“O vanity of youthful blood,
So by misuse2 to poison good!
Woman, framed for social love,
Fairest gift of powers above,
Source of every household blessing3;
All charms in innocence4 possessing:
But, turn’d to vice5, all plagues above;
Foe6 to thy being, foe to love!
Guest divine, to outward viewing;
Ablest minister of ruin?
And thou, no less of gift divine,
Sweet poison of misused7 wine!
With freedom led to every part,
And secret chamber8 of the heart,
Dost thou thy friendly host betray,
And shew thy riotous9 gang the way
To enter in, with covert10 treason,
O’erthrow the drowsy11 guard of reason,
To ransack12 the abandon’d place,
And revel13 there with wild excess?”
Mr. Ireland having, in his description of this Plate, incorporated whatever is of value in Dr. Trusler’s text, with much judicious14 observation and criticism of his own, the Editor has taken the former verbatim.
“This Plate exhibits our licentious15 prodigal16 engaged in one of his midnight festivities: forgetful of the past, and negligent17 of the future, he riots in the present. Having poured his libation to Bacchus, he concludes the evening orgies in a sacrifice at the Cyprian shrine18; and, surrounded by the votaries19 of Venus, joins in the unhallowed mysteries of the place. The companions of his revelry are marked with that easy, unblushing effrontery20, which belongs to the servants of all work in the isle21 of Paphos; — for the maids of honour they are not sufficiently22 elevated.
“He may be supposed, in the phrase of the day, to have beat the rounds, overset a constable23, and conquered a watchman, whose staff and lantern he has brought into the room, as trophies24 of his prowess. In this situation he is robbed of his watch by the girl whose hand is in his bosom25; and, with that adroitness26 peculiar27 to an old practitioner28, she conveys her acquisition to an accomplice29, who stands behind the chair.
“Two of the ladies are quarrelling; and one of them delicately spouts30 wine in the face of her opponent, who is preparing to revenge the affront31 with a knife, which, in a posture32 of threatening defiance33, she grasps in her hand. A third, enraged34 at being neglected, holds a lighted candle to a map of the globe, determined35 to set the world on fire, though she perish in the conflagration36! A fourth is undressing. The fellow bringing in a pewter dish, as part of the apparatus37 of this elegant and Attic38 entertainment, a blind harper, a trumpeter, and a ragged39 ballad-singer, roaring out an obscene song, complete this motley group.
“This design may be a very exact representation of what were then the nocturnal amusements of a brothel; — so different are the manners of former and present times, that I much question whether a similar exhibition is now to be seen in any tavern of the metropolis40. That we are less licentious than our predecessors41, I dare not affirm; but we are certainly more delicate in the pursuit of our pleasures.
“The room is furnished with a set of Roman emperors — they are not placed in their proper order; for in the mad revelry of the evening, this family of frenzy42 have decollated all of them, except Nero; and his manners had too great a similarity to their own, to admit of his suffering so degrading an insult; their reverence43 for virtue44 induced them to spare his head. In the frame of a C?sar they have placed a portrait of Pontac, an eminent45 cook, whose great talents being turned to heightening sensual, rather than mental enjoyments47, he has a much better chance of a votive offering from this company, than would either Vespasian or Trajan.
“The shattered mirror, broken wine-glasses, fractured chair and cane48; the mangled49 fowl50, with a fork stuck in its breast, thrown into a corner, and indeed every accompaniment, shews, that this has been a night of riot without enjoyment46, mischief51 without wit, and waste without gratification.
“With respect to the drawing of the figures in this curious female coterie52, Hogarth evidently intended several of them for beauties; and of vulgar, uneducated, prostituted beauty, he had a good idea. The hero of our tale displays all that careless jollity, which copious53 draughts54 of maddening wine are calculated to inspire; he laughs the world away, and bids it pass. The poor dupe, without his periwig, in the back-ground, forms a good contrast of character: he is maudlin55 drunk, and sadly sick. To keep up the spirit of unity56 throughout the society, and not leave the poor African girl entirely57 neglected, she is making signs to her friend the porter, who perceives, and slightly returns, her love-inspiring glance. This print is rather crowded — the subject demanded it should be so; some of the figures, thrown into shade, might have helped the general effect, but would have injured the characteristic expression.”

