The Follies and Vices of the Present Times

Decorated handwriting exercise sheet which has been used by someone signing themselves G:J:. It is inscribed with lines from Isaiah Chapt 9 Ver 6 'For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and he shall call his name wonderful councellor (sic), the mighty God the everlasting father, the prince of peace'. Also Chapter 7 Verse 14. 'Behold a Virgin shall conceive & bear a son & she shall call his name Emmanuel'. The vignettes that border this sheet are all framed separately and are accompanied by two lines of text such as 'Mount not too high, least your fall should be great.' They are all homilies and illustrated by scenes of people's impending doom, as their carriage careers off the edge of a cliff, or as they fall from their chair (this is a reworking of Hogarth's Modern Midnight Conversation). The main motif is inscribed 'An honest man needs no disguise. What then are all these Masks.' It depicts a group of people in a non specific ball room setting all wearing animal and other grotesque masks.