Matthew Arnold,
(Born at Laleham, near Staines, December 24, 1822.)
In 1879 the Editor of The World commenced a series of Prize Parody Competitions, the sixth of which had for its subject “Mr. Charles Warner in Drink,” and the poem chosen as the model was Matthew Arnold’s Sonnet on George Cruikshank’s picture, “The Bottle.”
The first and second prizes were awarded to V.A.C.A. and Fess-Gules, and two other parodies were also printed.
Matthew Arnold’s original sonnet is here given, followed by the parodies, which appeared in The World, August 20, 1879.
To George Cruikshank.
On seeing, in the Country, his Picture of “The Bottle.”
Artist, whose hand, with horror winged hath torn
From the rank life of towns this leaf! and flung
The prodigy of full-blown crime among