Dr. Johnson, a rope round his neck, is bring driven from left to right by apollo and the nine muses, who follow him with uplifted scourges and birch rods. Johnson is clad only in breeches, shoes, and stockings; on his head is a dunce's cap shaped like a four-sided pyramid, on this is inscribed the names of poets whose lives he had written: 'milton', 'otway', 'waller', 'gray', 'shenston[e]', 'lyttelton', 'gay', 'denman', 'collins &c. &c. &c. ' over his shoulder he carries a placard inscribed, 'for defaming that genius i could never emulate, by criticism without judgment; - and endeavouring to cast the beauties of british poetry into the hideous shade of oblivion. ' a tear falls from his eye and he is saying, 'i acknowledge my transgressions, and my sins are ever before me'; an asterisk indicates a note in the margin: 'vide the last sermon at st dunstans'. Apollo and the muses wear classical draperies and laurel wreaths; apollo holds the end of the rope which is round johnson s neck; his head is surrounded by a halo. Above the ground by johnson (right) are two books, each with a pair of wings, in full flight: 'an essay on the milk of human kindness dedicated to dr johnson as a man', and 'an essay on envy dedicated to dr johnson as an author'. Clouds and a rocky mountain form the background. On the summit of the mountain is a small circular temple behind which is the sun; pegasus flies near the summit. 29 july 1783
etching. Date: 1783. Dimensions: Height: 270 mm; Width: 330 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Dr Samuel Johnson. Collection: British Museum. Apollo and the Muses, inflicting penance on Dr Pomposo, round Parnassus. (BM 1868,0808.5028)
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