Part 4 (1/2)
See our hero then, in the scene before us, raving in all the dismal horrors of hopeless insanity, in the hospital of Bethlehem, the senate of mankind, where eachon the first great law of nature, tearing hi to prevent any further ht either do to himself or others But in this scene, dreary and horrid as are its accompaniments, he is attended by the faithful and kind-hearted female whom he so basely betrayed In the first plate we see him refuse her his promised hand In the fourth, she releases his of a bailiff; she is present at hishis distress, she follows him to a prison Our artist, in this scene of horror, has taken an opportunity of pointing out to us the various causes of mental blindness; for such, surely, it may be called, when the intuitive faculties are either destroyed or iallery is a despairing wretch, i Heaven forsuperstition, the norance, error, penance and indulgence, too often deprives its unhappy votaries of their senses The next in view is onelines upon a wall, in order, if possible, to find out the longitude; and another, before hih a paper, by way of a telescope By these expressive figures we are given to understand that such is thesoul is pursuing so to an uncorand discovery, the fer for the feeble brain to support, and lays the whole es in wild confusion This roup is co at the , through excess of ignorance, what discoveries the heavens can possibly afford; proud of his profession, he has fixed a variety of patterns in his hat, by way of ornament; has covered his poor head with shreds, and makes his measure the constant object of his attention Behind thison the violin, with his book upon his head, intireat a love for music has been the cause of his distraction On the stairs sits another, crazed by love, (evident from the picture of his beloved object round his neck, and the words ”char Betty Careless”
upon the bannisters, which he is supposed to scratch upon every wall and every wainscot,) and wrapt up so close inthat is flying at him Behind him, and in the inner rooh under the influence of the same passion, are actuated by different notions; one is for the papal dignity, the other for regal; one i , is encircled with the einary subjects by an act of the greatest disdain To brighten this distressful scene, and draw a s into public view this bleallery, as curious spectators of this ht; one of whom is supposed, in a whisper, to bid the other observe the naked h the sticks of her fan
Thus, i mad, the story is finished, and little else remains but to close it with a proper application Reflect then, ye parents, on this tragic tale; consider with yourselves, that the ruin of a child is too often owing to the i ht the proper use of raven, as it were, upon his heart, the precepts of religion, with an abhorrence of vice, our youth would, in all probability, have taken a contrary course, lived a credit to his friends, and an honour to his country
[Illustration: THE RAKE'S PROGRESS
PLATE 8
SCENE IN BEDLAM]
THE DISTRESSED POET
This Plate describes, in the strongest colours, the distress of an author without friends to patronise him Seated upon the side of his bed, without a shi+rt, but wrapped in an old night-gown, he is now spinning a poem upon ”Riches:” of their _use_ he probably knoweth little; and of their _abuse_,--if judgment can be formed from externals,--_certes_, he knoweth less Enchanted, impressed, inspired with his subject, he is disturbed by a ny voice awakes one of the _little loves_, whose _chorus_ disturbs his ht is lost!--to recover it, his hand becoed at the noise, he tortures his head for the fleeting idea; but, ah! no thought is there!
