Hudibras Beats Sidrophel and His Man Wacum (Plate 8: Illustrations to Samuel Butler's Hudibras)

Hudibras Beats Sidrophel and His Man Wacum (Plate 8: Illustrations to Samuel Butler's Hudibras) is a significant etching and engraving created by William Hogarth between 1725 and 1730. This print belongs to a larger series illustrating Samuel Butler’s satirical 17th-century narrative poem, Hudibras, which mocks religious zealotry and political factionalism of the Puritan era. Hogarth translated Butler's complex literary satire into highly detailed and chaotic visual narratives characteristic of his early graphic work.

The plate depicts the climactic confrontation where the protagonist, Sir Hudibras, violently engages the astrologer Sidrophel and his servant, Wacum. Hogarth uses Sidrophel's study to display symbols of esoteric knowledge and quackery. The composition emphasizes clutter and absurdity: a mounted skeleton hangs prominently near the ceiling, while various men struggle dynamically in the center foreground. Astrological charts litter the floor near a snarling cat, adding tension to the brawl. The ceiling is further adorned with dried specimens, including a visible crocodile, a feature common in curiosity cabinets of the era, which Hogarth uses to underscore the false grandeur of Sidrophel’s profession.

Hogarth employed meticulous etching and engraving techniques to achieve the precise definition necessary for this level of narrative detail. This early series demonstrates the artist's developing skill in sequential visual storytelling, which laid the groundwork for his later, famed "modern moral subjects." As a key example of English satirical prints from the Georgian period, the work is preserved within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Prints of this influential satirical work are often circulated through public domain resources, ensuring Hogarth's early visual commentary remains widely accessible.