pitt's following, whose faces were unfamiliar to him. Pitt was firmly settled, the unquestioned master of the situation. It is the youthful Premier who has come forth, in the character of Paris it is presumed, with a bow and a quiver of arrows, the better to shoot Whiggism on the wing; he has just sent a bolt straight into the flying Opposition; the arrow has lodged in the heel of the mighty Fox, who is represented double the size of his triumphant adversary.

Thus do I strive with heart and hand
To drive sedition from the land!

The Whig chief is disabled, in spite of his armour, and he is lying at the mercy of the enemy.

There is nought but a place or a pension will ease
The strain that I've got in my tendon Achilles.

The turns of North and Burke seem likely to follow; the prostrate form of Fox is tripping up his friend's retreat; North's sword and buckler seem of no service to him; he is crying in perplexity--

This curs'd eternal Coalition
Has brought us to a rare condition.

Burke is trying to make good his escape.

Before thy arrows, Pitt, I fly;
I d--n that word _prolixity_.

_January 24, 1785._ _Mock-Turtle._ Published by S. W. Fores.

_March 2, 1785._ _The Golden Apple, or the Modern Paris._ Published by J. Phillips, Piccadilly.--The Prince of Wales is represented in the enviable position of Paris, deciding between the respective attractions of the three Duchesses, Rutland, Devonshire, and Gordon, the rival luminaries whose brilliancy dazzled society, and whose beauties graced the Court of the Prince of Wales. A gallant songster of the day has perpetuated the charms of this dazzling trio in the following lines, appropriate to Rowlandson's agreeably-expressed cartoon:--

Come, Paris, leave your hills and dells;
You'll scorn your dowdy goddesses,
If once you see our English belles,
For all their gowns and bodices.

Here's Juno Devon, all sublime;
Minerva Gordon's wit and eyes;
Sweet Rutland, Venus in her prime:
You'll die before you give the prize.

_March, 1785._ _The Admiring Jew._ (Etched 1784.) Published by T. Smith, 6 Wardour Street, Soho.--An old Jew, who is evidently a man of substance, but awkward, ugly, and ill-bred, is twiddling his fingers and thumbs and pouring soft persuasions into the ear of a handsome and well-dressed lady, who is apparently a person of fashion.

After a smart skirmish, which lasted a considerable time, in
which many men were lost on both sides. But their great ally, at
length losing ground, desertions took place, and notwithstanding
their vast superiority in numbers and weight of metal at the
first onset, this increased apace, altho' often rallied by the
ablest man in command, till at length the forces gave way in
all quarters and they were totally overthrown. This print is
dedicated to the Electors of the City and Liberty of Westminster,
who have so nobly stood forth and supported their champion upon
this trying occasion, by
AN INDEPENDENT ELECTOR.

_March 7, 1785._ _Defeat of the high and mighty Balissimo Corbettino and his famed Cecilian Forces_, on the plains of St. Martin, on Thursday, the 3rd day of February, 1785, by the Champion of the People and his Chosen Band.--Fox, at the head of his party, whose arms are legal weapons, such as _Law_, _Eloquence_, _Perseverance_, and _Truth_, is routing and putting to flight the combined forces of his opponents, led by Sir Cecil Wray and the High Bailiff, Corbett. At the Westminster Election it will be remembered, Fox had gained the victory over his antagonists; and the Scrutiny, moved for by Sir Cecil Wray, being concluded, the proper return was directed to be made; and, as we have mentioned, the successful candidate brought an action and recovered heavy damages against the High Bailiff (who had made himself the tool of the Ministerialists). Fox is protected by his buckler, inscribed 'Majority 38;' he is sweeping away the 'Cecilian forces' with the sword of 'Justice;' a laurel crown is placed on his brow by a celestial messenger, who is also charged with the decision of the Court--'It is ordered that Thomas Corbett, Esq., do immediately return.' Fox is declaring, 'The wrath of my indignation is kindled, and I will pursue them with a mighty hand and outstretched arm until justice is done to those who have so nobly supported me.' Sir Cecil Wray's shield of _Ingratitude_ is no defence, and his weapon has snapped short; he is crying in despair, 'My knees wax feeble, and I sink beneath the weight of my own apostacy!' The High Bailiff is thrown down; he confesses, 'My conscience is now at peace;' an ally is crying, 'Help, help! our chief is fallen. O conscience, support me!' Corbett's lawyers have turned their backs on the cause of the client: 'Nor law, nor conscience, nor the aid of potent Ministers, can e'er support the contest 'gainst such a chief!' 'Our support is gone and we are fallen into a Pitt; yea, even into a deep Pitt!'

