CATALOGUE OF
POLITICAL AND PERSONAL
SATIRES
OB.Tm. . CQAIITlONM&fSTERS. msTROYW
Tot, aortli 3 f'c /•?,'; J
No. 6403
Art
CATALOGUE OF
POLITICAL AND PERSONAL
SATIRES
PRESERVED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF
PRINTS AND DRAWINGS IN
THE BRITISH MUSEUM
VOL. VI
1784— 1792
By
MARY DOROTHY GEORGE
LiTT.D.
I,
PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES
1938
Sold at
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PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
CONTENTS
PREFACE, ending with Notes on Method, and Abbreviations . . vii
INTRODUCTION xi
CORRIGENDA, ETC. to Vol. V xxxvii
CATALOGUE
(a) From 1784 to 1792 ........ i
(b) Addenda from c. 1781 to 1792 ...... 982
APPENDIX I (State of the poll for the Westminster Election, 1784) looi
APPENDIX II (Key to the dates of the series of mezzotints issued by
Carington Bowles) ......... 1002
INDEX OF PERSONS 1003
INDEX OF TITLES 103 1
' INDEX OF SELECTED SUBJECTS 1061
INDEX OF ARTISTS 1071
INDEX OF PRINTSELLERS AND PUBLISHERS . . . 1076
PREFACE
THE appearance of Volume V of this series in 1935, in which
Mr. F. G. Stephens's work was resumed after a lapse of over fifty
years, renders it unnecessary to introduce Dr. Dorothy George. It is a
work requiring the most painstaking industry, and only when done in this
detail can it serve its full purpose in offering the most varied side-lights
on public events and social life, which can be understood and utilized even
apart from study of the prints themselves. Encouragement of this first-
hand study must, however, be the main object of the catalogue, and the
genius of the two artists who come into prominence during the period
covered by the present volume, i.e. Rowlandson and Gillray, will ensure
the interest of the amateur as well as that of the historian.
Though the volume covers a shorter period than Volume V, not only
are more prints described, but they are more important in character, for
caricature was playing an increasing part in the life of the time. Moreover,
the volume approaches the climax of English caricature in the rivalry of
Fox and the younger Pitt (who had only just appeared with such amazing
briUiance in the political arena) and in the initial excitements of the French
Revolution.
It should be repeated that the catalogue is based on the separate series
of 'Political and Personal Satires' in the Department of Prints and
Drawings; that it does not profess to include all prints of this category
scattered under masters and engravers in the departmental collection, or
prints in the Museum Library, though it does so to some extent in both
cases.
As the value of the satirical print as an historical document increases
progressively in proportion to the completeness of the collection, it is
much to be hoped that help will be given by friends of the Museum in
filling gaps in the series.
Dr. George wishes to express her thanks for the help given her by
Mr. Collins Baker, Mr. E. H. Blakeney, Mr. Robert Cust, Mrs. Arundell
Esdaile, Mr. W. R. M. Lamb, C.V.O., Mr. William Roberts, Mr. Alfred
Rubens, Mr. E. Wolf of Copenhagen University, and Mr. R. W. M.
Wright. She is much indebted for the facilities given her by the Librarians
of the Royal Collections at Windsor, of the House of Lords, of the Guild-
hall, of the India Office, and of the Westminster Public Library, as well
as by Messrs. Quaritch, Mr. W. T. Spencer of New Oxford Street, and
The Walker Galleries, Bond Street. The gift by Mrs. Breun to the
Department of the MS. Lists of the late Mr. H. Breun has enabled several
identifications to be made (see Corrigenda). The Holland House Collection
of Caricatures, so kindly lent to the Department by Lord Ilchester, has
been used only for No. 7906, but it will be invaluable for later volumes.
January, 1938. A. M. HIND.
Vll
NOTES ON THE METHOD FOLLOWED IN
THE PRESENT VOLUME
THE method used is that of Volume V, namely, that of the earlier
volumes with certain modifications. The prints are divided into two
categories, political and non-political; there are many border-Hne cases
and it is scarcely possible to classify these with rigid consistency. The
political prints are arranged chronologically according to the date of
publication. Undated prints are given a conjectural date enclosed in a
square bracket. Non-political prints are arranged in years, but grouped
according to subject or artist. The prints are first described and then
elucidated. The titles are given in capitals, the inscriptions on the plate
and the publication line in italics. Where there is no title an explanatory
caption is given, unless the original title has been discovered : in both cases
this heading is enclosed in a square bracket, in the latter case with a note
of origin. The dimensions are those of the subject, not the plate, except
where the contrary is specified, the first being the upright, the second the
horizontal measurement (reversing the order in Volumes I-IV).
As in Volume V 'engraving' is used to include line-engraving, etching,
and stipple-engraving; woodcut serves for both woodcut and wood-
engraving. The prints are numbered in continuation of the numbers in
previous volumes. Copies or slightly altered states have the number of
the original followed by the letter A (or A, B, C, &c.). No distinction is
made between different states unless there has been some essential altera-
tion in engraving or lettering. The addition of a press-mark preceded by
the letters B.M.L. indicates that the print is in the British Museum Library,
not in the Print Room. A few prints in other public collections have been
described ; these have no serial number. As in Volume V the titles of prints
described by Mr. Stephens in earlier volumes but belonging to the years
covered by the current volume have been included in the text and have
been indexed; these are, however, very few.
The small subject-index is supplementary to the index of persons and
to the cross-references in the text. It is intended to show broadly from
year to year what were the main preoccupations of the caricaturist, and
also, so far as possible, to give references to those subjects which are most
sought after by students. Political events are not indexed, but will be
found under the appropriate dates and from the cross-references there
given. Since most of the prints are either political or personal the scope
for a useful subject-index is relatively small.
The descriptions and explanatory notes by Mr. Hawkins for the prints
in his collection were not continued beyond the end of 1783. There are
occasional attributions or identifications on his prints.
vui
PUBLISHED WORKS AND COLLECTIONS REFERRED
TO IN THE CATALOGUE BY ABBREVIATIONS
Blum
Boyer-Brun
Bruel
'Caricatures*
Challamel
'Collection'
'De Vinck
Fuchs
G.W.G.
Cower
Grego, Gillray
Grego, Rowlandson
Hennin
Jaime
Kay
L. &W.
Muller
Paston
Blum, Andre S., La Caricature Rivolutionnaire
{ijSg a 1795). Paris, 1916.
Histoire des Caricatures de la Rdvolte des Franfais.
Par M. Boyer de Nimes^ Auteur du Journal du
Peuple. Deux tomes. 1792. [Issued in parts.]
Fran9ois-Louis Bruel, Histoire Aeronautique par les
Monuments Peints, Sculptes, Dessin^s, et Grave's des
Origines a 1830. Paris, 1909.
[A collection of caricatures, mounted in twelve folio
volumes, transferred from the B.M.L. (press mark
Tab. 524).] See Volume V, p. viii.
Histoire-Musee de la Republique frangaise par
Augustin Challamel. Deux tomes. Paris, 1842.
[A collection of Kay's etchings bound in two
volumes transferred from the B.M.L. (press-mark
1267. g. I, 2).]
Bibliotheque Nationale^ Inventaire analytique de la
Collection de Vinck. Tomes /, ii par F. L. Bruel,
Paris, 1909, 1 9 14; Tome Hi par M. Aubert et
M. Roux, 1921.
Eduard Fuchs und Hans Kraemer, Die Karikatur
der europaischer Volker von Altertum bis zur Neuzeit,
Berlin, [1901].
Genuine Works of Mr. James Gillray. Published
T. M'Lean, 1830.
Iconographie de la Reine Marie- Antoinette. . . . par
Lord Ronald Cower. Paris, 1883.
James Gillray the Caricaturist, with the History of
his Life and Times. Ed. T. Wright [1873.]
Joseph Grego, Rowlaftdson the Caricaturist. Two
vols. 1880.
Inventaire de la Collection d'Estampes relatives a
rhistoire de France leguee en 1863 a la Bibliotheque
Nationale par Michel Hennin, redige par Georges
Duplessis. Tome 3. Paris, 1880, 1881.
Muse'e de la Caricature, ou Recueil des Caricatures
les plus remarquables, publiees en France depuis le
quatorzieme siecle jusqu'a nos jours, calquees et
gravees par E. Jaime. Deux tomes, Paris, 1838.
A Series of Original Portraits and Caricature Etch-
ings by John Kay with Biographical Sketches and
Illustrative Anecdotes. Ed. H. Paton. 2 vols.
Edinburgh, 1877.
Laurie and Whittle's Catalogue of New and Interest-
ing Prints . . . 1795. (Numbered list of 'Quarto
Drolls', pp. 95-9-)
F. Muller, De Nederlandsche Geschiedenis in Platen.
Amsterdam, 2^^ deel. 1876, 77.
'George Paston' [pseudonym for Miss E. M.
Symonds], Social Caricature in the Eighteenth
Century. 1905.
IX
ABBREVIATIONS
Rubens = Alfred Rubens, Anglo-Jezmsh Portraits. A Bio-
graphical Catalogue of Engraved Anglo-Jewish and
Colonial Portraits from the Earliest Times to the
Accession of Queen Victoria. 1935.
Tbieme-Becker = U. Thieme, F. Becker, F. C. Willis und H. VoUmer,
Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Kiinstler. Leipzig,
1907, &c. (in progress).
Van Stolk = G. van Rijn, Atlas van Stolk, Katalogus der Historie-
Spot- en Zinne-prenten hetrekkelijk de Geschiedenis
van Nederlandj verzameld door A. van Stolky Cz.
Vol. vide deel. Amsterdam, 1902.
Weber = A. Weber, Tableau de la Caricature mddicale depuis
les origines jusqu'a nos jours. Paris, 1936.
Westminster Election == History of the Westminster Election. . . . By Lovers
of Truth and Justice. 1784. Second ed., 1785, in
Print Room.
Wright and Evans = Thomas Wright and R. H. Evans, Historical and
Descriptive Account of the Caricatures of James
Gillray, 1851.
Since the Volume went to Press the edition of Gillray's plates published
by Bohn in 1851 has been acquired. The Account by Wright and Evans is
the key to this edition, and the numbers appended to the descriptions in
the Catalogue are those of the plates.
FURTHER ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE DESCRIPITONS
B.M.L. = British Museum Library.
H.L. = Half length.
T.Q.L. = Three-quarter length.
1. = left,
r. = right.
\ pi. = plate.
INTRODUCTION
THE sixth volume of the Catalogue covers nine years, almost the
whole of Pitt's peace ministry, a period as historically complete as
any short space of time can be whose limits are set by the beginning and
end of a calendar year. The increased output of prints and their more
important character show the growing vogue of graphic satire. Many
things, besides the pre-eminence of Gillray and Rowlandson, combined
to make this the beginning of the great age of English caricature. The
etching or aquatint, monochrome or coloured, was eminently suitable for
display in shops and attractive to the collector.^ It was not suitable for
magazine illustration, and an attempt in 1784 to make the hand-coloured
caricature the raison d'etre of a monthly publication appears to have been
an instant failure (Nos. 663 1 , 2). Production, untrammelled by periodical
publication, could adapt itself to the curve of political or social excitement.
Something was due to the dramatic character of the period : the long duel
between Pitt and Fox, the trial of Hastings, the Regency crisis, the impact
of the French Revolution. The print proved its value as propaganda in
the India Bill crisis. There was a close relation between the parliamentary
debate, the newspaper, and the political print, as well as between written
and graphic satire. Sheridan accused Dundas of making a speech that
sounded like 'hints for paragraphs and sketches for prints'.^ He was
himself a master in that art. The political prints assume a high degree
of political intelligence and are evidence of an intense interest in politics.
Among other things they illustrate the entertainment value of parliament.
Pastor Moritz, a German visitor, records that he went daily (in 1782) to
the gallery of the House of Commons and preferred the entertainment to
be found there to most other amusements. He adds that a few constant
attendants paid the doorkeeper a guinea for the session.
The importance of wit and ridicule in politics gave scope to the carica-
turist. Verse satire, the squib, and the lampoon were political weapons;
The Rolliad and the Probationary Odes were (in one sense) serious contribu-
tions to political controversy. The relation between written and graphic
satire was both general and direct. The most obvious point of contact in
this volume is in the works of Peter Pindar (Wolcot) which occasioned
prints by both Gillray and Rowlandson. The direct connexion is often
hard to trace and would afford endless scope for research. In many cases
doubtless the point of departure was a spoken witticism embodied in a
newspaper paragraph. Or, the paragraph may derive from the print.
A ribald paragraph, based perhaps on a House of Commons jest, appears
to have inspired An Imperial Stride! (No. 7843), interesting for its French
copies.^
The selection of a butt to discredit a party or group was common to
the printed word and to pictorial satire. Rolle, the hero of The Rolliad,
^ See below for the exhibitions of the printsellers. Holland in 1789 informed
his customers : 'Caricature Collectors may now be supplied with the greatest variety
in London of political and other humourous prints, bound in volumes and orna-
mented with an engraved title and a characteristic vignette: one hundred prints
in a Volume, Five Guineas Plain or Seven Guineas Coloured. A Greater Number
in a Volume in Proportion.* Advertisement appended to Jordan^ s Elixir of Life.
* Pari. Hist, xxiv, p. 295 (i2 Jan. 1784).
3 See below, pp. xv-xvi.
xi
INTRODUCTION
scarcely figures in caricature, but echoes of that work and of the Proba-
tionary Odes are frequent. They can be traced in the treatment of (e.g.)
*Watson with a wooden leg', Michael Angelo Taylor and Thurlow. An
outstanding example (on the other side) is Weltje, who adds an additional
touch of ridicule to satires on the Prince and his friends. Wraxall compares
the effect of a squib on Weltje during the Regency crisis with that of the
song Lillihurlero a century earlier.^ Weltje's counterpart was Mrs. Schwel-
lenberg, Fanny Burney's enemy, who appeared in verse satire long before
she was discovered by the caricaturists. ^ She certainly detracted from the
Queen's popularity.
The growth of political realism and insight noted in Volume V continues.
Under the old convention that the Opposition are patriots political satires
had (until 1782) been mainly anti-ministerial. The prints are the best
evidence of the freedom with which political views of every shade could
be expressed. This liberty could degenerate into the basest propaganda
founded on personal scurrilities, as in many of the Westminster Election
prints of 1784; the extremes of non-political personal abuse are illustrated
by the attacks on Philip Thicknesse. The highest personages were not
immune from gross attack.
Besides a knowledge of politics the prints assume an acquaintance with
literature, and especially with Milton and Shakespeare. Many satires
depend on literary allusions. A Bobadil is the generic term for a boastful
soldier. A fallen statesman is naturally Wolsey. Fox is repeatedly Milton's
Satan and once his 'fleshliest incubus'. To represent Fox as Falstaff, the
Prince as Prince Henry was irresistible. Don Quixote appears repeatedly,
Barataria once; Burke's Reflections evoked comparisons with the Don
which anticipated Tom Paine (No. 7678). Burke against Hastings is twice
(ironically) compared with Cicero against Verres.
A favourite type of satire is a scene from a play. An outstanding example
is the auction scene in The School for Scandal with the Prince as Charles
Surface (No. 6968). The parts in The Road to Ruin (No. 8083) are assigned
so aptly to the Prince, the Duke of York, and one of the Barrys that the
supposition that they may have been Holcroft's originals becomes irre-
sistible. When politicians fall out they are inevitably Peachum and Lockit
from The Beggar's Opera (No. 7856).
The travesty of the picture, particularly of the historical painting, was
developed by Gillray and Rowlandson; they had been anticipated by
Hogarth in his Paul before Felix (No. 3173), but while he attacked the
vogue for old masters, his successors ridiculed the work of contemporaries,
notably Fuseli.
Modernity and variety are characteristics of the prints. An occasional
print in the manner of the 60 's or 70 's seems conspicuously old-fashioned.
The favourites of the caricaturists are seen, not conventionally, but im-
perceptibly ageing from year to year. New forms are introduced. Bun-
bury 's Long Minuet and Progress of a Lie started a fashion for the strip
design, a sequence of figures or groups in large and relatively expensive
prints. There were many imitations and adaptations. Gillray applied it
' Memoirs, 1884, v. 306-10.
* In Mason's Heroic Epistle to Sir William Chambers (Jan. 1773):
Fair Schwellenbergen smiles the sport to see,
And all the Maids of Honour cry Te! He!
She does not appear in these prints till 1786, and then in an illustration to The
Rambler's Magazine (No. 6981).
xii
INTRODUCTION
to the procession (No. 7526) and to the banquet (No. 7330). Others
(notably G. M. Woodward) arranged the figures in two or more rows,
avoiding the unwieldy length of the strip. This arrangement may have
suggested a new type of satire, that of a sequence of figures showing the
effects of time, as in The Clerical Exercise (No. 8031), or a sequence of
incidents as in The Progress of Passion (No. 8104).
The use of colour became increasingly general and most prints were
issued plain or coloured. Not all; Sayers' prints were primarily designs in
black and white, with or without aquatint. Paul Sandby's balloon satires
of 1784 are examples of aquatint in which colour would clearly be out of
place. The same process was used for many of the contemporary French
satires. But the idea seems to have gained ground that all satirical prints
of any importance should be coloured. Gillray's elaborate Shakespeare
Sacrificed would appear, like some others of his prints about this period,
to have been conceived as an etching with aquatint, not intended for
colour. Sneyd wrote to Gillray in 1800 : 'Would it not (now that Boy dell's
"Shakespeare" is more familiar) be well to have coloured impressions from
that plate ?'^
In spite of the modernity of the prints, old themes persist or are revived,
as in the period covered by Volume V. Directly in the Danse Macabre
tradition is a print by ColUngs (No. 7609), a sequel to one by Rowlandson
on the theme of Death and the doctor. In No. 8259 Death preaches to
a careless congregation ignorant of his identity. More subtly in the
tradition is the figure of Death which stands as servant at Gillray's Miser's
Feast. A similar figure watches a pair of lovers in No. 6699. ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^
(No. 7416) is a version of an ancient theme which in French prints of the
sixteenth century and later had been directed at the magistrate or lawyer.
Here the villain is merely the Devil. A medal with a double-headed profile,
so designed that when inverted the Pope's head becomes that of the Devil,
was a favourite token among the Protestant Reformers of Germany,
Holland, and Switzerland in the sixteenth century.^ It was applied to
Cromwell in a satirical medal of 1650. In No. 6669 Bishop Shipley is
conjoined with the Devil in this way, with the original inscription as used
circa 1540: Ecclesia perversa tenet faciem Diaboli. The idea was revived
or re-invented and was applied in England and France to heads, generally
profile, with contrasted characters when inverted. In France the phisionomie
a double visage had a political character circa 1789-90. It was again current
in France from about 1820 as a popular type of comic print.^ English
examples in this volume are not political (No. 7617, Sec).
The graphic history of John Bull continues to develop in this Volume.*
He is depicted ten times as a bull, thirteen times as a man, once as an ass.
George III is twice styled John Bull, but scarcely, as in earlier prints,
typifies the nation. Two associated conceptions governs John's personality
both as man and beast; he is the honest creature, overburdened with taxes,
generally patient but not always. And he is the same creature bewildered
by the conflicting and self-regarding voices of the politicians. In the
second category he tends to be a countryman. When he is compared
with his French counterpart he is well-fed and plainly dressed — in con-
trast with a famished, ragged but foppish fellow. In 1785 he is a fat, easy-
^ Bagot, Canning and his Friends, 1909, i. 171.
^ F. P. Barnard, Satirical and Controversial Medals of the Reformation, 1927, p. 5.
3 Grand- Carteret, Les mosurs et la caricature en France. Paris, 1888.
* See Catalogue, vol. v, pp. xii-xiii.
xiii
INTRODUCTION
going creature, cheated by a French charlatan who prospers on money
extracted from England.
As a bull in 1784 he supports, or is ridden by, the rival candidates for
his favour. Thereafter, he sinks snorting under heavy taxes (Nos. 6962,
7852) or turns on his tormentors (No. 7640) or bears the weight of foreign
princes in token that in a European war England will pay the piper
(No. 7857). As a man he is generally a stout, plainly dressed citizen,
crushed by taxes in Nos. 6914, 7145, 7625. In 1791 (No. 7857) he is the
thin, ragged taxpayer of a prospective war with Russia. In 1790, during
the Spanish war scare, he is a fat, overburdened, unmilitary soldier, angrily
dismayed at the helmet of 'glory' which Pitt is about to place on his head.
In Nos. 7888, 8141 (1791 and 1792) by Gillray he is an uncouth country-
man speaking a dialect which seems to suggest Somerset, bewildered by
politicians as he is in No. 7361 (1788) also by Gillray: though simple he
is not devoid of sense and the implication is that his heart is in the right
place. As the patient ass in No. 8076 he is the victim of politicians who
compete for the loaves and fishes; Gillray 's fat 'cit' in No. 8145, who is
grossly gorging while he grumbles at the Ministry and complains of the
*slavery' of taxes (1792), is clearly John Bull, though the name is not used.
He represents English slavery as contrasted with French liberty. The
John Bull in top boots of Gillray (No. 5612) based on a design by Nixon
of 1779 seems to belong to the year 1788.^ The top-boots reappear in this
volume only when John Bull is a traveller in France (No. 8199). In an
undated and ostensibly French, but probably English, print which seems
to belong to the winter of 178 1-2, John Bull has the unusual form of a
bearded Jew ; he conforms to type by bending under a load of taxes. John
Gilpin may almost be regarded as a relation of John Bull. He is depicted
twenty-one times in this volume and is similar in type to Bull.
The Frenchman, Spaniard, and Dutchman continue to be depicted on
traditional lines : the Dutchman wears the same bulky breeches and sleeved
waistcoat, always has a pipe and is usually smoking. The Spaniard is a
don in the cloak and ruff of the Elizabethan period. The Frenchman
remains ragged, hungry, and foppish, but from 1791 becomes in the hands
of Gillray also bloodthirsty and savage. The old names deriving from
Arbuthnot of Nick Frog, Don Strut, and Lewis Baboon are dropped.
John Bull also appears to have acquired a personality in which his literary
origin has been forgiven, unless an allusion to the Crown Inn in No. 8065
is to be regarded as deriving from Arbuthnot.
There are some interesting examples in this volume of the reciprocal
copying of English and French prints. The first is The Grand British
Balloon (No. 6710), either a copy or the original of a French print of
which there are at least two versions, while a third was published at Berne.
M. Grand- Carteret considers the English version the original; there is,
however, something Gallic about both design and conception, while the
number '2440' must surely derive from Mercier's VAn 2440. The French
version is surmounted by a cock, the English by a lion. At a date probably
after the use of captive balloons by the French army in 1794 this balloon
was copied in a German print of two (French) balloons from which bombs
descend upon two armies, one being put to flight (Bruel No. 145, de
Vinck No. 920). The English print was reissued during the French in-
vasion scare of 1798, the balloon being transformed into The Grand
Republican Balloon (see Volume VII). A print, La Minerve^ of a balloon
* See p. xxxvii.
xiv
INTRODUCTION
in which the Belgian aeronaut Robertson (fits de Robert) professed to be
able to circumnavigate the globe in the interests of science, is copied from
a version of this print.
An English version appears to have been the original of other copies
described in this volume. There are two prints, both by Gillray, in which
French liberty is contrasted with English slavery, both to some degree
ironical. In the first (No. 7546) Necker is contrasted with Pitt: Necker
is chaired in triumph, but is made slightly ridiculous by his complacent
expression and the laurel wreath that floats over his head in the form of a
halo. Pitt arrogantly tramples on the crown and is surrounded with
instruments of death and torture, symbols of the supposed slavery involved
in an excise duty on tobacco. This print was copied in France as two
separate prints with the titles Constitution de France (Necker's wreath
being removed), and Constitution d'Angleterre. The latter part was again
copied, probably after the outbreak of war. In No. 8145 (1792) a starving
sansculotte is compared to a gross John Bull avidly gorging while he
grumbles at the slavery of taxes. This Englishman was copied in a French
print of 1794 (see Volume VII).
Other copies have no political significance in regard to Anglo-French
relations, they are merely plagiaristic and are signs of the admitted
supremacy of English caricature. In No. 7883 (1791) Gillray depicts two
groups of French ragamuffins : ' The National Assembly Petrified' and * The
National Assembly Revivified* at the news of the King's escape and recapture
respectively. This also was copied as two separate prints, La Petrifaction
and La Satisfaction ^^ the tricolour cockades altered to fleur-de-lis badges
to show that the capering Frenchmen are emigres, the prints being
instanced by Challamel to show that French caricature could be expressive
and need not depend on written inscriptions. A rather similar subject by
Isaac Cruikshank of emigrant clergy learning of the decree that all returning
Emigres would be put to death (No. 8130) was copied with alterations to
represent emigres in Rome in 1798. Another print by Cruikshank of the
Duke of York's presentation of his bride to the King and Queen (No.
7931) was copied to represent the marriage of Marie Antoinette. A print
of Catherine II angrily chastising the Duke of Brunswick and maltreating
the King of Poland (No. 8124) was also copied with alterations in which
Francis II takes the place of Stanislaus. A print of Brunswick's retreat
(No. 8125) was also copied, while its principal group appears as a vignette
below one of the best known French caricatures of this period, Le Trium-
Gueusat.
An Imperial Stride (No. 7843) is the most noteworthy instance of an
English print copied in France ; with some alterations it became UEnjambde
Imperiale. Champfleury calls the latter 'Une des plus piquantes caricatures
de la Revolution, avec une pointe de gauloiserie tres rare au milieu des
sombres et dures images du temps.' It is indeed entirely unlike the French
satires of the period, except where the figure of Catherine was again copied
or imitated, but it is typical of the English prints on the Tsarina and one
of several by the same hand. The designs of Catherine on Constantinople
were a preoccupation in England in connexion with Pitt 's Russian Armament.
Another outstanding French satirical print is La Grande Armee du ci-
devant Prince de Conde. Champfleury calls it 'la plus amusante peutetre
de toute la Revolution', and the de Goncourts, while disparaging the
caricatures published during the Revolution, make an exception of this
' Published Depeuille, 1797. Broadley, Napoleon in Caricature, ii. 374.
XV
INTRODUCTION
print as 'vraiment heureuse*. While it was probably based on a sketch or
detailed description from France the print is in the manner of Richard
Newton and the script is in the handwriting of the prints published by
Holland. There is another version, apparently a French copy, slightly
larger, and with a few additional inscriptions, but drawn with less freedom
and humour. Impressions of both are in the Print Room, but as a purely
French subject it is not included in the Catalogue.
The supremacy of English caricature at this time is sufficiently seen in
a comparison of English prints with French Revolutionary caricatures.
The latter are propagandist weapons in a fierce struggle, and it is significant
that expressiveness and gauloiserie are found by French commentators in
those prints which are based on the work of English artists. They can be
set against the debt which Rowlandson may owe to Debucourt.
Political Satires.
The year 1784 opened during the Christmas pause in the conflict
between Pitt and the minority of the House of Commons. The waxing
and waning of the numbers of political prints from year to year and even
from day to day, well indicate the curve of political excitement. High-
watermark was reached in this year with 325 prints, 257 appearing in the
first five months. As in the previous December the Coalition and the
India Bill are at first the sole subjects of caricature. Then every stage of
the parliamentary struggle is illustrated, and the graphic rendering of
constitutional themes is remarkable. The confidence of the Foxites during
January and February that Pitt's fall was imminent is not reflected in these
prints. Their general tenor is the defeat and humiliation of Fox ; the King's
action is often approved. As in 1782-3 Fox is Guy Vaux, Cromwell,
Milton's Satan, and Carlo Khan. He is also Catiline, Charles III, Milton's
*Incubus' and even Beelzebub. A great impression was made by Sayers'
Mirror of Patriotism (No. 6380): Fox looks in a glass which reflects the
face of Cromwell. The French Ambassador wrote ']e sais de bonne part
que M. Fox a ete sensible a cette caricature.' And before his rehabilitation
Cromwell stood for a treacherous dictator. The two opposing themes are
that of Fox as a would-be dictator trying to usurp the prerogatives of the
Crown' with Pitt as the defender of the Constitution, and that of Pitt as
the creature of secret influence, attacking the House of Commons, and
achieving office by the back stairs, with Temple holding a conspiratorial
dark lantern. It is significant that it is in Foxite prints that Pitt is sup-
^ ported by 'popular frenzy' (No. 6438, &c.) and the 'breath of popularity'
(No. 6445), while in No. 6486 the King and Pitt are upheld by bubble-
balloons representing 'the wishes of the people'. This was the Whig view
of the debacle. Trotter, Fox's secretary, wrote 'the passions of the vulgar
made and kept Mr. Pitt minister'. The important share of the prints in
evoking this frenzy was generally admitted (see e.g. No. 6473). Sheridan,
attacking Dundas for a speech which 'might fairly be deemed hints for
J. paragraphs and sketches for prints', spoke of the 'arts that had been
practised ... to corrupt the majority'.^ The constitutional issues from
the Foxite angle are well summarized in three prints by Rowlandson on
the dissolution, probably from the designs of an amateur (Nos. 6436,
6469, 6476).
* For the aspects of the India Bill which gave rise to this theme cf. an article
by the writer on Fox's Martyrs in the Transactions of the Royal Historical Society ^
1938.
* Pari. Hist. xxiv. 295 (12 Jan. 1784).
xvi
INTRODUCTION
After the dissolution the prints relate almost entirely to the Westminster
Election, and the excitement is reflected by their numbers, 89 for April
alone. To understand them it is necessary to compare them with the day-
to-day results of the poll, given in Appendix I. Most of the prints are
propaganda, and in many the Duchess of Devonshire is grossly attacked,
to deter her from her very important canvassing activities. A Foxite squib
gives among the items of a supposed 'Secret Service Ledger': *To several
Print Shops ^£2,000.' *To Mr. for his indecent engravings £500.''
Political issues almost disappear, and the election was fought mainly on
personalities. No attempt was made to defeat Hood, who stood jointly with
Wray, and all the energies of the party were directed against the latter.
Fox at first despaired (No. 6500), but Wray was vulnerable from his
reputation for parsimony; he was supported by the unpopular Jackson,^
agent to the Duke of Newcastle, who shared his reputed addiction to small
beer (No. 6492), and he had made two proposals which were used against
him with deadly effect, one relating to Chelsea Hospital, the other to the
taxation of maidservants (No. 6475).
Wray owed his position in Westminster to his advocacy of parliamentary
reform, an issue at the famous meeting of 14 February (No. 6426). For
this reason he was supported at the election by Dr. Jebb and by Major
Cartwright, who appears in the first of the election prints as The Drum
Major of Sedition (No. 6474). But Reform is scarcely alluded to in the
election prints, and the character of the scanty references to it in this
volume are consistent with the lack of public interest in the matter.^
Since the Duchess of Devonshire was not deterred from canvassing by
the campaign against her, this was probably damaging to Wray. The great
importance attached by the party to her efforts is illustrated by the prints
and borne out by her correspondence. When she left London, ostensibly
on account of her mother's health, she was urgently recalled by the Duke
and Duchess of Portland, the latter saying (13 April), *I am almost worn
out. ... If we should lose it is owing to your absence.' A letter from
the Duchess to Countess Spencer shows how nearly the vile campaign
against her succeeded, and how thoroughly she deserved the tributes in
the Foxite prints (No. 6599): *. . . I am unhappy beyond measure here
and abus'd for nothing. Yet as it is begun I must go on with it . . . they
insist upon our all continuing to canvass — in short they say having begun
and not going on would do a deal of harm. . . .''^ The number of the prints
is significant of the great importance of the election and they are indis-
pensable to an understanding of its history. They descend to a level of
base propaganda that is exceptional in these caricatures.
The election over, the political temperature immediately dropped. The
crisis of 1783-4 is retrospectively summed up in No. 6485 from the Foxite
standpoint. For the remainder of the year the subjects are echoes of the
general election, the collapse of the whigs, the baneful influence of Fox
on the Prince of Wales, unrest in Ireland which the Opposition are expected
to exploit. On the other side Pitt is attacked for his peerages and secret
^ Westminster Election, p. 352. The blank may safely be filled with Dent's name.
^ He shot himself 5 Apr. 1797. Lond. Chronicle, 7 Apr.
