Mr. Smith on the Residifice of Hogarth. [May 1, 



purely refines the grossness of our 

 natures, arul our ye-.irnings for mean 

 predilections, and wliich operates so 

 geniall}', or witli such bright and vivi- 

 fying ascendancy over our faculties, — 

 as a visit to the spot which some de- 

 parted genius hath rendered sanctified 

 by the superiority of his mental cogita- 

 tions in any department of science 

 and literature. 



As I surveyed the bumble abode 

 where the fust artist of genuine satire 

 which the world ever produced once 

 rosided, I could not help breaking out, 

 in an apostrophe of w()n<ler and cxtacy. 

 O Hogarth! (I exclaimed,) thou in- 

 comfiarablc delineator of humour, and 

 the natural social manners of life ; 

 thou Cervantes and Rabelais of the 

 J!ritish school of painting, who copied 

 Nature in all her blithe altitudes, or 

 exposed her with equal felicity when 

 she was detected by thy intuitive eye 

 acling unworthy of herself in the great 

 drama of iuiman society and action: 

 tiion whose performances constitute an 

 ever enduring panorama, alike for 

 mirth to extract tears of laughter 

 from, or for morality to deduce her 

 sober axioms, gleaned from Ihy expo- 

 sure of folly, proud of his brazen ac- 

 quirements, or vice laughing beneath 

 the lash thou didst constaTilly exhibit 

 as an appendage to his final career. 

 Inimitable artist! is it possible I am 

 now sitting in the very house where 

 thou didst first commence tliat march 

 of intellectual self-shooting vigour! is 

 it here that I behold thy first essay to- 

 wards that after-perfect embodying of 

 luunan fallibilities, in whatever shape 

 of circumstances thou didst behold 

 them : compared to whose almost- 

 breathing personifications of human 

 character, as they formerly did, and 

 at the present juncture do, exist, how 

 insipid, how vapoury, appears "the 

 niind Man's Butt " of a Wilkie, " the 

 Smoaking Club" of a Bunbury, and 

 the ingenious unfinished drawings of a 

 Gillray or a Rowlandson ! 



Yes, gentle reader, to keep thee no 

 longer in suspense, if thou wilt vijit 

 the bouse where I am now partaking 

 of a pint of what Burns denominates 

 " Home-brew 'd John Barley-Corn," 

 and which is known by the sign of the 

 Elephant, in Fenchmch-street, thou 

 may'st behold, in a small old-fashioned 

 tap-room, the original of that groupc 

 of festive exhiliration and confusion, 

 known by the name ot '* the Modern 

 Midnight Conversation," done by 

 Jlogaith, 



304 



quite sufficient to afford you some idea 

 of the beautiful contrivance manifested 

 in the elaborate mechanism of man. 



The late Dr. Lettsom, who was, 

 without exception, one of the most 

 benevolent and useful men that ever 

 existed, experienced most sensitively 

 the beatific pleasure of doing good. 

 "I never witness (used this good man 

 to say,) the recovery of a patient from 

 any very severe illness without feeling 

 a proud gratification at the event: nor 

 do I forget to thank God for the means 

 with which he has endowed me thus 

 to relieve and benefit my fellow -crea- 

 tures." 



When all these things are consider- 

 ed, it is not to be wondered at that the 

 physician has always been regarded as 

 the friend and benefactor of his kind ; 

 nor must we be surprised at the im- 

 pressive eulogiinn which the Roman 

 orator bestowed upon the science of 

 medicine, in his famous oration for 

 Quintns Ligurius : — " Nihil at, (he 

 enthusiastically exclaims,) tam popu- 

 lare qnum Veritas ; nulla de virtiitibus 

 phiHniis iiec (/ratior, nee admirabilior 

 miseracordia est ; homines enim ad Deos 

 nullA lie propins accediait, rjuam salulem 

 Jiominihus dando." 



But I must conclude; for fear my 

 enthusiasm may grow tiresome. In 

 my next I shall give you some account 

 of the school of St. Bartholomew's 

 Hospital, and its professors; having 

 myself entered as a pupil under Mr. 

 Abernethy, who is, without doubt, the 

 first anatomical teacher in London, — 

 I may say in tiie world. I shall after- 

 wards proceed to describe the other 

 professors ; lor, as I do not mean to 

 fag very hard, I shall make a point of 

 collecting all the infoiniation I can 

 for you, that'you may become (in these 

 matters, at least,) as wise as myself. 



Remember me kindly to Jones, 

 Benson, and Porter; whose politeness 

 to me, during my last visit to yon, I 

 •hall not readily forget. Does Benson 

 poetize as much as usual ? 

 Yours ever, 



Henrv Oakley. 



Charter-hovse square ; 

 Oct. 6, 1822. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIR, 



PERHAPS there is no species of 

 recreation which creates so many 

 delightful associations in the mind, or 

 produces such a gush of refreshing 

 consecrated feeling, — one which so 



