[Illustration: VIEW OF A FARM-HOUSE, HENGAR, CORNWALL.]
1812. _Near Helston, Cornwall._
[Illustration: NEAR HELSTON, CORNWALL.]
_April 12, 1812._ _Cottage near the Devil's Jump, in the Duchy of
Cornwall._ Published by T. Rowlandson.
[Illustration: COTTAGE NEAR THE DEVIL'S JUMP, DUCHY OF CORNWALL.]
1812. _View of the Church and Village of St. Cue, Cornwall._ Published
by Ackermann.
[Illustration: VIEW OF THE CHURCH AND VILLAGE OF ST. CUE, CORNWALL.]
_April 12, 1812._ _View of Liskeard, Cornwall._ Published by T.
Rowlandson.
[Illustration: VIEW OF LISKEARD, CORNWALL.]
1812. _The Lion Rock, Cornwall._
[Illustration: THE LION ROCK, CORNWALL.]
1812. _A Cornish Road._
[Illustration: A CORNISH ROAD.]
1812. _A Hill Side, Cornwall._
[Illustration: A HILL SIDE, CORNWALL.]
1812. _A Cornish View._
[Illustration: A CORNISH VIEW.]
TOUR OF DOCTOR SYNTAX IN SEARCH OF THE PICTURESQUE.
In 1812 the poem and illustrations of _The Tour of Doctor Syntax in
Search of the Picturesque_ were issued as an independent volume, when
the success with which it was received was more decidedly marked than
when it first appeared in the _Poetical Magazine_ under the title of
_The Schoolmaster's Tour_. Five editions were issued between 1812 and
1813.
The work was described as _The Tour of Doctor Syntax in Search of the
Picturesque_. A Poem. With new plates.
The old subjects, it appears, were re-engraved by Rowlandson's hand,
with but slight variations from the originals. The outlines are
somewhat less bold, and three new subjects are added; one being the
frontispiece, which represents the worthy Doctor at his desk, seated
in his armchair, in deep cogitation, touching his forehead as the idea
of his famous _Picturesque Tour_ suggests itself to his brain. The
window of his study is opened, that he may contemplate the exterior
prospect at his ease, while a sketch, by his own hand, in India-ink,
is displayed before him. Various papers and books are scattered about,
with sundry objects which indicate his versatile accomplishments--a
fiddle hung on the wall, books of travel, sheets of the Doctor's
original treatise--_Every Man his own Farrier_--with a goodly jar of
_cherry bounce_ to rejoice the learned man's spirits.
On the titlepage is engraved a quaint vignette of architectural relics,
ruins, a castle, &c., the detached monuments being disposed so as to
form the word _Picturesque_.
The third addition is plate 27, in the body of the Tour, introducing
_The Doctor's Dream_ (in his patron's library) _of the Battle of the
Books_, which was not included in the work on its original publication.
This edition is preceded by an Introduction, which in some degree
explains the relative positions--as far as the preparation of the
work was concerned--of the artist and William Combe, the author, who
thus sets the matter before his public: 'The following poem, if it
may be allowed to deserve the name, was written under circumstances
whose peculiarity may be thought to justify a communication of them. I
undertook to give metrical illustrations of the prints with which Mr.
Ackermann decorated the _Poetical Magazine_, a work published by him
in monthly numbers, for the reception of original compositions. Many
of these engravings were miscellaneous, and those (which were, indeed,
the far greater part of them) whose description was submitted to such
a muse as mine represented views of interesting objects and beautiful
scenery, or were occasional decorations appropriate to the work. Those
designs, to which this volume is so greatly indebted, I was informed,
would follow in a _series_, and it was proposed to me to shape out a
story from them. An etching, or a drawing, was accordingly sent to me
every month, and I composed a certain proportion of verse, in which,
of course, the subject of the design was included; the rest depended
on what my imagination could furnish. When the first print was sent
to me I did not know what would be the subject of the second; and in
this manner, in a great measure, the artist continued designing, and I
continued writing, every month for two years, till a work containing
near ten thousand lines was produced; the artist and the writer having
no personal communication with or knowledge of each other....
