Engraving. A semicircle of spectators, seated and standing, crowed one behind the other, watch the performance of the pig, who stands before a row of initial letters, one of which he holds in his mouth. Over the chimney-piece is a placard, 'The Surprising PIG well versed in all Languages. perfect Arithmetician Mathematician & Composer of Musick'. On the right the wall of the room hangs a large shoe. The learned pig caused a sensation in 1784, and later, see Nos. 6715, 7214. Cf. Southey, 'Letters of Espriella', 1807, iii. 49: ‘the learned pig was in his day a far greater object of admiration to the English nation than ever was Sir Isaak Newton.’ See also Boswell, Johnson, ed. Hill and Powell, iv, 1934, pp. 373, 547 f. Partial description from the Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires Vol. VI. 6857.