^ Wyvill found it impossible in the winter of 1784-5 to get popular support
by meetings and petitions for Pitt's Reform Bill. Wyvill Papers, iv. 394-409. He
attributed its defeat to the influence of the aristocracy 'for want of the general
support of the people'. A Defence of Dr. Price . ^. 1792, p. x.
* Anglo-Saxon Review, 1 899, Sept., pp. 74 ff. Cf. Diaries and Corr. of Malmesbury,
1844, ii. 65.
xvii b
INTRODUCTION
influence. The perennial topic of taxation, in abeyance during the crisis,
returns.
The year 1785 was politically quiescent after the heats of 1784. The
political satires fall to 49, fewer than in any other year of Pitt's ministry,
and many are echoes of old themes, notably the influence of Fox on the
Prince. The Westminster Scrutiny produced only one print (No. 6783),
a noteworthy one by Rowlandson, exulting at Fox's success. The chief
subjects are the Irish Propositions and taxes. On the former the Opposition
were effectively attacked by Sayers in No. 6795. Pitt is castigated for the
tax on maidservants (actually on their employers) and the Shop Tax. The
prints reflect the ribald and factious allegations in parliament over the
servant maids (No. 6794). The shop tax was a more serious aflFair and,
together with the Irish Propositions, was construed as an attack on British
trade (Nos. 6785, 6798). Its extreme unpopularity appears in the prints;
it was to be a leading issue in the Westminster election of 1788. Chan-
cellors of the Exchequer taxed at their peril, any tax might evoke the
cry of 'liberty and property'.
Eighty-three political satires for 1786 are a sign of increasing political
tension due chiefly to the attack by the Opposition on Hastings and to the
suspected marriage of the Prince of Wales. As a subject of caricature the
latter prevailed, and the prints reflect the intensity of the gossip and
innuendo at the beginning of the year. The marriage was complicated
by the Prince's debts, now a public issue (No. 6945) and by his discreditable
associates (No. 6924). The relations between the Prince, the Opposition,
and his parents have become disturbing cross-currents in politics and are
represented, exaggerated, and distorted in caricature. The imputation of
miserliness against the King and Queen first appears in these prints in
No. 6945, in connexion with the Prince's debts. This imputation was also,
by an unlucky coincidence, linked with the question of Hastings. His im-
peachment is anticipated in No. 6925, &c. He was defended by Gillray
in The Political-Banditti assailing the Saviour of India (No. 6955), and on
the whole it was rather Burke than Hastings who was the subject of attack
until the unlucky aff"air of the bulse. This, a package of diamonds for
the King, was sent through Hastings by the Nizam of the Deccan, and had
to be presented immediately after the debate by which the question of
impeachment was decided. Innuendo and slander were sharpened by the
Queen's fondness for jewels and she acquired the name of the Queen of
Diamonds (No. 6978). From this moment the tide of opinion, as seen in
these prints, turned against Hastings, and there was an outbreak of
lampoons and verse satires. The turning-point is also of course that of
Sheridan's famous speech (and of a less famous one in which he made
insinuations about *a large diamond').^ From this date bribery with jewels
is a recurrent theme in prints relating to Hastings. The way had been
prepared by allusion in The Probationary Odes and The Rolliad.
Other subjects of satire are the Sinking Fund, the defeat of Richmond's
fortification scheme by the casting vote of the Speaker (No. 6921), the
attack on the King by Margaret Nicholson. This last was linked up with
Mrs. Fitzherbert in one of several prints in which the Prince is Prince
Henry with Fox as Falstaff (No. 6974). The aflPairs of Europe came within
the range of caricature owing to the designs of Joseph II on Bavaria and
of the French on Holland (No. 6917). The Commercial Treaty with
' Wraxall, Memoir Sy 1884, iv. 342-5.
xviii
INTRODUCTION
France is the subject of one print (No. 6995) ; it remains to be a leading
topic of 1787 when it was attacked in Parliament.
In 1787, a year of political calm, the number of prints drops to 69.
The two questions before parliament were the impeachment of Hastings
and the French Treaty. The Opposition attempted to repeat the tactics
used against the Irish Propositions, by mobilizing industrial interests
against it. The treaty was so manifestly favourable to England that they
failed (No. 7140). There is a noteworthy attack by Gillray on the distribu-
tion of Indian patronage by Dundas (No. 7152). The Prince's debts
remained a troublesome question (No. 7162) and Fox's famous denial of
the marriage is ridiculed in Gillray 's Dido Forsaken (No. 7165).
Foreign affairs, besides the French treaty, are represented by the Dutch
crisis. On this there is {inter alia) an interesting set of prints by Ramberg
(No. 7176) and a fantastic design by Gillray (No. 7181). The effects of
war between Russia and Turkey on the situation in Holland were realized
by the caricaturists (Nos. 7180, 7181). The outcome was a diplomatic
triumph for Pitt and this was one of the very few occasions when his policy
was not attacked by the Opposition. Consequently the prints are without
political rancour, in marked contrast with those on the later disputes with
Spain and Russia.
Excitement returned in 1788 for four reasons: the trial of Hastings,
a secondary storm over Indian affairs raised by the Declaratory Act, a by-
election in Westminster, and the Regency crisis. The political prints
increase to 143. The trial roused intense interest in the first year, and
thereafter dragged out its weary length (see No. 7269) little regarded
except by those immediately concerned. The opening, as a social sensation,
and a triumph for Burke's passionate rhetoric, is depicted in Raree Show
(No. 7273). *It would be difficult to convey', writes Wraxall, *an idea of
the agitation, distress and horror excited among the female part of the
audience by his statement of the atrocities and in many instances of the
deeds of blood, perpetrated as he asserted by Hastings's connivance or by
his express commands.'^ The 'deeds of blood' and the allegations deriving
from the affair of the bulse are symbolized in Gillray's Blood on Thunder
fording the Red Sea (No. 7278) which is in direct opposition to his Political
Banditti^ reissued in this year. Since irony is of the essence of Gillray's
satire the question arises as to whether it was intended to ridicule the
character of the attack on Hastings. Other satires scarcely support the
suggestion : he and Sayers adopted opposite sides and parodied each others
prints, Gillray using Sayers's signature, first in two prints based on the
admission tickets to Westminster Hall (Nos. 7276, 7277). In the third
pair Sayers depicts Burke displaying in a magic lantern objects monstrously
transformed on the sheet: a Benares flea becomes an elephant, a 'Begum
wart' becomes Pelion and Ossa piled on Olympus, a weasel becomes a
whale (this is one of many prints based on literary allusions). George
Forster described it two years later as one of the happiest ideas that had
appeared for a long time, adding that it was a witty criticism on Burke's
hyperbole.^ Gillray retaliated with a print in which Hastings displays
a camera obscura to the King and Queen ; in its diminishing rays an elephant
is reduced to a flea, Ossa to a wart, murdered Indian women to 'skin'd
mice', a whale to a weasel (Nos. 7313, 7314). Contrasted views of Sheri-
dan's famous Begum speech are given in two prints by Dent : The Triumph of
^ Memoir Sy 1884, v. 67.
^ Voyage . . . en Angleterre et en France fait en 17 go. Paris, An iv, p. 52.
xix
INTRODUCTION
Genius over Injustice (No. 7331) is in direct opposition to the Long Winded
Speech in which Sheridan is the verbose mouthpiece of Burke (p. 499).
During the trial the Ministry trembled at the attempt of Opposition to
*raise the dead' over Pitt's Declaratory Bill (No. 7283). The unpopularity
of Dundas was expected 'very materially to injure Pitt's reputation and
Government',^ the Opposition even hoped to 'storm the closet'^ but Pitt's
conciliatory handUng of the affair dispelled their hopes.
With the interruption of proceedings in Westminster Hall satires on
the trial cease; public attention was concentrated on the by-election for
Westminster caused by Hood's appointment as First Lord (No. 7339).
No opposition to his re-election was expected, and Grenville attributed
Hood's defeat to his 'security for the first three days and total inactivity
for three days more'. The supposed consternation of the Government^
is scarcely supported by the correspondence of Ministers,'^ but the defeat
was sensational and had important consequences. Popular interest was
not lessened by the identity of the Foxite candidate. Lord John Townshend.
As usual, the election was fought mainly on personalities, but the Ministry
was damaged by the Shop Tax, though Hood had voted for repeal, thus
evoking the ancient gibe of 'two faces under a Hood' (No. 7341), and by
the policy of naval promotions (No. 7126) that had led to Howe's resigna-
tion and thus to the election. The Ministry were genuinely convinced
that bribery and impersonation had taken place on a large scale, and the
belief is reflected in a number of prints. The High Bailiff is said to have
been so intimidated by the result of the Scrutiny in 1785 that 'he yielded in
every case to the most abject fears on every threat of Mr. Fox'.^ In the prints
Townshend is more harshly dealt with than Hood, and Gillray produced
several anti-Foxite satires. He also attacked the Pittite cfl«ar^^ of the election
(No. 7371) and attacked Treasury assistance to election expenses (No. 7369).
The election was hardly over, followed by Fox's departure to Switzer-
land (No. 7370), when the King's illness became the all-prevailing theme,
and remained so until the end of the Regency crisis. On this subject there
are twenty-four prints from November 5 to the end of the year. The
excitement continued to increase during the first months of 1789. For
this year, out of 92 satires, 46 are directly concerned with the Regency,
while echoes of the crisis recurred for several months. The prints afford
a striking survey of the whole affair from every point of view, the carica-
turists being remarkably well informed. The blaze of publicity, and the
grossness of the allegations which were bandied about are illustrated. The
King is treated with respect, at first the prints are unfavourable to the
Prince and the Opposition, and then, in spite of his undoubted popularity,
turn against Pitt in what appears to have been a concerted campaign.^
The newspapers are said to have been bought by the Opposition (No.
7510), though The Times remained Pittite.^ The personal and constitu-
^ Buckingham, Courts and Cabinets of George III, i. 361.
^ Cornwallis Correspondence, i. 369.
3 A. Stephens asserts that Townshend's election 'revived the declining hopes
of his party' and 'seemed to appal and confound Ministers'. Memoirs 0/ Home
Tooke, 18 13, ii. 70-1.
^ Buckingham, op. cit. i. 414; Hist. MSS. Comm., Dropmore Papers, i. 348-9.
5 Buckingham, op. cit. i. 414, 417.
^ Pitt is urged by a pamphleteer to 'be cautious; and, in manly contempt of
Print-Shops, Pamphlets, and Prostitute Publications, keep the reins till the King
and People are secure.' Alfred, B.M.L., T. 1 120/5.
' Hist, of the Times, 1935, pp. 52 ff. Cf. No. 7526, based on a publication by
Walter.
XX
INTRODUCTION
tional points at issue come to startling life in the prints : Pitt is accused of
being the prince's competitor, as he was by Burke (No. 7382), and there-
after, as if in revenge for old names of Carlo Khan and Charles III, he is
occasionally styled Prince William or William IV (No. 7494). Other points
are the part taken by Thurlow (No. 7377), Fox's claim for the Prince's
inherent right to the regency independently of parliament (No, 7381), the
dominating influence of Sheridan at Carlton House (No. 7513), the jealousy
between him and Fox (No. 7497), Burke's wild speeches (No. 7499), the
allegations against the Queen (No. 7510). The sudden dashing of the
confident expectations of Carlton House is well rendered in Sayers's
Regency Twelfth Cake (No. 7509). The crisis expired in the laughter
caused by the arrival of the delegation from Ireland *a day after the fair'
(No. 751 1). The King's recovery, at which rejoicing was unbounded,
could hardly be a subject of satire, but disappointment found an outlet
in ridicule of the thanksgiving procession to St. Paul's : the clumsy horse-
manship and unsoldierly appearance of *cits', the high prices asked for
seats on the route, empty 'peep-holes' at three guineas each, 'seats in the
gutter one shilling' (Nos. 7524-5). Restoration Dresses (No. 7522) shows
the loyal emblems worn by ladies of both parties in succession to the
'Regency caps' of the Opposition ladies. The duel between the Duke of
York and Colonel Lennox was an epilogue to the crisis ; the prints illustrate
the unfortunate publicity which inflamed the quarrel. Prints on the royal
visit to Weymouth constitute a pleasanter sequel: Nos. 7544 and 7555
might be comic illustrations to the account of the expedition in Fanny
Burney's Diary.
The year ended in calm and the caricaturists were able to take cognizance
of events in France. Already in 1788 Le Deficit (No. 7376) by Isaac
Cruikshank had illustrated the French financial crisis. He produced a
similar print, Les Sacrefices Forces (No. 7553), on the surrender of feudal
privileges on 4 August. Both are acute and well-informed satirical com-
ments, and they were possibly commissioned for circulation in France.
Prints on the fall of the Bastille register enthusiastic approval, satire and
caricature being reserved for the royal family and especially the Queen,
whom Gillray travesties as Messalina (No. 7548). The removal of the
royal family from Versailles to Paris is treated as comedy (No. 7560), the
unpopularity of Orleans is reflected in No. 7559.
During the next three years the gradual change of attitude towards the
French Revolution is of outstanding interest. European affairs were in
the foreground of the national consciousness. The year 1790 was out-
wardly calm, with some ominous aspects. The number of political prints
falls to 74. The main preoccupations are the attempted relief of dissenters
by repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, the Spanish crisis over Nootka
Sound, a Westminster election, and lastly, Burke's Reflections on the French
Revolution. The prints are without exception hostile to dissent, the cry
of the Church in danger being effectively raised. An organized agitation
by the dissenters and an agreement to support at the general election only
those well-affected to the cause of civil and religious liberty injured their
cause, Fox having made the matter a party question. But above all, their
unpopularity was due to Price's famous Revolution Sermon (4 Nov. 1789)
much circulated as a pamphlet, and to a pamphlet by Priestley in which he
anticipated that symbolical 'grains of gunpowder' would blow up orthodoxy
and hierarchy 'perhaps as suddenly, as unexpectedly, and as completely
as the overthrow of the late arbitrary government in France' (No. 7632).
xxi
INTRODUCTION
Price and Priestley are the chief villains of a number of satires on the
dissenters, who are compared with the republican sectaries of the seven-
teenth century. The first and leading print on the subject (No. 7628)
contains, significantly enough, the first hostile allusion to the French
Revolution, and the Foxites are attacked for their support of the dissenters.
The motions for repeal in 1787 and 1789 had passed unnoticed by the
caricaturists (cf. No. 7347).
The expenses of the by-election in Westminster in 1788 had been so
heavy that each side agreed to support one candidate only. The arrange-
ment (common in similar circumstances) was denounced as a shameful
coalition, and Home Tooke appeared on the hustings and demanded a
poll (No. 7638). The consequences of the compact affected Westminster
politics for many years and were a factor in the success of Sir Francis
Burdett. The beginning of the crisis over Nootka Sound (now Vancouver
Island) coincided with the election. Pitt was accused of truckling to Spain
(No. 7662), of keeping the people in the dark by secret diplomacy (No.
7653), of thrusting the overburdened John Bull into war (No. 7666).
Howe was attacked for keeping the Navy in port instead of fighting the
dons (No. 7669). The Spanish Convention (No. 7687), though entirely
satisfactory to Great Britain, was attacked as base servility to Spain. These
accusations preceded Fox's violent attack on the Convention. Party
rancour increased in proportion to Pitt's success.^
The sensation caused by Burke's Reflections is amusingly reflected in
the prints, which emphatically do not support the French Ambassador's
opinion that the book had united the whole nation against changes in
France.^ The passage about Marie Antoinette is generally selected for
ridicule, and caricature anticipated Tom Paine in representing Burke
as Don Quixote (No. 7678); he carries the shield of Aristocracy and
Despotism. The attack on Price's sermon is treated with more respect,
it was as a direct consequence of the book that the attack on Versailles
and Price's sermon were jointly pilloried by Isaac Cruikshank (No. 7691).
When Gillray depicts Price terrified by Burke and conscience it is Burke
who is caricatured (No. 7686).
A hundred and nineteen political prints for 1791 denote some rise in
the political temperature and much interest in the marriage of the Duke
of York and in the joint establishment of the Duke of Clarence and
Mrs. Jordan, events that inevitably brought the Prince and Mrs. Fitz-
herbert back into the limelight (No. 7910). The Spanish Convention
continued to be a subject of factious acrimony, but was soon over-
shadowed by the Russian Armament. This was an occasion when, as over
the Irish Propositions in 1785, the Opposition succeeded in mobilizing
public opinion and deflecting Pitt from his policy. 'The country through-
out have told Mr. Pitt they will not go to war.' The resulting crisis was
important, though not serious, Pitt was too firmly entrenched, the
Opposition too much discredited. 'Were Mr. Fox a fresh man', Storer
continues, 'there would be little difficulty in getting into office : but he has
so many old scores to wipe off, that I am not sanguine enough to foresee
any favourable event likely to happen soon either for him or his party. '^
The interesting prints on the Armament stress the arguments against war :
loss of trade (No. 7841), heavy taxation (No. 7842), the supposed selfish
^ Auckland Correspondence, ii. 387-9 (6 May 1791).
2 Stoker, Pitt et la Rev.franfaise, Paris 1935, p. 49.
3 Auckland Corr., loc. cit.
xxii
INTRODUCTION
duplicity of Prussia, bent on acquiring Danzig and Thorn (No. 7847).
These and other points were neatly selected from the debates. And when,
owing to this opposition, the policy of the Armament (by which Pitt had
hoped to repeat his Spanish success) was dropped, the humiliation of
England and triumph of Catherine were the subject of a print (No. 7857).
Throughout, Catherine's designs on Turkey are the subject of ribald
comment, and while some of the prints are well informed, others are
merely indecorous. An Imperial Stride (No. 7843) is typical and is note-
worthy for its French copy.^ The episode of the bust of Fox ordered by
the Tsarina on account of his opposition to the Armament was the subject
of prints in 1791 and 1792 (No. 7902). General ideas on foreign policy
are discoverable in the prints on the Russian crisis: opposition to secret
diplomacy (No. 7871), the preservation of the balance of power (No.
8067).
English politics were increasingly darkened by the French Revolution.
The flight to Varennes is said to have roused universal sympathy in
England for the French royal family; this does not appear in the prints,
the affair is treated as comic (No. 7884). In No. 7886 the breaking of the
King's oath to preserve the Constitution is the serious nucleus of a comic
print. Burke's famous quarrel with Fox was ominous and a great oppor-
tunity to the caricaturists (No. 7854). No mercy is shown to either party,
Burke is treated as a renegade who turns against his companions in infamy
(No. 7861). The split in the whig party is foreshadowed in No. 7858, the
first of the anti-Jacobin prints. Gillray developed the anti- Jacobin theme
in Rights of Man . . . (No. 7867), dedicated to the Jacobin clubs of England
and France, anticipating by two years the use of the word by Burke, the
earliest instance in the O.E.D. The theme was carried to extremes in
satires on the second anniversary of the fall of the Bastille (No. 7890)
which represent the state of mind which led to the Church and King riots
in Birmingham. Despite this (presumably) loyal spirit the royal family
receive harsh treatment in 1791. The theme of miserly hoarding is
prominent (No. 7836). The Newmarket sensation over the Prince's horse
Escape is cleverly satirized by Rowlandson (Nos. 7918, 7919).
There are 96 political satires for 1792 which opened uneventfully and
closed with England on the verge of war with the French Republic. The
high level of the stocks and proposals for a reduction of taxation reflected
Pitt's expectation of prolonged peace and the stability of his government.
Nevertheless, the Ministry had been shaken by the defeat of the Russian
policy, and there were rumours of cabinet reconstruction echoed in a
famous print by Gillray, Malagrida Driving Post (No. 8069). Pitt's security
was shown in the dismissal of Thurlow, the subject of several prints,
notably Gillray 's Sin^ Death and the Devil (No. 8105). The Opposition,
in 1792, as in 1791, attempted to make capital out of the Mysore War;
its conduct was attacked to the indignant astonishment of Cornwallis, and
only the complete defeat of Tipu put an end to a series of innuendoes
relating to dispatches from India (Nos. 7904, 8090).
The first action against 'French principles' was the proclamation in
May against seditious writings, satirized by Gillray in an attack on the
supposed besetting sins of the royal family (No. 8095). The proclamation
was aimed chiefly at Paine, but was thought by the Whigs to be directed
against the Association of the Friends of the People (No. 8087) and an
attempt to split their party. Talleyrand notes the infinite harm done to
" See above, pp. xv-xvi.
xxiii
INTRODUCTION
the Association by the second part of Paine 's Rights of Man.^ This
(No. 8137), with Burke's Reflections, the proclamations, the Friends of
the People, the camp on Bagshot Heath (No. 81 15), the association of the
Opposition with Talleyrand and Chauvelin (No. 8088) were all factors in
the inflaming of opinion and in the eventual split in the Whig party. The
prints express alarm and resentment at Paine (No. 81 31) and at corre-
spondence with France (No. 8108). Paine 's book is now chiefly read for
its proposals on social reform; contemporaries were mainly interested in
the attitude towards * Kings and Priests'.
French affairs are increasingly the subject of caricature: the retreat
from Tournai and the murder of Dillon (No. 8085), the decree against
emigres (No. 8130); the invasion of the Tuileries is ironically contrasted
with the 'baiser Lamourette' (p. 922). The September Massacres are the
subject of a terrible satire by Gillray (No. 8122). On the other hand the
French princes are satirized in No. 8068, and the bombast and retreat
of Brunswick are ridiculed (No. 8125), though the French army is depicted
as a band of ragamuffins (No. 8124). The famous decree of 19 November
is amusingly satirized in French Liberality , or an attempt to conquer all the
World by being too civil by half (No. 8136). In this there is little rancour,
and French poHcy is more severely dealt with in No. 8150, Philosophy
run mady or a stupendous Monument of human Wisdom (quoting the phrase
of Fox on the French constitution that had so exasperated Burke). The
first and only allusion to the guillotine is in No. 813 1.
At the end of 1792 there was again a trend towards the anti- Jacobin
theme and two prints (Nos. 8149, 8150) were issued as propagandist tracts
by the 'Society for preserving Liberty and Property . . .' a body eulogized
by Sayers in Nos. 8138 and 8144 and ridiculed by Gillray in No. 8141 as
*The Association for vending two 'penny scurrilities', where Pitt is accused
of bewildering John Bull by false alarms. Burke's famous dagger scene
was ridiculed by Gillray in No. 8147. The first and only serious hint of
war (15 Dec.) is in an anti-levelling print by Sayers (No. 8138) in which
a sailor and soldier shout for 'King and Country'. A premature war scare
in April had evoked a caricature of George III arming in defence of the
unpopular French princes (No. 8084). The specifically patriotic prints
are few, in fact the only ones wholly in that category are Sayers' print
(No. 8138) and a propagandist print contrasting British Liberty and
French Liberty (No. 8149). In No. 8150 Gillray treats the same subject
with an irony which removes it from patriotic propaganda.
This is the main outline of public affairs as depicted in graphic satire.
There are many subsidiary themes, notably Pitt's peerages, and the
campaign against the slave trade. Resentment at the would-be dictator
is first directed against Fox, then against Pitt for arrogantly appropriating
the powers of the Crown, a theme not entirely confined to the Regency
crisis (e.g. No. 7936). Throughout the prints are a corrective to the
suavity of official portraiture. Burke is depicted as irritable and un-
balanced, verging at times on madness in his attacks on Hastings (No.
7529), in his praise of Marie Antoinette, in his quarrel with Fox, in the
dagger scene, and especially during the Regency crisis, when he spoke
wild words that were long remembered against him (Nos. 7499, 7689).
This aspect of Burke was politically important, and is often forgotten by
historians who marvel at his exclusion from high office. Mr. Sichel says
» Dispatch of 23 May 1792, ostensibly by Chauvelin. Pallain, La Mission de
Talleyrand d Londres, 1888, p. 299.
xxiv
INTRODUCTION
that Sheridan in caricature is *a bloated Silenus'. That is not so in the
period of this volume. His face becomes drink-blotched and he has a sly
and occasionally a conspiratorial expression. He is repeatedly Bardolph
(No. 7528) and Joseph Surface (No. 7510). In fact, apart from the
exaggerations of the anti-Jacobin prints, a Sheridan emerges not unlike
the Sheridan of Whig opinion, expressed by (among others) Lord Fitz-
william. Lord Holland, Lady Bessborough, and Creevey.
Though many of the prints attack the Ministry in Opposition language,
the strong Whiggish undercurrent apparent in the prints of Volume V
up to 1782 is absent, and the prevailing spirit seems to be Tory in senti-
ment. The King is no longer a tyrant, he is a figure of comedy, and it is
necessary to bear in mind that the popularity he acquired over the India
Bill (well illustrated here) greatly increased as a result of his illness, so
that, as Lord Holland says, by 1807 he had 'long been the most popular
man in his dominions'. Evidence of this popularity is perhaps to be
seen in the hatred incurred by the republican Paine. Brutus, a hero in
the days of Wilkes (No. 5237), is actually associated with Catiline in
No. 813 1. Though parsons are ridiculed the Church is not attacked, and
there is none of the ultra-Protestant, No-Popery attitude which inflamed
the opposition to the Quebec Bill and culminated in 1780. A few emblems
of Popery are associated with Mrs. Fitzherbert, but a measure of Catholic
relief passed unnoticed by the caricaturists, who reserve their venom for
Dissent. Fox's Libel Act is equally unnoticed, but the proceedings for
libel against Shipley (No. 6669) are approved. Except for a belated echo
of Saratoga (No. 6996) allusions to America are made only as gibes against
North, or Howe, or Paine (No. 7867).
How far caricature was the means of conveying to France, there to be
misunderstood, the contentions of faction, we do not know. Two French
copies of an English print of Pitt as a cruel tyrant have already been notf d.
A striking instance of an Opposition theme used in France at a critical
moment is that embodied in No. 7838 (1791), where Pitt runs off with
the Bank of England, that is, proposes to use unclaimed dividends to the
extent of ^500,000 subject to repayment on demand. This harmless
proposal was used by Brissot in January 1793 to prove, as an argument
for war, that England's financial position was desperate. Prints of Fox,
Sheridan, and others as disloyal Jacobins can only have contributed to
French misconceptions of the condition of England. The violence of
political satire, though significant, was to some degree a convention which
must have been discounted by those chiefly concerned. For instance,
a print of George III wheeling Hastings in a barrow, inscribed 'What
a man buys he may sell' (No. 7267), is reputed to have greatly amused the
King.
Personal Satires.
In passing from political satires to those classed as personal the transition
is in some degree from satire, occasionally savage, to comic art in general.
An element of cruelty, however, is present in some of the personal satires,
notably in the virulent campaign against Thicknesse, led but not begun
by Gillray, and in the prints on the Gunning scandal, which absorbed the
town for months. Both subjects have links with contemporary literature.
Miss Gunning and her mother were novelists ; the Memoirs of Thicknesse ^
the occasion of the prints, are still readable.
Personal scandal is especially represented in the series of Tete-a-tete
XXV
INTRODUCTION
portraits ; these decline in interest and increasingly depend on summaries
of cases of crim. con. relating for the most part to inconspicuous people.
In 1792, judging from the costume, the portraits cease to be contemporary
and appear to be reissues of old plates. They have not therefore been
included in the Catalogue. Where the personal details or clues can be
tested they are often glaringly inaccurate, e.g. in the cases of Admiral Pigot
(No. 6824), Lord George Gordon (No. 7004), and Sir William Hamilton
(No. 7708). The series had been the mainstay of The Town and Country
Magazine y and it expired in 1792. Horace Bleackley dropped his elucida-
tions at the end of 1790. A new set of personal prints, chiefly of Edinburgh
characters, begins with the work of Kay in 1784.
In the literary satires Johnson remains the leading figure. In No. 7052
his ghost protests against the outrages perpetrated by his biographers:
these are, in 1786, Boswell (for The Tour)y Mrs. Piozzi (for the Anecdotes)^
and Courtenay for his now forgotten verses. The Tour to the Hebrides
was illustrated in an amusing set of plates in which all that was undignified
and ridiculous in Boswell is thrown into relief. Walcot's Bozzy and Piozzi
was wittily illustrated by Rowlandson (No. 7051). The Life is the subject
of one print only (No. 8282), and that is represented by a copy or re-issue
dated 1803. In this Johnson's ghost reproaches Boswell both for the Life
and the Tour\ Boswell's (now re-discovered) journal appears to be a
conspicuous feature. Sir John Hawkins was, like Boswell, a butt of the
period: he is made the 'Editor' of The Probationary Odes and the 'Pre-
liminary Discourse', in which his History of Music is ridiculed, is put into
his mouth. He is also ridiculed in Bozzy and Piozzi^ and appears in
No. 7051. His Life and Works of Johnson (parodied by Porson in the
Gentleman^ s Magazine^ 1787) was not then published ; it was pilloried
together with Boswell's Tour in No. 7417, in which Johnson's ghost again
reproaches Mrs. Piozzi, this time for the Letters.
Gibbon is the subject of two prints. The Luminous Historian (No. 7418)
is an unkind caricature, but the title perpetuates Sheridan's tribute in
Westminster Hall to 'the luminous pages of Gibbon'. In No. 7419 his
'Roman History' outweighs the bulky works of Watson of Llandaff, who
figures also in political satire. Samuel Parr, the Whig Dr. Johnson, was
caricatured by Sayers for his famous Preface to Bellendenus (No. 7185).
The rage for Werther was the subject of a set of prints by Rowlandson
after CoUings, only one of which (No. 7055) is in the Museum.
Prints on the theatre are numerous and interesting. Werter, a Tragedy
for Masters and Misses ^ is an amusing satire on Reynolds's play; though
non-political it is in the spirit of The Rovers in the Anti-Jacobin. The
taste that prefers the Dancing Dogs, the Learned Pig, and Harlequin to
Shakespeare (a recurrent theme, cf. No. 5063, &c.) is satirized in The
Downfall of Taste and Genius (No. 6715). The Pit Door (No. 6769), on the
other hand, is a realistic rendering of the crowd storming Drury Lane to
see Mrs. Siddons in a famous part. The success of Mrs. Siddons is the
subject of No. 6776 and of Gillray's Melpomene (No. 6712), where she is
unjustly accused of the deadly sin of parsimony. The way in which
Mrs. Jordan charmed the town in The Romp is seen in No. 6875. Many
actors and actresses are caricatured, the favourite subjects being Mrs.
Siddons, Holman, and (for other than professional reasons) Mrs. Jordan,
Miss Farren, and Mrs. Wells. Episodes in the history of the theatre are
illustrated : the defeat of Palmer's attempt to invade the monopoly of the
two patent theatres is the subject of No. 7214 by Gillray. The demolition
xxvi
INTRODUCTION
of Drury Lane and the temporary transference of the company to the new
Opera House (which nearly provoked O.P. riots) is satirized in Nos. 8009,
801 1. A more important theatrical crisis in the same year was the rivalry
between a licensed opera with Court patronage and an unlicensed opera
house supported by the Prince of Wales and the Opposition (No. 8010).
There are some interesting views of theatre interiors : Covent Garden
(No. 7063), the Pantheon (No. 8008), both by Rowlandson, as are two
characteristic prints of Box Lobby humours (Nos. 7064, 8254). A political
print by Sayers shows the arrangement of curtain and footlights at Drury
Lane. A Country Theatre after Pyne (No. 7812) gives a comic but realistic
view of stage and audience and of the construction of the building, a
glorified barn. Ballet is represented by a performance of Amphion and
Thalia (No. 8008), by the impersonation of a ballerina by Delpini (No.
6873), and by a caricature of La Guimard in her last London season
(No. 7589). In No. 8007 Vestris and others, engaged for the (unlicensed)
opera in 1791, solicit alms.
The rage for amateur theatricals gave rise to a number of prints in
which the fat Mrs. Hobart is a leading figure. In April 1784 she made
her debut in caricature in political prints. In the same month she figures
in a too-youthful part in (apparently) a dramatized version of Fanny
Burney's Cecilia. A play at the Duke of Richmond's theatre with Mrs.
Hobart and Lord Derby in parts for which they were unsuited was a social
sensation of 1787 (No. 7315). In No. 7301 Lord Derby is being coached
by Miss Farren.
Among the prints on music is a well-known caricature of Mme Mara
singing at a concert (No. 7167). She is satirized (with politicians and other
musicians) in Gillray's Ancient Music (No. 7163), a fantasy based on Wol-
cot's Ode upon Ode. In Sayers's Charmers of the Age (No. 7056) Mara
and Rubinelli sing together. Rowlandson 's famous Vauxhall shows the
orchestra with Mrs. Billington singing. There are caricatures by Nixon of
Tenducci, Dr. Arne, and Abel (Nos. 8268, 8240, 8264).