点击
收听单词发音

1
tavern
![]() |
|
n.小旅馆,客栈;小酒店 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2
misuse
![]() |
|
n.误用,滥用;vt.误用,滥用 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3
blessing
![]() |
|
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4
innocence
![]() |
|
n.无罪;天真;无害 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5
vice
![]() |
|
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6
foe
![]() |
|
n.敌人,仇敌 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7
misused
![]() |
|
v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 );把…派作不正当的用途;虐待;滥用 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8
chamber
![]() |
|
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9
riotous
![]() |
|
adj.骚乱的;狂欢的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10
covert
![]() |
|
adj.隐藏的;暗地里的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11
drowsy
![]() |
|
adj.昏昏欲睡的,令人发困的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12
ransack
![]() |
|
v.彻底搜索,洗劫 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13
revel
![]() |
|
vi.狂欢作乐,陶醉;n.作乐,狂欢 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14
judicious
![]() |
|
adj.明智的,明断的,能作出明智决定的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15
licentious
![]() |
|
adj.放纵的,淫乱的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16
prodigal
![]() |
|
adj.浪费的,挥霍的,放荡的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17
negligent
![]() |
|
adj.疏忽的;玩忽的;粗心大意的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18
shrine
![]() |
|
n.圣地,神龛,庙;v.将...置于神龛内,把...奉为神圣 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19
votaries
![]() |
|
n.信徒( votary的名词复数 );追随者;(天主教)修士;修女 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20
effrontery
![]() |
|
n.厚颜无耻 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21
isle
![]() |
|
n.小岛,岛 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22
sufficiently
![]() |
|
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23
constable
![]() |
|
n.(英国)警察,警官 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24
trophies
![]() |
|
n.(为竞赛获胜者颁发的)奖品( trophy的名词复数 );奖杯;(尤指狩猎或战争中获得的)纪念品;(用于比赛或赛跑名称)奖 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25
bosom
![]() |
|
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26
adroitness
![]() |
|
参考例句: |
|
|
27
peculiar
![]() |
|
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28
practitioner
![]() |
|
n.实践者,从事者;(医生或律师等)开业者 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29
accomplice
![]() |
|
n.从犯,帮凶,同谋 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30
spouts
![]() |
|
n.管口( spout的名词复数 );(喷出的)水柱;(容器的)嘴;在困难中v.(指液体)喷出( spout的第三人称单数 );滔滔不绝地讲;喋喋不休地说;喷水 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31
affront
![]() |
|
n./v.侮辱,触怒 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32
posture
![]() |
|
n.姿势,姿态,心态,态度;v.作出某种姿势 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33
defiance
![]() |
|
n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34
enraged
![]() |
|
使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 ); 歜; 激愤 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35
determined
![]() |
|
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36
conflagration
![]() |
|
n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
37
apparatus
![]() |
|
n.装置,器械;器具,设备 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38
attic
![]() |
|
n.顶楼,屋顶室 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39
ragged
![]() |
|
adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40
metropolis
![]() |
|
n.首府;大城市 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41
predecessors
![]() |
|
n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 );前辈;(被取代的)原有事物;前身 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42
frenzy
![]() |
|
n.疯狂,狂热,极度的激动 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
43
reverence
![]() |
|
n.敬畏,尊敬,尊严;Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称;v.尊敬,敬畏,崇敬 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
44
virtue
![]() |
|
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
45
eminent
![]() |
|
adj.显赫的,杰出的,有名的,优良的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
46
enjoyment
![]() |
|
n.乐趣;享有;享用 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
47
enjoyments
![]() |
|
愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 ); 令人愉快的事物; 享有; 享受 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
48
cane
![]() |
|
n.手杖,细长的茎,藤条;v.以杖击,以藤编制的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
49
mangled
![]() |
|
vt.乱砍(mangle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
50
fowl
![]() |
|
n.家禽,鸡,禽肉 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
51
mischief
![]() |
|
n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
52
coterie
![]() |
|
n.(有共同兴趣的)小团体,小圈子 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
53
copious
![]() |
|
adj.丰富的,大量的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
54
draughts
![]() |
|
n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
55
maudlin
![]() |
|
adj.感情脆弱的,爱哭的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
56
unity
![]() |
|
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
57
entirely
![]() |
|
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |