cultivated by more than the immediate professors, a gentleman artist,
who to common eyes must pass for a grenadier, is making a caricature of
_le grand monarque_, with a label from his mouth worthy the speaker and
worthy observation, "You take a my fine ships; you be de pirate; you be
de teef: me send my grand armies, and hang you all." The action is
suited to the word, for with his left hand this most Christian potentate
grasps his sword, and in his right poises a gibbet. The figure and motto
united produce a roar of approbation from the soldier and sailor, who
are criticising the work. It is so natural that the Helen and Briseis of
the camp contemplate the performance with apparent delight, and, while
one of them with her apron measures the breadth of this herculean
painter's shoulders, the other, to show that the performance has some
point, places her forefinger against the prongs of a fork. The little
fifer, playing that animated and inspiring tune, "God save the King," is
an old acquaintance: we recollect him in the March to Finchley. In the
back-ground is a serjeant, teaching a company of young recruits their
manual exercise.
This military meeting is held at the sign of the Gallant Duke of
Cumberland, who is mounted upon a prancing charger,
As if an angel dropp'd down from the clouds,
To turn and wield a fiery Pegasus,
And witch the world with noble horsemanship.
Underneath is inscribed "Roast and Boiled every day," which, with the
beef and beverage upon the table, forms a fine contrast to the _soup
maigre_, bare bones, and roasted frogs, in the last print. The bottle
painted on the wall, foaming with liquor, which, impatient of
imprisonment, has burst its cerements, must be an irresistible
invitation to a thirsty traveller. The soldier's sword laid upon the
round of beef, and the sailor's pistol on the vessel containing the ale,
intimate that these great bulwarks of our island are as tenacious of
their beef and beer, as of their religion and liberty.
These two plates were published in 1756; but in the London Chronicle for
October 20, 1759, is the following advertisement: "This day are
republished, Two prints designed and etched by William Hogarth, one
representing the preparations on the French coast for an intended
invasion; the other, a view of the preparations making in England to
oppose the wicked designs of our enemies; proper to be stuck up in
public places, both in town and country, at this juncture."
The verses which were inserted under each print, and subjoined to this
account, are, it must be acknowledged, coarse enough. They were,
however, written by David Garrick.
[Illustration: ENGLAND.]
Transcriber's Note.
The following words were inconsistently hyphenated in the original text:
down-cast / downcast
footboy / foot-boy
fore-finger / forefinger
half-pence / halfpence
The orthography of the original text has been preserved. In particular
the following words are as they appear in the original:
antichamber
aukwardly
corruscations
corse
Govent
Martin Fowkes
negociated
pannel
plaistering
pourtrayed
sculls
stupifies
tenour
vender
The following words were inconsistently accented in the original text:
a-la-mode / a-la-mode
degagee / degagee