The outstanding satire on art and artists is Gillray's attack on the
Shakespeare Gallery (No. 7584), the first of a series of bitter gibes at
Boydell. Here the exclusion of engravers from the Academy seems to
account for part of the rancour. The main interest of the print lies in
the brilliant travesties of the work of the history painters exhibited in the
Shakespeare Gallery. Figures from four pictures by Fuseli, two by
Northcote, and from single pictures by Reynolds, West, Opie, and Boydell
are solidly planted on smoke rising from Boy dell's * Sacrifice'. The works
of Fuseli lent themselves to such exercises in travesty, and he was again
victimized by Gillray in Wierd-sisters (No. 7937), another Shakespearean
subject. Rowlandson amusingly burlesqued Fuseli 's Nightmare in a
political print (No. 6543). Two anonymous travesties of portraits of
Cosway and his wife, both by Cosway, are in a different category, since
they are caricatures of their subjects, and ridicule the vanity which led
Cosway to depict himself as a magnificent Rubens cavalier, while Mrs.
Cosway was also represented as a figure from a picture by Rubens
(Nos. 7019, 7020). These satires are unkind, but Cosway is said to have
commissioned the ungentlemanly caricature of Manini (No. 5770). Artists
at work are depicted in a manner between satire and genre by Rowlandson
in two studio interiors (Nos. 6724, 6862), and a sign painter's workshop
where a young painter is engaged on work beneath his dignity (No. 7770).
Comedy and realism are combined in his Dutch Academy (No. 8195).
xxvii
INTRODUCTION
Sculpture is represented by Locatelli (probably) and Mrs. Darner, while
in the (political) satires on the bust of Fox commissioned by the Tsarina
the bust is remarkably like that by Nollekens, of which so many replicas
were made for Fox's admirers, and which is shown in Nollekens 's portrait
in the National Portrait Gallery. As before, the architect best known to
the caricaturist is Sir WiUiam Chambers. The connoisseur and the
antiquarian remain favourite subjects: two realistic prints just touched
by comedy are Rowlandson's Print Sale (No. 7746) and Copper Plate
Printers at work (No. 6859).
As in Volume V, there are more prints on Cambridge than on Oxford
(here represented only by No. 7742). Cambridge prints include an
elaborate interior intended for the drawing-room in the Master's Lodge
at Jesus College, which is an undeserved gibe at the Master, Dr. Beadon.
A decree against tavern dinners is the subject of two prints (Nos. 7016,
7017). There are two satires on Anglo-Indian life, both by Gillray, one is
an exercise in fantasy and calumny ; the other, closely following the design
of an amateur, is a realistic representation, filled with portraits, of the
weekly levee held by Cornwallis. It makes an excellent illustration to the
Memoirs of Hickey.
Among the fashions of the moment the craze for balloons takes the first
place. In England, as in France, they were ridiculed as fleeting follies; in
fact, they stood for all that was ephemeral and visionary, a veritable mania.
In graphic satire, indeed, they were a passing fashion and (temporarily)
disappear after 1785. The balloon inevitably suggested the bubble, symbol
of all that was fraudulent and fleeting. Paul Sandby is par excellence the
artist of the balloon. In his early political caricatures he had specialized
in the theme of flight: on a broomstick, or on a bubble, or by means of
bellows worked by the Devil. It is therefore in the tradition that early
balloon prints, when political, should be associated with the Devil, while
recent scientific discovery had connected them with 'inflammable air'.
In No. 6486 George III is supported by bubble-balloons in the manner
of the boat depicted in Sturm's Collegium Experimentale of 1701 . The non-
political balloon prints described in this volume combine symbolism with
reahsm. In prints by Sandby of actual happenings the balloon is in the
form of a head wearing a fool's cap, as in No. 6701, whose title connects
it with Bishop Godwin's Man in the Moone. Something of the popular
suspicion attaching to what was a fashionable craze was due to the fact
that leading practitioners were foreign, and the successes of Lunardi and
Blanchard were set off^ by the fiasco of Moret.
Another fashionable mania was that for pugilism. The famous fight of
Humphries and Mendoza is the subject of a fantastic design by Ramberg
(No. 7425). Other sporting subjects are realistic prints of York Races by
Mason together with a street scene in York, showing a tangle of vehicles
and race-horses (Nos. 8243, 8255, 8256). The faro bank, that profitable
undertaking which in 1782 had been particularly the resource of Fox and
his friends, had become by 1792 the peculiar field on a business footing
of a group of women of fashion connected with Carlton House — so much
so that the Prince of Wales was accused of sharing in their profits (No.
8075): .
Striking changes in costume took place during this period. The fashion
for pouter pigeon busts, and inflated ^derrieres\ together with small waists
and gigantic hats and muffs, began in 1786 and continued to occupy the
caricaturists during 1787. Some of the prints suggest that the fashion may
xxviii
INTRODUCTION
have owed something to Mrs. Fitzherbert. These fashions were conspi-
cuously without the stiffness which had characterized earHer inflations,
e.g. the cork rump of 1776. Their extravagances were long remembered
(No. 6874). The large feathered hat, which we now associate with Gains-
borough and the Duchess of Devonshire, was regarded as an echo of Rubens. ^
In men's dress the high-coat collar and sparrow-tail coat appear as early
as 1784 (No. 6718) and were at first associated with Major Topham
(No. 6854). Tight-fitting breeches (No. 6723) gradually become longer
and longer, and by 1790 were buttoned or tied below the calf (No. 7794),
thus developing into the pantaloon. The high-crowned hat appears in
1790, and in 1791 another phase of pre-occupation with fashions of both
men and women begins. Men wore cropped hair (also sometimes worn by
women), short, double-breasted waistcoats with high multiple collars,
tail coats with wide revers and pantaloons. Exaggerated forms of this
dress were worn by the bucks and bloods, who carried bludgeons or canes,
wore tall hats on the side of the head and enormous spurs on very short
boots (No. 8040, &c.). These bucks were called 'crops' from their short
hair, but this was then, unlike that of the later 'croppies' of Ireland and
'crappies' of Scotland, without political significance and seems to have
anticipated the modes that in France were associated with Jacobinism and
the guillotine. The Prince of Wales is never depicted in any approach to
these extravagant fashions. The 'crops' par excellence were Lord Barry-
more and his brothers and on the stage Goldfinch in Holcroft's Road to
Ruin (No. 8083).
The stock subjects of caricature noticed in Volume V persist with some
change of emphasis which corresponds to changing manners. They are
to be found in the social caricatures published by Bowles and in the
'Drolls' published by Sayer. The 'cit', especially the cockney sportsman,
continued to be popular, both in the hands of Bunbury and in the more
plebeian prints. John Gilpin became almost at once a favourite subject,
the *cit' on horseback was irresistible and Henderson's reading of the
poem made it widely popular (No. 6886). The theme of bad horsemanship
was one which Bunbury (equerry to the Duke of York) had already made
his own. He elaborated it in his Gambado prints (No. 7321). There are some
interesting personalities in the prints on quacks, who include Cagliostro
and de Loutherbourg. A political print (No. 7514) shows Dominicetti
stoking his furnaces in his bathing establishment in Cheyne Walk.
As before, the problems of poverty are scarcely touched on. Enclosures
and high food prices are a subject of No. 6993, which is more directly
concerned with guzzling aldermen. The neglect of the poor by parish
officers is the subject of No. 5877. The attitude to the burning of the
Albion Mills (No. 8020) is that of the poorer classes, who believed that
the mills used adulterated flour and raised the price of bread. Some indica-
tion of the state of poverty and rags then accepted as normal is incidentally
given in Rowlandson's print of London cinder-sifters (No. 7444) and in
No. 7733, where a bill-sticker is realistically depicted. A strong radical
or democratic feeling in Gillray seems to find expression in his persistent
satires on elderly women of fashion. His fierce attack on Lonsdale for
his treatment of tenants and colliers in Whitehaven in two notable prints
(Nos. 8155, 8156) was courageous in view of the proceedings then pending
against Wolcot. One contains the only allusion (an indirect one) to the
Game Laws.
^ Cf. George Forster, op. cit., p. 52.
xxix
introduction
Artists.
The supremacy of Gillray and Rowlandson in the period of this volume
does not depend only on their own work but on their influence on other
artists. After the two masters, the most noteworthy caricaturists and
satirical artists are Sayers, Boyne, Bunbury, Robert Dighton, Isaac Cruik-
shank, Kay, CoUings, Newton, Nixon, Woodward, F. G. Byron, Ramberg,
Dent, and Wigstead, who may or may not be an artist here styled *H.W.\
who might also have been called Amico di Rowlandson. There are also
artists who occasionally did caricatures, though they are chiefly known
for their other work. Of these the most important is Paul Sandby, whose
latest caricatures belong to the year 1784. Henry Kingsbury, known as a
mezzotint engraver, was also a caricaturist and one whose work is difficult
to identify : he appears to have been imitative and eclectic. The manner
of Joshua Baldrey (if the attributions here made are correct) is more
distinctive. There are two interesting plates after Pyne ('Ephraim Hard-
castle'), one of which was afterwards copied and improved by Rowlandson.
Though Blake's name appears in the index it is merely as the impersonal
engraver of the work of Collings.
The question of attributions is necessarily diflficult since mystification
and imitation were rife; the work of the draughtsman was sometimes
transformed by the engraver, and one artist may have worked on the plate
of another. And though many of the attributions are conjectural they
have been made with reserve: the probable insensibly merges into the
hypothetical and it is believed that plates not so attributed are in fact the
work of (e.g.) *H.W'., Kingsbury, and Isaac Cruikshank. Other mezzotints
than those so attributed may be by Dighton, for though his manner is
distinctive it may have been obscured by the opaque water-colour on the
Print Room impressions.
When Gillray uses Sayers 's signature (see No. 7146) it cannot be with
intent to deceive: even the initials have a bold curve that distinguishes
them from the authentic *J-S.', while the faint echo of Sayers 's manner
in no way obscures his own more powerful hand. The signature (once
used by Rowlandson but without attempt at imitation) is used only on
plates parodying those of Sayers, in attacks on Pitt, whose henchman
Sayers was, and on a scurrilously salacious print, utterly unlike the work
of Sayers. There are in this volume prints attributed by some collectors
to Gillray, and which may be his, on the assumption that he was adopting
a childish incompetence (Nos. 7963, 7968, 7969, 7970, 7977). Returning
from Brooks's (No. 6528) is among the prints published in 1830 from plates
by Gillray formerly in the possession of Miss Humphrey: despite the
incorrect drawing there is something in manner and script not inconsistent
with his work, while the motive for concealment is obvious. Stronger
documentary evidence would be needed to authenticate other plates
attributed to Gillray, e.g. Prince Pitt (No. 7389) ; if the attribution should
be correct other plates by the same hand would be added to the Gillray
canon.
Other plates attributed to Gillray may, with some confidence, be assigned
to other artists. Hudibrass and his 'Squire (No. 6361) belongs to a set of
prints by an artist who sometimes uses the pseudonym *Annibal Scratch'
and who in the early months of 1784 seems to adopt two manners,
significantly apportioned to Pittite and Foxite prints. In the former he
is precise, the inscriptions are in printed characters, in the other he is
sketchy and the script is cursive. Both suggest the hand of Collings, and
XXX
INTRODUCTION
both manners blend in No. 6614, where concealment is abandoned and
the signature S.C. is used.^ A set of prints on the marriage of the Prince
of Wales (No. 6924, &c.) is also attributed to Gillray by Grego on the
theory that *he disguised his style to accommodate a rival of his publisher*.
Their authorship is an interesting problem since they are by one or more
competent caricaturists whose work in this volume is traceable only in
1786 and 1787. Angelo's attribution of The Marriage of Figaro (No. 6924)
to Wicksteed, *a celebrated seal-engraver*, is supported by a resemblance
to the only print in the volume published by Wicksteed. Angelo is not
unerring and he attributes the same print under its alternative title of
The Marriage of a Day to Austin, who seems ruled out both by his distinc-
tive manner and by his personal devotion to Fox (No. 6604). Another
artist who might be considered for Nos. 6469 and 6954 is the W.M.
(Mansell) of No. 6931. Nos. 6990 and 6992, clearly by Boyne, are at-
tributed to Gillray by Grego.
Another set of prints, one signed J.B., is attributed by E. Hawkins to
Boyne. They are unlike his work, one is published by Joshua Baldrey,
others from Baldrey 's address, and they are by no means inconsistent
with Baldrey 's work, including a signed caricature of 1780, which, though
less assured, might well be by the same hand at a later date.
The relations of Wigstead and Rowlandson involve other problems.
In etchings in the Print Room Wigstead appears as an artist of some
competence, basing himself on Rowlandson. He also furnished Rowlandson
with ideas and sketches. There is, however, an etching of John Gilpin
(No. 8251), which, like No. 6722, would, except for Wigstead's signature,
be attributed to Rowlandson. Wigstead's contemporary status as an artist
seems to have been superior to that of Rowlandson. The Morning Post
in 1789 admires a print (No. 7842) etched by Rowlandson, signed *H.W.
inv*^', but regrets that 'the respectable talents of Wigstead should condescend
to current topics' like 'the common order of caricaturists'. This would
seem prima facie a mere tribute to Wigstead's status as an amateur and
a man of some social position as compared with Rowlandson who worked
for the printsellers. The tone of Wigstead's obituary notice in the
Gentleman's Magazine (cited by Grego) supports the supposition. It is
therefore surprising to find two trade cards for Wigstead, one as 'Painter*,
the other as 'Painter &c.' of Gerrard Street, Soho. One is dated by Miss
Banks 1785, the other 1788.
This problem merges into another, the authorship of a number of
etchings, apparently by the same artist, all with the same script and all
published by Holland, who sometimes, perhaps always, though his
own manner is distinctive, etches the work of other draughtsmen. Some
of these have been attributed to Rowlandson, one is signed H.W., which
naturally suggests Wigstead, a by no means unlikely attribution judging
from a comparison with etchings by him. The manner, however, has more
similarity with that of No. 7632, 'Etch'd William Holland'. The artists
whose work 'H.W.' has etched appear to include Nixon (No. 7646),
Newton (Nos. 7881, 7924), Woodward (Nos. 7987, 7988), possibly Byron
(No. 7991, &c.). One of these 'H.W.' prints is attributed by E. Hawkins
^ All are published by Wells except perhaps one published for John Cook.
John Cooke etched Monmouth Street after Collings in 1789 (Westminster Public
Library). This plate and Principles of Politeness, published by Fores, 16 Nov. 1790
(Victoria and Albert Museum), support the attribution. The Pittite prints are
Nos. 6361, 6386, 6419, 6493, 6549; the Foxite prints Nos. 6417, 6425, 6427, 6438,
6445, 6491. Nos. 6631 and 6632 are in the manner of No. 6614, and signed 'S.C
xxxi
INTRODUCTION
to *West'. Temple West is an obscure caricaturist whose work does not
appear to be known before 1803.'
If attributions in this volume are correct the work of Isaac Cruikshank
as a political caricaturist dates from early in 1784, perhaps the year in
which he came to London, since to this year belong also small etchings
of Edinburgh characters similar in subject, scale, and design, though not
in manner, to those of Kay. In any case he was an established caricaturist
some years before 1794, the date given in Thieme Becker. Isaac Cruik-
shank adopted different manners and was sometimes an imitator of Gillray ;
he spells his name in almost as many ways as Shakespeare, and though he
often uses the signature *I.C.* the initials are sometimes in block capitals,
sometimes cursive and undistinguishable from *J-C.* or T.C.'^
Kay's work also begins in 1784. Nearly all his portraits have an element
of caricature : to have included them would have overweighted the Cata-
logue, and those only are described which are humorous or satirical in
manner or intention. They are listed in the B.M. Catalogue of Engraved
Portraits. He produced a few political satires ; a very early example of his
work and a rare plate ,3 The Fox Chace . . . (No. 6418), is on the political
crisis of 1784, doubly exceptional in that it is not a Scottish subject.
The Hanoverian Ramberg is represented by some interesting plates.
They are in the grand manner burlesqued, reminiscent of Mortimer, and
characteristic of the pupil of Benjamin West. Ramberg was in England
from 178 1 to 1788 as a protege of George III and was an Academy
student.'^
Robert Dighton is chiefly represented in this volume by the work which
he did for Bowles's series of humorous mezzotints. These were engraved
from his finished water-colours of approximately the same size as the
print. A charming water-colour of the Westminster Election of 1788 has
been described from a photograph presented to the Department. A great
caricaturist was perhaps lost by the early death of Richard Newton. His
work is often, though not always, marred by poor drawing, but it shows
great gifts for bold design and the grotesque. He was original and
versatile, with a turn for portraiture, and though his humour is often
crude as well as rollicking this is natural in a boy.
Though Dent is of no account as an artist he deserves attention as a
caricaturist, especially for his later plates. His pungency of political and
personal allusion and a gift for portraiture (his figures, however small or
burlesqued, are generally unmistakable) explain the contemporary admira-
tion for his work which Angelo records. ^ His Westminster Election prints
of 1784 are indefensible^ in subject and treatment, but he gained in facility
as he learned to exploit his own shortcomings and to adapt his etchings
to colour. Some of his plates (notably No. 751 1) reach a higher level than
would seem possible from his earlier work. Sayers' also has little merit
as an artist, but much as a caricaturist. He has had something less than
^ Broadley, Napoleon in Caricature, i. 46.
^ He even uses both types of initial on the same plate, see General Fast, published
by Fores, 4 May 1796.
3 It is not included in a Print Room Collection of Kay's etchings or in the
Edinburgh reprint, both of which are claimed to be complete (the former up to
1813).
'^ Thieme Becker.
5 Reminiscences, 1904, p. 334.
^ See above, p. xvii, n. i.
7 The name is so spelt in the D.N.B.^ but see No. 7628.
xxxii
INTRODUCTION
justice because his most famous prints (of 1783-4) are also among his
worst. By the use of soft ground etching or aquatint he improved upon
his original feeble and scratchy technique.^ He is the only satirist in this
volume in whom consistent political views can be discovered. These are
support of Pitt, support of Hastings, hatred of dissent and Jacobinism,
and his political prints appear only in response to the political situation.
As in Volume V amateurs are well represented. Bunbury had the first
place in contemporary reputation, and he is here represented by his most
famous prints, which did in fact introduce a new form.^ Frederick George
Byron, who died at the age of twenty-eight in 1792, is of the school of
Bunbury, with perhaps greater talent. His view of Lunardi's balloon in
the Pantheon (1784) is beautifully drawn, he also became a competent
etcher. A set of aquatints published in 1802 gives a charming impression
of the humours of travel in France in 1790 (Nos. 8271-5). He appears to
have worked professionally for Holland and scarcely ranks as an amateur.^
James Hook, brother of Theodore, was an amateur caricaturist of great
promise. Caricatures in 1787 and 1788, when he was a Westminster
schoolboy, have surprisingly little of the amateur. According to Angelo
his sketches and caricatures induced Sir Joshua Reynolds to recommend
that he should be educated as an artist."^ Three interesting sporting sub-
jects are after paintings by Mason, the friend of Gray and Horace Walpole.
They are strange productions for a Canon of York, actively engaged in
politics and reputed to be aiming at a bishopric (see No. 6485). There is
little of the amateur about them except a close imitation of Rowlandson
which in No. 8243 suggests the actual copying of figures. According to
Angelo, James Douglas caricatured Gibbon (No. 7418).
The work of the occasional amateur is less frequent than in Volume V,
when Darly specialized in publishing plates after 'Ladies, Gentlemen,
and the most Humourous Artists.' Gillray etched plates after Georgiana
Keate, Mr. Battye, and S. L. Egerton, Bretherton after Miss Fanshawe
(better known for her verses). Miss V. Aynscombe did satires on costume,
as did Mercer, said to be a military officer. One *R.R.', identified by
Angelo as Rushworth, a Counsellor, was an amateur of some note. Many
plates were doubtless based on 'hints' or sketches by amateurs, often
anonymous. Several of such sketches, elaborated and etched by Rowland-
son, are in the Print Room (Nos. 6365, 6476, 6525, 6561). Their general
character is to stress the text which is literally transcribed by the artist.
It seems probable that elaborate political prints by Rowlandson were
generally based on the sketch or instructions of some one more interested
in politics.
Printsellers and Publishers.
In this volume Fores, Holland, and Hannah Humphrey take the first
place as sellers of satirical prints. Fores, whose imprint first appears in
January 1784, comes at once to the front. Holland, established by 1782,
* There is in the Print Room a charming brush drawing in sepia and gouache
by Sayers of musicians, called *A Rehearsal*.
* See above, p. xii.
3 He was not, as is said in Thieme Becker, a nephew of the poet but a grandson
of the fourth Lord Byron and a first cousin of the poet's father (Collins, Peerage^
I779> vii. 138), As the youngest son of a younger son he may well have worked
professionally for Holland, as he seems to have done. Angelo calls him a lieutenant
in the Navy. Reminiscences, 1904, i. 330.
* Op. cit. i. 324-5. Hook's name is not mentioned, but his identity is clear.
xxxiii c
INTRODUCTION
seems to have made his way more slowly, but he published books as well
as prints and by 1786 was the publisher of important prints by Gillray.
Miss Humphrey, though her imprint appeared in 1774, was at first
associated with (?her brother) William; her business increased as he
gave up print-selling, but she does not appear to have rivalled Fores and
Holland until her association with Gillray. This did not become assured
and exclusive until the latter part of 1791. Before this, though she had
published many of his plates, he had also worked for Holland (1786, 1787),
Phillips (1787), Fores (1787, 1788, and 1791), and Aitken (1789). It is
significant that from the time of his permanent association with (or
bondage to) Miss Humphrey his output became both steadier and greater.
Humphrey is sometimes mis-spelt Humphreys or Humphries in
publication-lines, and the imprint *H. Humphreys, 3 Bedford Court*
(No. 6975) suggests another address of Hannah Humphrey. Doubt is
cast on this identity by two trade cards of 'Humphreys Engraver', one
at 3 1 Villiers Street, the other with the address altered to Bedford Court.
There are also two trade cards of Miss Humphrey in the Print Room:
'Humphrey Printseller' one 51 New Bond Street, the other with the
address altered to 18 Old Bond Street. The card of W. Humphrey
'Printseller &c.', drawn and engraved by Bartolozzi, is altered from a card
designed for a music-seller.
Fores sometimes styles himself 'satirist' and in No. 6961, where his
shop is depicted, seems to declare himself an enemy of the Prince of
Wales, and thus a Pittite. No such partisanship appears in the productions
of the other printsellers (apart from the association of Cornell with Sayers),
and Holland in 1784 called himself 'Mr. Anyside' (p. 152). In 1793,
however, he went to Newgate for a seditious publication, and his portrait,
with that of his wife and little girl, appears in an etching by Newton of
political prisoners in Newgate.
The chief feature of the caricature print-shops during the period of
this volume is the more or less permanent exhibitions of Holland and
Fores. Holland opened his exhibition in 1788 at the establishment which
he sometimes called 'Garrick's Richard' or the 'Museum of Genius'
(No. 7301, &c.). Fores followed his example in 1789 at 3 Piccadilly
'opposite the Paris Diligence Office'. It was advertised at some length in
his New Guide for Foreigners . . . (c. 1790): 'To the works of Hogarth,
Bunbury, Sayre, and Rowlandson, is added every other Caricature Print,
executed by other hands that has been published during the course of
many years, the whole forming an entire Caricature History, political and
domestic, of past and present Times. . . .' Both advertised drawings as
well as prints, and Holland added paintings. Both (as time went on)
announced as an attraction the French caricature prints. Both charged
a shilling for admittance. Fores added as an additional attraction in 1790
and 1791 'the head and hand of Count Struenzee* (see No. 4596), casts
taken in wax after his execution by order of the King of Denmark. They
may be the casts brought from Paris by Thicknesse and previously ex-
hibited by him in Bath (see No. 7721). In 1793 Fores added a model of
the guillotine. Aitken announced an exhibition gratis (No. 7529), but the
advertisements soon ceased. The printsellers' exhibitions appear to have
been discontinued shortly after 1792, when the vogue of the caricature
was still in the ascendant.
The old-established City firms of Bowles and Robert Sayer^ supplied
' See Volume V, pp. xxxvii-xxxviii.
xxxiv
INTRODUCTION
a quite different public with their 'postures* (humorous mezzotints) and
'Drolls'. These were issued in series at more or less regular intervals, and
were advertised as suitable for sale by country booksellers.' Bowles also
sold sets of crude engravings and cheap popular prints which verge upon
the folk print, though they were more expensive and sophisticated than
the chap-book. Examples of these are Nos. 6893-8. Sayer reissued in
his series of 'Drolls' prints originally published by Darley; No. 8258 is
an altered plate of the Macaroni series with the costume partially brought
up to date. Wallis of Ludgate Hill specialized in broadsides headed by
engravings intended for a similar public, which was also that of Tringham.
Many artists occasionally published their own prints. Kay of Edinburgh
did so exclusively, Paul Sandby frequently. Dent also appears to have
employed printsellers, instead of working for them. It is only rarely that
a plate of Dent is published by one of the established printsellers, e.g. by
Aitken. There is something furtive about his output, especially and
naturally in 1784.^ The imprint of 'Crookshanks' (cf. No. 6697) appears
in 1784 on two plates here attributed to Isaac Cruikshank.
Except for Kay's prints very few were published outside London. Allen
of Dublin published a set of prints after Dighton and there are one or
two Irish prints without imprint. Mrs. Lay of Brighton published a print
by Rowlandson; Boulter of Norwich issued a crude local print.
' Laurie and Whittle, Catalogue of Prints, 1795.
^ See above, p. xvii, n. i.
M. DOROTHY GEORGE.
XXXV
CORRIGENDA ETC. TO VOLUME V
p. X, 1. 10. For 'Vol. vii', read 'V^* deeF.
p. XXX, 1. 10. For 'The plates and text were used*, read *The plates were
copied and the text reprinted*,
p. xxxvi, 1. 34. For ^Brookes's' read *Brooks*s\
4958 By Moreau le jeune. Reproduced, Gazette des Beaux Arts, 1910 (ii),
p. 113.
5017 The Madras Tyrant is probably Josias du Pre, Governor of Madras
1770-3. Note on impression in the India Office Library.
5020 The Farmer-Macaroni is identified by H. Breun as 'Beard*.
5024 The S^ James's Macaroni is identified by H. Breun as F. Walsh.
5025 The Newmarket Macaroni is identified by H. Breun as *Cox*.
5026 The Piccadilly Macaroni is identified by H. Breun as Deard (a
famous toyman, whose shop was a fashionable lounge).
5034 The Woolwich Macaroni is identified by H. Breun as 'Captain Cox
of Train of Artillery*.
5187 p. 144, 1. 27. For 173 1 ?-8o, read 173 1 P-iSoq.
5217 The three musicians are Abel, Pinto (playing the French horn), and
Fischer the oboist. J. H. Mee, The Oldest Music Room in Europe , 191 1,
p. 20 (reproduction).
5217 A A smaller version signed 'H W Bunbury del*, more correctly drawn,
and etched with more freedom, is in Anderdon*s Royal Academy Cata-
logueSf iii, No. 69. (4|X3f in.)
5393 A copy in line with the title Rencontre de M^ de Mirabeau et M*"^
de Villeroy a Aix-la-Chapelle was published in France as a caricature of
Mirabeau-Tonneau and his mistress. De Vinck, No. 1959. Reproduced,
Grand-Carteret, UHistoire, la Vie, les Moeurs . . ., iv. 1928. PL xix.
5539 By Gillray.
5612 and Introduction, p. xii. The date of Gillray *s John Bull is probably
1788: a print published by J. Aitken, 2 March 1801, John Bull at the
Sign, the Case is altered, shows the Englishman with meagre fare, the
Frenchman with roast beef; on the wall is a copy of No. 5612 inscribed :
A Frenchman in iy88. . . .
5699 A public house next the hustings in Covent Garden was Proctor *s,
the sign of the Fox. (Election advertisement, 1788, B.M. Add. MSS.
27837, fo. 18.) The suggestion that an allusion to Sir W. B. Proctor was
intended is therefore incorrect.
5777 The conjectural identification of the subject as Gaetano Manini is
confirmed by a note by Gulston, the collector, on another impression:
'Manini very like.*
5804 Bunbury*s original drawing, called 'Entrance to an Oxford College*,
is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Dyce Coll. No. 752).
5831 Apparently by the same artist as No. 5937, attributed to Gillray.
5874 (Tete-a-tete). Mr. W. Roberts points out that Miss F. is the
Mrs. Ford painted (with a child) by Romney for Governor Johnstone
xxxvii
CORRIGENDA TO VOLUME V
in 1778, now in the National Gallery. See H. Ward and W. Roberts,
Catalogue Raisonni of the Works of Rotnney^ 1904, ii. 57-
5892, 5936, 5937 Generally attributed to Gillray.
6138 Last paragraph. For 591 read 541. See No. 6768.
6180 There is a copy of the Rambler's Magazine in the British Museum,
see Private Catalogue.
6284 Perhaps by S. Collings, possibly in collaboration with Nixon. Nos.
6245, 6267, 6275, 6332 are in a similar manner.
6306 Reputed to be a portrait of Gaetano Vestris. Sometimes attributed
to Gillray.
p. 842. Index of Artists. Delete Hook,
p. 844. Idem. Wigstead died 1800 not 1793.
xxxviu
CATALOGUE OF
POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
1784-1792
(Nos. 6361-8283)
I
*Les caricatures sont le thermometre qui indique le
degre de ropinion publique. . . .*
BOYER-BRUN, Histoire des Caricatures de la Revolte des
FranpaiSy 1792, p. 10.
*La caricature est I'artde rAngleterre,unart inimitable,
primesautier, unique, qui a la fantaisie, I'etrangete,
le dereglement, la philosophic, le rire, I'eloquence, la
majeste railleuse de Shakespeare.*
E. ET J. DE GONCOURT, Htstotre de la Societe frangaise
pendant la Revolution^ 1854, p. 279.
1784
POLITICAL SATIRES
6361 HUDIBRASS AND HIS 'SQUIRE.
[? Collings.]
Pu¥ by W Wells N^ 132 Fleet Street Jany r^ 1784
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). Fox (1.) and Burke (r.)
sit side by side in the stocks as Hudibras and his 'squire Ralpho. One foot
of each is imprisoned; their hands are clasped. Burke looks at Fox, who
sits with closed eyes and a dejected expression. Pitt stands (r.) holding a
halberd and a bunch of three keys labelled Treasury. All are in pseudo-
seventeenth-century costume. On the wall behind Fox hangs a scourge
with two lashes, one inscribed Prerogative y the other Vox Populi, indicating
the two causes of the fall of the Coalition. Behind Burke's head is a placard :
This day is pu¥ An Essay on y^ Tumblime and Beautifull by Ralph B.
(an allusion to Burke's essay on 'The Sublime and the Beautiful'). In front
of the stocks lie two papers inscribed India Bill and Warrant of . . . Temple^
since Temple had conveyed to the Lords the king's desire for the defeat
of the India Bill. A whipping-post attached to the stocks is inscribed
Otium cum Dignitate. Beneath the design is etched :
Sure none that see how here we sit.
Will judge us overgrown zvith wit;
For who without a cap & bauble
Having subdu'd, a bear & rabble^
And might zvith honor have come off.
Would put it to a second proof:
A Politic exploit right fit.
For Coalition zeal & wit!
Hudibrass.
One of many satires on the fall of the Coalition, see No. 6283, &c.:
Burke takes the place usually given to North, doubtless owing to his
supposed share in the India Bill; cf. No. 6383. See also No. 6540.
Attributed to Gillray by Grego, p. 53.
8|x6Jin.
6362 THE GOOSE LOST.
[? J. Barrow.]
Pu¥ by y. Barrow Janv i 1^84 White Lion Bull Stairs Surry Side
Black Friars Bridge.
Engraving. Fox, with a fox's head, stands (r.) in profile to the 1. holding
out his arms towards a goose which is flying away. He is saying, Ohy I
fear I have now lost the Goose for ever. On the ground at his feet is a large
placard : Advertisement. Just fled from the Arms of M^ Reynard, S^ James's^
a Goose y remarkable for laying golden Eggs. Whosoever can return the Goose
to the distressed looser shall receive for their kindness a large golden Egg.
