1746.
1. Simon Lord Lovat.[1] Drawn from the life, and etched in aquafortis by William Hogarth.—Hogarth said himself, that Lord Lovat's portrait was taken (at the White-Hart, at St. Alban's) in the attitude of relating on his fingers the numbers of the rebel forces.—"Such a general had so many men, &c." and remarked, that the muscles of Lovat's neck appeared of unusual strength, more so than he had ever seen. When the painter entered the room, his lordship, being under the barber's hands, received his old friend with a salute, which left much of the lather on his face.—The second impressions are marked, Price One Shilling. When Hogarth had finished this plate, a printseller offered its weight in gold for it. The impressions could not be taken off so fast as they were wanted, though the rolling-press was at work all night for a week together. For several weeks afterwards he is said to have received at the rate of 12 l. per day.
[1] "This powerful laird, it has been observed, was one of the last Chieftains that preserved the rude manners and barbarous authority of the early feudal ages. He resided in a house which would be esteemed but an indifferent one for a very private, plain country gentleman in England; as it had, properly, only four rooms on a floor, and those not large. Here, however, he kept a sort of court, and several public tables; and had a numerous body of retainers always attending. His own constant residence, and the place where he received company, even at dinner, was in the very same room where he lodged; and his lady's sole apartment was her bed-room; and the only provision for the lodging of the servants, and retainers, was a quantity of straw, which they spread every night, on the floors of the lower rooms, where the whole inferior part of the family, consisting of a very great number of persons, took up their abode." See Mr. King's observations on ancient Castles, in the Archæologia, vol. IV.
Sir William Young, one of the managers appointed by the Commons of Great Britain, for conducting the prosecution against this Nobleman for High Treason, in the year 1745, makes the following observation: "Your Lordships have already done national justice on some of the principal traitors, who appeared in open arms against his Majesty, by the ordinary course of law; but this noble Lord, who, in the whole course of his life, has boasted of his superior cunning in wickedness, and his ability to commit frequent treasons with impunity, vainly imagined that he might possibly be a traitor in private, and rebel only in his heart, by sending his son and his followers to join the Pretender, and remaining at home himself, to endeavour to deceive his Majesty's faithful subjects; hoping he might be rewarded for his son's services, if successful; or his son alone be the sufferer for his offences, if the undertaking failed: diabolical cunning! monstrous impiety!" See State Trials, vol. IX. p. 627.
2. Mr. Garrick[1] in the character of Richard III. Painted by Wm. Hogarth; engraved by Wm. Hogarth and C. Grignion. The late Mr. Duncombe, of Duncombe Park in Yorkshire, gave 200 l. for the original picture, which is now in the possession of his family. The expression of the countenance is happily hit off, but the figure is abundantly too large and muscular. This print was afterwards, by Hogarth's permission, copied for a watch-paper.
[1] "Mr. Garrick had several of Hogarth's paintings; and the latter designed for him, as president of the Shakespeare club, a mahogany chair richly carved, on the back of which hangs a medal of the poet carved by Hogarth out of the mulberry-tree planted at Stratford by Shakespeare." Anecdotes of Painting, vol. IV. p. 180. edit. 8vo, 1782.
3. A stand of various weapons, bag-pipes, &c. and a pair of scissars cutting out the arms of Scotland. A subscription-ticket for the March to Finchley; of which the original price was only 7 s. 6 d. It was to be raised to 10 s. 6 d. on closing the subscription. The additional three shillings afforded the subscriber a chance for the original picture.