_March 27, 1785._ _The surprising Irish Giant of St. James's Street. 'The surprising Irish Colossus, King of the Giants, measuring eight feet ten inches; noble Order of St. Patrick, &c.'_--The figure of the famous Irish Giant is drawn with skill and originality by Rowlandson. The person of this colossus, although gigantic, is graceful, and his proportions are such that the spectators who surround him are apparently dwarfed to half the usual standard. The giant's right hand is resting on the head of a military commander, the tallest man in the room, who, while standing bolt upright, does not reach much above the waistband of the Irish mammoth. Another officer, while standing on tiptoe on a chair, is still a full third short of the height of the prodigy. The ladies are struck with wonder at such gigantic limbs, and one of them is comparing her tiny foot with the large and well-proportioned member of the giant; while some of the audience are investing themselves in his top-boots. The skeleton of this remarkable person is preserved in the Hunterian Museum, College of Surgeons. 'Mr. Lynn related to-day that the surgeons, in spite of the vigilance of the Irish Giant's friends, obtained the body for dissection. They made several attempts to bury it in the Thames, or to convey it to Dover. But the body-hunters were too keen for all they aimed at; and after keeping the corpse fourteen days they sold it to John Hunter for 100_l._ The heart was preserved, and was very large.... The stature of the skeleton measures eight feet two inches.'--'MS. Journal of Captain E. Thompson, R.N.' (_Cornhill Magazine_, May 1868.)

_April 12, 1785._ _The Wonderful Pig._ Published S. W. Fores, 3 Piccadilly.--The artist has given a grotesque representation of the learned hog, spelling his words before a delighted audience; the individual characteristics of the spectators are capitally diversified; their actions and groupings are, as usual, marked with vivacity. According to a placard over the mantel-piece of the hall in which this intellectual entertainment was offered we learn: 'The surprising pig, well versed in all languages, perfect arithmetician, mathematician, and composer of music.'

_May 27, 1784._ Verses published 1785. _The Waterfall, or an Error in Judgment._ Published by Wallis, Ludgate Hill.

The coxcomb, student, and attorney vile,
Jew bail and tipstaff, added to the pile;
All rush in terror, or from gain or sport,
And headlong tumble down the steps of Court.

The incident on which this print was founded occurred, according to the magazines, &c., in 1785; and, as numerous illustrations appeared at the time, it seems that the artist has put the date of the year wrongly. _The Waterfall_ represents the Court of King's Bench in an uproar. The members of the Bench and the Bar, counsellors, attorneys, and clients, suitors and witnesses, are taking to flight indiscriminately, trampling over one another in their precipitate retreat, tumbling down the stairs of Westminster Hall, while robes, wigs, and briefs are lost in the struggle.

Rowlandson's illustration of this scene of consternation is used as the heading for a song to the tune of '_The Roast Beef of Old England_.'

According to the song the recitative relates:--

'Twas at the Hall of Rufus, Woodfall tells,
Where brawling, sneering Discord ever dwells;
Where honest men despond, where tricking thrives,
And Law against plain Reason ever strives,
A sudden fright seiz'd all the black-rob'd race,
And inward horror mark'd each hideous face.

A maiden appear'd on the roof of the Hall,
And, washing a window, her water let fall,
Which frighten'd the mighty, the short, and the tall.
Oh, the clean maid of Westminster!
And, oh, the clean Westminster maid!

Her trickling of water made such a sad noise,
It threw the Court into a horrid surprise;
All feeling alike--alike they all rise.
Oh, the stout hearts of the lawyers!
And, oh, the lawyers' stout hearts!

They thought that the roof was all coming down;
And knowing how much they deserv'd Heaven's frown,
All hasten'd, with loss of wig, band, and gown,
Out of the Court of Westminster,
And out of Westminster Court.

The Serjeants were wounded in limbs, nose, and eye;
Like leaves of the Sibyls their briefs scattered lie
A sight very pleasant to all standers-by.
Oh, the torn robes of the Benchers!
And, oh, the Benchers' torn robes!

For Ruspini's Styptic some half-dozen run;
But the crowd stayed to laugh and enjoy the high fun;
All hop'd the long thread of the Law was now spun.
Oh, what a joy to Old England!
And, oh, to Old England what joy!