N.B. She cannot be found in the North, she took wing direct from that point.
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
A satire on the fall of the Coalition, see No. 6283, &c. Fox's supporters,
especially the electors of Westminster, were often depicted as geese ; cf .
No. 5843, &c.
8^Xi3iin.
6363 THE INCUBUS, 1784 [Jan. 1784]^
T P (monogram) [^Gillray ?]
Engraving. Fox, as Belial, seated in a depression in the centre of a large
mass resembling a balloon in process of deflation, which is inscribed Puhlica
Fides. Four vertical posts marked with figures seem intended to measure
the (rapidly decreasing) degree of Publica Fides on which Fox can still
count. These posts are headed 4, jB [? Boreas], Ind, and j respectively.
Fox is a fat, almost-naked creature, with horns and talons ; a fox's head
is tattooed on his arm; with one talon he clutches the post marked Indy
[? Independent], with the other and his foot he tears at a paper inscribed
charters^ indicating the chartered rights which his India Bill was supposed
to attack, see No. 6369.
The deflating mass rests on a rock inscribed in large letters Rock, and
in italics. Land TaXy CustotnSy Excise, Malty Tradsy Agriculturey WindowSy
Houses y Salty indicating the burden of taxation. Against it leans (1.) a
spear, and Britannia's shield inscribed Defender of the Faith. Other
emblematic objects are a large cap of Liberty on a pole projecting from the
mass (r.), a large cannon inscribed Defender of the Faithy 3. ship whose
rigging only is visible behind the cannon, a heap of cannon balls (r.), and
a waning moon (1.).
Beneath the design is engraved :
S^ Withold footed thrice the Wold
She met the Night Mare & her nine Foal,
Aroynt thee Witch aroynt
To every Independant Man in Great Britain this Plate is dedicated.
An attack on the Coalition: 'Defender of the Faith' implies approval of
the king's action against the India Bill, see No. 6283. Cf. No. 6361. For
the parliamentary struggle and Fox's dwindling majority see No. 6373, &c.
All illustration of the lines : 'Belial, . . . The fleshliest Incubus', Paradise
Regainedy Bk. II, 11. 150-2.
7^X12 in.
6364 THE PIT OF ACHERON, OR THE BIRTH OF THE PLAGUES
OF ENGLAND. [Jan. 1784]
F. N: 1784.^ [Rowlandson.]
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). The interior of a
witches' cave, three witches round a blazing cauldron; through the mouth
of the cave, and in the upper r. corner, appears Westminster Bridge,
leading to the houses and towers of Lambeth, showing that the cave is in
Westminster, evidently the House of Commons. From the flames ascend-
ing from the cauldron emerge the heads of Fox, North, and Burke. Other
emblems also ascend : a rosary and cross (indicating the popery ascribed
* So dated and attributed by E. Hawkins.
* Perhaps standing for the coalition of Fox and North ; cf. No. 6367.
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
to Burke, cf. No. 6026), a small pig, labels inscribed Deceit^ Prides Corrupt
par . . .[liament] (in reverse), Loane Lottery.
The witches, whose three broomsticks (1.) lean against the side of the
cave, are bringing more ingredients to the pot which disseminates the
plagues of England: a hag (r.) stands about to drop a paper inscribed
Rebellion into the cauldron; she says. Well sister y what hast thou goty for the
ingredients of our Charmd Pot. Another witch (1.), crouching over a bag
from which emerge two men, one of whom is a serpent from the waist
downwards, answers, A Beast from Scotland^ tis calVd an Er — skin, famous
for Duplicity low Art & Cunning — the other a Monster who'd spurn even at
Charters Rights. Erskine, who is leaping from the sack, says, / am like a
Proteus can turn to any Shape from a Sailor to a Lawyer y and always lean
to the Strongest Side. Erskine, first entering Parliament in 1783, see No.
6369 (8), was one of Fox's martyrs. The serpent-man says:
Over the Water and over the Lee
Thro Hell I woud follow my Char lee.
He is John Lee (1733-93), Attorney- General in the Coalition and a
violent party man. The allusion is to his speech calling the East India
Company's charter *a mere skin of parchment to which was appended a
seal of wax'. Wraxall, MemoirSy 1884, iii. 182. See Nos. 6290, 6369, 6384.
He is being welcomed out of the sack by a small monster of revolting
appearance. The third witch with a face of fury leans over the cauldron,
which is supported by harpies and the skeleton of a monster with out-
stretched wings. On the ground, in front of the cauldron and within a
magic circle indicated on the extreme r., lie a playing-card, dice (emblems
of Fox), a dagger, a headsman's axe, guineas, &c.
One of many attacks on the Coalition and the India Bill, see No. 6280, &c.
Grego, Rowlandsony i. 111-12.
ioiXi2jin.
6365 THE FALL OF DAGON— OR RARE NEWS FOR LEADEN-
HALL STREET.
[Rowlandson.]
Published Janv 4. 1^84 by W. Humphrey 22^ Strand.
Engraving. The image of Dagon has fallen from an overturned rectangular
pedestal (r.) whose base is inscribed Broad Bottom. The image is a stout
man with a double-faced, Janus-like head, consisting of the faces of North
and Fox, decapitated ; the hands are severed at the wrists ; it lies prone, the
face of North to the ground, that of Fox uppermost.
In the distance is Tower Hill, with a scaffold surrounded by tiny figures
representing a crowd. A figure kneels before a block, the headsman's axe
is raised. In the middle distance (1.) is the gable end of an inn, its sign that
of a headsman's axe. A stout man stands beneath it. It is inscribed Tower
Hill. Beneath the title is engraved :
And behold Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of
the Lord & the head of Dagon and both the Palms of his hands were cutt off
upon the threshold.
The defeat of the India Bill and fall of the Coalition was *rare news' for
the India House in Leadenhall Street, see No. 6271, &c., 6399. Coalition
Ministries were usually designated 'Broad Bottom'.
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
The original sketch for this satire, very feebly drawn by an amateur,
together with Rowlandson's drawing, which closely follows the intention
of the original, are in the Print Room. The title and inscriptions were
written by the amateur. (201 c. 6/16.)
Grego, Rowlandsorif i. 112.
7jXiiAin.
6366 THE ROYAL JANUS— OR— TWO FACES UNDER A HOOD.
Pu¥ as y Act directs Janv 4 1784 by E D Achery S* James's Street
Engraving. The king stands with two profiles, one facing 1. towards North
and Fox, the other r. towards Pitt ( }) and Shelbume. He says to Fox and
North, Hanover — y^ Bishop of Derry — Serving Turnips — Volunteers of Ire-
land. This profile does not resemble the king, as does the other, which is
saying. Extend the Prerogativey & exercise it as you will — Oh! the damn'd
Coalition. A crown is suspended above his head ; he holds a sceptre in his
1. hand, reversed, its tip touching the floor.
The foremost of the two men on the r. has little resemblance to Pitt ;
he wears a ribbon, and is possibly intended for Lord Gower or the Duke
of Richmond ; he holds out his hand to the king, saying. We'll Do it. Shel-
burne, standing behind him (r.), puts his hand to his chin watching the
king with a sly expression. (He was not even mentioned for a place in
Pitt's administration. Wraxall, Memoirs^ iii. 202.) North (I.) stands behind
Fox taking his arm ; he says. From Hypocrisy Deliver us Oh Lord; Fox, who
holds a paper in both hands, says Amen; both look dejected.
The point is obscure as the king did not conceal his dislike of Fox and
the Coalition and openly supported Pitt, but cf. No. 6370. Hervey, the
eccentric Earl-Bishop of Derry, played a prominent part in the grand con-
vention of volunteers in Dublin in November 1783, see No. 6610.
8jxi3i^6in.
6367 GENERAL BLACKBEARD WOUNDED AT THE BATTLE OF
LEADENHALL
/. B. [J. Boyne.]
Janv 5 Published by E. Hedges AT" 92 Cornhill, & Sold by S. Fores
N" 3 Piccadilly
Engraving. A design similar in subject and treatment to The Banditti
(No. 6281). Fox (General Blackbeard) lies on the ground, surrounded by his
followers. He is supported by Keppel, who gazes at him with a melancholy
expression. Burke, in a monkish robe, kneels beside him holding a glass
of some restorative. Four men lean anxiously towards him from the r. :
North, very large and fat, appears to be collapsing from distress and is
supported by Portland, wearing a ducal coronet; Sheridan, with a satyr's
beard and profile, kneels in front of Fox, his hands clasped; he wears
oriental robes, a laurel wreath, and a sabre inscribed Satire. Lord John
Cavendish stands behind him, stretching out an arm towards Fox ; he wears
Turkish trousers, and a fur-trimmed tunic over his coat.
The head of a young man with curly hair looks over North's shoulder;
he may be holding the standard which waves over Portland's head, the
apex of a pyramidal composition. This flag bears the arms of the Coalition :
a medallion with the cypher F iV, supported by a fox (1.) and a badger (r.) ;
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
a face or crest surmounting the medallion represents the features of Fox
and North combined as in The Mask (No. 6234) ^^^ without a dividing
line. The motto is Vox Populi.
Behind Fox (1.) is Perdita Robinson, bending over him and holding a
smelling-bottle to his nose; her r. arm is held out behind her towards the
Prince of Wales (1.) who kneels, kissing her hand, which he holds in both
his. Three ostrich feathers in his hat stress his identity. A setting sun (1.),
in which is a fox's head, is partly obscured by a mass of cloud.
'The Battle of Leadenhall' is the contest over Fox's India Bill, cf. No.
6286, &c. Perdita continued to be associated in the public mind with the
Prince of Wales, though the liaison had ended ; for her association with Fox
see No. 61 17, &c.
9ftXi2|in.
6368 THE FALL OF PHAETON.
JS[^^ytrs]f.Platey3^
Published as the Act directs by Thomas Cornell Bruton Street 6^^ January
1784
Engraving. Fox, as Phaeton, falls head downwards from his chariot in the
clouds. He holds in his r. hand a rolled document inscribed India Refo[rm\
Bill. The front of his chariot is visible (r.); on the 1. are his steeds : a lion
and a unicorn emerging from clouds; they are guided by a hand which
projects from the upper margin of the design, holding ribbons attached
to their mouths, which are the continuation of a scroll inscribed Dieu et
mon droit. Behind the motto are the rays of the sun. Beneath the title is
etched :
^^ Ambition this shall tempt to rise
Then whirl the Wretch from high" &c. &c.
Gray.
The third of Sayers's effective satires on Fox and the India Bill (see
Nos. 6271, 6276, 6372). He is here represented as defeated by the king
in an attempt to usurp the royal power. Cf. Nos, 6271, &c., 6285, 6363,
6371. 6372, 6374, 6394, 6395, 6396, 6426, 6443, 6447, 6450, 6454, 6458,
6460, 6503, p. 1 12, 7158. For other prints directly indicating the popularity
of the king's action, see No. 6409, &c.
iiJxS^in.
6369 THE LOVES OF THE FOX AND THE BADGER,— OR THE
COALITION WEDDING.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥Jany 7<* 1784 y W. Humphrey iV° 227. Strand
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). A design in compart-
ments arranged in two strips, five above and four below, similar to Two
new Sliders for the State Magic Lanthern^ No. 6287; Fox and North are
represented throughout as a fox and a badger as in Nos. 6176, &c., 6428.
[i] The Fox Beats y^ Badger in y^ Bear Garden.
An arena, surrounded by a pillared portico, part of which is visible,
crowded with cheering spectators, men on the roof holding a large flag
5
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
inscribed Victoria Victoria. They applaud the fox, who stands on the
prostrate body of the badger. This indicates Fox's victory over North in
the House of Commons in March 1782, cf. No. 6187.
3^X21% in.
[2] The Fox's Dream
The fox, an impoverished gambler, sits meditatively on his haunches by
the side of a road on a heath, opposite a signpost pointing to Hounslow.
At his feet are dice and a dice-box. Above his head, in circles surrounded
by rays, are a barred window and a pitcher reversed and spilling its
contents.* He is contemplating the career of a highwayman.
3i6X2iiin.
[3] The Badger's Dream
The badger crouches dejectedly on a settee; above his hand, in circles
surrounded by rays, are a gallows and ? a block. He is dreaming of the fate
with which he had often been threatened by the Opposition during his
Ministry, cf. Nos. 5660, 6179, &c.
316X2^ in.
[4] Sathan unites them
A winged Devil joins the hands of the fox (1.) and the badger (r.). He is
saying Necessity, The Coalition is thus begun. Cf. No. 6189.
3ftX2f in.
[5] They Quarter their Arms.
The escutcheon is a full money-bag, inscribed Treasury Bag, its open
mouth is full of guineas. Its string is supported on the head of John Bully
who has ass's ears. The supporters are the fox, dexter, and the badger,
sinister, each about to help himself to the contents of the bag. The motto
is Money Money Money (cf. No. 6213, &c.); see No. 6441.
3/6X2i|in.
[6] The Priest advertises y= Wedding
The Devil stands behind a counter inscribed Pay Table y handing out
money to three journalists. One says Harry will take both sides y — he is
probably Henry Bate Dudley, then editor of the Morning Herald (cf.
No. 5676, &c.); the second. Me will Post theniy — probably an allusion to
the *Morning Post' (editor W. Jackson); the third, /'// Chronicle The
Coalitiony — probably an allusion to the *Morning Chronicle' (editor
W. Woodfall).
3iX2i^ein.
[7] The Honey Moon— or Edistone Lighthouse.
The fox and badger beside a large bonfire on the sea-shore. The fox
apphes a long shovel to the burning sunmiit of the pile; the badger leans
against the pile, resting on his shovel. They are perhaps burning charters,
cf. No. 6364. A full moon shining over a small boat at sea is inscribed
Honey Moon.
3iX2iVn.
' So it seems to be ; Grego describes it as a head on a pole.
6
I
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
[8] The new Orator Henley — or the Churching
Another scene in Parliament : the fox and badger sit side by side on
a settee on a dais facing a parson, who stands in a tub supported on a
block inscribed Honest Jack L — e. He holds out a charter with a dangling
seal, saying A charter is nothing but a piece of parchment zvith a great Seal
dangling to it. An allusion to the speech of John Lee, Attorney- General
under the Coalition, on the East India Company's Charter; see Wraxall,
MemoirSy 1884, iii. 182, and Pari. Hist. xxiv. 49; cf. No. 6364, &c. Behind
him, supporting the tub, is the Devil. In front of the tub, holding out his
hand towards the wedded pair, is a man on a seat inscribed A Seat for
Portsmouth. He is Erskine, brought in for Portsmouth on the accession to
power of the Coalition. He says. Necessity Amen. Under the colonnades
are heads on poles, above them is inscribed mopstick Majority. A satire on
Fox's majority in the House of Commons, see No. 6380, &c. For Henley
cf. No. 2835, &c.
3iX4i|in.
[9] The Wedding Dance and Song —
The Devil (1.), the badger (c), and the Fox (r.) dance hand in hand. In
the Devil's 1. hand is a string, the ends of which are attached to the noses
of the fox and the badger.
Above their heads is a scroll inscribed :
The Song
Come were all Rogues together
The People must pay for the Play
Then let us make Hay in Fine Weathear
And keep the Cold winter away.
Come were all Rogues together
For the idea of a honeymoon applied to the Coalition see No. 6186, &c.,
and the debate of 17 Feb. 1783 (Pari. Hist, xxiii. 469, 483). Cf. Nos. 6393,
6399, &c.
Grego, Rowlandsonj i. 1 12-13; Gillrayy pp. 52-3.
3|X3 in. Whole design, 7|xi2^in.
6370 LE DOUBLE CABINET
Pu¥ as the Act directs Janv 12^^ 1^84 by [name obliterated]
Engraving. The king, with two profiles, stands in front of a double door
inscribed Le Double Cabinet y the words forming the title. He holds out his
hands to the Duke of Dorset (1.) and to Fox (r.) who kneel to kiss his hand,
one profile being turned to each; North stands behind Fox (r.). The hand
which Dorset kisses is put through a door which screens one side of the
cabinet from the other. Dorset holds a paper inscribed His Grace D of
Dorset; Fox holds his East India Bill.
On the wall (r.) hangs a picture of Bute as a cat on all fours with a human
head, he is booted and spurred and wears a tartan plaid and kilt, the ribbon
of the Garter, and a sword. Beneath is inscribed, Le celebre Chat Ecossers
que a obtenu un place dans le Cabenet Royal il qa [y-a] vignt quatre ans On
le represent botte et loruble [botte et I'oreille ?] surtout aux ministres du Roy.
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
This hangs behind North. On the opposite side of the wall (1.) behind
Dorset is an empty frame inscribed, Le Quadrant pour le compagnon du
Chat Eccossois gu'on ne a pas encore trouve.
Dorset was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to
France on 26 Dec. 1783, see No. 6397. A satire on secret influence which
seems to lack point as its French lacks correctness : the king did not attempt
to conceal his hostility to his ex-ministers, Fox and North, but cf. No.
6366. See also No. 6417, &c.
9i6Xi3im.
6371 THE VISION.
[? Collings.]
Pu¥ by T. Cornell Bruton Street Janv 9. 1^84
Engraving. Fox rises from a chair, reaching out his arms towards a crown
which appears among clouds in the upper 1. corner of the design. He is
in profile to the 1.; from his coat-pocket protrudes A Bill for r^/[orming
the] East India [Company].
Part of a circular table is visible (1.); on the ground lie a dice-box and
dice. Beneath the design is etched :
Is this a Diadem I see before me?
Come let me clutch thee^
I have thee not, and yet I see thee stilly
Art thou not fatal Vision sensible
To feeling y as to sight? or art thou but
a false creation
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed Brain?
Mackbeth,
One of the many satires representing Fox as attempting in his India Bill
to secure the power of the Crown for himself. Cf. Nos. 6276, 6368, &c.
i2Ax8i§in.
6372 PAND[E]MONIUM
J S [Sayers] f plate y 4^^
Published as the Act directs by Thomas Cornell Bruton Street y 12*^
January 1^84
Engraving. Fox is surrounded by his late colleagues, who regard him with
varying expressions. All are H.L. figures closely grouped. Above their
heads and dominating the group is a hatchment with the arms of the Earl of
Rockingham, its comer obscuring the *e' of the title. The motto. In Coelo
QuieSy above a skull and cross-bones, implies that the political situation is
the outcome of Rockingham's death, followed by Fox's resignation. Cf.
Nos. 6010, 601 1, &c. Fox scowls angrily, not looking at his followers.
Portland (1.) and Lord John Cavendish (r.), both in profile, one on each side
of Fox, gaze at each other with expressions of dismay. Above their heads
Keppel (1.) scowls and Lord Derby (r.) grins, saying Hear hear hear. Lord
Stormont (r.), in profile to the r., turns his back on the others with a
satisfied smile as if contemplating apostasy.
8
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Below Fox Lord Carlisle and Lord North gaze up at him, both in profil
perduy North looking through an eye-glass. Burke (r.), in profile to the 1.,
looks up with a distressed expression.
Beneath the design is etched on a scroll :
All these and more came flocking^ but with Looks
Downcast and damp, yet such wherein appeared
Obscure some Glimpse of Joy , to have found their Chief
Not in despair J to have found themselves not lost
In Loss itself y which on his Countenance cast
Like doubtful huCy but he his wonted Pride
Soon recollecting, with high Words that bore
Semblance of Worth not Substance gently raised
Their fainting Courage and dispell' d their Fears
Miltons Paradise lost.
One of several satires in which Fox, dismissed from office, is compared
with Lucifer banished from Paradise, cf. Sayers's Paradise Lost, No. 601 1.
The divided interests of the Coalition are indicated. The other plates of
the series are Nos. 6271, 6276, 6368, 6380. Cf. No. 6627.
iij^XQin.
6373 ORDNANCE SEE-SAW,
Pu¥ by E, Darchry S^ James's Street Janv 12*^' 1784
Engraving. Viscount Townshend (1.) and the Duke of Richmond (r.),
astride on a see-saw composed of a great gun poised on a pyramid of
cannon-balls, compete for the office of Master-general of the Ordnance.
Townshend had succeeded Richmond (12 April 1783) in the Coalition and
Richmond had been re-appointed (23 Dec. 1783) under Pitt, but the
position of the new Ministry was still precarious.
Townshend, holding up his arms, says. Trick & Trick run for the Rubber;
Richmond, whose end is uppermost, looks down, his hands on the gun,
saying, Win or lose, Fll have nothing else. The head of North, appearing
from clouds (1.), directs a blast at Townshend, while the head of Cornwall
(r.), in his Speaker's wig, directs a corresponding blast at Richmond.
Behind each end of the see-saw is a group of figures : behind Townshend,
a woman holding an infant with a ragged child beside her, and two old
soldiers, one with a crutch, saying. By Jasus this is like our lord lieutenant
(Townshend was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1767-72, see No. 5133); the
other, who has a wooden leg, says. Which are we to apply to now.
Behind Richmond is a group of his supporters, and behind them on the
extreme r. is a signpost with four arms pointing respectively to Shoreham,
Dover, Arundel, and Chichester-, at its foot is a milestone inscribed XXIII
Miles. This indicates the powerful influence of Richmond in the county
of Sussex and its boroughs. The supporters (seven) include one, or per-
haps two, sailors, who shout All vote now and Sussex for ever, a short and
stout parson, a man with a civic chain round his neck, and a military officer.
Cornwall was M.P. for Winchelsea at this time, and in the 1784 election
was returned for Rye. The borough of Chichester had been for many years
under the dictatorship of the Duke of Richmond. Oldfield, Representative
History, 1816, v. 10.
In front of the pyramid of cannon-balls supporting the see-saw are
a grenade and two barrels of munitions, one inscribed Oak, the other
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
(cracked) Beach. In the foreground are three maps: one oi Plymouth (1.)
showing the coast and fortifications; one inscribed Portsmouth Gosport
200000, also showing fortifications; and in the centre, a map of England
and Wales inscribed Friar Bacons's Plan to surround all England zvith a
Brasen Wall.
In the air above the centre of the see-saw, among clouds, is a carved
head inscribed Brasen; from one side of the mouth (1.) are the words Time
WaSy from the other (r.) Time is. Roger Bacon in popular legend and chap-
book was a necromancer with a brazen head, cf. Nos. 6436, 7898.
One of many satires on the struggle between Pitt and Fox in Parlia-
ment from 12 Jan. to the dissolution on 25 March, see Nos. 6363, 6375,
6376, 6377, 6379, 6380, 6383, 6384, 6389, 6391, 6398, 6402, 6403, 6404,
6406, 6415, 6417, &c., 6419, 6420, 6437, &c., 6449, 6460, 6461, 6462, 6463,
6469. Richmond's personal interest in the details of the Office of Ordnance
was well known. He had a passion for fortification and projected fortifica-
tions to defend the naval arsenals against invasion. Wraxall, Memoirs ^
1884, iv. 104-6. By an odd coincidence, when the fortifications proposed
by Richmond were discussed in Parliament (27 Feb. 1786), it was Cornwall
the Speaker who gave his casting vote against them, thus defeating the
Government, see No. 6919.
81 X 14! in.
6374 THE TRYUMPH OF PITT, OR THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE
IN THE DUMPS.
Pu¥ as the Act directs Janv 13*^ ^ sold at the City of Bristol, Mint S^
Southwark.
Engraving (coloured impression). The title is that of a song etched beneath
the design. Fox, with a fox's tail, lies prostrate. Pitt strides across him
holding up a document inscribed A more palatable East India Bill by
W. Pitt ; he is saying, O my dear Country men look dozon See how I bestride
your prostrate Enimy; I tread on Artfull Fox and all his Schemes. Fox says :
My Indian Schemes of wealth & I must fall, But that this Boy should ride
me's Worst of all. Burke (1.) stands behind in profile to the r. dressed as a
Jesuit (cf. No. 6026), his hands together as if in prayer; he says. The Lords
have pulVd you dozvn may the Lord raise you up again.
Behind (r.) a building inscribed India house is falling sideways, but is
supported by timber props inscribed respectively The Lords Prop, City of
London Prop, and wicham prop, the last perhaps an allusion to Lord
Mahon, M.P. for Wycombe, a violent opponent of the India Bill (see
No. 6286), or perhaps Lord Shelburne, as in No. 6378. For the India
Bills see Nos. 6271, &c., 6406. The drawing is crude and incorrect.
Beneath the title is engraved :
A Song, tune an Ass in the Chaplet.
I
Ye Muses awhile cmne attend to my Pray^
That the words to the subject mayfitt.
While the Fox & the Badger are lost in dispair
Let us raise up our Voices to Pitt
to Pitt to Pitt &c.
10
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
2
How finely Fox humbug' d the WestminstsW geese^
With a deal of palaver & wit,
Yet all his designs were the Nation to fleece y
But at last he fell in to a Pitt.
a Pitt a Pitt &c,
3
The India reform was a notable plan
Yet the taste of the Lords did not hit
His Schemes they despised & detested the man
Who now has made room for a Pitt
a Pitt, a Pitt, &c.
4
If Brittons were wise & their own good could see
What is for their happiness fit
To preside at the helm who better can be
Than Chatham's descendant a Pitt
a Pitt a Pitt &c,
5 ^
The name in itself has a magical sound
All Europe rembers it yet
When Conquest & Glory Beamed widely aroud
Thro' the wisdom & Virtue of Pitt
of Pitt, of Pitt, &c.
6
Like the Father the Son does in excellence rise
In Eloquence, Honor & Wit,
Then let us all selfish designers despise
But high lift the Bumper to Pitt
to Pitt, to Pitt &c.
For Pitt as Chatham's son cf. No. 5984. For the Fox and Badger cf.
Nos. 6176, 6369, &c.; for the Westminster Geese, No. 5843, &c.
5f X8i^6 in. PI. c. iif X8f in. (cHpped).
6375 THE BATTLE ROYAL, OR WHO WEARS THE BREECHES.
Pu¥ Jany 15 iy84 by W Humphrey 22y Strand
Engraving. The king stands on a dais of five steps watching a tug-of-war
between the opposing parties. He is without his breeches, and these,
inscribed Government, are being tugged at by the two party-leaders, their
followers tugging in a chain behind. He is blindfolded, wears one half only
of a crown, and holds the sword and scales (evenly balanced) of Justice.
On the 1. Fox, with a fox's head, pulls at the breeches. North pulls at
Fox, and Burke at North. The fourth and last man on this side is shorter
than the others and is probably Viscount Townshend, see No. 6373.
The four men on the other side are less clearly characterized (r.). The first
can only be Pitt, though the resemblance is slight; behind him is Shel-
bume, who was not suggested for office at this time; the third has some
resemblance to Lord Sydney, Pitt's Home Secretary.^ The fourth, who
^ The first and third are identified by Mr. Hawkins as Barre and Keppel; this
seems politically impossible, and though there is perhaps a slight resemblance to
Barr^, there is none to Keppel.
II
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
is not pulling with the others but stands on cannon-balls, looking through
a telescope, is the Duke of Richmond, Master of the Ordnance under Pitt,
see No. 6373.
Two framed pictures hang on the wall, one on each side of the king : on
the 1. a shaded rectangle with four stars represents Chaos. On the r. North,
the Devil, and Fox (minute and freely sketched figures) are playing battle-
dore and shuttlecock with the crown, which flies in the air, decorated with
the three feathers of the Prince of Wales, an emblem of the adherence of
the Prince to Fox and his party ; cf . No. 6401, &c. For the struggle between
Pitt and Fox see No. 6373, &c.
8jxi3|in.
6376 THE BROKEN BRIDGE OF ADMINISTRATION
Pu¥ as the Act directs Jany ly 1^84 by J Smith & Sold at AT*' 2 Ped-
lars Acre West^ Bridge
Engraving. Fox and North are on one side (1.) of a broken bridge, the
king (r.), flouting them, is on the other. The broken timbers of the bridge
fall into a stream through the broken masonry of a single arch; they are
inscribed War Office, Treasury, Chancellor Ship, Councill Chamber, Navy
Office, Admiralty. The road (1.) on which Fox and North stand is inscribed
Road to Preferment', the gateway of St. James's Palace is partly visible on
the extreme r., adjacent buildings are inscribed Cleavland Row ; two sentries
stand with muskets. The king stands on the palace side of the broken
bridge, bending down, his back to the ex-ministers, holding out to them
the crown between his legs, he looks towards them through his legs, saying.
Here *s my Crown & You may view it Toll de rol de ri do. North holds Fox's
arm. Fox says. Who woul [wV] have thought his M y had such a Broad
Bottom to support him (cf. No. 6365).
One of many satires on the contest between Pitt and Fox before the
dissolution of Parliament on 25 March, see No. 6373, &c.
8fxi3ftin.
6377 AN HARANGUE ABOUT THE GOOSE.
[? J. Barrow.]
Pu¥ by J. Barrow. Jany ig. 1784. White Lion Bull Stairs, Surry
Side, Black Friars Bridge.
Engraving. Pitt (1.) and Fox (r.) each hold one wing of a large goose
which is flying between them, though a chain is attached to a collar round
its neck, the other end being fixed to a staple at Pitt's feet, where are also
nine large eggs. The goose turns its head towards Pitt, saying, / think
Gentlemen you make me look very silly.
Fox, his r. arm raised in his accustomed orator's gesture (cf. No. 5755),
is saying :
Have I for Britons felt such pangs.
And made so many long harangues.
And having graspt at last the Goose,
Must I be made to let her loose?
12
Pitt answers
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
And must I see her golden joy
Plac'd in the Bosom of a Boy^
Unripe in Judgment y bold in prate.
Unfit to wade the depths of State,
To make us peace, or war to wage.
There is not Judgment in your age.
To lead the British Lion, Pitt,
Thy youth 's unseemly and unfit,
r II give you Sir a proof of this.
You helpt to beg our present peace.
When Monsieur scarce could keep his legs.
Sure, you deserve no golden Eggs,
To give the goose to such a lad,
Enough to make a Fox run mad:
ril have the Goose I now declare.
Or from a Fox, Fll turn a Bear.
Gently wise Sir, nor think your tongue.
Must carry all things right or zurong.
You say you* II have the Goose, But when?
Possession *s nine points out of ten:
And now Fve got her, fast Fll hold.
Yes, pocket too the Eggs of Gold;
Let who will call it getting Pelf,
It *s duty to my King, and self.
You say you* II have the Goose again.
Not surely Fox, in this Kings reign,
But, be not overmuch perplext.
You have a prospect in the next.
Fox and Pitt stand in profile, facing each other, not caricatured.
For Fox and the geese, usually the electors of Westminster or persons
deluded by him, cf. No. 5843, &c. Here the goose is evidently ministerial
office, which Pitt represents as only possible to Fox on the accession of
the Prince of Wales (cf. No. 6401, &c.), although at this time the Foxites
were confident of a speedy return to power. For the struggle in Parliament
see No. 6373, &c. For *our present peace' see No, 6172, &c.
8ftxi3iin.
6378 WHIGGISM, OR MASTER BILLY LEARNING HIS TASK.
Finunt \sic'\ respice [W. Dent.]
Pu¥for S.W. as the Act directs, by J. Cattermoul N"" 3^6 Oxford Street
Janv ig^^ 1784.
Engraving. Thurlow, seated (1.), a birch-rod in his r. hand, in the other
an open book inscribed A new guide to India, looks towards Pitt, who
stands before him dressed as a young girl though wearing a bag- wig. Pitt
stands in profile to the 1. ; to his waist is tied a key marked T. (for Treasury)
which is decorated with bells and resembles a child's coral (cf. No. 7325).
Thurlow was again appointed Chancellor (23 Dec. 1783) on the dismissal
of the Coalition; he wears an enormous Chancellor's wig.
Against the wall which forms the background are objects to indicate the
13
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
nature of the lessons taught in Thurlow^s schoolroom. A bookcase is
inscribed Newbery^s Works ^ indicating the extreme youth of Pitt, Newbery
being the publisher of books for children. It is surmounted by a bust of
Fox, grinning; he is bearded and has satyr's ears; this is inscribed A true
Whig. Beside it (r.) hangs a circular bust portrait of George III as a Roman
emperor. He wears a wreath of thistles. An arm, inscribed Secret Influence^
extends from a tartan plaid on the extreme 1. of the design, the hand hold-
ing a thistle to the nose of the king, indicating the supposed influence of
Bute or of other Scots. The frame of the portrait is decorated with thistles.
