The Works of William Hogarth: In a Series of Engravings | Page 9

the
back-ground, forms a good contrast of character: he is maudlin drunk,
and sadly sick. To keep up the spirit of unity throughout the society,
and not leave the poor African girl entirely neglected, she is making
signs to her friend the porter, who perceives, and slightly returns, her
love-inspiring glance. This print is rather crowded,--the subject
demanded it should be so; some of the figures, thrown into shade,
might have helped the general effect, but would have injured the
characteristic expression."
[Illustration: THE RAKE'S PROGRESS.
PLATE 3.
TAVERN SCENE.]

PLATE IV.
ARRESTED FOR DEBT.
"O, vanity of youthful blood, So by misuse to poison good! Reason
awakes, and views unbarr'd The sacred gates he wish'd to guard;
Approaching, see the harpy Law, And Poverty, with icy paw, Ready to
seize the poor remains That vice has left of all his gains. Cold penitence,
lame after-thought, With fear, despair, and horror fraught, Call back his
guilty pleasures dead, Whom he hath wrong'd, and whom betray'd."
The career of dissipation is here stopped. Dressed in the first style of
the ton, and getting out of a sedan-chair, with the hope of shining in the
circle, and perhaps forwarding a former application for a place or a
pension, he is arrested! To intimate that being plundered is the certain
consequence of such an event, and to shew how closely one misfortune
treads upon the heels of another, a boy is at the same moment stealing
his cane.
The unfortunate girl whom he basely deserted, is now a milliner, and

naturally enough attends in the crowd, to mark the fashions of the day.
Seeing his distress, with all the eager tenderness of unabated love, she
flies to his relief. Possessed of a small sum of money, the hard earnings
of unremitted industry, she generously offers her purse for the
liberation of her worthless favourite. This releases the captive beau, and
displays a strong instance of female affection; which, being once
planted in the bosom, is rarely eradicated by the coldest neglect, or
harshest cruelty.
The high-born, haughty Welshman, with an enormous leek, and a
countenance keen and lofty as his native mountains, establishes the
chronology, and fixes the day to be the first of March; which being
sacred to the titular saint of Wales, was observed at court.
Mr. Nichols remarks of this plate:--"In the early impressions, a
shoe-black steals the Rake's cane. In the modern ones, a large group of
sweeps, and black-shoe boys, are introduced gambling on the pavement;
near them a stone inscribed Black's, a contrast to White's gaming-house,
against which a flash of lightning is pointed. The curtain in the window
of the sedan-chair is thrown back. This plate is likewise found in an
intermediate state; the sky being made unnaturally obscure, with an
attempt to introduce a shower of rain, and lightning very aukwardly
represented. It is supposed to be a first proof after the insertion of the
group of blackguard gamesters; the window of the chair being only
marked for an alteration that was afterwards made in it. Hogarth
appears to have so far spoiled the sky, that he was obliged to obliterate
it, and cause it to be engraved over again by another hand."
Mr. Gilpin observes:--"Very disagreeable accidents often befal
gentlemen of pleasure. An event of this kind is recorded in the fourth
print, which is now before us. Our hero going, in full dress, to pay his
compliments at court on St. David's day, was accosted in the rude
manner which is here represented.--The composition is good. The form
of the group, made up of the figures in action, the chair, and the
lamplighter, is pleasing. Only, here we have an opportunity of
remarking, that a group is disgusting when the extremities of it are
heavy. A group in some respects should resemble a tree. The heavier

part of the foliage (the cup, as the landscape-painter calls it) is always
near the middle; the outside branches, which are relieved by the sky,
are light and airy. An inattention to this rule has given a heaviness to
the group before us. The two bailiffs, the woman, and the chairman, are
all huddled together in that part of the group which should have been
the lightest; while the middle part, where the hand holds the door,
wants strength and consistence. It may be added too, that the four heads,
in the form of a diamond, make an unpleasing shape. All regular
figures should be studiously avoided.--The light had been well
distributed, if the bailiff holding the arrest, and the chairman, had been
a little lighter, and the woman darker. The glare of the white apron is
disagreeable.--We have, in this print, some beautiful instances of
expression. The surprise and terror of the poor gentleman is apparent in