'Mr. Ackermann has his reasons for risking a republication of it in
its present form; and I now feel more than common solicitude that it
should answer his expectations.... _The Battle of the Books_ was an
after-thought, and forms the novelty of this volume.
Liberius si
Dixero quid, si forte jocosius; hoc mihi juris,
Cum veniâ dabis.--HOR. _S._ lib. i. v. 103.
'I have only to add, that though, on a first view of some of the
prints, it may appear as if the clerical character were treated with
levity, I am confident in announcing a very opposite impression from a
perusal of the work.'
The origin of _Doctor Syntax_ is ascribed, with characteristic
partiality, to John Bannister, the comedian, by his biographer, John
Adolphus.
'Of another graphic series, which owed its existence almost entirely
to the invention of Bannister, I have the following account:--Dining
at a tavern, with him and a third person, Rowlandson was asked, "What
are you about, Rolly?" "Why, nothing in particular," he said. "I think
my inventive faculty has been very sluggish of late; I wish one of you
would give me a hint." Being asked of what kind, he answered, "I feel
in a humour to sketch a series where the object may be made ridiculous
without much thinking. I have been making a tour in Cornwall and
Devonshire with a friend, who, as I have made sketches on the coast
for him, wishes me to introduce adventures at inns, and other comic
incidents, in which he was the principal party. But what can I do for
such a hero?--a walking turtle--a gentleman weighing four-and-twenty
stone--for such scenes he is quite out of the question. I want one of a
totally different description." And he named a celebrated tourist, who
by a recent publication had given much celebrity to the Lakes.
'"I have it!" said Bannister. "You must fancy a skin-and-bone hero, a
pedantic old prig, in a shovel-hat, with a pony, sketching-stools, and
rattletraps, and place him in such scrapes as travellers frequently
meet with--hedge alehouses, second and third rate inns, thieves,
gibbets, mad bulls, and the like. Come!" he proceeded, warming with
the subject, "give us a sheet of paper, and we'll strike out a few
hints." The paper was produced, Bannister gave his ideas, Rowlandson
adopted them, Combe explained them in a well-written poem; and to
this conversation and to the lively invention of Bannister the public
is indebted for a highly favoured publication, _The Tour of Doctor
Syntax_.'
It is by no means improbable that Bannister's suggestion had something
to do with the eccentric personality of the hero of the _Picturesque
Tours_; but the author of the _Memoir of John Bannister_ assumes too
much when he records that the ideas for the adventures of Doctor Syntax
were struck out at a sitting and in the easy fashion he has described;
it is known that the original designs were furnished at the rate of
three a month, and that their invention was spread over the entire
period of the publication.
The popularity enjoyed by this Tour was manifested in the number
of editions sold; it was further pirated and imitated in various
forms. A German edition was published in Berlin in 1822; the poem
was translated under the title of _Die Reise des Doktor Syntax um
das Malerische aufzusuchen. Ein Gedicht frei aus dem Englischen ins
Deutsche übertragen. Lithogr. v. F. E. Rademacher._ The illustrations
were copied in outline on stone, either with a fine point or a pen; the
lines are wire-like and give neither fullness nor effect; the pictures
are also coloured in a feeble and powerless style, and the whole is a
very poor rendering, as far as the artist's work is concerned.
A French edition, freely translated by M. Gandais, appeared in Paris,
with twenty-six engravings--rendered with considerable ability by
Malapeau (lith. de G. Engelmann)--drawn on stone with care and spirit
in lithographic chalk; these illustrations, printed in a warm tint, and
coloured by hand, will compare fairly with even Rowlandson's original
etchings. We give the title of this edition:--_Le Don Quichotte
Romantique, ou Voyage du Docteur Syntaxe à la recherche du Pittoresque
et du Romantique; Poême en XX chants, traduit librement de l'Anglais
par M. Gandais, et orné de 26 gravures par Malapeau. À Paris chez
l'auteur, rue du Faubourg Saint Denis 45, et Pélicier libraire, cour du
Palais Royal._ 1821. The author's advertisement, as written by Combe,
is carefully and literally rendered, and the translator has added a
slight _avertissement_ of his own, briefly alluding to the reputation
enjoyed in England by the original engravings and the descriptive
verses which accompany them, and setting forth the circumstances of his
own version, &c.
