In the whole history of electioneering no figure is more conspicuous than that of John Wilkes, the quondam patriot, who was by the attacks of others brought into a prominence which neither his abilities nor character justified. Hogarth commenced hostilities against Wilkes, Churchill (_The North Briton_), and Beardmore (_The Monitor_) by attacking their publications incidentally in that unfortunate attempt at political satire of his, christened “The Times,” Plate I. (1762). It will be remembered that the figure of the artist’s patron, Lord Bute, is there glorified as a Scotch husbandman engaged in extinguishing a general conflagration; while a frenzied man, intended to personify the Duke of Newcastle, is driving a wheel-barrow filled with _Monitors_ and _North Britons_ against the legs of the zealous Scot, who, unmoved, continues his exertions to subdue the threatened ruin of the State. Pitt and Lord Temple are further assailed--not too cleverly--in this view of the “Times.” On this provocation, Wilkes and Churchill naturally took up the cudgels in their own defence, and certainly gave Hogarth cause for irritation. He prepared the second plate of “The Times,” with a further pictorial castigation of his now-declared adversaries, but was induced to reconsider the policy of publishing the plate, and thus giving greater offence; consequently it was not until thirty years later, when the quarrel was almost forgotten, and the opponents had long been at rest,[49] that the world was favoured with a view of this equally laboured satire, when it was published by the Boydells at their Shakespeare Gallery, with the collected works of W. Hogarth (May 29, 1790). George III., Bute, Temple, Lord Mansfield, and others, are introduced in this version, but the portion which is pointed at Wilkes, in continuation of this “rough bout of clever men clumsily throwing dirt at each other,” as it has been described, is the figurement of Miss Fanny, of “Cock-lane ghost” notoriety, pilloried and held up to infamy side by side with Wilkes, whose offence is indicated as “Defamation.” On his breast is pinned a copy of the _North Briton_, the No. 17 which was specially devoted to a base attack upon Hogarth. This incendiary publication is already threatened with flames from the penitential candle held by “Miss Fanny,” his shrouded companion in disgrace. Indignities are showered upon Wilkes in allusion to his involved circumstances; his empty pockets are turned inside out, a school-boy is watering his legs, a woman is trundling a mop over his head, and he is generally regarded with derisive contempt by the crowd.