Hogarth is essentially English—brave, straight-forward, manly; never pandering to fashion or fancy. When he had to deal with sin and misery, he met them full in the face, bating no whit of their repulsiveness; and in all his works, wherever a moral is to be drawn, it is a noble and a healthy one. In his merry moods he is irresistibly comic; when he stands forward as a censor of morals, he is terrible in his truth; when he creates a character, it is always human and complete,—a true reflex of the age in which he lived. Times may change, and costumes, but humanity remains much the same. Take any series of the splendid list, and the people who crowd the canvas live and move amongst us with different names and other attire. Such suggestive cognomens as Mary Hackabout are not in use; nor do procuresses haunt such localities as Wood Street in pursuit of their vile calling. The course of fashion, as of empire, has taken its way westward; but the whole story of the Harlot's Progress is as fresh and as applicable to a season in 1873 as it was a hundred and forty years before. Have we not Tom Rakewells in scores among us; and had Hogarth been living now, would he not have interpolated another picture of the degradation attained by the spendthrift when he enters the employment of the moneylender as a decoy to poor flies such as he was himself at the beginning of the chapter? The function of the satirist is still needed, and there is no danger of the works of William Hogarth proving to be out of date. Probably no artist ever told stories so well; certainly no one ever acquired such a reputation, and there is no reason why his splendid monuments should be found only in the libraries of the wealthy. Every one should know something of him besides his moral lessons, since, of all the moral lessons he ever taught, his life formed the most pointed. Fearlessness and honesty were his watchwords from his early career of art, after being released from the silversmith's apprenticeship in 1720 until the day of his death in 1764, when he retired from mundane existence full of years and honours. As Ireland declares him to have asserted, his drawings were meant for the crowd rather than for the critics; and with that intention his book was commenced, the original design being to comprise in one volume "a moral and analytical description of seventy-eight prints;" but as the work advanced, such an amount of anecdote and illustrative comment suggested itself, that he was compelled to adopt the three-volume form which is here followed, with the further addition to which we have alluded, of such a full description and reproduction as the original compiler, from accident or design, omitted. These will be found in the third volume, and include many of the most important and meritorious works of the great artist. It has been found advisable to change the ornamental and sometimes indistinct lettering of the original plates, and to adopt a consistent and uniform style of titles. At the same time the elaborate catalogue compiled by Ireland is preserved, since it is still highly valuable as a chronological list of every effort of Hogarth's hand, although it would be folly to attempt a reproduction of every variation it contains. The system pursued by Ireland and Nichols is followed, and the Publishers venture to congratulate themselves on submitting to the notice of the artistic and literary world, as well as to the public generally, the best and cheapest edition of Hogarth's complete works ever brought forward.

This book is a historical fiction novel about a real-life figure named Hortense de Beauharnais. She was Queen consort of Holland and the stepdaughter of Emperor Napoléon I as the daughter of his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais. Hortense later married Napoléon I's brother, Louis Bonaparte, who had been made King of Holland. She was the mother of Napoléon III, Emperor of the French; Louis II of Holland; and Napoléon Louis Charles Bonaparte who died at the age of four.

This eBook edition of " The Pictures of German Life Throughout History" has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Volume 1: Scenes from the Hussite War (1425): Emigration of Germans to the east after the thirteenth century Contrast of the Bohemians… A German Lady of the Royal Court: Life at Court The last of the Luxemburgers The Hungarian Crown... A Travelling Student: Characteristics of the fifteenth century Introductions in the sixteenth century The Latin schools, the children of the people as scholars… The Mental Struggles of a Youth, and his Entrance into a Monastery (1510): The church Brotherhoods; Indulgences... Out of the Cloister into the Struggle (1522): The storm among the people Luther's popularity Narrative of Johann Kessler... Doctor Luther (1517 to 1546): Three letters to the Pope Luther as a writer Activity of his latter years... German Princes at the Imperial Diet (1547): Luther and Charles V. The Roman Empire Weakness of the Imperial power Alliance of the German opposition with France... A Burgher Family: Insight into the lower circles of German life Social superiority of the Protestant provinces... The Marriage and Housekeeping of a Young Student: Position of women in the middle ages Marriage considered as an alliance between families... Of a Patrician House (1526 to 1598): Hans Schweinichen's account of the riches of the Fuggers... German Nobility in the Sixteenth Century: False position in the nation Transition to modern life... German Ideas of the Devil in the Sixteenth Century... Volume 2: The Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648) Life and Manners of the Soldiers The Villagers and their Pastors Clippers of Money and Public Opinion The Cities The Peace (1650) Rogues and Adventurers Engagement and Marriage at Court (1661) Of the Homes of German Citizens German Life at the Baths in the Seventeenth Century Jesuits and Jews The Wasunger War (1747)…

This carefully crafted e-artnow ebook "Pictures of German Life in the 15th, 16th, and 17th Centuries" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents._x000D_ Volume 1:_x000D_ Scenes from the Hussite War (1425):_x000D_ Emigration of Germans to the east after the thirteenth century_x000D_ Contrast of the Bohemians…_x000D_ A German Lady of the Royal Court:_x000D_ Life at Court_x000D_ The last of the Luxemburgers_x000D_ The Hungarian Crown..._x000D_ A Travelling Student:_x000D_ Characteristics of the fifteenth century_x000D_ Introductions in the sixteenth century_x000D_ The Latin schools, the children of the people as scholars…_x000D_ The Mental Struggles of a Youth, and his Entrance into a Monastery (1510):_x000D_ The church_x000D_ Brotherhoods; Indulgences..._x000D_ Out of the Cloister into the Struggle (1522):_x000D_ The storm among the people_x000D_ Luther's popularity_x000D_ Narrative of Johann Kessler..._x000D_ Doctor Luther (1517 to 1546):_x000D_ Three letters to the Pope_x000D_ Luther as a writer_x000D_ Activity of his latter years..._x000D_ German Princes at the Imperial Diet (1547):_x000D_ Luther and Charles V._x000D_ The Roman Empire_x000D_ Weakness of the Imperial power_x000D_ Alliance of the German opposition with France..._x000D_ A Burgher Family:_x000D_ Insight into the lower circles of German life_x000D_ Social superiority of the Protestant provinces..._x000D_ The Marriage and Housekeeping of a Young Student:_x000D_ Position of women in the middle ages_x000D_ Marriage considered as an alliance between families..._x000D_ Of a Patrician House (1526 to 1598):_x000D_ Hans Schweinichen's account of the riches of the Fuggers..._x000D_ German Nobility in the Sixteenth Century:_x000D_ False position in the nation_x000D_ Transition to modern life..._x000D_ German Ideas of the Devil in the Sixteenth Century..._x000D_ Volume 2:_x000D_ The Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648)_x000D_ Life and Manners of the Soldiers_x000D_ The Villagers and their Pastors_x000D_ Clippers of Money and Public Opinion_x000D_ The Cities_x000D_ The Peace (1650)_x000D_ Rogues and Adventurers_x000D_ Engagement and Marriage at Court (1661)_x000D_ Of the Homes of German Citizens_x000D_ German Life at the Baths in the Seventeenth Century_x000D_ Jesuits and Jews_x000D_ The Wasunger War (1747)…