Part 16 (1/2)

Having seen the igno remains but to represent the completion of the other's happiness; who is now exalted to the highest honour, that of Lord Mayor of London; the greatest reward that ancient and noble city can bestow on diligence and integrity Our artist has here, as in the last plate, given a loose to his hu nificent; yet the honour done the city, by the presence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, is not forgotten The variety of coenerally passes on such public processions as these, when the people collect to gratify their childish curiosity, and indulge their wanton disposition, or natural love of riot The front of this plate exhibits the oversetting of a board, on which soround; on the left, at the back of the scaffold, is a fellow saluting a fair ny the joke: near hi in the general halloo: before him is a militia-; a figure of infinite huarth has here s, yet his chief intention was to ridicule the city militia, which was at this period coht; some fat, some lean, soeneral so unused to muskets, that they knew not how to carry the his head another way, at whohtened

The boy on the right, crying, ”A full and true account of the ghost of Thomas Idle,” which is supposed to have appeared to the Mayor, preserves the connexion of the whole work The ure in his Lordshi+p's coach is Mr Swordbearer, in a cap like a reversed saucepan, which this great officer wears on these grand occasions The company of journeymen butchers, with their marrow-bones and cleavers, appear to be the race this solemnity Numberless spectators, upon every house and at every , dart their desiring eyes on the procession; so great indeed was the interest taken by the good citizens of London in these civic processions that, foriving a right to the landlord and his friends to stand in the balcony, during the time of ”the shows or pastimes, upon the day commonly called the Lord Mayor's Day”

Thus have we seen, by a series of events, the prosperity of the one and the downfall of the other; the riches and honour that crown the head of industry, and the ignominy and destruction that await the slothful

After this it would be unnecessary to say which is the ible path to tread Lay the roads but open to the view, and the traveller will take the right of course; give but the boy this history to peruse, and his future welfare is almost certain

[Illustration: INDUSTRY AND IDLENESS

PLATE 12

THE INDUSTRIOUS 'PRENTICE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON]

SOUTHWARK FAIR

The subject of the plate under consideration is that of the Borough Fair; a fair held soh now suppressed This fair was attended, generally, by the inhabitants of town and country, and, therefore, was one that afforded great variety; especially as, before its suppression, it was devoted to every thing loose and irregular A view of the scene, of which the following print is a faithful representation, will affirm this truth

The principal view upon the left represents the fall of a scaffold, on which was asse co in front, to be that belonging to Cibber and Bullock, ready dressed to exhibit ”The Fall of Bajazet” Here we see eneral confusion; and, that the crash reater, the stand beneath is humorously supposed to consist of earthenware and china

Notwithstanding this fatal overthro below are seen to notice it; witness the boys and woht ures Above this scaffold hangs a painting, the subject of which is the stage ures are as follow:--On one side is Pistol, (strutting and crying out, ”Pistol's alive,”) Falstaff, Justice Shallow, and er bearing in his hand a paper, on which is written, ”it cost 6000_l_” a scene-painter, who has laid his brushes aside, and taken up a cudgel; and a wo the words, ”We'll starve 'e ofat the folly of the rest; and behind, a n iron, supposed to be that of the Rose Tavern in Drury-lane, squeaking out, ”I aned to shohat is exhibited within; but this alludes to a dispute that arose at the time when this print was published, which was in the year 1733, between the players and the patentee of Drury-lane Theatre, when young Cibber, the son of the Laureate, was at the head of the faction Above, on one side, is an equilibrist swinging on a slack rope; and on the other, a roove fastened to his breast, slipping over a line strained from one place to the other At the back of this plate is Lee and Harper's great booth, where, by the picture of the wooden horse, we are told, is represented ”The Siege of Troy” The next paintings consist of the fall of Adam and Eve, and a scene in Punch's opera Beneath is afire to attract the public attention; while hishis medicines Further back is a shi+ft and hat, carried upon poles, designed as prizes for the best runner or wrestler In front is a group of strollers parading the fair, in order to collect an audience for their next exhibition; in which is a female drummer, at that time well known, and reht the eye of two country Behind these men is a buskined hero, beset by a Marshalsea Court officer and his follower To the right is a Savoyard exhibiting her farthing show; and behind, a player at back sword riding a blind horse round the fair triumphantly, in all the boast of self-ilorying in his scars, and challenging the world to open colish were re the attention of a country gentleman, while he robs hi a couple of unthinking country girls to their ruin

Further back is a ler perfor some dexterity of hand Indeed it would be tedious to enter into an enumeration of the various matter of this plate; it is sufficient to remark that it presents us with an endless collection of spirited and laughable characters, in which is strikingly portrayed the character of the times

[Illustration: SOUTHWARK FAIR]

GARRICK IN THE CHARACTER OF RICHARD III

Give me another horse,--bind up my wounds,-- Have mercy, Jesu!--Soft; I did but dreahts burn blue!--is it not deadflesh--

Such is the exclamation of Richard, and such is the disposition of hisa dih the tent, the crucifix placed at his head, the crown, and unsheathed sword at his hand, and the arround, are judicious and appropriate accompaniments Those who are acquainted with this prince's history, need not be told that he was naturally bold, courageous, and enterprising; that when business called hience, and applied his e stripped no otherwise than of his ar retired to his tent in order to repose hi day See hiht, in the ut terrified in his sleep by the dreadful phanto on his sword, by way of defence against the foe his disordered fancy presents to hiitation, that every nerve and er When the heart is affected, how great is its influence on the human frame!--it communicates its sensibility to the extreme parts of the body, from the centre to the circumference; as distant water is put infrom the place of its disturbance The paper on the floor containing these words,

Jockey of Norfolk, be not so bold, For dicken thy ht hi he found it in his tent, and lying here unattended to, as a mark of contempt, plainly inforainst the arrows of conscience, still they will find a way to his breast, and shake the sinner even in his greatest security And indeed we cannot wonder, e reflect on thethe severest punishment; for Providence has wisely ordained that sin should be its own tormentor, otherwise, in many cases, the offender would, in this life, escape unpunished, and the design of heaven be frustrated But Richard, though he reached a throne, and by that s of the subject, yet could not divest his of the heart, and bear the tortures of a distracted mind The expression in his face is a reat coarth to his friend Garrick; yet not une the greatness of the actor The figures in the distance, two of whom,

Like sacrifices by their fires of watch, With patience sit, and inly ruer,

are properly introduced, and highly descriptive