ing been educated at St. Bees, in the before mentioned county, where he was afterwards a fehool-mafter. Early in life he visited London, and was employed as a corrector of the prefs. He now married, and kept a fchool in Shipcourt, Old Bailey. That he was a man of erudition, appears from a MS. Latin and English dictionary, which still exists, and also a Latin letter, dated 1657, which are preferved in the British Museum. By his marriage he had one fon, (the fubject of this memoir) and two daughters, Mary and Anne. We are told by fome biographers, that Hogarth, when young, was bound an apprentice to a mean engraver of arms on plate: this however is erroneous, his mafter, Mr. Ellis Gamble, having been an eminent filversmith, in Cranbourne-ftreet, Leicester-fields; but it is probable, William was only to be taught a fingle branch of the bufinefs. Be that as it may, it is evident that he did not much like his occupation, for before the expiration of his time, his genius took its natural courfe, and he became anxious to study painting. He now gave many specimens of his fkill at the pencil. One Sunday, when he and two or three juvenile companions were taking a walk to Highgate, the weather being hot, they stopped at a public-house, and soon after a quarrel arose between some perfons in the room. One of the difputants ftruck the other a defperate blow on the head with a quart pot. The blood running down the man's face, together. with the agony of the wound, which distorted his features, gave Hogarth, who immediately drew out his pencil, an opportunity of producing on the fpot, one of the most ludicrous figures that ever was feen; and he not only gave a faithful delineation of the horrid ghoftly grin, but exact likeneffes in caricature of the fufferer, his antagonist, and of the principal spectators. No fooner was his apprenticeship expired, than he enVOL. VI. No. 67. 16 Y tered tered into the academy in St. Martin's-lane, and studied drawing. At first he designed and engraved plates for bookfellers, but still remained in obscurity, not having launched out info that way in which nature intended he should shine. Seventeen cuts, which he did for a duodecimo edition of Hudibras, (with Butler's head) 1726, was the first work for which he became noticed. On this fuccefs he com'menced portrait painter, an employment very unfit for a man who was averse to flattery. His facility, however, in catching a likeness, and his method of painting families and converfations in fmall fizes, then a novelty, brought him confiderable bufinefs for fome time. What the prices of his portraits were, cannot now be ascertained, but many of his family-pictures still exist. A biographer remarks, that as a painter he had but flender merit;" however, Mr. Ireland, speaking of the pictures of Marriage Alamode, now in the poffeffion of Mr. Angustein, observes, "if confidered in the various relations of invention, compofition, drawing, colouring, character and moral tendency, I do not think it will be easy to point out any feries of fix pictures, painted by any artift, of either ancient or modern times, from which they will not bear away the palm." His portrait of Captain Coram in the Foundling-hospital, is also a proof that his powers in portrait-painting, were fuperior, or at least equal, to any of his contemporaries. Mr. Hogarth, when only 18 years of age, married the only daughter of Sir James Thornhill, by whom he had no iffue. This was a stolen match, as the lady's father not only confidered the lover too young for his daughter, but being an artift, then poor, and in obfcurity, by no means a proper husband. It was therefore fome time before he was reconciled to his fon-in-law. Soon after his marriage, Mr. Hogarth had fummer lodgings at South Lambeth, and having been intimate with Mr. Tyers, con tributed to the improvement of the Spring Gardens at Vauxhall, by the hint of embellishing them with paintings, in which he displayed much of comic talent. For this fervice, he was presented by Mr. Tyers, with a gold ticket of admiffion, for himself and friends. In 1733, Hogarth acquired confiderable notoriety, and acquired not only fame, but emolument from his "Midnight Conversation," Harlots, Rake's Progreffes, &c. The engraving from which the annexed portrait is copied, was published in 1749. In the year 1763, Hogarth erafed his own head, and in its place inferted, "The bruifer, C. Churchill, (once the Rev.) in the character of the Ruffian Hercules, regaling himself after having killed the monster CARICATURA, that fo forely galled his virtuous friend, the heaven-born Wilkes." This alteration having rendered the portrait scarce, in 1795, Meffrs. Boydell had another print engraved from the original picture, now in poffeffion of Mr. Angustein; which is on a larger scale than that engraved by Hogarth; it is in the chalk manner, and executed by Mr. Benjamin Smith, with great accuracy and taste. The hoftilities between Hogarth and the poet Churchill, with respect to Mr. Wilkes, difplayed confiderable acumen on both fides, a relation of which cannot be very amufing at the present day, Hogarth had also the audacity to attack Mr. Pope, in a plate called "The Man of Tafte," fortunately, however, he escaped the lash of this fatirift, who probably dreaded that of Hogarth's in return. Soon after the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, our hero went over to France, and was taken into custody at Calais, while he was drawing the gate of that town, a circumftance which he has recorded in his picture, entitled "Oh the Roaft Beef of Old England." He was actually carried before the governor as a spy, and after a very strict examination, committed a prisoner to Grandfire, his landlord, on his 16 Y 2 pro |