489659 The Whole Trial and Indictment of Sir John Barleycorn, Knt., illustration from \'Chap-books of the Eighteenth Century\' by John Ashton, pub. 1882 (litho) by English School, (18th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: From a woodcut engraving Licensed and Entered According to Order; In English folklore, John Barleycorn is a character who represents the crop of barley harvested each autumn and symbolizes the drinks which can be made from barley -- beer and whiskey -- and their effects. In the traditional folksong, John Barleycorn endures all kinds of indignities, most of which correspond to the cyclic nature of planting, growing, harvesting, and then death; also the mythical Anglo-Saxon pagan figure Beowa who also represents barley. The folksong details the suffering, death, and resurrection of Barleycorn, yet also celebrates the "reviving effects of drinking his blood". ); The Stapleton Collection; English, out of copyright.