[Duckett, George?]
A Second Tale of a Tub: or, The History of Robert Powel the Puppet-Show-Man (London: J. Roberts, 1715).

A SECOND| TALE| OF A| TUB:| OR,| The History of ROBERT POWEL| the Puppet-Show-Man.| [rule]| Dingdong. Give me your Hand--Humph, you go to see| Fashions; you are the King's Jester; your Name is Robin| Mutton. Do you see this same Ram? His Name too is| Robin. Here, Robin, Robin, Robin; Baea, Baea, Baea.| Hath he not a rare Voice?| Panurge. Ay marry hath he, a very fine and harmonious Voice.| Dingdong. Well, this Bargain shall be made between you and| me, Friend and Neighbour; we will get a Pair of Scales,| then you, Robin Mutton shall be put into one of them,| and Tup Robin into the other. Now I'll hold you a Peck| of Oysters, that in Weight, Value, or Price, he shall outdo| you, and you shall be found light in the very numerical| manner as when you shall be hanged and suspended.| Rabelais, Book 4. Chap. 6.| [rule]| LONDON: Printed for J. ROBERTS near the Oxford Arms| in Warwick-lane. 1715. Price 3 s. 6 d.

Description

[2] pp. imprimatur; dated: 16.10.1714; signed: T.D.R.L. à S.D./ frontispiece [Powel, the dwarf with wig in front of a stage in the Harlekin's role]/ p.[i] title page/ p.[iii]-x "To the Right Honourable The E-l of Ox--d"; signed: The Publisher/ p.[iii]-x dedication: Charles Lord Hallifax.; signed: The Publisher/ p.[xi]-xxv "The Dedication. To the Lady Majority, the infallible Decider of Cases known or unknown"; signed: The Author/ p.[xxvi]-xlii Introduction/ p.[43]-219 History of Robert Powel/ p.[220-21] Epilogue/ p.[222-23] index of rare terminology/ p.[224-25] "Advertisement of the Author"/ 8°.

Shelf-marks

{7: 8.FAB.ROM.IX,805.Rara} {L: 1079.m.14} {NA:MH: Br 2115.2.5}.

Microfilm

RP: reel 3520.

Bibliographical Reference

ESTC: n022063.

History of Publication

	a	A Second Tale of a Tub: or, The History of Robert Powel the Puppet-Show-Man (London: J. Roberts, 1715). [Date of Publication: Prior to May 1715 - Charles Montagu, the Earl of Halifax dies after short illness on 19 May 1715 - and is still noted among the living.]
	b	[...] second edition (London: J. Roberts, 1715).
	c	[...] third edition (London: J. Roberts, 1717).

Cf. also A Tale of a Tub (London: J. Nutt, 1704).

Self-classification

p.xxvii "History of a Person now living".

Remarks

Satirical prose à clef with an heterogeneous composition inspired by Swift's Tale of a Tub (1704). The book promises the biography of the puppet theatre's manager Robert Powel [the reader will be reminded of Martin Powell - cf. DNB, 44 (London, 1896), p.245-46]. Powel's life reminds in turn with its episodic structure of The French Rogue, or, the life of Monsieur Ragoue de Versailles (1672/ 1694/ 1704/ 1716/ 1720) - a life with parallels to Robert Harley's or Hallifax's? - the text is complex. Difficult questions arise: who is Poewel's mother, manipulated by alcohol? There is an episode with three ships - an image of Great Britain leaving the Great Alliance? There are the troubles around Harrico Charlatan and the religion in Otipolis - circling around Sacheverell?

o.s.