ob ald , ▁a ▁possible ▁target ▁of ▁the ▁sat ire , ▁through ▁illustr ations ▁he ▁had ▁produced ▁for ▁The ob ald ' s ▁Per se us ▁and ▁And rom eda , ▁and ▁through ▁his ▁subscription ▁to ▁The ob ald ' s ▁edition ▁of ▁the ▁works ▁of ▁Shakespeare . ▁Paul son ▁suggests ▁that ▁the ▁real ▁" villa in " ▁of ▁The ▁D istr est ▁Po et ▁may ▁be ▁Pope , ▁un seen ▁but ▁representing ▁the ▁successful ▁" Gre at ▁Po et " ▁whom ▁the ▁del ud ed ▁asp iring ▁artist ▁hopes ▁to ▁em ulate , ▁rather ▁than ▁the ▁dist ress ed ▁poet ▁himself . ▁ ▁Hog arth ▁had ▁featured ▁Pope ▁pick ing ▁John ▁Gay ' s ▁pocket ▁in ▁the ▁for eground ▁of ▁Em blem at ical ▁Print ▁on ▁the ▁South ▁Sea ▁Sch eme , ▁an ▁early ▁print ▁he ▁had ▁produced ▁on ▁the ▁theme ▁of ▁the ▁South ▁Sea ▁B ubble ▁( both ▁Pope ▁and ▁Gay ▁had ▁inv ested ▁money ▁in ▁the ▁scheme ). ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁within ▁the ▁sat ire ▁of ▁the ▁painting , ▁the ▁poet ▁who ▁is ▁dist ress ed ▁is ▁going ▁to ▁be ▁one ▁of ▁Pope ' s ▁d un ces . ▁▁▁ ▁The ▁lines ▁by ▁Pope , ▁though ▁referring ▁to ▁The ob ald , ▁the ▁hero ▁of ▁The ▁D unci ad , ▁are ▁a ▁character isation ▁of ▁a ▁Gr ub ▁Street ▁hack , ▁a ▁s tere ot ype ▁popular ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 3 0 s ▁den oting ▁a ▁man ▁of ▁limited ▁writing ▁ability ▁who ▁lived ▁in ▁pover ty