But Heaven, to punish this half-ruin'd nation,
Permitted again each to take his old station,
The people to gall with the deepest vexation.
Oh, what a grief to Old England!
And, oh, to Old England what grief!

1785. _Comfort in the Gout._ (See July 1, 1802.) Republished 1802.

_June 28, 1785._ _Vauxhall Gardens._ Engraved by R. Pollard, aquatinted by F. Jukes. Published by John Raphael Smith.--It will be remembered by the reader that, in the earlier part of this sketch of _Rowlandson's Life, Works, and Times_, special reference is made by the artist's friend and the frequent companion of his adventures, Henry Angelo, to their expeditions to Vauxhall Gardens to study character. The varied humours discovered at this popular resort employed Rowlandson's pencil frequently, as we are told in the _Memoirs_. It seems, on the authority of those who were most intimate with the caricaturist, and who were also thoroughly well acquainted with the leading examples of his skill, that _Vauxhall Gardens_ may be accepted as his _chef d'oeuvre_ in the general estimation. We can compare it to his drawing of the _Tuileries Gardens_, which is even fuller of diversified groups.

In the famous picture of _Vauxhall_ we have the Rotunda, a marvellous construction, built from the designs of an inventive carpenter, a modest genius, who obtained a certain celebrity for his ingenuity.[27] 'The gilded scallop-shell,' described by Thackeray in the Vauxhall episode which is introduced in the opening of _Vanity Fair_, was as it appeared within the writer's recollection, a melancholy, tawdry substitute for the vanished splendours as noted in Rowlandson's drawing. A portly lady, standing in front of the orchestra, is warbling ballads to the highly genteel company, the patrons of the entertainment; of the performers we are able to offer but scanty particulars.

The figure of the fair vocalist is evidently intended for that of Mrs. Weichsel, a Vauxhall favourite, already mentioned as the mother of the great Mrs. Billington, the pride of English operatic celebrities. It was at Mrs. Weichsel's benefit, which Rowlandson attended at 'the little theatre in the Haymarket,' that our artist produced a sketch of this musical family. To return to Vauxhall, Angelo and other informants supply us with a hint or two of the company. Daniel Arrowsmith was engaged as one of the principal singers, 'where Mrs. Kennedy and that capital bass, Sedgwick, entertained the public for several seasons.' Joe Vernon, of Drury Lane Theatre, is mentioned among the performers. Barthelemon was leader of the band; Fisher played the hautboy; and Mr. Hook was conductor and composer.

To describe the visitors: the most conspicuous figures, which occupy the centre of the picture, and are exciting the admiring regards of the frequenters of Vauxhall scattered around them, are understood to be intended for the fascinating Duchess of Devonshire and her sister, Lady Duncannon. Among the 'freaks of folly' recorded by our invaluable authority Angelo he mentions having frequently 'seen many of the nobility, particularly the Duchess of Devonshire, &c. (the '&c.' expressing a whole crowd of fashionable notorieties), with a large party, supping in the rooms facing the orchestra, French horns playing to them all the time.'

Captain Topham, the macaroni-scribbler of fashionable intelligence and genteel scandalmonger to _The World_, a newspaper of which he was conjointly proprietor, editor, and principal contributor, is standing upright as a post, dressed in a smart uniform, and quizzing the fair through his glass. A stout old Commander, stranded on shore, with only one eye and one leg left from his naval glories, is planted, lost in admiration, on the Duchess's right. This gallant veteran is understood to represent Admiral Paisley, the reputed original, according to the caricaturist, who has drawn his portrait more than once, of '_The Tough Old Commodore_'--

Why, the bullets and the gout
Have so knocked his hull about,
That he'll never like the sea any more!

A clerical person over the shoulder of Lady Duncannon is a free rendering, it is hinted, of Bate Dudley, who was the hero of a somewhat notorious Vauxhall adventure. By the side of the reverend sable-clad editor of the _Morning Post_ stands a handsome figure, dressed in full Highland costume, with a veritable claymore under his arm, of which the bearer was reported to well know the use; this gentleman's person is reported to be introduced as a compliment to another editor, James Perry, of the _Morning Chronicle_, who was, Angelo relates, very expert with the Highland broadsword, its exercise being his favourite diversion; 'he might be frequently met at masquerades and places of entertainment, dressed in the costume of a Highlander, with a party of Scotch lassies, dancing Scotch reels. For variety of steps, Highland flings, &c., he was particularly noted; crowds collected round him.'

