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Passage Illustrated: A Little Satire on the Nonconformists

‘“The kiss of peace,” says the shepherd; and then he kissed the women all round, and ven he’d done, the man vith the red nose began. I was just a-thinkin’ whether I hadn’t better begin too — ‘specially as there was a wery nice lady a-sittin’ next me — ven in comes the tea, and your mother-in-law, as had been makin’ the kettle bile downstairs. At it they went, tooth and nail. Such a precious loud hymn, Sammy, while the tea was a brewing; such a grace, such eatin’ and drinkin’! I wish you could ha’ seen the shepherd walkin’ into the ham and muffins. I never see such a chap to eat and drink — never. The red-nosed man warn’t by no means the sort of person you’d like to grub by contract, but he was nothin’ to the shepherd. Well; arter the tea was over, they sang another hymn, and then the shepherd began to preach: and wery well he did it, considerin’ how heavy them muffins must have lied on his chest. Presently he pulls up, all of a sudden, and hollers out, “Where is the sinner; where is the mis’rable sinner?” Upon which, all the women looked at me, and began to groan as if they was a-dying. I thought it was rather sing’ler, but howsoever, I says nothing. Presently he pulls up again, and lookin’ wery hard at me, says, “Where is the sinner; where is the mis’rable sinner?” and all the women groans again, ten times louder than afore. I got rather savage at this, so I takes a step or two for’ard and says, “My friend,” says I, “did you apply that ‘ere obserwation to me?” ‘Stead of beggin’ my pardon as any gen’l’m’n would ha’ done, he got more abusive than ever: — called me a wessel, Sammy — a wessel of wrath — and all sorts o’ names. So my blood being reg’larly up, I first gave him two or three for himself, and then two or three more to hand over to the man with the red nose, and walked off. I wish you could ha’ heard how the women screamed, Sammy, ven they picked up the shepherd from underneath the table — Hollo! here’s the governor, the size of life.’ [Chapter XXII, “In which Mr. Pickwick Journeys to Ipswitch and Meets with a Romantic Adventure with a Middle-Aged Lady in Yellow Curl-Papers,” 225]

Commentary: A Send-up of The Shepherd and His Gullible Flock

“He called me a wessel, Sammy — a wessel of wrath — and all sorts of names. So my blood being reg’larly up, I first gave him two or three for himself, and then two or three more to hand over to the man with the red nose, and walked off.” Page 225.

Although the paragraph contains some dialogue, Dickens punctuates it as a block because it is the narrative of a single, highly entertaining character: the bluff Cockney coachman Tony, Sam Weller's father. This bit of Non-Conformist satire complements Phiz’s illustration for a satire of Pickwick himself later in the same chapter, The Middle-Aged Lady in the Double-Bedded Room (November 1836 instalment). Again, Onwhyn produced this other Chapter XXII plate long after the publication of the serial instalment, so that by August 1837 the Grangerizing illustrator would have well aware of what a "fan favourite" the bibulous coachman had become. Jolly Tony is not entirely happily married to Susan Clarke, the landlady of The Marquis of Granby in Dorking (and a devoted member of the Reverend Stiggins' nonconformist congregation there). In the present illustration, his dander up, Tony (left) visits pugilistic nemesis upon the Shepherd (right) in the middle of the congregational tea-time. The largely female congregants are suitably shocked at assault on their beloved minister. The broken teacup and saucer (down centre) suggest the sudden violence that has erupted in the midst of the ladies' tea.

The reading public's reception of The Shepherd was so positive that, after introducing the dissenting preacher here, Dickens and Phiz reprised him in Chapters 27, 33, 43, 45, and 52 for further satirizing of the United Grand Junction Ebenezer Temperance Association, “Ebenezer” being the popular expression for a Non-Conformist Chapel. Although Onwhyn does not exaggerate Stiggins's nose, its colour signifies his alcoholism, and therefore indicts him as a hypocrite since Non-Conformists preached teetotalism. Onwhyn revisits both Stiggins and Tony Weller very effectively in “Brother Tadger, Sir,” said Mr. Stiggins, suddenly increasing in ferocity, and turning sharp round on the little man in the drab shorts, “you are drunk, Sir.” for Chapter XXXII (which Onwhyn published on October 26, 1837).

The Reverend Mr. Stiggins in Other Editions (1837-74)

Left: Thomas Naast's American Household Edition's engraving for the Chapter XXVII, "Governor in?" inquired Sam (1873). Right: Phiz's British Household Edition woodcut reworks his original 1837 steel engraving as Before Sam could interfere to prevent it, his heroic parent had penetrated into a remote corner of the room, and attacked the Reverend Stiggins with manual dexterity (Ch. XXII, 1874). [Click on the images to enlarge them.]

Phiz's Scenes Involving Tony Weller and the Reverend Stiggins

The Valentine (March 1837 instalment)

The Red-Nosed Man Discourseth (August 1837 instalment)

Tony Weller ejects Mr. Stiggins (November 1837 instalment)

Bibliography

Dickens, Charles. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Illustrated by Robert Seymour, Robert Buss, and Phiz. London: Chapman and Hall, November 1837. With 32 additional illustrations by Thomas Onwhyn (London: E. Grattan, April-November 1837).

Titley, Graham D. C. "Thomas Onwhyn: a Life in Illustration (1811-1886)." Pearl. University of Plymouth (2018-07-12).

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Created 17 February 2024