Hogarth's Works, with life and anecdotal descriptions of his pictures. Volume 3 (of 3)Ireland, John
General
Hogarth's Works, with life and anecdotal descriptions of his pictures. Volume 3 (of 3)
Ireland, John
Hogarth, William, 1697-1764
This Committee was first appointed, Feb. 25, 1728-9, to examine into
the state of the gaols within the kingdom; and the persons here
represented under examination were--Thomas Bambridge, then Warden of
the Fleet Prison, and John Huggins, his predecessor in that office.
Both were declared "notoriously guilty of great breaches of trust,
extortions, cruelties, and other high crimes and misdemeanours."
It was the unanimous resolution of the Committee, "That Thomas
Bambridge, the acting Warden of the Prison of the Fleet, hath
wilfully permitted several debtors to the Crown in great sums of
money, as well as debtors to divers of his Majesty's subjects, to
escape; hath been guilty of the most notorious breaches of his trust,
great extortions, and the highest crimes and misdemeanours in the
execution of his said office; and hath arbitrarily and unlawfully
loaded with irons, put into dungeons, and destroyed, prisoners for
debt under his charge, treating them in the most barbarous and cruel
manner, in high violation and contempt of the laws of this kingdom."
Bambridge was in consequence disqualified by Act of Parliament; and
he cut his throat twenty years after.
It was also resolved, "That John Huggins, Esq., late Warden of the
Prison of the Fleet, did, during the time of his wardenship, wilfully
permit several considerable debtors in his custody to escape; and
was notoriously guilty of great breaches of his trust, extortions,
cruelties, and other high crimes and misdemeanours, in the execution
of the said office;" and he was for some time committed to Newgate,
but afterwards lived in credit to the age of ninety.
KING HENRY VIII. AND ANNA BULLEYN.
[Illustration: HENRY THE EIGHTH & ANNE BOLEYNE.]
This plate, copied from a painting in the portico of the old great
room in Vauxhall Gardens, has very idly been imagined to contain
the portraits of Frederick Prince of Wales, and the beautiful but
unfortunate Lady Vane; but the stature and faces both of the lady and
Henry are totally unlike their supposed originals.
CROWNS, MITRES, MACES, ETC.
[Illustration: CROWNS, MITRES, MACES &^c.]
This plate forms so important a feature in the annals of Hogarth,
that it requires his own elucidation:--
"After having had my plates pirated in almost all sizes, I
applied to Parliament for redress, and obtained it in so liberal
a manner, as hath not only answered my own purpose, but made
prints a considerable article in the commerce of this country,
there being now more business of that kind done here than at
Paris, or anywhere else, and as well."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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