Proudly conscious that the lines already written are sterling, he possesses by anticipation the s over his head Upon the table we see ”Byshe's Art of Poetry;” for, like the pack-horse, who cannot travel without his _bells_, he cannot cli-book_ On the floor lies the ”Grub-street Journal,” to which valuable repository of genius and taste he is probably a contributor To show that he is a master of the PROFOUND, and will envelope his subject in a cloud, his pipe and tobacco-box, those friends to cogitation deep, are close to hi that part of his dress, in the pockets of which the affluent keep their gold, is worthy of a better fate Her figure is peculiarly interesting Her face, softened by adversity, and itated by the appearance of a boisterous wo payment of the milk-tally In the excuse she returns, there is a mixture of concern, complacency, and mortification As an addition to the distresses of this poor fa the remnant ofroof, and projecting chih above the crowd;--it is a garret The chimney is ornamented with a _dare for larks_, and a book; a loaf, the tea-equipage, and a saucepan, decorate the shelf Before the fire hangs half a shi+rt, and a pair of ruffled sleeves His sword lies on the floor; for though our professor of poetry waged no war, except ords, a sas, in the year 1740, a necessary appendage to every thing which called itself ”gentleman” At the feet of his do-place of a cat and two kittens: in the sa, the other is half i-pan The broom, bellows, and mop, are scattered round the room The open door shows us that their cupboard is unfurnished, and tenanted by a hungry and solitarycloak, well calculated to conceal the threadbare wardrobe of its fair owner
Mr Hogarth's strict attention to propriety of scenery, is evinced by the cracked plaistering of the walls, broken , and uneven floor, in the als When this was first published, the following quotation from Pope's ”Dunciad” was inscribed under the print:
”Studious he sate, _with all his books_ around, Sinking froed for his sense, but found no bottom there; Then wrote and flounder'd on, into _only four_, was, I suppose, the artist's reason for erasing the lines
[Illustration: THE DISTRESSED POET]
THE BENCH
CHARACTER, CARICATURA, AND OUTRE
It having been universally acknowledged that Mr Hogarth was one of the e, and a man possessed of a vast store of humour, which he has sufficiently shown and displayed in his nueneral approbation his works receive, is not to be wondered at But, as owing to the false notions of the public, not thoroughly acquainted with the true art of painting, he has been often called a _caricaturer_; when, in reality, _caricatura_ was no part of his profession, he being a true copier of Nature; to set this ive the world a just definition of the words, _character_, _caricatura_, and _outre_, in which hu principally consists, and to show their difference of , he, in the year 1758, published this print; but, as it did not quite answer his purpose, giving an illustration of the word _character_ only, he added, in the year 1764, the group of heads above, which he never lived to finish, though he worked upon it the day before his death The lines between inverted coraved at the bottos more essentially different than _character_ and _caricatura_; nevertheless, they are usually confounded, and mistaken for each other; on which account this explanation is attempted
”It has ever been allowed, that when a _character_ is stronglyface, it may be considered as an index of the ree of justness, in painting, requires the utreat ot the naht to be, totally divested of every stroke that hath a tendency to good drawing; it may be said to be a species of lines that are produced, rather by the hand of chance, than of skill; for the early scrawlings of a child, which do but barely hint the idea of a human face, will always be found to be like some person or other, and will often form such a comical resemblance, as, in all probability, the most eminent _caricaturers_ of these tin; because their ideas of objects are so much more perfect than children's, that they will, unavoidably, introduce so; for all the hu_, chiefly depend on the surprise we are under, at finding ourselves caught with any sort of similitude in objects absolutely remote in their kind Let it be observed, the reater is the excellence of these pieces As a proof of this, I reer, that struck at first sight, which consisted only of a straight perpendicular stroke, with a dot over As to the French word _outre_, it is different froerated outlines of a figure, all the parts of which may be, in other respects, a perfect and true picture of nature A giant or a dwarf may be called a coer, or less than it ought to be, is that part _outre_, which is all that is to be understood by this word, injudiciously used to the prejudice of _character_”--analYSIS OF BEAUTY, chap vi
To prevent these distinctions being looked upon as dry and unentertaining, our author has, in this group of faces, ridiculed the want of capacity aes, or dispensers of the lahose shallow discernment, natural disposition, or wilful inattention, is here perfectly described in their faces One is a himself in the course of trial, with other business; another, in all the pride of self-i a former deposition, wholly inattentive to that before hin to the subject; and the senses of the last are locked fast in sleep
The four sages on the Bench, are intended for Lord Chief Justice Sir John Willes, the principal figure; on his right hand, Sir Edward Clive; and on his left, Mr Justice Bathurst, and the Hon William Noel