Over it is inscribed A great Whig. On the other side of the bust of Fox is
a wall-map in which the face of Shelburne forms the British Isles. His hair
is inscribed Scotland^ below this and across his forehead is an Ecliptic line ;
below are England^ Channel ^ German Ocean (1.), and Wales, Dublin (r.).
A fragment has been torn off, containing ^w[erica] and part of the West
/w[dies] . The map is inscribed British Geography made easy to youth by
Wycombe 1783 (cf. No. 6374), and above it is written A false Whig.
Shelburne was Baron Wycombe in the English peerage until 1784, when
he was created Earl Wycombe and Marquis of Lansdowne. One of many
indications of Shelbume's unpopularity, here attacked for the peace of
1783, see No. 617 1, &c.; it illustrates the danger to Pitt of including him
in his Ministry, cf. Orde's letter to Shelburne, Fitzmaurice, Shelburne,
1912, ii. 284. For Thurlow's part in overtures from the King to Pitt in
1783 cf. No. 7502.
8ftx8Jin.
6379 HIS HIGHNESS THE PROTECTOR
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ Jany ig*^ iy84 by W. Humphrey AT" 227 Strand.
Engraving. Fox, scarcely caricatured, stands before the door of the
Treasury (r.), which is closed with an enormous padlock. He looks
to the 1., holding a dagger in his r. hand, the key of the padlock in his 1.
Beside him (r.) is his watchdog, with the head of North, his star attached
to his collar.
In the background (1.) is a wall, perhaps the wall of the Privy 'Garden, in
front of some buildings. Ballads for sale (or placards) are strung along the
wall, a man sits beside them, three others stand on the pavement.
For the special application of this attack on Fox, as guarding the door
of the Treasury, see No. 6380. One of several satires in which he is com-
pared to Cromwell, see No. 6380, &c. For the struggle between Pitt and
Fox in Parliament before the dissolution, see No. 6373, &c.
1016X7? in.
6380 THE MIRROR OF PATRIOTISM.
JSf. Plate y' 5'^ [SzytTS.]
Published y^ 20*^ January 1^84 hyja^ Bretherton New Bond Street
Engraving. Fox in back view (H.L.) in the attitude of an orator, his r.
hand raised clasping a document. His reflection in a mirror which hangs
on the wall is that of Cromwell in armour, in a similar attitude, with an
angry frown.
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Fox's I. hand rests on a table on which are writing-materials, and a copy
of the [Mornin]^ Chronicle on which can be read, Tuesddiy . . . Hasty Sketch
of yesterdays Business At half past Two o Clock M^ . . . rose and . . . State
of Nation. The document he holds is inscribed Resolution . . . Resolved . . .
Resolved . . . Resolved. A card stuck under the frame of the mirror is faintly
inscribed, — Requested meet (?) the friend of the People (?) speak this evening.
One of a number of satires in which Fox is compared to Cromwell, see
Nos. 6239, &c., 6379, 6384, 6391, 6408, 6412, 6422, 6424, 6457, 6671, 7492,
7630, 7857. See also election squibs reprinted in The Westminster Election,
pp. 96, 98, 105, in which Fox is Oliver Cromwell and intended in his India
Bill *to render himself independent of the Crown and to set himself up
above the laws of his country'. The Morning Chronicle reports the debate
of 12 Jan., when 'the House at half past two in the morning went into
Committee on the State of the Nation' and Fox moved, inter alia, that the
payment of money towards public services after the prorogation or dissolu-
tion of Parliament should be *a high crime and misdemeanour'. Pari. Hist.
xxiv. 299. As a result of this debate Fox, relying on his majority, had
counted on displacing Pitt, attempting to show (against law and precedent)
that the Crown had not the prerogative of dissolution. Russell, Corr. of
FoXy ii. 227 ff. For Fox's attempts to stop supplies see Pari. Hist. xxiv.
299 ff., 581, 595 ff., and Nos. 6379, 6384, 6425, 6434, 6446, 6462, 6481.
The French Ambassador, d'Adhemar, wrote of this print, 'J^ sais de
bonne part que M. Fox a ete sensible a cette caricature.' Britsch, La
Jeunesse de Philippe J^galite, 1926, p. 406. The print is described by
Archenholtz, Tableau d'Angleterrey Bruxelles, 1788, i. 150, and evidently
made a great impression. For the series see No. 6372.
9|x8|in.
6381 A POST HASTE CONVEYANCE FOR S [SCOTTISH]
MEMBERS.
J 5/. [Bayers.]
Published as the Act directs by Ja^ Bretherton New Bond Street
20^^ January 1784
Engraving. A Scotsman enclosed in a letter, from which his head (r.) and
. legs protrude at either end; he lies horizontally, and a signpost (1.) pointing
To London, shows that he is being projected through the air from Scotland
to London. A thistle at the foot of the post indicates Scotland. He has a
raw-boned Scottish countenance, wears a Scots cap and tartan stockings.
The letter is inscribed in large letters To The Majority S^ Stephens
Westm^ Free Duke or no Duke, the franking being further shown by the
word Free in a circle. Portland was accused of corrupting Scottish M.P.S
by a fund for travelling-expenses. Pari. Hist. xxiv. 339 ff.
iiJX9Jin. (pi.).
6382 WAYS AND MEANS FOR 1784
Jany 21'^ 1J84 Pu¥ as y' act directs by J. Langham Russell Street
Cov^ Garden
Engraving. Fox and North as itinerant musicians, much caricatured,
receive plates of broken victuals from a maidservant. North, very bulky
and on a larger scale than Fox, beats a tambourine, he looks downwards,
his tongue protruding (or perhaps he has just caught a penny in his mouth).
15
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Fox has a large hurdy-gurdy slung across his shoulder and supported on
his knee, his other knee is protected from the cobbles of the street by a
small four-legged stool. He holds out his hat to receive the food which
the girl, who leans out from a street door, is slipping into it from a plate.
The Foxites were still counting on success ; for the contest see No. 6373, etc.
8|Xioi|in.
6383 SATAN HARANGUEING HIS TROOPS PREVIOUS TO
ACTION VIDE PARADSE lqST BOOK 5^^
Pu¥ as the act directs Jan^ 22 1784 by W Humphrey 22y Strand
Engraving. Fox (1.), as Satan, stands with the Prince of Wales ; he is address-
ing the serried ranks of the Majority^ in front of whom stand four officers,
each holding a standard: the Duke of Portland (r.) in profile to the I.
wearing a ducal coronet, holds a standard inscribed Belial; next is North
holding a standard inscribed Mammon and decorated also with the points
of the compass, the letter n pointing west towards Fox ; he wears (incor-
rectly) a baron's coronet. Next stands Burke, his standard inscribed
Moleck the Sublime & Beautifull; he wears a Jesuit's biretta (cf. No. 6026)
decorated with a rosary, and large spectacles. Last (1.) stands Keppel,
dressed as a sailor in trousers ; his standard is inscribed Asmodeus or Julias
the 27^*, one of many allusions to the battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778,
which gained him the name of Admiral Lee Shore, see No. 5992, &c.
Behind these four stand men in close ranks holding pikes, freely sketched.
The front rank is inscribed with the word Majority four times repeated.
Fox, from the knee downwards, has the legs of an animal terminating in
cloven hoofs. A fox's brush hanging below his coat is faintly indicated.
He wears a military hat surmounted by the figure of a small dragon with
a forked tongue; on the front of the hat is a fox. From his 1. wrist hangs
an oval mask of his own features, smiling. He stands in profile to the r.,
scowling and saying to his followers :
Will ye submit your necks & chuse to bend
the supple knee? ye will not if I trust
to know ye right . . .
Jar not zvith liberty , but well consist
Who can in reason or in right assume
Prerogative o^er such as live by right
His equals if in power & splendor less
In freedom equal . . .
Much less to look for adoration to tK abuse
Of those Imperial titles which assert
Our being ordain* d^ to govern not to serve
The Prince of Wales, also in profile, stands on the extreme 1. He wears
a crown or coronet surmounted with his three ostrich feathers, and rests
the point of his sword on the ground. He holds Fox's arm and tramples
under foot a paper inscribed Ich Dien.
One of many satires on the struggle between Pitt and Fox in Parliament
from 12 Jan. to the dissolution, see No. 6373, &c. For Fox and the Prince,
see No. 6041, &c. See No. 6482, a sequel by the same artist. For Fox as
Satan see also Nos. 6012, 6392, p. 74, 6585, and cf. No. 6430.
8ftxi3iiin.
16
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6384 THE TIMES— OR A VIEW OF THE OLD HOUSE IN LITTLE
BRITTAIN— WITH NOBODY GOING TO HANNOVER.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ Jany 23, iy84 by W. Humphrey AT^ 22y Strand.
Engraving. On the r. is The old Building, an inn of old-fashioned construc-
tion with a projecting upper story and attic, representing Great Britain
or the Constitution. On the 1. is the king, apparently asleep, driving off
to Hanover in a coach with a crown on its roof. Two men and a barefooted
woman who holds up two naked infants kneel beside the coach in attitudes
of despairing entreaty. In the upper 1. corner of the print, above the coach,
an eye looks towards the *01d House' labelled, Turn out those Robbers and
repair the House.
The robbers in possession are members of the Coalition. The lowest
story, stone-built and solid but sinking beneath the weight of the upper
floors, is inscribed Public Credit, a large padlocked gate being inscribed
Funds. Outside it sits Fox, in the form of a fox, on a stone inscribed
Protectory he points towards the padlock. A chain attached to his waist is
attached to a curving pillar, inscribed Coalition, which is the bending
support of a balcony. Beside him, seated on a turnstile, is North saying,
Give me my Ease And do as you Please. On the other side of the gateway
the crown stands on a block inscribed To be Sold.
The first floor is supported by two massive beams or props, one. The
Lords, being intact (indicating the part taken by the Lords in rejecting the
India Bill), the other. Prerogative of the Crown, is almost chopped through
by one of two lawyers in a first-floor window inscribed y' two Lawyers', he
sits with one leg over the sill wielding an axe. Beside him projects from a
beam the sign of the house. Magna Charta, a torn document with a
pendant seal; the signboard is dropping down. He is Lee the Attorney-
General, pilloried for his speech on the East India Company's Charter, see
No. 6364, &c. Next him is another lawyer, who shakes his clenched fist
towards Magna Charta. He is perhaps James Mansfield (1733-1821) who
succeeded Lee as Solicitor-General (Nov. 19) on the death of Wallace.
The first-floor balcony, an excrescence on the original structure sup-
ported by the pillar Coalition, extends round the corner of the house above
Fox and North. It is filled with revellers: a harlequin leans over it, next
him is Burke, who blows a long trumpet from which issue the words
Sheridan Sheridan Sheridan dan Sher idan, pointing towards a group on
his 1. which includes a man (Sheridan?) flourishing a bottle and dressed
as a clown or zany (cf. No. 7273), and two women, one of whom resembles
the Duchess of Devonshire. Beside her a large flag projects from the
balcony, Man of the People; on it is a fox's brush. On the rails of the
balcony is a placard Here 's the Whore of Babylon the Devil and the Pope.
The wall behind is inscribed The old Building.
The projecting windowless attic or cornice is divided, in front of the
house, into partitions numbered from i to 10. Round the comer (r.) the
wall is inscribed The accursed 10 years American War fomented by opposition
and misconducted by a timid Minister. The roof is composed of stones or
large irregular slates, on each of which is the word Tax, showing that the
security of the house is endangered by the weight of taxes. On it sits a
bird, probably a raven of ill omen.
The fact that the Coalition is in possession of the house well illustrates
17 C
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
the insecurity of Pitt and confidence of Fox. Cf . Russell, Corr. of C. J. Fox^
1883, ii. 227, and No. 6373, &c. For Fox's attempt to keep the Treasury-
padlocked see No. 6380, &c. For the king's recurrent desire to go to
Hanover when indignant at English politics cf. Nos. 6007, 6185. Fox is
compared with Cromwell by the word Trotector', see No. 6380, &c.
The original drawing for this is in the Print Room. The inscriptions are
identical with those on the plate, except that the word Sheridan emerging
four times from Burke's trumpet is written Sher- dan, (201 c. 6/20.)
Grego, Rowlandsoriy i. 1 14-15.
8^X13 in.
6385 BACK STAIRS STATESMEN— IN CONSULTATION WITH
M ^Y
Jany 26^^ iy84 Pu¥ hy E. Darchery S^ James's Street.
Engraving. George III (Majesty) enthroned on a dais of two steps. Behind
his chair, half-hidden, is Bute in Highland dress, his cap decorated with
a small boot. On the king's r. is Thurlow with the body of a bird of prey;
he stands in profile to the r., wearing his Chancellor's wig. On his 1. is a
serpent with a barbed tail, and a human head intended for that of Pitt ; it is
suspended in the air, looking towards the king, who says. Go to myfaithfull
Janazaries; Order them to repair to the DivaUy & do instant execution on the
Vizar.
In the foreground (r.) Britannia sits on the ground asleep. A statesman
wearing a ribbon, partly cut off by the r. margin of the print, leans towards
her, touching her shoulder and saying, Theives! Theives! Zounds awake
Madam, or you'll have your Throat cut. He is perhaps intended for Lord
John Cavendish. "^
One of the few attacks on Pitt's Ministry before the dissolution; it is
significant that neither Fox, North, nor Burke appears. For Scottish
influence cf. No. 6387, and for 'secret influence' in general No. 6417, &c.
For Thurlow cf. No. 7502. For George III as an oriental despot cf. No.
6608, &c.
7|Xi2|in.
6386 THE FOX HUNT OR VIEW HOLLA! FROM LEADENHALL
STREET.
[? Ceilings.]
Pu¥ Jany 2f^ 1784, hy W, Welky N° 132, opposite Salisbury Court)
Fleet Street.
Engraving. A scene in front of the East India House, Leadenhall Street,
which forms the background. A fox (C. J. Fox) is being hunted by three
dogs, who are being huUoa'd on by two men with huntsmen's whips and
a number of spectators, two of the most prominent being Jews. They
evidently represent City and East India interests. The fox turns round to
snarl at a greyhound whose collar is inscribed Pitt. His India bill, which is
blazing, is tied to his tail, and to it is tied a brick-shaped box inscribed
MT [empty] . The other dogs are a bulldog with Thurlo on his collar, and
a small spaniel who is T^w[ple].
* He is identified by Mr. Hawkins as Temple, but as the print is directed against
*back-stairs' influence and the new Ministry, this appears impossible.
18
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
For the defeat of Fox's India Bill see Nos. 6283, 6368, &c. Cf. also
No. 6519.
8ixi2i|in.
6387 THE FOX HUNT.
[W. Dent.]
Pu¥ for H.B,^ as the Act directs, by J. Cattermoul, N<' 376, Oxford
Street, Javy 29^* 17S4,
Engraving. Fox, as a fox with a human head, is being chased (1. to r.) by-
dogs with human heads, by two huntsmen on foot, and by Lord Temple
riding on the king, an ass with the face of George HI. Partly visible on the
extreme 1. is a high stone arch, surmounted by a crown and a thistle, and
inscribed Starting Place. From it Temple has just emerged; his jockey
cap is inscribed Stow (the name of his estate) to make his identity clear ;
from his mouth protrudes a long tongue inscribed Rumor, his coat is
patterned with what appear to be tongues. On his cap stands Rumour as a
small woman with ass's ears, blowing a trumpet. The rein in the king's
mouth is inscribed Secret influence. Temple holds a whip whose broad
lash is inscribed Prerogative to indicate his message to the House of Lords
on the king's wish for the defeat of the India Bill, see Nos. 6283, 6417, &c.
Seated behind him on the ass's back is a demon wearing a tartan plaid, to
indicate that an evil Scottish influence still prevails as in the days of Bute
(cf. No. 6385).
The dogs' heads are profile portraits: the foremost couple are Pitt and
Thurlow; a key inscribed T (for Treasury) hangs from Pitt's collar, which
is inscribed Castril. Thurlow wears his Chancellor's wig; his collar is in-
scribed Beetle Brow and a disk representing the Great Seal is fastened to it.
Behind him is Richmond, wearing his ribbon and star; his collar is inscribed
Ordnance and it is fastened by a cannon-ball. Behind Pitt is Dundas, his
collar inscribed Thistle. The hindmost dog is Lord Nugent, his collar
inscribed Old Rat (see No. 6059, &c.).
The two pedestrians are both dressed in long legal gowns, and both blow
horns, the foremost (Pepper Arden) blowing Char — Char — Charters, the
other (Kenyon) Char — Charters. The words signify the exploitation by
the opponents of the Coalition of the attack on chartered rights involved
in the India Bill, cf. No. 6364, &c. Arden, Pitt's friend and Solicitor-
General, was one of the most indefatigable opponents of Fox's India Bill.
Wraxall, Memoirs, 1884, iii. 206-7.
Fox's brush is inscribed Coalition — Receipt tax (see No. 6243, &c.)
India Bill (see No. 6271, &c.). Beside him is a signpost pointing To
Brookes' s', it is decorated with dice and surmounted by a dice-box, indi-
cating that Fox out of office must return to the gaming-table for support,
cf. No. 6013.
Two heads look down upon the chase from the sky : above Temple and the
King, Shelburne's smiling face (1.) is the centre of rays ; above Fox (r.) North's
head emerges from clouds directing a blast at Pitt to impede his progress.
This satire, while mainly directed against Pitt's Ministry, see No. 6417,
&c., also pillories Fox, cf. No. 6400. For the king as an ass cf. Nos. 5669,
5683, 6007, 7308.
8|xi3|in.
' The words 'for H.B.' are scored through.
19
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
6388 A BEAST OF PREY. TALLY TALLY . . HO
First Sketch, published JarP 2g iy84 as the act directs, by S. Fores
Ar« 3 Piccadilly.
Engraving. Fox, as a fox with a human head, speeds over the ground (r.
to 1.), covering in his stride a wide expanse of country.
Other prints in this series are Nos. 6407, 6412.
3|x6^in.
6389 GUY VAUX OR F BLOWING UP THE PAR ^T
HOUSE!!!
Pu¥ as the Act directs Jany 30 1784 by B. Walwyn N. 2 Pedlars Acre
West* Bridge
Engraving. Fox, in the foreground (1.) holding a firebrand, leans back-
wards as he watches the Parliament House (r.) rise shattered in a vast
explosion which extends to the adjacent buildings. A path inscribed Train
of False Patriotism leads from his feet to the explosion. His cap appears
to be part of a dark lantern ; on it stands the minute figure of the Devil
holding a trident. His flaming brand is inscribed Oratory y in his 1. hand
he holds a garment inscribed Cloak of Deceit. The pavement on which he
stands is inscribed Loyalty. From Fox's pocket hang three papers inscribed
respectively, Dear F. . . y Louis (with a fleur-de-lis seal or cipher) — indi-
cating the attitude of Fox towards the recent war, cf. Nos. 6239, ^393*
Majority 8; and Satan Spe[ech]. The majority against Pitt's India Bill
on 23 Jan. was only eight. Pari. Hist. xxiv. 412.
The explosion is inscribed Gunpowder of Dissention and Messauge from
the (followed by a small crown). Flying into the air with the Parliament
House are a crown, Pitts India Bill and Mutiny Bill (Fox having carried
a resolution on 12 Jan. (see No. 6380) postponing the second reading of the
Mutiny Bill till 23 Feb.
In the distance, watching the explosion, is a group inscribed Conspirators.
Prominent among them are North, Burke as a Jesuit (cf. No. 6026) holding
a book and a rosary, Keppel holding a flag inscribed 2 y July (the date of the
battle of Ushant, 1778, see No. 5992, &c.).
One of many satires on the contest between Pitt and Fox before the
dissolution, see No. 6373, &c. For Fox as Guy Vaux see Nos. 6007, 6022,
6478, 6583, 6593, 7861.
i2^X9i6in.
6390 S TH PILGRIMS ON THEIR JOURNEY TO ST STEPHENS
CHAPEL IN OBEDIANCE TO THE ORDER OF THEIR HIGH
PRIEST
Pu¥ asy' Act directs Janv 1784 by J Smith & sold at AT" 66 Drury
Lane [address of Holland].
Engraving. Scottish members of Parliament walk from Scotland, a sign-
post (1.) pointing along the Road to preferment. On the extreme 1., on the
farther side of a stream inscribed Tweedy part of an emaciated figure in
tartan is visible. He is inscribed Famine; a thistle grows at his feet. His
head is outside the picture, but he is saying ;
20
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
My Sons lett Intrest be your God
& crouch beneath the premiers nod
Nor lett the loss of honest name
Impede your daring rise to fame.
On the south side of the Tweed (r.) are four Scotsmen, variously clad
in tartan, all with thistles in their caps. The first two are back to back and
are dancing a Scottish reel, with satisfied smiles ; one is singing :
Over the water &' over the lee
& over the water to . . . [Charley].
In front of this pair walks a man in a tartan plaid and bare legs ; he carries
his tartan breeches on a pole across his shoulder; they are labelled Instruc-
tions for Members of P 1. He may be intended for Dundas, through
whom the Scottish patronage was exercised, and who managed the elections
of Scotjtish M.P.S and representative peers. The foremost figure on the
extreme r. supports himself on two sticks ; he is saying Thanks to my Wise
Nephew for this journey. He is probably Lord Adam Gordon, uncle of the
fourth Duke of Gordon, M.P. jfor Kincardineshire and conmiander of the
forces in Scotland. In the background four shadowy figures on a small
scale represent other Scots on the way to Westminster, two of them carry
their breeches on sticks over their shoulders.
A satire on the poverty of Scotland and the subservience and self-
interest of Scottish M.P.S. For the allegation of Jacobitism cf. No. 5667.
8xi2| in.
6391 SCOTCH ELOQUENCE OR THE DETERMINATION OF A
LOYAL KINGDOM.
/. C. del [? Cruikshank.]
Published according to Act of Pari* Jany 30*^ 1784
Engraving. Fox (1.) holds a standard inscribed The Protector's Standard.
On the top of its staff is a cock, cf. No. 6564. Behind him is a crowd
of his supporters, on a small scale but with standards inscribed Confus[ed\
order ^ Vox Populiy Anarchy, and mobility. He holds his hat in one hand.
Confronting him (r.) is a Scots officer in a Highland regiment, drawing his
sword. Behind the Scot is a table on which is a crown inscribed This Pll
ever deffend. Behind is a pyramid.
One of the few prints favourable to the Scots, cf. No. 5534. The Scot
probably represents the attitude of Scottish M.P.S in general, see No.
6390. *M^ Adam' is written in an old hand, but Adam, in spite of his duel
with Fox, see No. 5575, was a firm adherent of the Coalition. Dundas
would be possible. For Fox as Cromwell see No. 6380, &c. For the contest
in Parliament between Pitt and Fox, No. 6373, &c.
7ixiiiin.
6392 THE FOUL FIEND DISCOVERD OR THE GUARDIAN
ANGEL OF BRITAIN UNMASKING THE DEVIL
T [or JI C 1784 [ ? Cruikshank.] [c. Jan.]
Publish [sic'\ according to Act of Parliament
Engraving (coloured impression). An angel (1.) seizes Fox by the r. arm,
and removes a mask (of his own features) from his face, revealing the face
21
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
of a devil, which from its bushy eyebrows and long nose has a certain
resemblance to Fox. To ward off the angel, Fox, who has talons in place
of finger-nails, holds out his 1. hand. He has a barbed tail; a fox's brush,
just cut off, lies on the ground. The angel is probably intended for Pitt,
though the characterization is vague.
In the background (r.) is a fire in whose flames are the figures of three
minute demons; two demons with webbed wings fly between Fox and the
fire; one has the features of Burke, the other appears intended for North.
For Fox as Satan cf. No. 6383, &c.
711x81 in.
6393 [FRONTISPIECE TO 'THE BEAUTIES OF FOX, NORTH,
AND BURKE'] [Jan. 1784^]
Engraving. Design in a circle. A group of three bust portraits, that of
Fox (1.) facing T.Q. to r., Burke slightly behind him, and looking in the
same direction. North in profile to the r.
The pamphlet consisted of quotations from the speeches of the three
politicians before the Coalition, violently attacking each other, cf. No.
6187, &c. See also Nos. 6365, 6369, 6399, 6609, 6615.
4I in. diam.
A copy of this print (diam. 4I in.) is a heading to broadsides on the
Westminster Election. (In collection of squibs, &c., in the Guildhall
Library.)
6393 A Another impression, the heading to an advertisement of the third
edition of the book, Feb. 1784. The advertisement heads a large sheet of
three closely-printed columns, giving an exhaustive and attractive table of
contents.
This 'celebrated Index' was said to have been used with great effect in
the elections. Morning Posty 6 Apr. 1784.
Size of bill, 22f X 11 in. (margins perhaps cut).
This has the word frontispiece engraved above the design, which has
been cut off No. 6393.
6393 B A copy issued as the frontispiece to the 'Beauties and Deformities
of Fox, North, and Burke', an amalgamation of the 'Beauties . . .' with
'The Deformities of Fox and Burke', both books being published by
J. Stockdale. To this is attached another print, see No. 641 1, the whole
making a folding frontispiece :
Published as the Act directs Febv 16. 1784, by J, Stockdale,
3I in. diam. B.M.L. 12301. b. 14.
6393 c A copy in woodcut called the cerberus is on the last of four folio
pages, as the heading to an index of 'The Beauties' in four columns, not
identical with that of No. 6393 A. Beneath is engraved:
Cerberus hcec ingens latratu regna trifauci
Personat, &c. &c — Virg
On the other pages are a review of the book from the English Review for
Feb. 1784; an address by Josiah Tucker, dated i March 1784, on the
' The preface is dated 9 Ian. 1784.
22
I
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
'Cardinal Point' between the king and the House of Lords on one side
and the House of Commons on the other; a Hst of M.P.s divided into
those who supported Mr. Pitt and the Constitution, and those who voted
against him, dated 19 March 1784. This was election propaganda, pub-
hshed by Stockdale, Trice 6d. each; il. is. per Hundred, or 81. 8s. per
Thousand'.
4f in. diam. B.M.L. 1890. e. 22, fo. 3.
6394 THE RISE OF INDIA STOCK, & SINKING FUND OF
OPPRESSION. [c. Jan. 1784]
Published as y^ act directs
Engraving. George III stands facing a large pair of scales, the beam
inscribed Right weighed against Oppression. He is in back view, his head
turned in profile to the r. ; in his r. hand is a sword inscribed Perogative
with which he has just cut the three supports of the r.-hand scale which
falls upside down; North and Fox, holding the severed supports, fall head
downwards towards a pool inscribed Mire of Opposition. The king says,
To preserve Justice ^ Villainy must fall. In the other scale (1.) is the India
HousCy its fa9ade roughly depicted; this is supported by the king's 1. hand,
his arm being inscribed Government Security. The three supports of this
scale are inscribed Rights ^ Charters & Privileges. \ Sovreign protection^ and
Laws defence. The three supports of the other scale are Possession of
Property y held by Fox, Love of Power, held by North, and Influence &
Oppression held by both. Fox says This is the most dirty fall, I ever had;
North says / am fallen, never to rise again.
The date of this may be any time after the defeat of the India Bill in the
Lords, cf. Nos. 6286, 6368, &c., and before the dissolution of Parliament
on 24 March, it was probably issued early in 1784.
One of several prints approving the king's action against the India Bill,
see No. 6409, &c.
i3fX9|in.
6395 AMBITIO
/ B [J. Boyne.] [Plate, i]
Publish,d by E. Hedges N"" g2 Cornhill Feb i. iy84
Engraving. Fox dressed as an Eastern prince, in Turkish trousers, a
striped tunic, and a long robe which trails on the ground. He stands looking
over his r. shoulder with an arrogant expression, his r. hand on his hip, a
rolled document, evidently the India Bill, held out in his 1. hand. For
Fox's ambition, cf. No. 6380, &c. A companion print to Nos. 6396, 6433,
6472.
7AX4iiin.
6395 a [CARLO KHAN]
/ B [J. Boyne.] Plate, i
An earlier impression of No. 6395, without imprint, the title written in ink.
For Fox as Carlo Khan see Nos. 6276, 6285, 6462, &c.
23
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
6396 IGNAVIA
/ B [J. Boyne.] Plate 2.
Puhlis.d by E. Hedges N^ g2 Cornhill Febv 1 1^84
Engraving. North seated in a chair asleep, facing the spectator, head rest-
ing on his r. shoulder. He wears Turkish trousers and is wrapped in a
long voluminous robe (symbolizing the India Bill, see No. 6368, &c.)
similar to that worn by Fox in No. 6395, a companion print.
7AX4iiin.
6397 THE GRAND CRICKET MATCH [i Feb. 1784.]
Engraving. From the Rambler* s Magazine. A game of cricket. The bats-
man, Dorset (r.), wears riding-boots and stands with his back to the bowler,
looking over his r. shoulder; he says, My Notches against any Man in
France for 1000. The bowler, who wears jack-boots, says, Begar me vill
knock down his Stumps. There are five fieldsmen, one American, the
others French; they say (1. to r.): Me vill catch him out at first Stroke; He
plays well at de Cricket y he be one very good Ambassadeur; He be very clever
at getting de Notches; He no speak in de Senate but he be one bon Cricketer.
The last fieldsman has a tuft of feathers on his head showing he is American ;
he says. If you play' d for 13 Provinces you' d lose.
A satire on the appointment of the Duke of Dorset as ambassador to
France, see No. 6370. He was a noted cricketer. The text satirizes his lack
of esprit and political capacity.
3ix6i|in.
6398 THE RIVAL QUACKS.
Pu¥ as y Act directs Febv 2 1784 by B Walwyn N"* 2 Pedlars Acre
WesV Bridge.
Engraving. Two adjacent stages, on which stand the quack doctors, Pitt (1.)
and Fox (r.), addressing the mob, each with his assistant and his zany, and
each protected by an umbrella supported on a long slanting pole. Pitt's
umbrella is inscribed D^ Pittardo^ his stage (1.) is inscribed Rigestir \sic'\
Office where Servants may hear of good places . He stands in the attitude of
an orator, his hat in his hand. On the front of his stage, their legs dangling,
sit his assistants : the Duke of Richmond (1.), his Garter ribbon inscribed
RichmondunguSy holds out a bill in each hand. Receipt Tax Repeald and
Youth an Enormous Crime. For the unpopular Receipt Tax see No. 6243,
&c. At the other side sits the zany, then the usual attendant of the itinerant
quack doctor (cf. No. 8183); he is smiling and appears to be dipping a
spoon into a box inscribed Treasury.^ His hat is inscribed Sec^
showing that he is George Rose, re-appointed Secretary to the
by Pitt.
Fox stands, holding his hat, his 1. fist raised. His umbrella is
D^ Renardo &c.'y on its apex is a small fox standing on its head,
form (r.) is inscribed The Art of Gaming taught & Practised in all its
Branches by. His zany, sitting on the 1. corner of the platform, is iBurke,
his hat inscribed BurkobuSy a rosary hanging from his waist indicating the
Jesuit (cf. No. 6026). He holds out a bill in each hand inscribed To the
' He is perhaps banging on a salt-box, cf. No. 7067.
24 i
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Independent Electors of West — and An Address to his M y. At the back
of the stage, facing the spectators behind it, sits North, his Garter ribbon
inscribed Punch Lethargo. He wears a bag-wig, but his paunch, outlined
with buttons, indicates Punch. He holds out a bottle labelled Cathartic
Drops, in the other hand is a bill. Motion Pills for Members.
In front are the heads and shoulders of the audience, a bald head in front
of Fox inscribed An MT [empty] house indicates Sam House. In the back-
ground buildings are freely sketched. Behind Pitt is the India house \ three
small figures stand on its roof waving their hats. In the centre, between
Pitt and Fox, is S*^ Stephens.
One of many satires on the contest between Pitt and Fox before the
dissolution, see No. 6373, &c.
6|XiOi|in.
6399 THE COALITION BALLOON, 1784.
Pu¥ by E. Dachery as y^ act directs Feby 2^ 17S4, S^ James's Street.
