Peltro William Tomkins (1760-1840) According to Sylvester Harding (1745-1809), The Enchanted Lady, 1785, edited by Thomas Macklin (1752/53-1800)

Scored technique / watermarked ribbed paper; cut engraving, 26.7 x 30.3 cm; under composition left: S.Harding Inv.[eni]t, right: P.W. Tomkins Sculp.[sit] Pupil of F. Bartolozzi; in the middle the title: THE ENCHANTED LADY, and on its sides three verses each from John Milton: Brighest Lady look on me, / Thus I sprinkle on thy breast / Drops that from my fountain pure; I have Kept of precious Cure / Thrice upon thy fingers tip, / Thrice upon thy Rubied lip.; right, below: Vide: Milton Comus. Bottom middle, publisher's address: London: Published June 8 th 1785, by Tho.s Macklin, Fleet Street.
good state of preservation
The composition refers to John Milton's (1608-1674) poem Comus (A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle 1634), telling the story of Lady, who is separated from her brothers during her journey through the woods. She meets Comus, the son of Bacchus and Kirke, who traps her by magic in his palace. Put to the test, Lady rejects Comus' hedonistic philosophy, defending her virtues and is eventually freed by the water nymph Sabrina and reunited with her brothers.
The engraver was the son of painter William Tomkins (c.1732-1792) and learned engraving from 1774 in the studio of Francesco Bartolozzi, among others.