Sir Hudibras His Passing Worth the Manner How He Sallyed Forth (Plate 2: Illustrations to Samuel Butler's Hudibras)

Sir Hudibras His Passing Worth the Manner How He Sallyed Forth (Plate 2: Illustrations to Samuel Butler's Hudibras) is an early, highly significant work of English visual satire executed by William Hogarth between 1725 and 1730. Classified as a print, the work utilizes the precise combination of etching and engraving to capture the detail required for visual narrative. This piece is part of a foundational series that provided illustrations for Samuel Butler’s 17th-century mock-heroic poem Hudibras, a biting commentary on Puritanism and the era of the English Civil War. Hogarth's commitment to translating this seminal text into accessible imagery solidified his reputation as a master of narrative printmaking.

This particular plate depicts the absurd scene of the knight Sir Hudibras setting off on his mission. Hogarth populates the bustling composition with a variety of carefully observed characters, including men and women gathered to witness the departure. The satirical energy of the scene is amplified by the lively inclusion of domestic animals; dogs run through the foreground, while the principal figures are mounted on sturdy horses. The arrangement of figures highlights the burlesque qualities of the text, emphasizing the hypocrisy and inflated importance Hogarth aimed to satirize.

As one of the earliest commissioned works that cemented the artist’s style, this piece demonstrates Hogarth’s burgeoning skill in handling complex, crowded compositions, a trait that would define his later, famous narrative series. The proliferation of such satirical prints in the 18th century ensured widespread accessibility of his art, contributing to his reputation as "the Father of English Painting." Today, important impressions of Sir Hudibras His Passing Worth the Manner How He Sallyed Forth are preserved within institutional collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.