Numerous imitations, less legitimate than the foreign translations
alluded to, also appeared in this country, such as _The Tour of Doctor
Syntax through London_; _Doctor Syntax in Paris, in Search of the
Grotesque_; _Doctor Prosody_; _Sentimental Tour through Margate and
Hastings by Doctor Comparative, Junr._; and _Doctor Syntax's Life of
Napoleon_, which is possibly due to Combe's pen, and derives a strong
additional interest from the illustrations, which are fair examples
of George Cruikshank's handiwork. A parody, in verse, entitled _The
Adventures of Doctor Comicus, by a modern Syntax_, was also issued,
with coloured imitations of Rowlandson's designs.
The success which had attended the first _Tour of Doctor Syntax_
was so flattering and remunerative that the publisher and his able
collaborateurs, the artist and author, projected a second series,
entitled _Doctor Syntax in Search of Consolation_--for the loss of that
termagant spouse who figures in the original _Tour_, and is decently
buried, in the first cantos of the new adventures, to give the hero a
fitting cause for pursuing his eccentric travels. The renewal of Dr.
Syntax's journeys, which appeared in monthly parts, was completed in
1820, when it was republished by Mr. Ackermann, uniform with the first
volume; it was less successful than its predecessor, but it ran through
several editions.
The plates, which were contributed by Rowlandson, much on his old
principle, were as follows:--
Frontispiece.--Doctor Syntax and his Counterpart.
Doctor Syntax lamenting the loss of his Wife.
" " at the Funeral of his Wife.
" " setting out on his Second Tour.
" " and the Gypsies.
" " loses his Wig.
The visit of Doctor Syntax to Widow Hopeful, at York.
Doctor Syntax amused with Pat in the Pond.
" " in the Glass House.
" " visits Eaton Hall, Cheshire.
" " making his Will.
" " in a Court of Justice.
" " present at a Coffee-house Quarrel at Bath.
" " and the superannuated Fox-hunter.
" " with the Skimmington Riders.
" " and the Bees.
" " visits a Boarding School for Young Ladies.
" " making a Discovery.
" " Painting a Portrait.
" " Marriage of Doctor Dicky Bend.
" " at an Auction.
" " and the Bookseller.
" " at Freemasons' Hall.
Miss Worthy's Marriage--Doctor Syntax in the chair.
A third and final Tour, ending with the hero's funeral, concludes the
poem. The last volume, which had appeared, like its predecessors,
in monthly parts, was put forth in its collected form in 1821; and,
similar to the first and second series, with which it was afterwards
re-issued, it received sufficient patronage to carry it through several
editions, although neither the Second nor Third Tours were reckoned so
successful as the original series.
The _Third Tour of Doctor Syntax--in Search of a Wife_ appeared with
the following 'Preface,' from the pen of the veteran Combe, who, for
his private reasons, preferred to continue anonymous throughout.
'This prolonged work is, at length, brought to a close. It has grown to
this size under rare and continuing marks of public favour; while the
same mode of composition has been employed in the last as in the former
volumes. They are all equally indebted to Mr. Rowlandson's talents.
'It may, perhaps, be considered as presumptuous in me, and at my age,
to sport even with my own dowdy Muse, but, from the extensive patronage
which Doctor Syntax has received, it may be presumed that, more or
less, he has continued to amuse: And I, surely, have no reason to be
dissatisfied, when Time points at my eightieth year, that I can still
afford some pleasure to those who are disposed to be pleased.
'THE AUTHOR.'
The illustrations to the third volume, which are quite equal both in
spirit, invention, and execution to those designs which suggested the
framework of the first and second Tours, are as follows:--
Frontispiece.--Doctor Syntax setting out in search of a Wife.
