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Passage Illustrated

The morning of Monday the 16th of November 1724 at length dawned. It was a dull, foggy day, and the atmosphere was so thick and heavy, that, at eight o'clock, the curious who arrived near the prison could scarcely discern the tower of St. Sepulchre's church.

By and by the tramp of horses' feet was heard slowly ascending Snow Hill, and presently a troop of grenadier guards rode into the area facing Newgate. These were presently joined by a regiment of foot. A large body of the constables of Westminster next made their appearance, the chief of whom entered the Lodge, where they were speedily joined by the civic authorities. At nine o'clock, the sheriffs arrived, followed by their officers and javelin-men.

Meantime, the Stone Hall was crowded by all the inmates of the jail, debtors, felons, turnkeys, and officers who could obtain permission to witness the ceremony of the prisoner's irons being struck off. Caliban, who, through the interest of Mr. Ireton, was appointed to the office, stood with a hammer in one hand, and a punch in the other, near the great stone block, ready to fulfil his duty. Close behind him stood the tall gaunt figure of Marvel, with his large bony hands, his scraggy neck, and ill-favoured countenance. Next to the executioner stood his wife — the former Mrs. Spurling. Mrs. Marvel held her handkerchief to her eyes, and appeared in great distress. But her husband, whose deportment to her was considerably changed since the fatal knot had been tied, paid no attention whatever to her grief.

At this moment, the bell of Newgate began to toll, and was answered by another bell from St. Sepulchre's. The great door of the Stone Hall was thrown open, and the sheriffs, preceded by the javelin-men, entered the room. They were followed by Jonathan, who carried a stout stick under his arm, and planted himself near the stone. Not a word was uttered by the assemblage; but a hush of expectation reigned throughout.

Another door was next opened, and, preceded by the ordinary, with the sacred volume in his hand, the prisoner entered the room. Though encumbered by his irons, his step was firm, and his demeanour dignified. His countenance was pale as death, but not a muscle quivered; nor did he betray the slightest appearance of fear. On the contrary, it was impossible to look at him without perceiving that his resolution was unshaken.

Advancing with a slow firm step to the stone-block he placed his left foot upon it, drew himself up to his full height, and fixed a look so stern upon Jonathan, that the thief-taker quailed before it.

The black, meantime, began to ply his hammer, and speedily unriveted the chains. The first stroke appeared to arouse all the vindictive passions of Jonathan. Fixing a ferocious and exulting look upon Jack Sheppard, he exclaimed.

"At length, my vengeance is complete."

"Wretch!" cried Jack, raising his hand in a menacing manner, "your triumph will be short-lived. Before a year has expired, you will share the same fate."

"If I do, I care not," rejoined Wild; "I shall have lived to see you hanged." — Chapter XXXI, "The Procession to Tyburn," p. 239-242.

Commentary

His throat slashed by Blueskin when Wild returned with Jack as his prisoner, and Wild's house a smouldering pile after a mob has plundered and torched it, Jonathan Wild again confronts his nemesis at the ceremony which marks Jack Sheppard for hanging at the Tyburn Tree, located where Marble Arch, built in 1828, stands today. Wild's "janizaries" at the scene no longer include Quilt Arnold and Abraham Mendez ("Nab"), since Blueskin and the mob have disposed of them during the sack of Wild's house earlier.

Jack's leg-irons are here removed in preparation for his public hanging at Tyburn, where the triple-gallows were erected during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, although the first recorded execution on the spot was that of the traitor William Fitz Osbert in 1196. This site became the gallows for the City of London and County of Middlesex, although its location outside the London city-limits also made it "The King's Gallows." Here at the village of Tyburn at the southern end of Edgeware Road year later the historical Jonathan Wild was executed. As is consistent with the actual history, a huge crowd attends the execution of the master prison-breaker.

This is Jonathan Wild's last appearance as a significant figure in an illustration, the culmination of a series of eight in the program of twenty-eight; indeed, the villain appears more than any other character except Jack Sheppard himself, as befits his status as the story's chief antagonist. Evil but highly resilient, Wild has survived a number of attempts on his life, including Blueskin's cutting his throat as Jack arrives at Newgate. Indeed, Blueskin believes that he has successfully despatched his former chief, as he confesses to Thames Darrell when he restores Sir Rowland Tranchard's letters to him at Dollis Hill. Thus, Thames learns the plot secret that has rippled throughout the narrative, namely that his father was the Marquis de Chatillon, a member of the French royal family. The letters which Sir Rowland left in Wild's audience chamber also confirm Trenchard's intention to relinquish all of his family's Lancashire estates to Thames, who cements his plot-line's happy ending by marrying Winifred Wood. The tragic strain of the novel comes to closure with Wild's triumph over Jack Sheppard at Tyburn. Having been formally sentenced by the high court at Westminster Hall, Jack is returned under heavy guard to Newgate. Here at 10:00 A. M. on 16 November 1724 Caliban, the head turnkey's deputy (down right in the illustration), knocks off the leg-irons in preparation for the public execution. In Cruikshank's illustration, the hangman, Marvel, stands immediately above Caliban, and beside him is his wife, the former Mrs. Spurling, weeping copiously over the fate of Jack Sheppard, centre, as he remonstrates with Jonathan Wild (left). That Wild's is throat swathed in bandages recalls Blueskin's assault with a case-knife. Austin and Langley are presumably the two be-wigged figures under the portcullis, the other figure being the prison ordinary or chaplain in a white surplice. Despite the fact that he is facing the immediate prospect of a very public execution, an indignant Jack dominates the composition, and Wild is lacking in animation as the prisoner predicts Wild's own public execution within a year. The five javelins (upper left) are presumably a visual reference to the "javelin-men, walking four abreast" (295) as a guard against interference with the procession of the popular martyr.

Bibliography

Ainsworth, William Harrison. Jack Sheppard. A Romance. With 28 illustrations by George Cruikshank. In three volumes. London: Richard Bentley, 1839.

Ainsworth, William Harrison. Jack Sheppard. Edited by Edward Jacobs and Manuela Mourao. With 31 illustrations. Peterborough, ON: Broadview, 2007.

Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. Illustrated by George Cruikshank. London: Bradbury and Evans; Chapman and Hall, 1846.

Meisel, Martin. Chapter 13, "Novels in Epitome." Realizations: Narrative, Pictorial, and Theatrical Arts in Nineteenth-Century England. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989. Pp. 247-282.

Sutherland, John. "Jack Sheppard" in The Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 19893. Pp. 323-324.

Vann, J. Don. "Jack Sheppard in Bentley's Miscellany, January 1839 — February 1840." Victorian Novels in Serial. New York: Modern Language Association, 1985. Page 19.

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Last modified 27 December 2016