Colonel tarleton as bobadil stands holding out a drawn sword, his left hand on his hip boasting of his valour. His plumed helmet caricatures that in reynolds's well-known portrait of tarleton. On his right, behind his sword-arm, stands the prince of wales, with a plume of three ostrich feathers in place of a head, the centre feather having some resemblance to a face. He wears the garter ribbon, and very wide and wrinkled top-boots with small pointed feet; in his left hand is a riding-whip. Bobadil is saying, "they have assaulted me some three, four, five, six of them together, & i have driven them afore me like a flock of sheep; - but this is nothing, for often in a mere frolic i have challeng'd twenty of them, kill'd them; - challeng'd twenty more, kill'd them; - twenty more, killed them too; - & thus in a day have i kill'd twenty score; twenty score, that's two hundred; two hundred a day, five days a thousand; thats - a - zounds, i can't number them half; & all civilly & fairly with this one poor toledo!"
the prince says, "i'd as lief as twenty crowns i could talk as fine as you, captn ("coll" has been scored through and "captn" added with a caret, probably to show that "captain bobadil" is an officer with the rank of colonel). They are standing outside the door (right) of a dubious place of entertainment. Over the door is inscribed "the whirligig alamode beef, hot every night". Above this is a branch, representing a bush, the sign that wine is sold, and on a projecting beam, the sign of the house: the figure of a courtesan seated with outstretched legs and arms saying,
"this is the lad'll kiss most sweet
who'd not lovea soldier?"
beneath the title is engraved, "vide; every man in his humour, alter 'd from ben johnson". 20 august 1782
etching. Date: 1782. Dimensions: Height: 350 mm (cropped); Width: 245 mm (cropped). Medium: paper. Depicted People: George IV, King of the United Kingdom. Collection: British Museum. The thunderer. (BM 1868,0808.4874)
Loading...