Engraving. Fox (with a fox's head) and North are being dragged into the
air by ropes hanging from a circular balloon and attached to their necks ;
their heads hang limply. Long scrolls issue from their mouths. North
saying. Would I might be Hang'd, To be Hang'd with you my Dear with
yoUy Fox saying, & I would so too.
The scene is the riverside, a bank in the foreground (r.) being crowded
with men, waving their hats and huzzaing; twelve labels which issue from
them being inscribed respectively r. to 1.: Huzza, O be Joyfull \ Huzza;
Huzza [twice] | Huzza; Old England for ever \ There they go, good luck go
with them. Huzza; Huzza. \ Huzza; Huzza. \ Huzza; poor Devils, how
richly they deserve their fate \ Huzza ; it is a pity they were not Hang'd 7
Years ago. \ Never did Rope fit better \ & never was exaltation more proper \
what Joy to poor old England. \ Huzza; Huzza. A curve of the river shows
a crowd of spectators in the distance, there are boats with flags as if for
a regatta, and on the farther side of the water the buildings, including
(?) St. Paul's and the Tower, are flying flags.
Inset in the design is a rectangle (r.) inscribed This Print is most Humbly
Inscribed to by his most obedient Humble Servant James
Mackdoodle.
One of many satires on the fall of the Coalition, see Nos. 6286, &c.,
6365, 6369, 6405, 6409, 6414, 6419, 6443, 6448, 6450, 6454, 6455, 6458,
6489, 6673, 6674. Cf- No. 6373, &c.
7^X1 if in.
6400 POLITICAL GAME OF SHUTTLECOCK OR FLUCTUA-
TION OF INDIA STOCK
Pu¥ as y^ act directs Feby 3 1784 by B. Walwyn N"^ 2 Pedlars Acre
WesV Bridge
Engraving (coloured impression). Pitt (1.) and Fox (r.) playing battledore
and shuttlecock with the East India House, which is in the air between
them, upside down, its roof inscribed India House, a small figure of the
king, wearing his crown, holding to its side. Pitt's battledore is inscribed
Royal Confidence, that of Fox, Majority.
Behind Fox, in the middle distance, stands the Devil holding a trident,
and farther off", two small demons. The sun is setting behind them, a face
25
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
in its disk. In the centre of the horizon is a precipitous mound inscribed
Mount of Power with the Temple of Fame on its summit. The road up to
this from the ground is inscribed Road of true Patriotism Now Untrode.
The temple is irradiated.
One of many satires on the contest between Pitt and Fox before the
dissolution, see No. 6373, &c. Its condemnation of both parties is excep-
tional. Cf. Nos. 6387, 6428.
8i^Xi3in.
6401 POLITICAL SCULPTERS.
Published by E. Hedges N^" 92 Cornhill Febv 3 1^84
Engraving. Fox (1.) chisels a bust of the Prince of Wales, while North (r.)
turns aside to sharpen a chisel on a stone. The bust, in profile to the 1.,
stands on a rectangular pedestal inscribed Extremly docile, easy moddeVd
into Vice and exceeding soft about the head. The intention of the portrait is
realistic, but the likeness is poor. Fox kneels in profile to the r., his chisel
resting on the bust is inscribed Vice, in his r. hand he raises a mallet
inscribed Distruction; he has a complacent expression. North kneels on
the r. side of the bust directed to the r., frowning with an expression of
angry distress.
See also No. 6971, &c. For the relations of Fox and the Prince of Wales
cf. Nos. 6231, &c., 6375, 6377, 6383, 6439, 6451, 6468, 6528, 6535, 6546,
6585, 6593, 6771, 6772, 6782, 681 1, 6928, &c., 6974, 7162. See also prints
on the Regency, No. 7377, &c.
7fXiiiin.
6402 THE INFANT HERCULES.
[Rowlandson.]
Pub^ Feby f 1784 by W. Humphrey N^ 227 Strand.
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). Pitt, as a naked infant
seated on a circular shield inscribed Shield of Chatham, grasps by the neck
twin serpents; one has the head of Fox (1.), the other that of North. Fox
has an expression of contempt. North one of distress ; their bodies, the tips
of which have been already cut off, extend (1.) from the shield intertwined,
that of Fox being inscribed East India Bill, that of North, American War.
Pitt, whose chubby childish face has no resemblance to that of the Minister,
gazes straight before him, saying These were your Ministers.
One of many satires on the struggle between Pitt and Fox before the
dissolution of Parliament, see No. 6373, &c.
Similar in intention and character to No. 6403.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 115.
7lfXi2f in.
6403 BRITTANNIA ROUSED, OR THE COALITION MONSTERS
DESTROYED [3 Feb. 1784]^
[Rowlandson.]
Engraving. Britannia, a massive giantess, has seized Fox in her r. hand,
North in her 1., and is dashing them to destruction. She holds Fox above
' So dated by Mr. Hawkins and Grego.
26
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
her head by the r. ankle while she grasps North round the neck. Their open
mouths and outstretched arms express terror. She is a draped figure, nude
from the waist upwards, cut off below the knees by the margin of the print.
Her shield and cap of Liberty on its staff are beside her (1.). A streaming
cloak and freely sketched clouds add to the sense of rapid movement.
Similar in intention and character to No. 6402.
Reissued, History of the Westminster Election y p. 95.
Grego, Rowlandsony i. 116 (reproduction).
9fX7iiin.
6404 DISSOLUTION
Pu¥ as y' Act directs Febv 6 1784 by B. Walwyn N"" 2 Pedlars Acre
West' Bridge.
Engraving. The king sits in a four-wheeled open car supported on clouds,
hurling thunderbolts inscribed Thunder of Disolution^ at Fox, North, and
Burke (1.) who are falling into an abyss from which flames arise. The king
is in profile to the 1. wearing a crown; three other crowns fall from him
after the dismissed Ministers, while a fourth, broken, and inscribed India^
has fallen from Fox's head. The car is propelled from behind by a chain of
four nien who push each other's shoulders ; the foremost is Pitt, inscribed
P, next is a man inscribed J"., poorly characterized and representing either
Thurlow or Temple (who resigned 23 Dec. 1783). Next comes Richmond,
inscribed R. ; Sydney, inscribed *S., is last. The chair is about to fall from
its supporting clouds into the abyss ; its hind wheel is inscribed Mon Droit
and four of its spokes are axes.
George III, by the rash use of his prerogative of dissolution, seems about
to follow the Coalition Ministry to disaster. At this time the Foxites were
protesting against the Crown's prerogative of dissolution. Russell, Corr, of
Fox, ii. 230; Pari. Hist. xxiv. 303, &c. See No. 6373, &c.
9-1X13 1 in.
6405 GEORGE AND THE DRAGON.
Pu¥ as the act directs Febv 7 1784 by B. Walwyn N" 2 Pedlars Acr
\sic\ WesV Bridge
Engraving. George III on horseback, about to strike down a three-headed
dragon, with the heads of Fox, North, and Burke, which is under the hoofs of
his rearing horse. The monster has webbed wings with a serpent-like body,
its tail is barbed, and from the mouth of each head issues a barbed dart.
One of many satires on the fall of the Coalition, see No. 6399, ^^•>
several directly indicating the popularity of the king's action, see Nos. 6285,
6286, 6368, 6394, 6409, 6419, 6441, 6443, 6466, 6512, 6601.
7jXiof in.
6406 BILLY LACKBEARD AND CHARLEY BLACKBEARD PLAY-
ING AT FOOTBALL.
B [Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ Feby f^ 1784 by W. Humphrey AT^ 227 Strand.
Engraving. Pitt (1.) and Fox (r.) stand facing each other in profile, each
with his 1. leg raised, and looking up at the India House, upside-down in
27
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
the air, which they are treating as a football. Pitt is slim and elegant;
behind him on a reading-desk is an open volume inscribed Blackstone^ to
show that Pitt (a barrister) had studied law. Behind Fox a table is partly
visible showing dice-box and dice; at his feet are playing-cards.
One of many satires on the contest between Pitt and Fox before the
dissolution, see No. 6373, &c. For Fox's India Bill, see Nos. 6271, 6368,
&c. Pitt's first India Bill was defeated on 23 Jan. by a majority of eight
only, and Fox obtained leave to bring in a new India Bill. Cf . No. 6462 ;
Pari. Hist. xxiv. 392 ff.; Rose, Pitt and National Revival^ pp. 162-3.
Grego, Gillray^ i. 117.
8|Xi2jin.
6407 ANTICIPATION
Second Sketch — Published Fehv 9.1 iy84 as the act directs by S Fores
iV^ 3 Piccadilly
Etching (coloured and uncoloured impressions). , Fox (1.) and North (r.),
stripped to the waist, are engaged in a pugilistic encounter. Fox's torso is
so hairy that it suggests the effect of tarring and feathering. They stand
in profile with clenched fists. Fox's left being near North's nose ; both are
fat, clumsy, and muscular.
Above Fox's head is etched,
Thiis let me wipe dishonor from my name^
And hurl thee from the earthy thou stain to goodness —
Above North's,
Perdition take thee, villainy for thy falshood!
Now nothing but thy life can make atonement
There was no foundation for the suggestion of antagonism between Fox
and North. Cf. No. 6393.
Other prints in this series are Nos. 6388, 6412.
7jX7ftin.
6408 THE HISTORICAL PAINTER
W, D. [Dent.]
Pu¥ as the Act directs, by J. Cattermouly N"* 3y6 Oxford Street, Feb.
10*^ 1784,
Engraving. Fox, as Cromwell, in a travesty of seventeenth-century dress,
paints a picture of the execution of Charles I. The picture is supported
at an angle on a table or stand and rests against the wall. Fox's palette is
the base of a crown, his brush is a sceptre, the point of which he holds
against the head of the prostrate king.
The picture represents the king face downwards, six men standing
behind him, one the headsman with an axe, another a man holding an open
book. The background is the fa9ade of the Banqueting House. In the
foreground are two symmetrical rows of flat circular hats representing the
heads of spectators. The frame is inscribed Outlines and (below) Jaw. 30.
Fox wears a cloak, slashed doublet and breeches, a high-crowned hat
* For an unpublished print dated 9 Feb. see No. 8244.
28
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
in which a large fox's brush takes the place of a feather ; this is inscribed
The Man of Moderation. He stands in profile to the r., painting with a
complacent expression. Behind him stands Justice (1.) with her sword
(inscribed Justice) raised to strike. In her 1. hand she holds scales ; in the
higher scale (r.) sits a fox, which is much outweighed by the other, inscribed
Loyalty. She stands in front of a pillar inscribed Pro rege^ lege, grege. In
the foreground, in front of Fox, lies a sword partly drawn from the
scabbard, its blade inscribed Commonwealth. Against its hilt is propped
an open book, Patriotism by C. Cromwell. A cat of demon-like appearance
crouches towards the book.
Another picture hangs above that on which he is working. It represents
a fox (1.) standing on its hind legs and presenting a document inscribed
Independence to America in the guise of an Indian brave (r.) ; it holds the
cap of Liberty on a staff. Behind the fox is a setting sun; another (? rising)
sun shines down upon the Indian ; both have faces.
One of many satires representing Fox as Cromwell. See No. 6380, &c.
For Fox and America cf. No. 5987.
8ix8|in.
6409 THE DIVIDEND OR HALF A CROWN IN THE POUND
Pub Feby 12 1784 by
Engraving. George III sits in a small rectangular enclosure or pound
formed on three sides by horizontal rails, three corner-posts being serpents
with the heads of Fox, North, and Burke. On each rail is the word
Faction ; the body of Burke (1.) is inscribed Deceit^ of Fox, Ambitiony of
North (r.). Envy; to the back of each neck is attached a pair of wings. The
fourth side of the pound is a stone wall, on which is a sign with a hand
pointing The way to the House of L .
The king is seated in profile to the 1. on a pumpkin-shaped seat inscribed
Preroga\tiv€\ ; he wears an ermine-trimmed robe but no crown. He says,
/ will maintain my Dignity tho^ I have But Half a Crown left. At his feet lies
a crown (half-obscured by Fox's serpentine tail) and a broken sceptre. The
tails of Fox and North are knotted together; that of Burke touches that
of Fox.
In the background (r.) is Fox as a fox, walking on his hind legs and lead-
ing a number of asses by a string attached to their noses. A signpost shows
that they are going To oblivion. The asses say / am a representative and
we are all trew members. This group, which is on a minute scale, is
inscribed S^ Stephen's Plain.
One of several satires indicating the popularity of the king's action in
the defeat of the Coalition, see No. 6405, &c.
7^5X11 in. (pi.).
6410 THE GHOST OF OLIVER CROMWELL
Published by E. Hedges N° g2 Cornhill, Febv 14^^ 1784
Engraving. A witch seated beside her cauldron evokes the ghost of Crom-
well, who rises from clouds (1.) wearing armour to look fiercely at Fox
(r.) who stands horror-struck, hands held out, the hair rising on his head.
The witch, a thin hag naked to the waist, in profile to the 1., points towards
Cromwell, who has a fixed and angry scowl. Her cauldron is ornamented
with a skull and grotesque masks. The background is shaded to indicate
29
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
a dark cavern, a ghostly wind being suggested by the swirHng draperies and
hair of the witch. The hght radiates from Cromwell and his armour, falling
on the witch and Fox.
One of many satires in which Fox is compared to Cromwell, see No.
6380, &c. For the ghost of Cromwell see also No. 6006.
7jXi2|in.
6411 FRONTISPIECE. [16 Feb. 1784]
Design' d at Brookes' s. Executed at S* James's Palace.
Engraving. Frontispiece from 'The Beauties and Deformities of Fox,
North, and Burke'. Fox, North, and Burke chain and blindfold the British
Lion who wears a royal crown. Fox (1.) stoops to put the chain round his
neck. North (c.) kneels placing a bandage over his eyes. Burke (r.) stands
holding the chain, a key, and a padlock. In the background stands Pitt,
holding the hand of Britannia who, contrary to custom, wears a feathered
hat. Behind him the (rising) sun, half below the horizon, a face in its disk,
sends out rays.
One of many satires on the Coalition as usurping the prerogative of the
Crown, cf. Nos. 6237, 6409.
In the book (B.M.L. 12301. b. 14) this plate is pasted to a reduced copy
of No. 6393, the whole forming a folding frontispiece.
6iX4f in.
6412 VISION OF JUSTICE WITH A VIEW OF THE HARMONIC
SOCIETY
Third Sketch — Published Feb^ 18. 1784 — as the act directs by S Fores
N'' 3 Piccadilly.
Engraving. Pitt stands in profile to the 1., leaning forward and stretching
out his r. hand to take the hilt of an irradiated sword, which descends
towards him from the upper 1. corner of the design, where are three heads
of cherubs. Pitt's appearance is idealized; he has a profile of classical
correctness, the attitude of a stage hero; his 1. hand is held backwards over
a circular table on which lies a book inscribed Locke on the human Under-
standing. On the wall behind this is a bust portrait of Chatham, wearing
peer's robes and a tie-wig. On the 1. of the wall and behind the sword is
an open sash-window, through which is seen a crowd of heads with a banner
inscribed The Harmonic Society \ they are Pitt's opponents.
As in the other prints of this series, the words of the speakers are etched
in very small script over or beside the heads of the speakers The three
cherubs address Pitt, the first saying,
This sword of Justice take;
And as thy Father uid ity so do thou
Thy King and Country^ now, await thy strength.
To crush the vipers that would ruin both.
God save great George your King,
The second,
Long may he live and reign.
The third,
God save your King.
30
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Pitt says,
Though I am ignorant in the ways of meny
I yet can boast a heart, as free from guilt
As any be, who e^er did wield this sword;
And whilst a sinew nerv'st this arm of mine.
Or whilst my veins run full with Chathams bloody
ril save my Country y and my King with truth;
And thus I take it — to support them both.
The members of the 'Harmonic Society' outside the window are singing,
their faces in profile to the r. and looking up at Pitt, except North who is
full-face, with a fixed scowl. Faint dotted lines (confusedly) connect their
words with their mouths.
North sings, oh damn Pitt's limbs and eyes; Fox, who is next him, sings,
O Nicky Nicky now arise; Keppel sings, O hear our call; Burke, wearing
spectacles and a Jesuit's biretta (cf. No. 6026), sings. Take himy and *s poli-
ticks. An almost hidden profile, which appears to belong to a mitre,
probably that of Shipley, Bishop of St. Asaph, sings, That he mayn't see
our tricks. An invisible speaker says. Give him infernal kicks. Behind (1.)
are Lord John Cavendish and the Duke of Portland (wearing a coronet),
who sings Or we must fall. Prominent in the foreground is Sheridan ; a
large scroll attached to his neck hangs over the window-sill inside the room;
it is inscribed :
We'll ne'er get credit more
If we've no place in store
To fee a dun
What will the People say
When we are out of play
And cant our Tradesmen pay
Of we're undone.
The members are requested to
bring as many Friends as possible.
A heavy tasselled curtain drapes the side of the window, and the 1. side
of the design.
One of many satires on the contest between Pitt and the late Coalition
before the dissolution, see No. 6373, &c. Other plates in the series are
Nos. 6388, 6407. For Pitt as Chatham's son see No. 5984.
ioix8^in.
6413 THE ATLAS OF THE LANDED INTEREST.
JS [Sayers.]
Published 18^^ Febrv 1^84 by Jos' Bretherton
Engraving. Thomas Powys, M.P. for Northamptonshire, walking in profile
to the 1., carries on his shoulders a large rectangular bale, corded, and
inscribed Landed Interest For M[^ Fo]x at Brookes' s By the Carrier from
the S^ Alban's. He is very thin and lanky, his buttoned coat descending
nearly to his ankles. Beneath the design is etched:
To Pitt by Friendship I am tied
Yet always with his Foes divide
Wou'd make this Son of England's Glory
A creature neither Whig nor Tory
31
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Wou'd have him quit his high Condition^
To grovel in a Coalition,
Perswade him that a Tavern Vote
Shou'd make a Premier change his Note
{A vote from coalescing Embers
of Faction, more than County Members)
Thus make this persevering Elf
As inconsistent as myself.
Powys was regarded as the mouthpiece of the independent county
members, see No. 5990. He took a leading part in Jan.-Feb. 1784 in the
endeavour to effect a coahtion between Pitt and Fox, the first step being
a meeting (26 Jan.), at the St. Alban*s Tavern, of members 'distinguished
for high character, large property, and acknowledged uprightness of inten-
tion', Wraxall, Memoirs, 1884, iii. 278-80. They appointed a committee
and opened negotiations with Pitt and Portland, which continued inter-
mittently till I March. Ann. Reg., 1784-5, pp. 265-72; Pari. Hist. xxiv.
450-1 ; Russell, Corr. of Fox, ii. 233 ff.; Rose, Pitt and National Revival,
pp. 164-6. See also Nos. 6437, 6438, 6457, 6459, 6581, 6618.
9ftx6iin.(pl.).
6414 THE RARA-AVIS OR THE DEVIL TURND BIRD CATCHER.
Published by E. Hedges A^" g2 Cornhill Febv 19*^ 1784
Engraving. The Devil is about to hang a monster with the heads of Fox
and North. This creature, with the body and wings of a goose and the
legs of a man, has the head of Fox, while on the back of the 1. thigh is the
head of North. The scene is outside the gateway of the TREASUR Y, sup-
ported by Corinthian colunms. Fox stretches out his goose's neck towards
the Treasury, saying, 77/ stretch my long Neck and get in if I can. The King,
wearing a crown, leans out of a window immediately over the gateway,
saying. Curse on those who would ruin their Country and King.
A gallows stands in front of the gateway. Fox is thrusting his neck
through it in his efforts to reach the Treasury, but a noose, of which he
seems unaware, is round his neck ; the cord from it passes over the gallows
and is held by the Devil, who says, answering the King, / zvill, says Old
Nick, for they are now in the string. He is a satyr, powerfully built, with
horns, a beard, and a barbed tail. North, whose head is turned r., looking
away from Fox, says, / am d d that I e^er coelig'd with this man. His
face expresses horror, while that of Fox is complacent. A row of buildings
(r.), at r. angles with the treasury, forms a background.
An illustration of the (misplaced) confidence of Fox in his speedy defeat
of Pitt. Cf. Russell, Memorials & Corr. of Fox, 1853, ii. 227. For the
contest in Parliament see No. 6373, &c. For the part taken by the king
cf. No. 6405, &c.
64 1 5 THE HEADS OF THE MUTINY BILL, LAID ON THE TABLE.
Pu¥ Febv 20*^ 1784, by E. Darchery S^ James's Street.
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). On an oblong cloth-
covered table are the heads of Burke (1.), North (c), and Fox (r.). In front
of the table is a block and a headsman's axe, above which are the words
32
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Pro bono Publico. Behind the table, framed by lines which appear to repre-
sent the back of a chair, stands the Chancellor (Thurlow) in profile to the
r., saying, Is it your Lordships opinion that these Heads be now Committed
to the Polls on Temple Bar? The Ayes have it
A satire on the struggle between Fox and the Ministry over a dissolution,
and especially on Fox's attempt to postpone the Mutiny Bill, see Pari. Hist.
xxiv. 719 if. See No. 6373, &c. See also No. 8244.
8JgX6|in.
6416 PARADISE REGAIN,D.
SB [Gillray.]
London Published as the Act Directs; by G Humphrey N'^ 48 Long Acre.
London. 20 Feb 1784.
A reissue of No. 6319 with an altered imprint. Coloured impression.
6417 THE TEMPLE OF PURITY, OR, MASTER BILLY PIT— I—
FULL'S INTRODUCTION.
Annibal Scratch delin. & sculp. [PCollings.]
Pu¥forJo'' Cook Fleet Street, Feb 21'^ 1784
Engraving. The interior of a latrine up to which leads a flight of stairs (r.)
indicated by a balustrade inscribed Back Stair. The king is seated on a
long seat inscribed Treasury; he turns his head in profile to the r. to greet
Temple and Pitt who have just entered by the back stair. He says to them
iS * * * * thou on my right hand until I have made thine Enemies thy Foot-
stooly waving them towards a vacant seat on his r. hand. In his 1. hand,
on the floor, and on the seat beside him are papers inscribed respectively
Resoluti[or{\ of Parlm^ Resolution of y^ CommonSy Commons Resolution,
Commons Address. Above the vacant seat is pasted a H.L. portrait, the head
torn off", inscribed Lord Chatham.
Temple, with a smile, introduces Pitt to the king, holding him by the
lapel of his coat; in his 1. hand is the dark lantern of a conspirator. Pitt
stands shyly hesitating at the top of the stairs, watching the king dubiously,
his 1. hand in his waistcoat pocket, a finger in his mouth (as in Nos. 6425,
6445). On Temple's head is a circular temple ; he wears a long cloak, con-
fined at the waist by a belt inscribed Secret Influence (the second word
indicated only). From the back of his neck hangs down below his waist a
miniature ladder, indicating the secret means by which he has gained
access to the king. He looks towards the king with a triumphant smile.
Beneath the design is inscribed :
The fate of Publick Spirit and the stink
Of that corrupted Cause whose secret powW
Brought * * * * [Pitt] into the State, and all his mob
With loss of Honours 'till one greater man
Regain them and restore the public trust.
Sing Patriot Muse! Milt.
A satire on the message from the king to the Lords given by Temple
(17 Dec. 1783), and the first of many satires on the 'back stairs' by which
Pitt achieved office. 'Secret influence' was the subject of several prints by
33 »
V
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
the same artist, see Nos. 6425, 6438, 6445. See also Nos. 6370, 6385, 6387,
6418, 6436, 6444, 6464, 6492, 6515, 6564, &c., 6587, 6603, 6801. Cf, No.
6373, &c.
7|Xi2^in.
6418 THE MODERN FOX CHACE— OR THE FOX CHACING THE
HOUNDS 1784 [c. Feb. 1784]
[J. Kay.]
Engraving. The King (1.) stands, arms extended, a trowel in his r. hand,
watching a fox immediately in front of him which is leaping across a pit,
representing Pitt, and chasing the king's hounds (r.); he shouts My
hounds, my Pit! my Temple! The fox (Charles Fox) has a ribbon across his
body inscribed Liberty. His leap has shattered a small rectangular temple
(1.) with Ionic columns, inscribed Temple of Secret influence. Within the
temple hangs the lantern which symbolizes the conspiratorial influence of
Temple, see No. 6438. Similar lanterns hang from the collars of the king's
hounds who represent the Ministers. Another lantern, on which the fox
is urinating, is within the pit. A spade, which appears to have been just
dropped by the startled king, falls into the pit, which is inscribed Vanity
pit. In the fox's mouth is a garment, perhaps just torn from one of the
king's hounds, which turns its head to snarl; it wears a judge's wig and is
probably intended for Thurlow. Two of the pack are coupled with a chain,
one lies on its back on the edge of the pit, overthrown by Fox. On a
raised and sloping platform, inscribed Treasurery [«c] Benchy close to the
pit, four hounds, on a smaller scale than the others, instead of fleeing before
the fox, stand barking at him. A bird flies (1. to r.) above the dogs ; a label
issuing from its mouth is inscribed Coalition^ infamous Coalition.
By the fox's forelegs is the base of a falling pillar which he has overthrown
in his leaping chase and which had stood in the pit ; it is inscribed [Monu-
ment] to Eastern Tyranny. The figure of a naked man inscribed Injustice
falls from its summit ; he holds a sword in his 1. hand, in his r. is a pair of un-
even scales, in one of which he puts his 1. foot. The capital of the pillar is
decorated with a sword and a club crossed ; a lantern hangs from it by a rope.
On the extreme 1. the profile and hand of Lord North appear; he holds
a flag inscribed Boreas and blows a blast which propels the fox on his chase
after the hounds. The king wears a crown and the star of the Garter.
This plate was probably etched when the supporters of Fox and North
were confident that they would shortly overthrow Pitt's Ministry, based,
as they maintained, on the secret manoeuvres of Temple and the vanity of
Pitt, and relying on the parrot-cry of 'infamous Coalition' (see Nos. 6176-9,
&c.). For the contest see No. 6373, &c., for 'secret influence' No. 6417, &c.
Collection, No. 38.
7Jxi4iin.
6419 THE BRITISH TITANS.
[PCollings.]
Feby 23, 1784, Pub. by W, Wells, N" 132 Opposite Salisbury Court,
Fleet Street.
Engraving. George III, as Jove, holds a sheaf of thunderbolts and has just
hurled Fox from the clouds into an abyss in which are Burke, Lord John
34
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Cavendish, and North. The king and his Ministers stand among clouds;
he wears classical draperies and a crown inscribed Prerogative. An eagle
stretches its head angrily towards the falling Fox.
Immediately above Fox stands Pitt wearing a laurel wreath, the centre
of a glory of rays, his arms outstretched in the attitude of an orator.
Between Pitt and the king, his 1. hand on Pitt's shoulder, stands Barre, to
whom Pitt had recently given the clerkship of the Pells, instead of keeping
it for himself, in lieu of Barre's unpopular pension (see No. 6028), thereby
acquiring much credit. On the king's r., directing his actions, stands
Thurlow, in wig and gown. These are the most prominent of the gods in
the clouds. On each side of Thurlow is a head: one (1.) probably Lord
Carmarthen and the other (r.) Sydney (Secretaries of State). On the r. (on
Pitt's I.) is an elderly clergyman, possibly Dean Tucker, and on the extreme
r. the Duke of Richmond in profile to the 1.
Fox, falling through the air, is about to join his colleagues below; from
his 1. hand drops an axe inscribed Faction. Burke (1.), dressed as a Jesuit
(cf . No. 6026), stands in profile to the r., grasping a rock to which is attached
a chain. He is being pushed forward by a grinning demon who kneels
behind him. Lord John Cavendish crouches on the ground grasping
Burke's rock; under his 1. hand are papers inscribed East India Bill (see
No. 6271, &c.), Receipt Tax (see No. 6243, &c.). North (r.) kneels grasping
a large rock with both hands.
Beneath the design is inscribed :
First Typhon strove more daring than the resty
With impious hands the imperial bolts to wrest:
Him and his Crew the red right arm ofjove,
Doivn to their native Hell irtdignant drove.
One of many satires on the contest between Pitt and Fox before the
dissolution, see No. 6373, &c. For the popularity of the king's intervention
cf. No. 6405, &c. Cf. No. 6287 (10).
6420 THE PARLIAMENT SAMPSON. FIGHTING WITH HIS
JAW.
[? Barrow.]
Pu¥ by J. Barrow Feb 23 1784, White Lion Bull stairs Surrey side
Blackfriars
Engraving. Fox stands in the attitude of an orator, r. arm raised, 1. arm
by his side, fists clenched, mouth open, looking upwards. He faces slightly
to the 1. (cf . No. 6054). From his mouth issue the words :
That I afn called The man of the People is well known^ and is as equally
just — I am resolved to support their voices^ rights^ atid Liberties. As I am not
able to do this by being only a Pratesman^ it is requisite that I be made a
Statesman^ and indeed placed in the Treasury to be a close guard of the
Peoples Treasure. The justness of ?ny claim to this honour isy my beings The
man of the People. Till this Justice and honour is done me, and this essential
service is done the People, my Opponents may expect Researches, Motions and
Harangues, for I am determined with my Jaw to knock-down all before me.
The background is a panelled room and boarded floor, the lines neatly
ruled.
35
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Beneath the design six verses are engraved, the first and last being :
1. Some conquer by swords.
And some by soft words.
And others by Querks of the Law;
But this is the Man,
That carries his plan.
And all by the power of his Jaw,
6. The new Ministration,
He fills with Vexation,
Both Pitt and the Lord of the Law,
He*ll work them about.
Till he works them all out,
And works himself in with his Jaw.
One of many satires on the contest between Pitt and Fox before the
dissolution, see No. 6373, &c. Cf. No. 6479.
Subject, iox7|in.; including title and verses 14JX7I in.
6421 MR FOX APPEALLING TO HIS CONSTITUENTS FROM
YE KINGS ARMS TAVERN PALACE YARD FERY 14 1784
{c, Feb. 1784]
Pu¥ as the Act directs
Engraving. Fox stands at the open first-floor window in the central bay
of the tavern, addressing a crowd which is indicated by a few upturned
heads. He holds out his 1. arm and looks to his r. Beneath the window are
the words The King's Arms Tavern,^ and on the 1. side of the bay, Coulson.
A meeting of Westminster electors was held on 14 Feb. in Westminster
Hall, to consider an address to the king thanking him for the dismissal of
the Coalition Ministry. Fox and Sir Cecil Wray competed for the chair,
the Foxites being in a clear minority. The platform broke, Fox fell, and
in the confusion a bag of evil-smelling powder was flung in his face. He
was shouted down with cries of *No Coalition*, *No Dictator*, and he and
his supporters were driven from the hall. Resolutions moved by Dr. Jebb
were passed against the Coalition, in favour of parliamentary reform and
in favour of Wray's candidature. The Foxites went to the King's Arms,
where Fox harangued the crowd and was afterwards drawn in his coach
by his supporters past Carlton House to Devonshire House, where he
again made a speech. For the importance attached to the occasion see
Disney, Life of Jebb, 1787, i. 191 ff.; Hist. MSS. Comm., Abergavenny
MSS., p. 66. See also Pari, Hist. xxiv. 664 ff.; A full Account of the Whole
Proceedings in Westminster Hall, 1784 (B.M.L. 8132. d. 64); Book of the
Wars of Westminster, 1784; Westminster Election, pp. 60-4; E. Stanhope
and Gooch, Life of Charles third Earl Stanhope, 19 14, pp. 58-9; and Nos.
6422, 6423, 6426, &c.
7i-iX5fin.
* Cf. Morning Post, 16 Feb. 1784: *We often find that those persons whom we
most affect to despise, are frequently the means of doing us the most essential
services, witness the frequent illiberal abuse plentifully bestowed by Carlo Khan
on the Crown: yet Saturday last, in his disgraceful retreat from Westminster Hall he
found his only security in the King's Arms.*
36
I
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6422 THE MAN OF MODERATION ADDRESSING HIS FRIENDS
FROM THE KING'S ARMS, WESTMINSTER.
