Page:Punch and judy.djvu/40

Rh ;" but it is, in fact, a political satire on Sir Robert Walpole, to whose life and administration nearly all the adventures are made applicable. It is preceded by a copper-plate, in which that celebrated minister, in a court dress, is represented as the master and interpreter of a puppet-show: he stands below, with a stick to point to the different characters; behind is the stage, lighted with foot-lamps, on which stand a male and female puppet, the male having a very lofty conical cap, a large ruff, and a considerable paunch, (but without the long nose which distinguishes Punch); and the female in a very plain dress with a falling band. The Dedication particularly refers to the extreme popularity of Powell, to his exhibitions at Bath, and in Covent Garden, and then proceeds thus:—

"It would be trifling, after this, to recount to you how Mr. Powell has melted a whole audience into pity and tears, when he has made the poor starved Children in the Wood miserably depart in peace, and a Robin bury them. It would be tedious to enumerate how often he has made Punch the diversion of all the spectators, by putting into his mouth many bulls and flat contradictions, to the dear joy of all true Teagues. Or to what end should I attempt to describe how heroically he makes King Bladud perform the part of a British Prince."

In the body of the work, after going through the supposed adventures of Powell, he reduces him at last to a puppet-showman, and thus continues:—

"Now was he (Powell) resolved to get actors that should move and speak as he pleased. The first he hired was one Punch, a comical, staring, gaping, noisy fellow. Punch was soon attended by a whole train of diminutive actors, of both sexes, viz., jointed kings, queens, waiting-maids, virgins, babies, noblemen, baboons, tumblers, aldermen, rope-dancers, geese, country squires, rats, lord mayors, footmen, sows, Indians, cats, conjurors, owls, priests, brazen heads, robin-redbreasts, and elders, all of which were assisted by a wise interpreter; so Mr. Powell had quickly a full stage. In short he was mightily frequented by all sorts of quality, and Punch with his gang soon broke the strollers, and enjoyed the city of Bath by themselves. Money coining in apace, Mr. Powell bought