A Rake's Progress, Plate 8 (Primary Title)
A Rake's Progress (Series Title)
William Hogarth, English, 1697 - 1764 (Artist)
Printed beneath image: "Madness, Thou Chaos of ye Brain,/ What art? That Pleasure giv'st, and Pain?/ Tyranny of Fancy's Reign!/ Mechanic Fancy; that can build/ Vast Labarynths, & Mazes wild, // With Rule disjointed, Shapeless Measure,/ Fill'd with Horror, fill'd with Pleasure!/ Shapes of Horror, that wou'd even'/ Cast Doubt of Mercy upon Heaven.// Shapes of Pleasure, that but Seen/ Wou'd Split the Shaking Sides of Spleen./ O Vanity of Age! here see/ The Stamp of Heaven effac'd by Thee-// The headstrong Course of Youth thus run,/ What Comfort from the darling Son!/ His rattling Chains with Terror hear,/ Behold Death grappling with Despair;// See Him by Thee to Ruin Sold,
And curse they self, & curse thy Gold. // Invented &c. by Wm Hogarth & Publish'd According to Act of Parliament June ye 25. 1735. Retouch'd by the Author 1763" Inscribed in graphite upper left: "25"
Bequest of Janet C. Green
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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