390 
WILLIAM HOGARTH. 
improvement of the Spring Gardens at Vauxhall, by the hint of embel- 
lishing them with paintings, some of which were the s^uggestions of 
his own truly comic pencil. For his assistance, Mr. Tyers gratefully 
presented him with a gold ticket of admission for himself and hfs 
friends, inscribed, “ In Perpeluam Beneficii Memoriam.’' This ticket 
remained in possession of his widow, and was by her occasionally 
employed. 
In 1733 his genius became conspicuously known. The third scene 
of his “Harlot’s Progress” introduced him to the notice of the great. 
At a board of treasury, which w'as held a day or two after the appear- 
ance of that print, a copy of it was shewn by one of the lords, as 
containing, among other excellencies, a striking likeness of Sir John 
Gonson. It gave universal satisfaction : from the treasury each lord 
repaired to the print-shop for a copy of it, and Hogarth rose com- 
pletely into fame. 
The ingenious abbe Du Bos has often complained, that no historical 
painter of his time went through a series of actions, and thus, like an 
historian, painted the successive fortunes of a hero from the cradle 
to the grave. What Du Bos wished to see done, Hogarth performed. 
He launches out his young adventurer, a simple girl, upon the town, 
and conducts her through all her vicissitudes of wretchedness to a 
premature death. This was painting to the understanding and to 
the heart ; none had ever before made the pencil subservient to the 
purposes of morality and instruction ; a book like this is fitted to every 
observer, and he that runs may read. 
Nor was the success of Hogarth confined to his figures. One of 
his excellencies consisted ih what may be termed the furniture of his 
pieces ; for as in sublime and historical representations the more 
seldom trivial circumstances are permitted to divide the spectator’s 
attention from the principal figures, the greater is their force ; so in a 
series copied from familiar life, a proper \ariety of little domestic 
images contributes to throw a degree of verisimilitude on the whole. 
“ The rake’s levee room,” says Mr.Walpole, “ the nobleman’s dining- 
room, the apartments of the husband and wife in Marriage-k-la-Mode, 
the alderman’s parlour, the bed-chamber, and many others, are the 
history of the manners of the age.” 
The novelty and excellence of Hogarth’s performances soon tempted 
the needy artist and print-dealer to avail themselves of his designs, 
and rob him of advantages to which he was entitled from them. This 
was particularly the case with the “Midnight Conversation,” the 
“ Harlot’s” and “ Rake’s” Progresses, and others of his early works. 
To put a stop to depredations like these on the property of himself 
and others, and to secure the emoluments resulting from his own 
labours, as Mr. Walpole observes, he applied to the legislature, and 
obtained an act of parliament, 8 Geo. H. cap. 38. to vest an exclu- 
sive right in designers and engravers, and to restrain the multiplying 
of copies of their works, without the consent of the artist. This 
statute was drawn by his friend Mr. Huggins, who took for his model 
the eighth of queen Anne, in favour of literary property ; which was 
so accurately executed as entirely to remedy the evil ; for, in a cause 
founded on it, which came before Lord Hardwicke 10 c ^ c ^ ^ 