WD, [Dent,]
Pu¥ as the Act directs, by J, Cattei'mouly N"" 3y6y Oxford Street y
Febv 24^^y 17S4,
Engraving. The facade of the King's Arms tavern in Palace Yard, from
the central first-floor bow- window of which Fox, a fox with a human head, \/
addresses the electors of Westminster, who are geese with human heads
(cf. No. 5843, &c.). Fox's more prominent supporters, also as geese, look
from the windows. (For this incident see No. 6421, &c.) Above the window
is an escutcheon with the arms of Fox reversed, surmounted by a royal crown
on which sits a fox with Fox's head. The supporters are : dexter, a fox with
the head of Burke, its brush inscribed Old Nick; sinister, a fox with the
head of North, its brush inscribed Old Fox. It has the family motto Faire
sans Dire (used by Fox on his book-plates). On the window beneath is
inscribed Young F 's Arms, Beneath the window the words King*s
Arms have been scored through and Westminster Hall substituted. The
name Coulson is on each side of the central bay.
Fox says, Gentlemen^ Electors , for heaven's sake! recollect that some of the
present men supported the American War ; but do not recollect that my now
dear Coalition Friend was the Author and conductor of that accursed war — .
(Fox, as reported in the Press, said, inter alia, 'Gentlemen, I need not
tell you that the present Administration were the greatest enemies to the
reform of abuses, nor that they supported the American War *, Hist,
of the Westminster Electiony p. 62, &c.)
Five heads on the long necks of geese surround Fox at his central
window; next him is Keppel, with a scowl. In the adjacent windows are
similar heads, all much caricatured. Lord Derby, grinning, says No back
stairs (cf. No. 6417).
From two windows on the second floor, which flank Fox's coat of arms,
more heads emerge. One of three heads in the 1. window says, The Man
of the People for ever. In the r. window are the Prince of Wales and Mrs.
Robinson (Perdita) ; she leans out, he puts a webbed foot on her neck.
The ground-floor windows are also crowded with human geese and
partly obscured by the geese in the street outside. Sam House looks from
the central window shouting, Huzza huzza. Outside the window is a coach
without horses, on the box of which stands a goose with the head of the
Earl of Surrey. It is ready for the procession to Devonshire House, see
No . 642 1 . On the roof stands Jeff^ery Dunstan, saying, Old Wigs and Charley
for ever and a fig for Charters; his accustomed bag is thrown over his back
and inscribed Poison Bag (cf. No. 6425). Another goose, perhaps Sheridan,
leans out of the coach window.
In the foreground two processions of geese meet; the one advancing
from the 1. is headed by a goose with a club, wearing a hat and spectacles,
saying No secret influence. He is Hall the apothecary. He is faced by the
leader of the other procession, holding a flag with a bust portrait of Crom-
well, inscribed Fox for Ever, the staff surmounted by the cap of Liberty.
The heads, which are much caricatured, are probably all portraits.
Fox's committee for the occasion consisted of Mr. Byron, Mr. Byng,
Mr. Burke, Mr. Sheridan, General Burgoyne, Lord Derby, Lord Surrey,
Lord Foley, Colonel Fitzpatrick, and others. The address was left for
37
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
signature at 'M"" House's, Pall-mall; M*" Hall's Long Acre; M"" Chaplin's
Bridges-street . . . and M^ Debrett's, Bookseller, Piccadilly'. History of the
Westminster Election^ 1784, pp. 60, 66.
For Fox as Cromwell see No. 6380, &c.
12^X9! in.
6423 MR FOX ADDRESSING HIS FRIENDS FROM THE KING'S
ARMS TAVERN FERY 14, 1784 \c. Feb. 1784]
Engraving. Headed by frontispiece, showing that it is taken from one of
the many pamphlets issued in connexion with the struggle between Pitt
and Fox. Another representation of the scene in Palace Yard, see No.
6421, &c. The fa9ade of the tavern fills the greater part of the design, show-
ing a central bow, surmounted by the royal arms, and four stories with sash-
windows, all blank, except for the head and shoulders of Fox, larger than
life, addressing a crowd beneath. In the foreground are full-length figures
looking up at Fox. They include Sam House (r.) in his accustomed dress,
Jeffery Dunstan, with his bag over his shoulder, a lamplighter with an oil-
can and a long ladder; a carter in a ragged coat holding a whip; a sweep with
soot-bag and brushes; a mechanic wearing an apron; a butcher with a club ;
and a man with a box slung round his shoulders, who may be a rat-catcher.
Between these men and the railings of the tavern is a dense crowd indicated by
a sea of heads. The bias of the print is shown by the character of the mob.
6iX4jin.
6424 A NEW PANTOMIME. HARLEQUINE
Published by E Hedges iV" 92 Cornhill Febv 25'* 1^84.
/ Engraving. Fox, as Harlequin, and North, as Pantaloon, performing on
y a stage. Looking up at them from the pit are members of their party, while
from the stage-box (1.) they are watched by the Prince of Wales and Mrs.
Robinson (Perdita). After the title is etched a small fox running off with
a goose (cf. No. 5843, &c.). Fox (1.) stands with one leg raised, his wooden
sword held over a bust of George III which is on a rectangular pedestal
ornamented with the royal arms. Above the bust a crown and sceptre are
suspended, attached to a small balloon whose apex is concealed by the
festooned curtain which extends across the upper part of the design. Fox's
r. foot rests upon a document; his back is turned to North, but he covertly
passes to him a paper inscribed Prerogative.
North (r.) stands, full face, close to Fox; he is a large bird with human
head and feet, but with wings for arms, his Garter ribbon across his breast.
Both Fox and North have a fixed smile, but their brows have an anxious
pucker.
The stage is a narrow rectangular room; the curtain has the usual orna-
ment inscribed Veluti in Speculum. On the back wall is a framed H.L.
portrait of Cromwell in profile to the 1. On the r. wall is a map of the
Independent States of America.
The front row in the pit look up with pleased amusement and are in
profile or profit perdu except a man on the extreme r. whose back is to the
stage; he says O Tempora O Mores. The others (1. to r.), most of them
saying encore, are Lord Surrey, Keppel, Stormont, Carlisle, Portland, Lord
John Cavendish, Burke. The second row are in back view. The Prince
of Wales says Bravo ^ Bravo.
38
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
One of many satires on the Coalition : they stage an attack on the king
for his use of the prerogative (cf. No. 6405), which Fox, as Cromwell (see
No. 6380, &c.) wishes to usurp, while North is pilloried for the loss of
America, cf. No. 6441. For Fox as Harlequin cf. No. 6498.
Also a coloured impression with the imprint burnished out.
iiJX9|in.
6425 MASTER BILLY'S HOBBY-HORSE, OR
HIS TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO DOWNING STREET.
An^ Scratch d [? Ceilings.]
Puh, Feb. 26. iy84, by W. Wells, N^ 132 Fleet Street,
Engraving. Pitt, riding a rocking-horse, is confronted by the padlocked
door of the Treasury (r.), inscribed Thus far and no further, while its two
leaves are fastened by four enormous padlocks, each inscribed Resolv'd.
Pitt's horse is a spirited, realistically drawn animal, despite its rockers,
which are inscribed Despotism and Aristocracy. The rein is inscribed Jure
divino. Pitt is very young, holding his finger to his mouth as in No. 6417.
He holds a whip whose lash is inscribed Prerogative, the word being
followed by Pro me issuing from his mouth. Under his r. arm is a book
inscribed Royal Primer, From his posteriors a blast inscribed My Honor
is directed against Fox, who stands behind the horse's hind legs, a large
scroll inscribed Pro Patria issuing from his mouth, and holding a birch-
rod inscribed Unanimity, Beneath the design is etched :
Ye tinsel Insects whom a Court maintains.
That count your beauties only by your stains.
Spin all your Cobwebs o'er the eye of day!
The Patriot's hand shall brush you all away ;
All that his Grace may preach, their Lordships sing,
To make a Saint of P a God the ;
All, all but Truth drops dead born from the press.
Like the last Gazette or the last Address.
Pope
One of many satires on the contest between Pitt and Fox before the
dissolution of Parliament, see No. 6373, &c. The 'Resolutions' which
padlock the Treasury are those moved by Fox and others on 12 Jan., &c.,
to obstruct and dislodge the Ministry by preventing the issue of money.
Russell, Corr. of Fox, ii. 228, see also No. 6380, &c. *My Honor' appears
to be an allusion to Pitt's speech of 20 Feb. refusing to resign as a pre-
liminary to a coalition with Fox, in which he said *my own honour and
reputation I never will resign'. Pari. Hist. xxiv. 661. One of a sequence
of prints by the same artist, see No. 6417, &c.
8JX13 in.
6426 THE CONTENTS OF THE SNEEZING BAG ANALYZED
FOR THE INFORMATION OF THE KING'S ARM'S COMMITTEE
JS.f [Bayers.]
Published the 2f^ Febv 1^84 by Thomas Cornell Bruton Street
Engraving. A bust portrait of Fox sneezing violently. In the lower I.
corner of the design an open bag, partly cut off by the margin of the print,
falls to the ground, inscribed Cabinet Bag for 1783, The ingredients of
39
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
the sneeze are indicated by words radiating from Fox's face : Euphorhiiiniy
Coalitioriy Capsicum, Receipt Tax, India Bill, Violation of Charters, Crotn-
welVs Ambition, Cataline's Abilities, Damiens Loyalty, Machiavels Politics,
Beneath Fox is etched :
Whereas some d d Rogues have been guilty of Treason
In making me sneeze when I wanted to reason
And whereas it appears upon Analization
That this Bag's vile Contents wou'd have poisoned a Nation
And whereas tho' the Scheme has for once been defeated
The Dose may at some future Time be repeated
I conjure my Constituents wherever they be
To take Care of themselves, and be careful of me.
During the struggle in Westminster Hall on 14 Feb. between the
supporters of Fox and Wray for the possession of the hustings, a man
threw in Fox's face a leather bag, supposed at first to contain assafoetida,
which proved to be euphorbium. Hist, of the Westminster Elections, p. 61.
Fox was shouted down: *No Grand Mogul! No India Tyrant! No
Usurper! No Turncoat! No Traitor! No Dictator! No Cataline!' Pari.
Hist. xxiv. 666. See Nos. 6421, &c., 6432, 6437, 6465, 6481, 6627. For the
Receipt Tax, see No. 6244, &c.; for the India Bill, No. 6368, &c.; for
Fox as India Tyrant, see No. 6276, &c.; as Cromwell, No. 6380, &c.;
as Catiline, No. 6784, &c.
7iX5iiin.(pI.).
6427 THE POLITICAL RAT CATCHER OR JACK RENEGADO'S
NEW PATENT TRAP'S
AnniU' Scratch de [? Collings.]
Puh. Feb. 2y. 1784. by W. Wells N'' 132. Fleet Street.
Engraving. The rat-catcher sits in the doorway of a bare, ramshackle room,
on the floor of which are large steel traps and rats, some already caught.
He is John Robinson, Secretary to the Treasury under North, who
managed elections for the Government, issuing the money from the
Treasury. The rats have human bodies with rat's heads, and crawl over
the floor on their hands and knees. One rat is caught by the arm in a trap
inscribed Buck Hounds, though the place of Master of the Buck Hounds
had disappeared with the passing of Burke's Bill of Economical Reform.
In the foreground a rat in naval uniform is caught by the tail in a trap
inscribed Baronet', he is crawling towards another trap. Seat in y^ new
ParlK The three other rats are advancing to traps inscribed respectively,
Private Pension, Peerage, Place 1000 a Y^.
On the wall hangs a torn and unframed portrait completely covered by
an enormous cobweb, inscribed William 5^. In contrast to this is a framed
W.L. portrait of Charles I, his head irradiated, inscribed Sanct. Carol. Pri.
Next it (r.) hangs a ragged document inscribed Magfia Chart[a] In fine
preservation. Over the door (1.) the lower part of a portrait inscribed
Robinson Crusoe is visible, showing the identity of Robinson who sits
beneath it. Beneath the design is inscribed :
Thus when Renegado sees a Rat
In the traps in the morning taken
With pleasure he goes Master Pit_ to pat
And swears he will save his Bacon
40
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
For the part taken by Robinson in giving evidence to Pitt to convince
him that a majority could be secured, and in the plans for the elections
to be held in 1784, see Parliamentary Papers of John Robinson^ 1^^4-1^84^
ed. W. T. Laprade, 1922. Robinson's former post as Treasury Secretary
was then held by George Rose, who had succeeded Sheridan on the fall
of the Coalition.
Those who left the Opposition to vote with the Ministry before the
dissolution of 24 March were known as 'Robinson's rats'. On 10 Feb. the
Morning Post printed across two columns a woodcut of six rats, beneath
which was * J^ck Robinson' as the heading to a list of twenty-three names,
printed in full, without comment. This was perhaps the inspiration of this
print, as well as of the more famous one by Rowlandson, see No. 6431.
See also Nos. 6428, 6485, 6603, 6775. For the Treasury rat-catcher cf.
No. 5099 (1773).
8^Xi2|in.
6428 THE FOX & BADGER HUNTING THE K G'S HOUNDS.
Pu¥ as the Act directs Febv 28, 1784 by W. Humphrey 227, Strand.
Engraving. Fox and North, as fox and badger with human heads, chase
(1. to r.) five hounds, behind whom runs John Robinson, who looks round
with a face of distress at his pursuers. Round his shoulders is slung a rat-
trap, and his coat is inscribed Rat Catcher. In front of him and among the
hounds run three rats, much smaller in size than the dogs. The collar of
the' dog immediately in front of Fox is inscribed W.P. [Pitt]. Fox says,
Perdition catch such Vermin. Behind the fox and badger runs Burke, wear-
ing a Jesuit's biretta (cf. No. 6026) and blowing a horn. The ground
between pursuers and pursued is inscribed Field of Contention.
In the middle distance is a square building resembling the Treasury,
and inscribed S* Stephens Kennell. Behind it on a hill is a circular temple,
sending out rays, probably intended for the temple of Fame, as in No. 6400.
Though a satire on 'Robinson's rats', see No. 6427, &c., it is unfriendly
to the Coalition, cf. No. 6400 (by the same artist). For Fox and North as
fox and badger see Nos. 6176, 6369, 6518.
^^X 13 in.
6429 THE STATE SPANIALS AFTER THE DUCK.
[? J. Barrow.]
Pu¥ by J. Barrow Febv 28. 1784. White Lion Bull Stairs. Surry side
Black Friars Bridge.
Engraving (coloured impression). Seven nude men swim, in a broad river
between flat grass banks, after a duck (1.) which is saying, How these hungry
Whelps Strive for me. The heads are poorly characterized and only two,
Fox and North, can be identified with certainty. A judge's wig on the
bank (r.) appears to belong to a man with a bald head who is swimming
beside it, perhaps intended for Lord Loughborough, who lost the post of
First Commissioner of the Great Seal on the fall of the Coalition.
A satire on the efforts of the Coalition to regain office; see No. 6373, &c.
Duck-hunting by spaniels was then a favourite plebeian sport.
7|xi3jin.
41
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
6430 BELZEBUB TURND MODDELER OR A DESIGN FOR A
STATESMAN, [? c. Feb. 1784]
Engraving. The Devil (1.), with mallet and chisel, stands beside a realistic
bust of Fox inscribed Discord. The Devil, who has a human face, horns,
pointed ears, a satyr*s legs, and a barbed tail, says. He has a Tongue that
shall Weedle zvith any Devil. Beneath the title is engraved :
Sure informing thee^ this Devil takes unusual Care
As its own Darling he Designs the Bare,
And forms thee^ by the Prince of Darkness.
Cf. No. 6383, &c.
8|X7iin.
6431 THE APOSTATE JACK R THE POLITICAL RAT
CATCHER— NB. RATS TAKEN ALIVE! [i March 1784]
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ by W. Humphrey N° 22J Strand.
Engraving. Robinson (see No. 6427), on his hands and knees, catches rats
in a ramshackle room, his rat-traps on his back. The rats have human faces.
A doorway (1.) is inscribed Treasury \ rats are grouped near it. A placard
is pinned on the wall inscribed :
J ck R n Rat Catcher to Great Brittain. Vermin preserved.
Rats of Note
Sr S G n H H n
F C / S G n
J C n A r
L C X W C r
S D s R y
E D g C T r
W D n H e
p r s D n
M y E r.
A G n
F r
C G d.
M n
These names are taken from a list in the Morning Post, 10 Feb. 1874,
which gives them in full : 'Sir Sampson Gideon, Lord Frederick Campbell,
Sir James Cockburn, M^ Le Cox, M'" S. Daws, Sir Edward Dering, Sir
William Dolben, M'' Fludyer, General Murray, M^ [i.e. Lord] Adam
Gordon, M^ Frazer, Sir Charles Gould, M'"Masterman, Sir H. Hoghton,
Sir S. Griffin, Sir Geo. Osborne, M'" Ambler, M^ William Chaytor, M"*
Rodney, M^ C^ Taylor, Lord Hinchinbroke, M^ S. Dutton, M"" Ewer.'
One name only is omitted by Rowlandson, that of Sir George Osborne.'
Robinson, with a cunning leer, holds out a paper inscribed Pension to a
spectacled rat; other rats look on with interest. Round his waist is a belt
^ The constituencies of these M.P.s are easily found in The Royal Kalendar for
1784, and they can be compared with Robinson's notes on the state of the con-
stituencies which he prepared for the election of 1784. Parliamentary Papers of
John Robinson, ed. W. T. Laprade, 1922, pp. 66-106.
42
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
inscribed Cestus of Corruption to which money-bags are attached. The
trap or cage on his back is baited with a miniature coronet and a paper
inscribed Places. Inside it are two rats; another is climbing up towards
the trap, saying, We'llFerrett them out; these three are ordinary rats without
human faces, and smaller than the others. The floor is strewn with
guineas. On a shelf (r.) is another trap, one rat inside it, another about to
enter.
Fox's dwindling majority is attributed to the corruption managed by the
late Treasury Secretary. See Nos. 6427, 6428.
Reissued, Westminster Election, p. 283 ; the date has been added to the
publication-line.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 118 (reproduction). Reproduced, Grcgo, Hist, of
Parliamentary Elections , 1892, p. 265.
7|Xi2|in.
6432 CROMWELL YE 2ND EXALTED OR THE POISON BAG
OUTDONE BY THE HALTER
Publishd March r^ 17S4 as the Act directs by S. Fores N" 3 Piccadilly
Engraving. North and Burke kneel in profile to the 1., in an attitude of
prayer, beneath a gallows (1.) from which hangs Fox, his eyes bandaged.
North says. We have left undone those things we ought to have done and done
those things we ought not to have done; Burke, dressed as a Jesuit (cf. No.
6026), says, and there is no help for us.
Fox's hands are behind him; an attached label is inscribed East India
Bill (see No. 6271, &c.). Two spectators stand near the gallows; one says,
Huzza! what the Poison Bag could not effect the Halter has; the other points
at Fox.
For the Toison Bag' see No. 6426, &c. For a similar satire on the fall
of the Coalition see No. 6287 (9). For Fox as Cromwell see No. 6380, &c.
8ix6i|in.
6433 FORTis.
[J. Boyne.]
London Pu¥ March 2 1^84 by E Hedges N g2 Cornhill
Engraving. Pitt, in Roman armour, ascends a hill (r. to 1.) looking round,
with an air of triumph, over his 1. shoulder. He holds a drawn sabre above
his head; on his 1. arm is an oval shield on which is the head of Chatham.
His cloak flies out behind him. He is a burly figure with little resemblance
to Pitt.
A companion print to No. 6395, &c. For Pitt as Chatham's son cf.
No. 5984.
7AX5in.
6434 DON QUIXOTE & HIS SQUIRE SANCHO ATTACKING A
WINDMILL.
Published As the Act Directs. March 2^ iy84 by S. Fores. N: 3 Picca-
dilly
Engraving, partly aquatinted. Fox as Don Quixote, advances against a
windmill (r.). The sails are affixed to a building inscribed Treasurey; in
43
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
their centre is the head of Pitt, irradiated, in profile to the 1. North as
Sancho (1.) stands timorously behind Fox, saying, It is the Most Perilous
Adventure your Worship Ever Engaged in. Fox says, / tell the [sic\ Sancho
I will Stop his Supplies. He is in armour with shield and spear and wearing
the barber*s basin as a helmet. A landscape is indicated as the background.
For Fox's attempts to stop supplies see No. 6380, &c.
7j^Xiof in.
6435 MONTGOLFIER IN THE CLOUDS
CONSTRUCTING OF AIR BALLOONS FOR THE GRAND
MONARQUE
Fourth Sketch Published as the act directs March 2 1784 by S. Fores
N° J Piccadilly — a Companion to this in a few days
Engraving. Design in an oval. A W.L. portrait of Montgolfier directed
to the r., seated on and among clouds. In his r. hand he holds a long clay
pipe, from which soap-bubbles are ascending; he points with his 1. hand
to the largest and highest of the bubbles. He says, the words etched across
the clouds below his feet:
O by gar! dis be de grande invention — Dis will immortalize my King^ my
Country^ and myself; We will declare de War against our ennemi; we will
make des English quake ^ by gar: We will inspect their Campy we will intercept
their Fleet , and we will set fire to their Dock-yards: And by gar, we will take
de Gibraltar in de air balloon, and when we have Conquered d'Eenglish, den
we conquer d^ other Countrie, and make them all colonic to de Grand Monarque.
The (unsuccessful) launching of a 'grand aerostatic machine' on 19 Jan.
at Lyons, in which Jacques-fitienne Montgolfier and others ascended,
caused great excitement. London Magazine, 1784, pp. 147, 203. Cf. Nos.
6333, 6709, 6710, also satires on the military use of balloons.
Reproduced, Grand-Carteret et Belteil, La ConquSte de Pair, 1910, p. 99.
I2ix8^in.
6436 A PEEP INTO FRIAR BACON'S STUDY.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ March 3^ 1784 by W Humphrey N" 227, Strand.
Engraving. George HI as Friar Bacon, the necromancer of popular fable,
stands beside the 'brazen head', a bust full-face, on a high pedestal, which
forms the centre of the design. He stands (1.) wearing a hooded cloak over
his ribbon and star, turning his head in profile to the r.; in each hand he
holds a wand, which points to the visions he has evoked. These are con-
tained in two of three circles, which fill the upper part of the design, each
bordered by the word Constitution and each showing the Constitution at
different periods. From the mouth of the brazen head issue three labels,
each attached to one of the three circles, inscribed Time is past (1.), Time is
(c), and Time was (r.).
The first shows the king seated on his throne and surrounded by a glory
of rays, which fill the whole circle. Two small circles of equal size impinge
on its circumference, one inscribed balloons, the other Air balloons, they
contain, on a minute scale, scenes which represent the interior of the two
Houses of Parliament. This appears to represent an early stage of the
44
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Constitution when the Crown was all-important, and Parliament in embryo
only.
The next circle, present day, contains three circles of diminishing size ;
in the largest is the king on his throne, in the next is a scene in the House
of Lords; in the smallest is a scene in the House of Commons.
The king points with one wand to the House of Commons in the second
circle, with the other to the king in the first circle, saying, What is this To
ThiSy showing that he desires an unlimited monarchy, to which Parliament
should be merely an air balloon.
The third circle (r.) contains three equal circles containing, respectively,
the king on his throne and the two Houses of Parliament. This represents
the Constitution as it was until the manoeuvres of George HI and the action
of the House of Lords in defeating the India Bill (see No. 6283, &c.) led
to the situation in circle two, an increase in the royal power with which the
king is far from satisfied.
The room is that of a magician ; behind the brazen head is a table with
bottles, a retort, and a telescope. Behind George HI is a globe, and beside
it a large open book. Through a doorway on the extreme 1. look Fox,
North, and Burke ; the first says Beware. The new Ministry (unrecog-
nizable) hasten down a flight of stairs inscribed Back Stairs (see No. 6417,
&c.), which leads into the room from the r. A demon leads the foremost,
who holds a conspiratorial dark lantern, and says The Temple of showing
that he is Temple, who was appointed Secretary of State on 19 Dec. and
resigned on 21 Dec. The next man says we must destroy this Coalition', the
third says, A Fig for the Resolutions , that is the resolutions moved by Fox
in order to dislodge Pitt, including those against the issuing of money from
the Treasury, see Pari, Hist, xxiv, debates of 12 Jan., 16 Jan., 2 Feb.,
20 Feb., and No. 6380, &c.
One of the comparatively few anti-Pitt satires at this time. Cf. Nos.
6417, &c., 6427, &c., 6444, 6469» 6476» 6486, 6552. For the brazen head,
cf. Nos. 6373, 7898. For the theme of the increasing power of the House
of Lords cf. No. 7623.
* Grego, Rowlandson, i. 119.
Reissued, Westminster Election, p. 292.
8jxi2fin.
6437 A HASTY SKETCH OF YESTERDAY'S BUSINESS.
J 5/ [Bayers.]
Published 3^ March 1784 by Ja' Bretherton
Engraving. Fox stands full face as if addressing the House of Commons,
but headless. His right arm is raised, his hat is in his r. hand, a handker-
chief in the 1. Beneath the title is etched :
M^ in one of the most animated Speeches he ever made in his Life
engaged the Attention of the whole house — he began with saying That he
should have sat a silent Spectator of the business of the day if a very personal
Attack had not been made upon him by calling him the Head of a Faction, he
assured the Gentleman nothing was farther from his Heart, all now wished for
was a Union upon a broad basis, upon a fair, tho' not an equal footing, and if
the Right honourable Gentleman over the Way would but submit to a Capitula-
tion, he would most cordially concorporate with him.
45
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
As to the Idea of his having lost any part of his Weight with his Con-
stituents he assured the Right Honble Gentleman he was convinced he never
stood higher in their good Opinion than in his present Situation. For although
{said he) a Host of Ruffians (I will not call them Electors) desperate as Chair-
men from Brookes' s lately made an Attempt upon my Life {here somebody
sneezedy U" Mahon laughed and was called to order by the Chair) I say upon
my Life Sir I have no doubt but that in Case a Dissolution takes place I shall
be prepared to meet it with as high a head as any Member of this House.
^' Sublimi feriam sidera vertice^
M' then brought forward to their View the only means of securing a
permanent and popular Administration ridiculed the Impropriety of attending
to Addresses from corporate Bodies, accused S^ Rich^ Hill of throwing Scrip-
ture and Rochester in his Teeth, and concluded with an earnest Exhortation to
the Country Gentlemen to lay their Heads together and take into Considera-
tion the Measures which had brought Charles to the Block.
Sir Rich^ Hill said he should neither quote the Bible or Rochester, though
he couldn't help saying he would recommend to some Gent** of that house the
Precepts of the one and the Repentance of the other, he also recommended That
in order to ease the Landed Interest the Reckoning of the Gentlemen at the
S^ Albans should be paid out of the Balance remaining in ikf Rigby' hands, —
M^ P s [Powys] rose, and was going to enter into an Explanation of the
Consistency of his own Conduct but the House seemed not disposed to hear
him, so he was angry.
The Remainder of this important Debate will be
given in our next.
A burlesque of Fox*s speeches on 28 Feb. and i March, the former
being a debate on Powys*s motion for a united and efficient Administration,
that is, for a coahtion between Fox and Pitt according to the proposals of
the country gentlemen who had been meeting at the St. Alban's Tavern, see
No. 6413, &c. ; the latter, a debate on Fox*s motion for an Address to the king
to remove his Ministers. Sir Richard Hill's quotation from the Bible and
Rochester was on 28 Feb. Pari. Hist. xxiv. 639. See also Wraxall, Memoirs,
1884, iii. 424 and n. For Fox*s sneeze see No. 6426, &c. For his allusion to
the Stuarts (i.e. to Charles II), see Pari. Hist. xxiv. 627 f., 652 f., 657 f.,
and Nos. 6438, 6445. For chairmen from Brooks's cf. No. 6453, &c.
The allusion to the balance in Rigby's hand relates both to the meetings at
the St. Alban's Tavern organized by Powys, and to the debate on the motion
of the Attorney-General (Kenyon) that Rigby should account for the
balance in his hands as Paymaster-General, which afforded an opportunity
for stating that the account of Lord Holland was still unsettled, since his
executors (one being Fox, another the discredited Powell, see No. 6195)
had not proved his will. Pari. Hist. xxiv. 672 ff.
9 X 6i in.
6438 POPULAR FRENZY ; OR, THE DEMOLITION OF S^ STEPHS
CHAPEL.
Annibal Scratch del[} Collings.]
Pub. March 4, 1784, by W. Wells, N° 132 Fleet Street.
Engraving. An old stone building, representing the House of Commons,
is being demolished by Pitt and his supporters and shored up by Fox and
North. The two latter (\.) are holding up a long beam, inscribed Constitu-
46
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
tional Advice^ which supports a massive stone inscribed SPQB and flanked
by a stone on which is carved within a wreath the cap and staff of Liberty.
Pitt and his supporters (r.) ascend a long ladder, inscribed Back Stairs (see
No. 6417), which rests against the roof. Its rungs are inscribed (reading
upwards), [Secjret inf[luence]y New Mi[mstry] Addr[ess], Address^ Addres\s\^
Popular Frenzy. The foremost figure on the ladder is Folly, a young
woman wearing a cap and bells, both her cap and belt inscribed Folly. She
holds a flag on which is a royal crown and the word Aristocracy ^ and looks
round with a smile, saying, Down with it We will erect a Prerogative Court
in its stead. Below her is a man dressed in shirt and breeches, tugging at
an enormous chain, attached by a grappling-hook to the stone on which is
the cap of Liberty. The rungs under his feet are inscribed Address^ an
allusion to the loyal addresses which were pouring in, approving of the
dismissal of the Coalition. See *The Gazette', Jan.-March 1784, passim.
These were compared by the Opposition to those presented to Charles II
in 1682-3, see No. 6437, ^c- ^^tt stands lower, putting his upper foot on
the rung inscribed New Mi[nistry'\\ he turns round, addressing a crowd
below him, and saying. Well pidl an old House over their Heads! Huzza.
Below him, on the step of Secret influence, stands Temple; he holds a flag
inscribed Omnipot[ence] Anarch[y] and directs the rays of a conspiratorial
dark lantern towards Wisdom who stands beside Fox, a tongue of flame
rising from her head. She holds a flag inscribed Union, its solid staflF con-
trasting with the flimsy one held by Folly; she points at Temple, saying,
Friends take care what you are about.
On the extreme r. beside the ladder, on which his hand rests, stands
Thurlow. Behind are a number of men with pick-axes and mallets engaged
in demolition; they are Addressers. The ladder rests on a paper inscribed
Constitution. Beneath the design is etched:
Man with strong reason is endowed,
A beast scarce instinct is allowed;
But let this Rabble's worth be tried
Tis plain that neither are their guide
Can they discern the different natures.
And weigh the power of other Creatures,
Who by this partial work have shew'n
They know so little of their own.
The flag held by Wisdom is a plea for the plan of Powys and the country
gentlemen who met at the St. Alban's Tavern (see A?in. Reg., 1784-5,
pp. 265 flF., and No. 6413, &c.) for a union between Fox and Pitt, the word
* coalition' being shunned.
The character of this attack on Pitt shows his improving position. For
the 'popular frenzy' which supported Pitt see also Nos. 6445, 6485, 6486,
6522, 6537, 6538, cf. No. 6581. No. 6445 is a sequel to this print, see
No. 6417, &c.
i2X9i in.
6439 EVERY MAN IN HIS HUMOUR.
By B. Walwyn N° 2 Pedlaler's Acre
Published as the Act directs Febv March 6'* 1784 [sic]
Engraving. A series of isolated figures irregularly spaced. North (1.) leans
back in an arm-chair asleep, his arms folded; over his head is the word
47
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Indolence. Next is Burke as Oeconomy (in allusion to his Bill of Economical
Reform) seated full-face in an upright chair mending a stocking. He wears
a Jesuit's biretta (cf. No. 6026). The central figure, larger than the others,
is Fox, standing full-face with his hands on his hips, wearing a royal
crown; he is Ambition (cf. No. 6395). Love and Wine are represented by
the Prince of Wales seated on a chair with a courtesan (perhaps intended
for Mrs. Robinson) on his knee; he holds a wine-bottle in his r. hand, she
holds up a wine-glass in her 1. On the extreme r. Pitt, as Improvement^ sits
primly in an upright chair, full face, holding an open book. The drawing
is childish, the line shaky.
For Fox and the Prince, cf. No. 6401, &c.
6440 THE DEVIL PAID HIS DUE.
[? J. Barrow.]
Pu¥: hyj. Wallis. N'' 16, Ludgate Street. March. 6. 1^84.