Vignette, on Titlepage.--Doctor Syntax assisting at an Instrumental
Trio.
Doctor Syntax Soliloquising.
" " turned Nurse.
The Banns forbidden.
Doctor Syntax with a Blue Stocking Beauty.
The Cellar Quartetto.
Doctor Syntax Presenting a Floral Offering.
The Billiard Table.
Misfortune at Tulip Hall.
The Harvest Home.
The Garden Trio.
Doctor Syntax at a Card Party.
" " Star-gazing.
" " in the wrong Lodging-House.
" " received by the Maid instead of the Mistress.
The Artist's Room.
Death of Punch.
The Advertisement for a Wife.
Doctor Syntax and the Foundling.
The result of Purchasing a Blind Horse.
A Noble Hunting Party.
Introduction to Courtship.
Doctor Syntax in Danger.
The Funeral of Doctor Syntax.
The popularity which attended the three Tours in the form of their
original publication induced Mr. Ackermann to issue a fresh edition
in 1823. The three volumes were printed in 16mo, instead of royal
8vo, and the plates were re-engraved, one-third of the original size.
This pocket edition, containing all the illustrations, in a reduced
form, was published at the moderate price, considering the plates were
coloured by hand, of seven shillings a volume; the former series having
been produced at one guinea per volume.
1813.
[Illustration: BACHELOR'S FARE--BREAD AND CHEESE AND KISSES.]
_February 10, 1813._ _Bachelor's Fare--Bread and Cheese and Kisses._
Published by T. Tegg (285).
_September 1, 1813._ _Summer Amusements at Margate, or a Peep at the
Mermaids._ Published by T. Tegg.
[Illustration: SUMMER AMUSEMENTS AT MARGATE, OR A PEEP AT THE MERMAIDS.]
_September 1, 1813._ _The Last Gasp, or Toadstools Mistaken for
Mushrooms._ Published by T. Tegg (210).--A physician has been called
in, and, with his gold stick in hand, is examining the condition
of certain patients who are suffering from the effects of too
indiscriminate feeding. A gouty old gentleman, his wife, and their
footman are all putting out their tongues--which are white and swollen
to an inordinate length; their features express the greatest alarm,
and the look of consternation which is thrown into the doctor's face
conveys the reverse of comforting reassurance to the unfortunate
gourmands.
_September 20, 1813._ _Humours of Houndsditch, or Mrs. Shevi in a
longing condition._ Published by T. Tegg (213).--A member of the
Hebrew tribe, who carries a bag slung on his arm, is bearing forbidden
luxuries to two fair representatives of his race. A couple of Jewesses,
whose persons are resplendent in jewellery, are leaning over the
wicket-gate of their premises, lost in admiration at the spectacle of
a little stranger--a sucking-pig--which the tempter, who has led the
maternal sow and entire porcine family astray, is holding out for Mrs.
Shevi--a sufficiently motherly-looking lady--to salute with a kiss.
Another Hebrew gentleman, who is overlooking this transaction, has his
face thrown into horrified contortions and his hair standing on end at
making the discovery of this incredible depravity.
The secret of how the interdicted quadrupeds have come into the
possession of the Jew clothesman is explained by a handbill
advertising: 'Lost, supposed to have been stolen, a sow and seven pigs.
A reward of five pounds is promised for information of the whereabouts
of the wanderers.'
1813. _Unloading a Waggon._ Published by T. Tegg (214).
[Illustration: UNLOADING A WAGGON.]
1813. _None but the Brave deserve the Fair._ Published by T. Tegg
(231).--A gallant huzzar has ridden his charger through a pond which is
supposed to isolate the walls of a park and mansion, from the security
of which a damsel, 'all in white,' of redundant personal charms, is
being helped to elope over the ivy-grown wall by the dashing horseman,
to whose custody the lady is unreservedly entrusting the keeping of her
fair person.
