{"product_id":"untitled-aug16_10-42-22","title":"A Story of Infanticide | Antique Box with Scene from Parnell’s The Hermit","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn all my years of collecting 19th century boxes I think this wins the prize for strangest: It dates to the early 1800s and depicts a scene from Thomas Parnell’s 18th century poem “The Hermit.” It’s a religious allegory about misfortunes and God’s plan: The titular hermit meets a young man on the road who commits 4 seemingly awful and immoral acts. At the end of the poem, the youth reveals himself to be an angel and explains how each act was part of God’s plan. This box depicts the worst act in the poem: The youth breaks the neck of their host’s baby in its cradle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the full stanza from which the line printed on the box was taken:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore the Pilgrimspart, the Younger crept,\u003cbr\u003eNear the clos'd cradle where an Infant slept,\u003cbr\u003eAnd writh'd his Neck: the Landlord's little Pride,\u003cbr\u003eO strange Return! grew black, and gasp'd and dy'd.\u003cbr\u003eHorrour of Horrours! what! his only Son!\u003cbr\u003eHow look'd our Hermit when the Fact was done?\u003cbr\u003eNot Hell, tho' Hell's black jaws in sunderpart,\u003cbr\u003eAnd breathe blue fire, could more assault his Heart\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe explanation for this horrific killing of the baby was that its father was in danger of doting on him to the point of idolatry and the baby was taken to spare him from sin. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe box is made of colored paper with a handwritten pencil inscription on the back. A previous owner in the 19th century had kept receipts in it, evidently. Certainly the most morbid antique box you are likely to find!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Roses \u0026 Rue Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45177635274952,"sku":null,"price":150.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/2188\/7432\/files\/AD0A158E-28CB-477C-9CA2-D7D00FCA6B41.jpg?v=1786891648","url":"https:\/\/rosesandrueantiques.com\/products\/untitled-aug16_10-42-22","provider":"Roses \u0026 Rue Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}