A Rake's Progress, Plate 8, 1st State, 1735 (engraving)

The Rake in Bedlam In the concluding scene Tom Rakewell has descended into madness and is now in Bethlem (Bedlam) Hospital . He is surrounded by other inmates who are suffering various delusions. These include a tailor, a musician, an astronomer and an archbishop. In the door to one of the cells is a man who thinks he is a king - he is naked and carries a straw crown and sceptre. Like the real Bedlam, Hogarth's Madhouse is open to the public. Two fashionable ladies have come to observe the poor suffering lunatics as one of the sights of the town. The ever-faithful Sarah Young sits, weeping, by Tom's side.