One of the author’s most effective topical satires in verse, this work bears a more cumbrous full title: Upon the Horrid Plot Discovered by Harlequin the B[ishop] of R[ochester]’s French Dog. It concerns the arrest and trial of Francis Atterbury (1663–1732) and more especially the means used to convict the bishop before the House of Lords on a so called “bill of pains and penalties”. This averted an action for treason in the common law courts. Atterbury had long been a prominent figure in the High Church and the de facto ecclesiastical leader within the Tory party. He was arrested in August 1722, imprisoned in the Tower of London, and brought before his peers in May 1723 to face a charge …
1357 words
Citation: Rogers, Pat. "Upon the Horrid Plot Discovered by Harlequin the B[ishop] of R[ochester]’s French Dog". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 March 2022 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40724, accessed 21 November 2024.]