Another conspicuous group introduces the Prince of Wales, afterwards George the Fourth, then a sweet youth, whose persuasions were supposed to be irresistible, and 'whose smile was victory;' he is represented whispering soft flatteries in the ear of a not unwilling fair, whose right hand is held captive under the arm of a gentleman, presumably her better half. This tender situation is reported to indicate a well-known episode in the career of the Heir Apparent, which, although somewhat threadbare, still retains an air of romance. 'Prince Florizel,' wearing his brilliant star on his breast, is addressing himself covertly to the most conspicuous figure of the party, the captivating Mrs. Robinson by general acceptation, the graceful _Perdita_, in connection with whom, as the artist has drawn him, the Prince is said to have

Gazed on the fair
Who caused his care,
And sigh'd and look'd, and sigh'd again.

The lady is coyly trifling with a trinket suspended by a chain round her shapely throat, possibly the identical locket affectingly alluded to by the 'British Sappho' (as not impartial admirers subsequently dubbed the fair poetess) in her Memoirs; this _gage d'amour_, which is almost historical in the chronicle of small affections, containing Prince George's portrait, then a handsome, fine-complexioned youth, with a profusion of fair hair, as painted in miniature by Meyer, was presented in an early stage of the flirtation to the lady, through Lord Malden, the _Leporello_ of the transaction. Within the case of this tribute of tenderness was a heart, appropriately cut in paper, on one side of which was inscribed, '_Je ne change qu'en mourant_;' and on the other, '_Unalterable to my Perdita through life_;' a lover's protestation which was not remarkably verified by the subsequent inconstancy of the impressible _Florizel_.

Within a supper-box--one of those grotesque-looking cabinets which many who have visited the shades of Vauxhall may still bear in vivid remembrance--is assembled another convivial party, the members of which have been described--we are inclined to suspect without any sufficiently valid foundation--as the representatives of an illustrious and very familiar literary coterie. A stout personage, in the centre, of massive proportions, has been adopted as a free rendering of the person of the famous Doctor Johnson, who is pictured as characteristically intent on his supper, and indifferent alike to his company and the sprightly society which surrounds his box; seated in a corner, on the great lexicographer's left, anecdotic Boswell is shown, pausing, open-mouthed, to catch the good things that may fall from his eminent leader; Mrs. Thrale, on Johnson's right, is saying something very pertinent to Oliver Goldsmith, who is endeavouring to carve the contents of his plate. His stolid features do not express anything approaching to rapturous appreciation of the accomplished blue-stocking's extraordinary flow of bewitching conversation.

Before we leave the attractive vicinity of _Vauxhall Gardens_, as its picturesque humours were noted by an able hand a century ago, we must offer a few traits of the delightful old haunt and the wicked ways of its frequenters. Our inexhaustible informant Angelo is considerate enough to enlighten our more repressive generation on the practices of the period.

The dashers of the day, instead of returning home in the morning from Vauxhall, used to repair to the Star and Garter, at Richmond; and, on some occasions, the madcap excursions were pushed farther. Angelo mentions a party of which he had formed a member, when, while crossing Westminster Bridge, the sight of a boat suggested a fresh act of extravagant frolic, no less than being rowed to the Tower, taking places, and straightway setting off in the famous hoy for the sea-trip to Margate, which in those times was quite a journey.

We have already introduced a certain witty and pugilistic divine; let us avail ourselves of Angelo's remembrances of an incident in his career, the scene of which belongs to the print we have been endeavouring to elucidate for our readers. Parson Bate--better known by this _soubriquet_ than by his later title as Sir Bate Dudley--who was at the time editor of the _Morning Post_, obtained the nickname of the _Fighting Parson_, from a memorable affray in Vauxhall Gardens.

The particulars of the _fracas_ are thus related in the _Reminiscences_:--'Mr. Parson Bate, as magnificent a piece of humanity, perhaps, as ever walked arm-in-arm with a fashionable beauty in the illuminated groves of Vauxhall, was promenading and chatting, with the celebrated Mrs. Hartley,[28] her Woodstock glove gently rubbing against his sable sleeve; when Mr. Fitzgerald (who was subsequently hanged in Ireland for certain malpractices), in company with Lord Littleton and Captain O'Bourne, most ungallantly gave offence to the lady and her protector by severally turning short round upon her and, with the most marked rudeness, staring in her face. This offensive behaviour was resented by Mr. Bate, and, if my memory does not deceive me, he chastised the offenders on the spot.'