A Rake's Progress: Tavern Scene, 1732-1735. The decline of Tom Rakewell, spendthrift son and heir of a rich merchant, who wastes his money on luxurious living, prostitution and gambling, and is imprisoned in Fleet Prison and ultimately Bethlem Hospital (Bedlam). Scene at the Rose Tavern, a brothel in Covent Garden. The prostitutes have black spots on their faces to cover syphilitic sores.