O' the roast beef of old England &c. [graphic][not before 1766]engEngraving of William Hogarth’s 1748 painting ‘O the Roast Beef of Old England’ (London, Tate Britain), which he had himself published as a print. The scene is set at the Gate of Calais (after the painting in the Tate Gallery) with a fat monk prodding a large sirloin of beef carried by a cook, on either side are two French soldiers, one of whom spills his bowl of thin soup as he gazes in amazement at the beef; on the left, three market women with crosses hanging from their necks admire a skate in a basket of fish; on the right, two ragged men carry a large pot of soup while another drinks from a bowl, and a Scottish soldier cowers beneath an archway; in the middle distance, to left, Hogarth himself is seen sketching at the moment when a soldier’s hand takes him by the shoulder; beyond, through the gate, is a religious processionTitle engraved below image.Date of publication based on publisher's street address; Sayer's premises in Fleet Street were not numbered until ca. 1766. See British Museum online catalogue.Text of Theodosius Forrest’s cantata 'The Roast Beef of Old England' printed in letterpress beneath image in two columns.Cf. Paulson, R. Hogarth's graphic works (3rd ed.), no. 180.Watermark.