The Origin, of John Bell

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 103, 28 October 1933, Page 23

The Origin, of John Bell

it was a' Scotsman, Dr. John Arbuthnot, a Court physician in tho reign of Queen Anne, who invented John Bull as typical of the English national character. His pamphlet, "The History of John Bull," ,which deals in a satirical manner with political events and personalities in tho time of Queen Anne, appeared in 1712, says 'the Melbourne "Age." It is a collection of five pamphlets, tho first of which had' appeared in March of that year. This ■was entitled "Law is a Bottomless Pit, exemplified in the case of Lord Strutt, John Bull, Nicholas frost, and Lewis Baboon." The pamphlet was Called "John Bull in His Senses," the third, "John Bull Still in His Senses," then followed an. appendix to the third pamphlet, and' the last was called "Lewis Baboon Turned-Honest, and John Bull, Politician." The object of these pamphlets^ was to advocate, in the form of satirical allegories, the cessation of the war with France regarding the Spanish Succession, i.e., the succession of Philip Duke of Anjou, tho grandson of the French King Louis XIV., to the throne of Spain. In an article in tho September number, of the "Contemporary Keview" Horr Wolfgang Michael explains the scope of, '' The History of John BulL" "We find ourselves at tho end of the war of the, Spanish' Succession," lie writes. "The Whigs had been at the helm during the greater part 'of tho campaigns, and Marlborough had been their strong supporter. But part of the nation had grown weary of war, and when the Tories took office in 1710 it was to be expected that peace negotiations would bo opened. Their publicists, the pamphleteers, had argued that England's commercial interests had nothing further to^ gain, and much_ to ]ose, by a continuance of hostilities. What did it matter to England if a grandson of Louis IV did sit on tho Spanish" throne? ' This point of view found ready response from the. English public, and it is in this spirit that Arbuthnot's story is written. Lord Strutt (who is Charles II of Spain) has died, and a quarrel. over his rich estate ensues between John Bull, the clothier, and Nicholas Frog, the linen draper, On the one hand, and Lewis Baboon on the other. The Bulls and the Progs have supplied the Lords Strutt with drapery ware from/time immemorial. But now since- Philip, the heir, has come into his estate, they find suddenly the custom withdrawn from them, ■ and transferred to Lewis Baboon. They therefore begin a complicated and lengthy law suit, which drags on for years and drains their resources. John Bull has sold or pawned most of his property, he has to borrow again and again to find money for the lawyers, witnesses, jurymen, gaolers, and other,servants of the law, and after ten years the end is still not in sight. Worst of all is Hocus, John Bull's crafty advocate, who, by egging his clients on, is chiefly responsible for the suit, f romwhieh he is drawing such rich spoils." Lewis Baboon is intended for the French King Louis XIV, Baboon being a malicious corruption of Bourbon;; Nicholas Frog is intended for Holland; Hocus, for the Duke of Marlborough, who had been in command of the cam-, paign in Flanders; the English Parliament appears in the pamphlets as Mrs. Bull; the King of Portugal as Tom the Dustman; the Duke of Savoy as Ned the Chimney Sweep. "Arbuthnot, using these pseudonyms, tells the story of the events leading up to the Peace of Utrecht, makes shrewd attacks on Marlborough and the Whigs, and on the Allied princes, to all of whom he gives very derogatory names," writes Herr Michael. "In the figure of John Bull the author has drawn with a deft hand the English character and its genius for common sense. Ho is depicted as a man of simple nature, straight and honest; ho likes to speak as he thinks, and takes other people to be as candid and upright 'as himself.

If he is irritated he becomes violent. When he cannot get on with unmanageable menials he takes a thick cano and uses it with such effect that they scramble to get away, and end by falling head over heels downstairs. There is no question with him of Higher Education, and ne is vrm aware of this. He says he is simple, and that his heart is in the right place. Though ho does not know Plato, Aristotle, or Machiavelli, still he does not let himself be duped. He knows on which side his bread is buttered, and he has no time for high ideals or lengthy speeches. "Maeaulay considered 'Tho History of John Bull' tho most ingenious ; and witty satire in the English language. It is in some respects an imitation of Swift's "Tale of a Tub,' though inferior to it in style. Judged by its contents, however, 'The History of John Biill' is far more , important, for the very highest problems of world politics became the subject of tho satirical narrative. Tho great impression which tho publication made is illustrated most forcibly by tho fact that its hero became tho classic personification of tho English national character, and as such lie has gone on up to this day. . . . Ho still appears in English comic papers as the stout, practical, prosaic figure whom Arbuthnot drew in 1712. He embodies tho instinct of tho English for

the maintenance of their advantages which he always_ remembers after every mistake. tjHe incorporates a kind of sovreignty of healthy public opinion, or, in other words, the nation, itself, as the highest judge over Ministers and Parliaments. The characters in 'The History of John Bull' were used by. the- Whigs hi a number of subsequent pamphlets, attempting to carry on tho story after the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht. Their, Whig bias, however, destroys their value-as sequels,' and their connection with the original pamphlets is merely external, and their appearance is,a testimony to the success of Arbuthnot." The pamphlets were published anonymously, and for a long time it was believed Swift was the author of them. They were included in a collected edition of the works of Swift. Arbuthnot was a friend of Swift and Pope, both of j whom wore- aware that he was the author of "Tho History of John Bull."