_September 20, 1813._ _A Doleful Disaster, or Miss Fubby Tatarmin's
Wig caught Fire._ (Vide _Bath Guide_.)--A stout lady is in all the
consternation of a blazing head of hair; the enormous superstructure
piled on her head has caught fire at the top from the sconces on the
mantel; her armchair is kicked over, and the whole of her household
are making a desperate rush on to the scene of the conflagration; the
footman has dragged the tablecloth from beneath the tea equipage,
which has fallen to destruction, and is endeavouring to envelope the
headdress of his mistress in the folds; a black page is discharging a
flowerpot of water in the face of the distressed lady; female servants
are flinging up their arms and screaming; and, in the rear, the elder
servants are hurrying up in great distress.
But Madge at the Rooms
Must beware of her plumes;
For if Vulcan her feather embraces,
Like poor Lady Laycock,
She'll burn like a haycock,
And roast all the Loves and the Graces.
ANSTEY'S _Bath Guide_.
_November 5, 1813._ _The Two Kings of Terror. Copy of the transparency
exhibited at Ackermann's Repository of Arts during the Illuminations
of the 5th and 6th November, 1813, in honour of the splendid victories
obtained by the Allies over the armies of France, at Leipzic and
its environs._--'This subject, representing the two tyrants--viz.,
the tyrant Buonaparte and the tyrant Death--sitting together on the
field of battle, in a manner which promises a more perfect intimacy
immediately to ensue, is very entertaining. It is also instructive
to observe that the former is now placed in a situation in which
all Europe _may see through him_. The emblem, too, of the circle of
dazzling light from mere _vapour_, which is so _soon extinguished_, has
a good moral effect; and as the gas represents the dying flame, so does
the drum, on which he is seated, typify the hollow and noisy nature of
the falling usurper.'
The above description of the subject appeared in the _Sun_ of Saturday,
November 6, 1813. These printed comments arose from the picture itself
having been transparent, and from a circle which surmounted the same,
indicative of the strength and brotherly union of the Allies, composed
of gas of brilliant brightness. (See January 1, 1814.)
_November 22, 1813._ _The Norwich Bull Feast, or Glory and Gluttony._
Published by T. Tegg (232).--The success gained by the allied armies
over Napoleon and his forces, and the series of French disasters
which had culminated at Leipzig, gave rise to rejoicings all over the
country, in celebration of the supposed final downfall of the Corsican
Emperor, the traditional enemy of England, as the people had been
taught to consider him. Norwich, according to the print, is the scene
of disorderly revelry. A huge bullock has been roasted whole in the
market-place, and the carcase is being cut up and distributed in the
streets; the unruly mob fighting over the morsels and wrenching the
bones from those who are ravenously picking them; scuffles, struggles,
scrimmages, and savage onslaughts are the order of the day. At the
same time a puncheon of beer or spirits is broached for gratuitous
distribution, and a pretty spectacle of misrule is the consequence.
The fair sex are represented as the chief competitors for the drink;
pails, cans, and jugs are eagerly filled, and as greedily emptied;
the contents being poured down the throats of the holders or down
those of their friends, who are opening their mouths to receive the
liquor, which is gushing forth in streams. The incidents surrounding
the liquor-cart are, if possible, more disreputable and degrading than
those transpiring on all sides of the trestles on which the ox is being
dismembered by a pair of butcher's men, armed with a chopper and a
huge carver. Some of the female patriots are reduced to insensibility,
and efforts are being made to revive one poor creature, who is lying
unconscious in the midst of the struggling mass, either overpowered
by the potency of the drink or smothered by the pressure; buckets
of the fluid are being emptied over the prostrate sufferer by tipsy
Samaritans, without alleviating her condition.
The town of Norwich is given up to the gala; flags are flying,
and illuminations and fireworks render the sight more animated. A
tumultuous procession is struggling along, bearing guns, pikes, &c.,
and carrying the effigy of Buonaparte to be gibbeted or burnt at a
bonfire. Flags head the mob, inscribed _Downfall of the Tyrant_; _Peace
and Plenty_, &c.
[Illustration: A LONG PULL, A STRONG PULL, AND A PULL ALL TOGETHER.]