Engraving. Justice (1.) flogs Fox at the tail of an elephant, as culprits were
then flogged at the cart's tail. The elephant is in profile to the r. Fox is
stripped to the waist, a rope round his neck is attached to the animal's tail,
his hands are on the animal's hind-quarters ; he looks over his r. shoulder
with an expression of anguish. Justice, a blind-folded woman in pseudo-
classical draperies, stands with a knotted scourge raised to strike; she says
Vengence is mitie^ I will repay. On the elephant's flank is engraved. He
that exalteth himself Shall be abased.
Fox's position is contrasted with that depicted by Sayers in the famous
Carlo Khan^s Triumphal entry into Leadenhall Street, see No. 6276. Cf.
No. 6399, &c.
8|Xi3iin.
6441 COALITION ARMS
Published by M. Smith, March 8, 1784; and sold at No. 46, in Fleet
Street [Price one Shilling.]
Engraving. North and Fox as supporters of the Coalition Arms (cf. No.
6369 (5)), which rest on the prostrate body of the king, on whom North
rests his 1. foot and Fox his r. North stands (1.) dexter, holding in his r.
hand a flag on which are two demons and the word Coalition ; the staff is
surmounted with a skull ; in his 1. is a small flag with thirteen oblique stripes,
an allusion to the loss of the Colonies, which forms part of the first quarter
of the arms. Fox holds a ragged cap of Liberty on its staff; his r. hand,
resting on the escutcheon, holds a small axe which forms part of the second
quarter of the arms. The crest is formed of the heads of North and Fox
back to back, in profile, r.; from their mouths comes a ribbon with the
word Faction. The motto which supports the figures of Fox, North, and
the king, is Neck or Nothing.
Beneath the plate is a printed explanation of the Coalition Arms :
Lately granted by a new College of Arms to two Illustrious Persons for their
numerous and distinguished Virtus
*'Go and do thou likewise^*,
48
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
They are thus emblazoned:
First Quarter. A Standard zoith the Thirteen Stripes of the American
States; Base^ Edmund S^ Omer's [Burke], like a skilful Dentist y drawing the
Teeth of a Lion.
Second. Ouarterfyy First and Fourth^ Implements of Gambling; Sinister
Chief a declining Axe; Dexter base, the head of Charles ^ Martyr; Fesse Point
Arms of H—ll — d [Holland, the arms of Fox, cf. No. 6422].
Third. A Gallows ^ Two Halters charged Proper,
Fourth. Britannia Renversed.
Crest. Janus ^ with the motto Faction,
Supporters. Dexter, the Promoter of Independence with the Flag of
Coalition. Sinister; the Man of the People , with a Liberty Cap worn Thread-
bare; both Supporters trampling on an injured [King] who is extricating
Himself from their Oppression.
The arms are as described : Burke (H.L.) applies a pair of forceps to the
teeth of a lion, seated passively. Above them is a paper inscribed Reform
Bill (cf. No. 5645, &c.). The implements of gambling are dice-box, dice,
and cards. From the gallows hang a fox (1.) and North (r.). Britannia,
seated head downwards, holds out an olive-branch, emblematical of the
peace and the loss of America.
One of many satires on the Coalition, see Nos. 6369, 6399, &c.; it is
exceptional at this date in dwelling on the loss of America (cf. No. 6424)
rather than on the India Bill (cf. Nos. 6285, 6361, &c.), which, however,
is implied in the prostrate position of the king (cf. No. 6276, &c.), from
which he is recovering, see No. 6405, &c.
7iX9iin.
6442 MASTER BILLY'S PROCESSION TO GROCERS HALL.
[Rowlandson.]
Pub March 8^^ by W. Humphrey AT^ 22y Strand 1784
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). A burlesque representa-
tion of Pitt's procession to the City on 28 Feb. to dine with the Grocers'
Company and receive the freedom of the City. The procession is headed
by a band of musicians (1.), by the Gold Box carried on a pole (voted
10 Feb. 1784 but not presented till 5 Feb. 1785), and by banners. Close
to a banner inscribed N° 45 capers Wilkes, scattering coins with both
hands. On the three other banners are the words Pitt and Prerogative [the
actual banner was *Pitt and the Constitution']; Youth a most enormous
Crime \ and emblems of the Grocers' Company, including two sugar-loaves.
The coaches, drawn by the populace, are here represented by three
small wheeled chairs such as were used for children and invalids. In the
first is Sir Wattey, drawn by satyrs ; he is Sir Watkin Lewes, alderman and
M.P. for the City, see vol. v and index. Both he and Wilkes took a promi-
nent part in the reception of Pitt, both had opposed the India Bill and
supported Pitt in the House of Commons. He is followed by Pitt as Master
Billy seated jauntily on the back of his chair, his hands on his hips ; a man
sits at his feet holding a banner inscribed Kings Men. His chair is followed
by men with long staves. Last comes Sir Barney; his projecting sword
appears to have tripped up two of the rabble. He is Sir Barnard Turner,
Alderman and Sheriff, who had taken a leading part in restoring order
49 E
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
after the Gordon Riots. He was knighted (i6 Jan. 1784) for moving the
City Address to the king. Westminster Magazine, 1784, p. 118.
The crowd is drawn with much freedom and spirit, some wave hats,
some scramble for coins ; hats fly in the air with the words Pitt and Plumb
Pudding for ever Huzza! A man on the extreme r. shouts King for ever.
Behind the procession are the houses of a street leading to the gate of
Grocers Hall (I.), probably representing Cheapside or the Poultry (although
access to the Hall was through Grocers' Alley). Spectators lean from the
windows of the houses. The large corner house has a wide shop- window,
surmounted by the Royal Arms and the words Tommy Plumb Grocer to
his Majesty. From one of its windows a spectator says, O what a Charming
Youth. Behind Pitt is a shop inscribed Toy Shop Wax Work. On the
extreme r. is a large inn with bay-windows whose sign is a large H.L. por-
trait of Chatham in profile to the 1., inscribed Lord Chatham, and below, Neat
Wines. A figure leaning from one of its windows says. Very like his Father.
The procession is described at length in the newspapers, e.g. Morning
Post, I and 2 March. It is called *the grandest procession of the kind since the
year 1761 when M^ Pitt's illustrious Father . . . received the same marks of
distinction from the Citizens of London'. See also Nos. 6471, 6538, 6807,
6813. On his return to Berkeley Square Pitt was attacked by a mob opposite
Brooks's, see No. 6453, &c. For Pitt as Chatham's son cf. No. 5984.
Reissued, Westminster Election, p. 83.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 119-20 (reproduction). Reproduced, Grego,
Hist, of Parliamentary Elections, 1892, p. 264.
8iXi3iin.
6443 IN MEMORY OF MONDAY DECEMR 17™ 1733
Published by E Hedges N'' g2 Cornhill march 8^^ 1784
Engraving (coloured impression). Pitt, with Britannia and the British Lion,
attacks a many-headed monster with a serpent's tail which encircles a column
inscribed British Constitution', on this is a bust of the king. Pitt wears
Roman armour; he holds a club in his r. hand, Britannia's shield in his 1.,
and appears to represent Hercules slaying the hydra. The necks of the
monster join in a flattened mass on which stand Pitt, Britannia, and the
lion, all three threatening the heads, which are those of the late Ministry :
(1. to r.) North, Burke, Lord John Cavendish, Lord Derby (who had been
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster), Keppel, Portland, and Fox.
The bust of George III is in profile to the 1.; against his shoulder rests
a shield inscribed Dieu et mon Droit. The whole group rests on a platform
or pedestal, and appears to represent a piece of sculpture, the title forming
part of the design. On each side of the title is inscribed:
Ye British Chiefs who mount the waves
And ye who meet the tented foe:
Behold the young the wise the brave;
Repelling all your country's woes.
December 17th was the date of the defeat of the India Bill in the Lords,
see Nos. 6283, 6368, &c. From a constitutional standpoint, one of the most
extreme of the attacks on the Coalition. See Nos. 6399, 6405, &c. Similar
in design and intention to No. 6450.
12X9J i^«
50
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6444 THE CHAMPION OF THE PEOPLE.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ March 11. 1^84 by W. Humphrey N" 22y Strand
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). Fox (r.) in armour,
attacks a many-headed monster (1.), a scaly beast, with wings, talons, and
writhing serpentine necks. From each mouth issues a barbed fang and
words: Tyranny \ Assumed Prerogative \ Despotism; Oppression; Secret
Influence; Scotch Politik; and (from heads on the ground) Duplicity and
Corruption.
Fox (r.) stands in a theatrical attitude, his sword oi Justice raised above
his head, his Shield of Truth on his 1. arm, a cloak flying out behind him.
He has already cut off three heads. Behind him are his supporters: two
naked and emaciated figures prostrate themselves at his feet, inscribed
E* Indians. A serried rank of men in armour with shields and spears are
the English; their standard has a seated figure of Britannia holding a cap
of Liberty and is inscribed Standard of Universal Liberty. They say : While
he protects us we will support him. Next them is a smaller body, inscribed
Irishy dressed as Irish Volunteers. They say. He gave us a free Trade and
all we asked He shall have our firm support [see Nos. 5653 (1780), 6003
(1782)].
In the background, behind the hydra (1.), four men holding hands caper
round a flag inscribed Standard of Sedition. They perhaps represent
foreign countries rejoicing at the dissensions of England; one appears to
be dressed as a Frenchman, another as a Dutchman.
One of the most extreme of the Foxite prints ; it is exceptional in defend-
ing the India Bill, see Nos. 6271, 6368, &c. For 'Secret Influence' see
No. 6417, &c. See also No. 6436, &c.
Reissued, Westminster Election^ p. 43.
Grego, Rowlandson^ i. 120.
8|Xi2|in.
6445 THE GOLDEN IMAGE THAT NEBUCHADNEZZAR THE
KING HAD SET UP
Annibal Scratch del et sculp. [? Ceilings.]
Pub: by W, Wells, AT" 132 Fleet Street, March iP^ iy84.
Engraving. A sequel to No. 6438. George III, seated on a balloon, points
downwards with his sceptre to an image of Pitt (r.) as a naked child, on
a column which is inscribed Family Presumption. The king looks down
at North, Fox, and Burke, saying, / command you O Shadrach Mesech &
Abednego! The three stand (1.) in attitudes expressing intense self-right-
eousness; they say: Know O King we will not worship y'^ Golden Image; on
each head rests a tongue of flame. They stand outside a dilapidated build-
ing on the extreme 1. inscribed S^ Stephens, shored up by a beam, whose
base is at their feet, inscribed Resolutions Unrescinded. From its coping-
stone flies an ensign flag inscribed Firm S.P.Q.B. The king's balloon is
inscribed Prerogative; its lower axis emits a blast inscribed Gracious
Answer. Behind the balloon and Pitt are clouds inscribed Breath of
Popularity.
Pitt stands sucking his finger (cf. No. 6417); on his head is a sugar-
loaf surmounted by a flag inscribed Febv 28, an emblem of the Grocers'
51
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Company which had entertained him on that day, see No. 6442. Kneel-
ing figures do obeisance before the image of Pitt, those in the foreground
representing the least reputable trades : a lamplighter (1.), with his ladder
and oil-can, kneels in profile to the r.; a butcher prostrates himself; a
chinmey-sweep kneels with clasped hands ; a ragged scavenger, his shovel
and basket beside him, kneels in profile to the 1., the basket stands on a
paper inscribed \Worshipfu\ll Company of Scavenger[s]. In the foreground
lie papers inscribed Garret Address (an allusion to the mock elections of
Garratt), Address^ and The worshipfull Company of Chimney Sweepers. A
crowd of kneeling figures (1.) is worshipping the idol; they hold standards,
three of which are inscribed Bristol^ Westminster, and London, representing
the addresses to the king which had been compared by Fox to those made
to Charles II, see No. 6438, &c.
Beneath the design is etched :
A Gilded Image — & before it —
A Mob on Marrow-bones adore it
That immemorial time have sold
All Conscience to his God-ship Gold:
Look ere you leap & scan the pit,
Your sapient Worships may be bit
Not all that glitter 's Gold, alass.
Your baby 's but a thing of Brass.
The sequence of satires by this artist well illustrates the declining
fortunes of Fox, see No. 6417, &c. See also No. 6438, &c.
8i8gXi3in.
6446 THE UNFORTUNATE ASS.
Pu¥ as y^ Act directs March 11, 1784 by W Humphrey 22y Strand
Engraving. Fox (1.), George III (r.), face each other in profile; each tugs
hard at a rope attached to the nose of an ass which stands between them.
The ass is The People ; he is heavily burdened with many sacks, inscribed
Taxes, or Tax, and one. Taxes 1784. The king, wearing a crown and a
sword inscribed Prerogative, tries to drag the animal on to a road down
which points a signpost inscribed Road to Absolute Monarchy. A sign-
post behind Fox points down the Road to Republicanism. Fox says, /
humbly Insist upon the management or else will not grant any Supplys (see
No. 6380). In the distance is a signpost. To Aristocracy, pointing to a
road out of sight behind the ass, whose back is turned to it.
For Pitt and prerogative, cf. No. 6417, &c.; for Fox and republicanism
cf. No. 6380, &c.
Sf^gXizifin.
6447 THE LONDON TRENTICE, OR, THE FORCE OF VIRTUE.
WD. [Dent.]
Pu¥ II March 1784 by H Humphrey N° 51 New Bond Street
Engraving. Pitt stands between two beasts, one with the face of North (1.),
the other with that of Fox (r.). They have the mane of a lion and the
claws of a bear; the tails resemble a fox's brush. North's tail is in-
scribed Conscience, that of Fox Honor. Pitt wears a plumed helmet inscribed
Wisdom and encircled with a laurel-wreath, a tunic with a belt inscribed
52
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Cestus of Virtue. He looks towards North, whose teeth he is drawing with
a forceps. Fox Hes prostrate, vomiting; a crown inscribed Asia has fallen
from his head. Pitt's outstretched 1. arm holds out over Fox a heart
inscribed Indostatiy which appears to have been torn from Fox.
One of many satires on the defeat of the India Bill, see Nos. 6271,
6368, &c. Pitt is the *London Trentice*, having received the freedom of
the City, see Nos. 6442, 6567.
SfXisfin.
6448 THE STATE NURSES.
[? J. Barrow.]
Pu¥ by H. Humphrey. March 11. 1784. N" 50 New Bond Street.
Engraving. Fox and North dressed as nurses : Fox stands outside a house,
his hand on an empty cradle on which is a notice Reynard State Cradle
Wrocker; North (1.) looks from a window above the open door, holding out
a dirty cloth and saying, A Sh n piece of BuisnesSy this Susan — I am
afraid we Shall not in a hurry be able to get out the Stain. Fox, his back to
North, answers, And Stinks most horridly y it will require great Judgement
to bring it to its former Colour. A placard on the house is inscribed. Wanted
a Child to NursCy by Rachel N /f, & Susan F Xy lately removed from
S^ James's. Can be well Recommended from the three Feathers in Pall —
Mall — . (An allusion to Carlton House, and the close association between
Fox and the Prince of Wales, see No. 6041, &c.)
One of many satires on the defeat of the Coalition, see Nos. 6283, 6399,
&c. A print with the same title is No. 5850.
I2jx8| in.
6449 THE GANDERS ADDRESSING THE LION, TO HAVE THE
ELEPHANT REMOV'D. [c. March 1784]
Engraving above engraved verses in two columns. The Lion (George III)
sits under a canopy, holding a sceptre ; on his r. is a bull (John Bull), on his
1. an elephant (Pitt). Before him (r.) stands a deputation of ganders; the
foremost gander holds a paper inscribed We Ganders and walks between
a bear (North) on his 1. and a fox (Fox) on his r. The fox leads the bear
by a chain which passes over the back of the gander; in his r. hand is a
pair of spectacles. The ganders are the supporters of the Coalition in the
House of Commons.
A satire on the repeated motions for the removal of Ministers from Jan.
to I Mar., when Fox's motion for an address to the king was carried by
twelve only. Pari. Hist. xxiv. 687-713. Wraxall, Memoirs^ 1884, iii. 309-
10. Cf. Nos. 6373, &c., 6473.
5ftX9Jin.
The Ganders Address
We Ganders begy your Majesty
would condescend most graciously
to sendyon^ Elephant away
{a beast that feeds on beans and hay
and therefore never should pretend
with high-fed creatures to contendy)
' 'Your' corrected to 'yoi^' in a contemporary hand.
53
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
who got by stealth into a place^
by others filVd with far more grace.
We have a noble Bear and Fox
who feast on honey ^ fowls ^ and ducks;
Their powW and wisdom we can swear for
and have informer days paid dear for ;
But they're become fast friends of late
and resolved to uphold that state,
which their contentions had o'erthown [sic],
and they'll rebuild what they've pulVd dozon.
Besides our noble Renard has
a pair of Spectacles of glass,
which if your Majesty but chose,
to let him place upon your nose,
Ked \sic\ make you see in darkest night
whatever he thinks wrong or right.
As to yon^ stripling Elephant,
though^ all your Grandees of the Land
should foolishly attempt to prop him,
Renard and Boreas would stop him.
And We, your faithful Ganders, say:
that none but they should bear the sway.
The Lion*s Answer
Gentlemen Ganders! we are pleas' d
with your harangue, it is confess' d
that bears & fox's rule with grace
o'er any flocks of Sheep and Geese.
But we've more Cattle in the Stable,
whom elephants are better able
to govern, than your Bear and fox.
For besides Sheep and Geese and Ducks
we reign o'er many a noble Stag
and many an usefull Bull and Nag,
who do not relish {as we hear)
the Government of Fox and Bear.
Tis true our Elephant is young.
But he 's no fool and will grow Strong.
We trust he never will disgrace
a father, who once fill'd that place.
And here 's our old good friend the Bull
who knows his merits to the full;
He thinks him a good honest creature
endow' d with sense and with good nature,
and will stand by him to the last
(says he) whatever it may cost.
With vices none of you can charge him;
Thus we have no mind to discharge him.
For Spectacles we have no need.
But thank ye as much, as if we did.
Broadside (clipped), 13! X9I in.
' See note on previous page. * 'Through' corrected to 'though*
54
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6450 GORGON
Puhlishd by E Hedges N"" g2 Cornhill March 13 1784
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). Fox's head, directed
to the 1.; his hair is composed of writhing serpents, each with a human
head, representing a member of the CoaHtion Ministry ; in the centre, above
the forehead, is North; on the 1. are Lord Stormont, Keppel, and the Duke
of Portland, who is in profile to the r. and faces, with an alarmed expression,
Burke, his vis-a-vis on the opposite side. On the r. are also Lord Derby,
Lord John Cavendish, and Sheridan, who has a beard and the ears of a
satyr as in Nos. 6281, 6367. Behind these fully characterized heads are
others shaded to form a background, and almost all grotesque; one of these
(r.), in profit perdu to the r., is identified by Miss Banks as Lord Carlisle.
Beneath the design is etched :
This horrid head in antient times was knowUf
To petrify beholders into stone.
But Pitt the Perseus of the present day.
With patriot zeal has took its powW away.
The venom' d heads from him received no quarter
Or stings that pointed at the India Charter.
Similar in design and intention to No. 6443 by the same artist. One of
many satires on the defeat of the Coalition, see No. 6399, &c. For the
India Bill see Nos. 6271, 6368, &c.
91^6X81 in. (pL).
6451 THE GOATS CANTER TO WINDSOR OR THE CUCKOLD'S
COMFORT.^
Pub March 14 1^84 by J Wallis N'' 16 Ludgate Street >/
Engraving. The Prince of Wales drives (r. to 1.) a lady in a high gig
drawn by six goats. The near leader is ridden by Fox, with a fox's
head, as postilion. On the side of the gig is a coronet and the Prince of
Wales's feathers. Three men on goats ride beside the gig; the foremost
has horns and is seated facing the tail of the animal. He is identified by
Mr. Hawkins as Lord Jersey, which is unlikely at this date (but see No.
61 15); he is probably Robinson. Next comes a stout man, looking up at
the gig, who resembles Lord North (cf. No. 6266). Last comes Colonel
Tarleton in military dress, wearing the feathered helmet made familiar
by Reynolds's portrait. The lady is probably Mrs. Robinson; this is
confirmed by the presence of Tarleton, see No. 6266, &c. Cf. No. 6452.
On the extreme r. is a signpost pointing To Windsor, the words written
in reverse.
A satire on Fox's relations with the Prince of Wales, cf. No. 6401, &c.
For the continued association of the Prince and Terdita' in the public mind
cf. Nos. 6928, 6930, 6977.
8|Xi3iin.
^ The second part of the title, and the publication-line, have been added on a
pasted strip, the paper beneath it being cut away.
55
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
6452 lOB
Publish' d According to the Act by J, Fores N. 3 piccadily March 14
1784
Engraving. Fox as Job lies on a low oriental bed, vomiting into a chamber-
pot, supporting his head on his r. hand. He wears a hood or turban, a
buttoned tunic, trousers, and slippers. Above the design is inscribed And
There lived in the Land of Uz a Certain man Whose Natne was , . , & That
/ Man Was perfect & Upright^ One that Eschewed Evil.
^ Beneath the design three verses are etched, the first being :
M' Fox M' Fox:
If you had the* * *
What a blessing f would be toy iiation;
IfPerdita Would
For once do some good
She'd Secure you a tight Salivation
M' Fox
She'd . . . [ut supra].
For Fox and Mrs. Robinson see No. 61 17, &c. Cf. No. 6451.
Subject, 5-Jx8^ in.; pi., ii-J-x8J| in.
6453 MASTER BILLY'S RETURN FROM GROCERS HALL
Pu¥ as the Act directs March [18] 1784 By E. Saner N"" [49] Jermyn
S' S' James's^
Engraving. The mob, using bludgeons and fists, attack Pitt's procession
in St. James's Street on its return from the City on the night of 28-29 Feb.,
see No. 6442. The scene is in front of Weltje's shop, from whose first-
floor balcony the Prince of Wales, wearing his ribbon and star, waves a
hat, shouting Fox For Ever huzza. Across the shop-front is inscribed
C. Weltje Cotectioner [sic] to his Royal Highness. Immediately below is a
coach, from which Pitt is addressing the mob who are attacking with
bludgeons. Its roof is inscribed Mastir Billy. On the extreme r. stands
Fox, waving his hat. Sam House, supported on the shoulders of another
man, holds up a flag inscribed Down with Pitt. A banner, Pitt & Preroga-
tive, lies on the ground. On the extreme 1. is a banner. Kings Men, as in
No. 6442. Spectators look from the windows of the houses. The house
behind Fox is inscribed Kelseys.
The mob attacked the procession opposite Brooks's ; Pitt was forced to
take refuge in White's, and the three coaches which were being drawn by
the crowd were broken to pieces. The presence of Fox and the Prince of
Wales is, of course, apocryphal. For Weltje's shop see No. 5888. He had
a brother, and the two are sometimes confused. He figures largely in
prints and squibs as a supporter of the Prince of Wales and the Foxites,
see index. For Kelsey's shop see Gillray's print (1797), reproduced Grego,
p. 230. It was said, in defence of the mob, that Pitt's followers had been
breaking windows which were not illuminated, including some at Carlton
House and at Weltje's. Morning Post, 2 Mar. 1784. See Stanhope, Life
of Pitt, 1879, i- 15^-3* ^^^ No- ^4^4-
SJXisiin.
^ The figures in brackets are written in ink.
56
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6454 THE TRIUMPH OF VIRTUE.
Puh, According to Act Mar. 18 y 1^84 by T, Cornell, Bruton Street
Engraving. Design in an oval. Pitt, with an air of extreme youth and
innocence, stands on a rectangular pedestal, which rests on the bodies of
North and Fox. He puts his foot on a serpent, with the head of Burke, which
coils round the pedestal. He holds a post or beam, inscribed Pillar of the
PubliCy on which is the cap of Liberty. An irradiated wreath is suspended
over his head. He looks down at Fox (r.) who looks round over his 1,
shoulder, his India Bill in his hand. North lies prone, his head thrown
back. Beneath the title is etched :
The Pitt is raised. The Fox is fallen. The North-wind ceases, and Edmund
Reassumes his Native Self.
One of many satires on the defeat of the Coalition and the India Bill,
cf. Nos. 6176, 6286, 6368, 6399, &c.
7ix6^in.
6455 REYNARD CAUGHT AT LAST OR THE (FOX) IN A PITT
Published by E Hedges A^" g2 Cornhill March ig*^ 1^84
Engraving. Fox, North, and Burke in deep mourning, with mourning
scarves round their wide-brimmed hats. Fox (centre) stands full-face up
to his knees in a circular pit, saying, / shall be lost for ever in the depth of
this terible Pitt. North (1.) stamps on the ground, his fists clenched, saying,
Is all our coalizing come to this, O! I could tear my flesh for madness. Burke
(r.), standing stiffly in profile to the 1., says, / think as matters are now it
will be my wisest way not to assist you any longer. The word 'fox* in the
title is represented by a fox running with a goose in its mouth (cf. No.
5843). Beneath the design is etched :
Three mourning Patriots here are in the dumps.
They played their cards, but lost for want of trumps,
Renoun'd alike for Eloquence and wit.
The wily F — x has tumbled in a Pitt.
One of many satires on the fall of the Coalition, see No. 6399, &c.; it
misrepresents the attitude of North (as of Burke) who offered to resign all
claim to office if the union of Pitt and Fox could be thus secured. Cf.
No. 6413, &c.
8|xio|in.
6456 A JOURNEY TO MALMSBURY
[J. Barrow?]
Pu¥ March 02. [sic] 1784. by H. Humphrey. N" 51. New Bond Street.
Engraving. Fox sits in a small two- wheeled cart drawn by an ass, which is
led (r. to 1.) by a man with a whip over his shoulder. A sign-post (1.) points
To Malmsbury. The cart is inscribed S^ James's Pass For Paupers. In the
foreground (r.) stands North, under a small tree resembling a weeping
willow, his back to the cart, saying, Alass poor Charly. On the 1. a man
stands full-face, holding a long staff or pole in his r. hand.
57
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Fox*s rejection for Westminster is anticipated : he was M.P. for Malmes-
bury, a close borough, from 1774 to 1780, when he was elected for West-
minster. His defeat seemed likely from the Westminster meeting of 14 Feb.,
see No. 6421, &c., as well as (later) from the state of the poll, see Appendix
I. Paupers were then taken in a *pass-cart' by constables from county to
county and so passed to their place of settlement. This humiliating form
of transit was (legally) reserved for vagrants, not for the more respectable
^settled poor'. Cf. No. 6562.
89x13 in.
6457 THE COUNTRYMAN'S DREAM OF COALESCING VIRTUE
AND VICE
W. D. [Dent.]
Pu¥ as the Act directs by J. Ridgway, Piccadilly, March, 20^^ 17S4.
Engraving. A satire on the scheme of the country gentlemen, meeting at the
St. Alban's Tavern, for a 'union' between Pitt and Fox. The scene is outside
a public house inscribed S^ Albans (1.) ; the sign projecting from the corner
of the building is half the face of Fox, as in The Mask, No. 6234; the other
half (in place of that of North) is a royal crown. Members of the supposed
united ministry dance hand in hand round a may-pole, on the top of
which is the head of George III, the eyes closed, the tongue protruding.
Beneath the head the pole is wreathed with bunches of grapes and vine-
leaves. The two figures in the front of the circle are Fox (1.) and Thurlow
(r.). Fox has the body of a fox; he looks round over his r. shoulder with
a triumphant smile. Thurlow, in Chancellor's wig and gown, in profile
to the 1., gazes at Fox. On his r., also in profile to the 1., is Burke dressed
as a Jesuit (cf. No. 6026). The central figure on the farther side of the
circle is Shelburne, who dances between Portland (1.) and Burke (r.).
Richmond, in profile to the r., dances between Portland and Fox. Horns
sprout from the heads of Portland, Fox, and Burke, while those of the
other three are surrounded by haloes.
North, dressed as a nurse, stands (1.) watching the dancers. He holds
Pitt, a little mannikin. His Garter ribbon is inscribed Nurse Nor\tK\\ he
says, Come, buss — e, buss — e, Billy my dear, and Fll teach you how to take
care of yourself . North has horns, Pitt a halo.
Behind North (1.) is the door of the inn, over which is inscribed Mess^^
Powass and Mash 'em Dealers in British Spirits. In front of the door stands
Marsham holding a foaming tankard, inscribed PF (monogram), and a
paper. Resolved, That Union may be effected without Principle. In an arm-
chair outside the door sits Powys, who with Marsham, M.P. for Kent,
directed the proceedings at the St. Alban's Tavern (though Thomas
Grosvenor was the nominal chairman). On the ground between them
is a paper inscribed Respite . . . 48 hours, . . . Cromwell.
On the extreme r., outside the circle of dancers, is the Prince of Wales,
beating a drum and blowing a pipe, while he dances to his own tune. His
hat is ornamented with three enormous ostrich feathers and the words
Ich dien. He, Powys, and Marsham have satyrs' ears, suggesting that they
are less diabolical than the Foxites, who have horns. Beneath the title is
etched :
Round about the Maypole see how we trot, hotpot, hot, brown Ah we have
got Midas.
58
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
For the proposed union of parties, see No. 6413, &c. For Fox as Crom-
well cf. No. 6380, &c.
8|xi3/gin.
6458 BRITAIN'S HOPE, OR THE POLITICAL NOBODIES.
iV^ 9. Published 20^^ March 1784, by G. Humphrey, N° 48 Long Acre,
London.
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). Pitt, as Britain's Hope,
stands leaning on an anchor (1.) beside Fox and North, who have no
bodies, their heads resting on their hips as in No. 5570. Pitt's 1. hand is
patronizingly outstretched over the head of Fox. His head is irradiated
and encircled with the words Vertus an degrePlus eminent. A hand emerges
from a cloud above Pitt's head, holding over it a ribbon and star inscribed
Reward of Virtue.
Over the heads of Fox and North is a mass of solid cloud on which rests
a jumble of buildings representing Indian castles and temples, inscribed Air
Castles on an Improved Plan. The two stand with expressions of sulky
melancholy. North's Garter ribbon is draped over his breeches, which are
inscribed Sans Souci\ those of Fox are inscribed Sans six Sous. Beneath
the title is engraved :
See Britain^ s Hope with looks serene, expose
The Coalition Chiefs, his Countrie's Foes;
Who building India Castles in the Air,
Have made themselves of Nobodies a Pair.
One of many satires on the fall of the Coalition and the India Bill, see
Nos. 6368, 6399, &c. For the effect of the Coalition on Fox's political
prospects cf. No. 8099.
i2i^6X8i|in.
6459 A RACE FOR A CROWN.
N° 10. London Publish' d 20*^ March 1784, by G. Humphrey N<* 48
Long Acre
Engraving. Fox, North, and others ride a race (1. to r.) mounted on lions.
Fox is slightly ahead of North; behind are three other members of the /
Coalition of whom only Burke, in top-boots, his whip raised to strike his ^
mount, can be identified. They advance towards the royal box (1.) in
which stand George III and Queen Charlotte. The king, impassive, in
profile to the 1., holds the crown over the edge of the box, ready to present
it to the winner, who is clearly Fox. The queen weeps, holding a hand-
kerchief to her eye. Fox (a fox's brush projecting from his coat-tails) has
passed The Winning post. On a short flight of steps beside the post stands
a young man, full-face, perhaps Pitt, holding a flag in one hand, a pair of
evenly balanced scales in the other.
On the r. is a pavilion, with three boxes, crowded with spectators, too
freely sketched for identification, except for the Prince of Wales and a lady *
who may be Mrs. Robinson, on the extreme 1.
One of a number of satires representing Fox as trying to obtain for him-
self and his party the prerogatives of the Crown, cf. No. 6380, &c. Its
precise significance is obscure: perhaps a satire on the proposed union
59
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
between Fox and Pitt, see No. 6413, &c., represented, as in No. 6457, as
a victory for the former. The king had reluctantly agreed to the negotia-
tions ; Pitt held out for 'fair and equal terms'. Stanhope, Life of Pitt y 1879,
i. 147.
8|xi3|in.
HIBERNIA IN THE CHARACTER OF CHARITY.
W. D. [Dent.]
Ptib^ as the Act directs, by J. Brown, Rathbone Place March 21, 1784
Though dated 1784 this print relates to 1785. See No. 6785.
6460 CHARLES THE THIRD, KING OF THE BEGGARS, WHO
UNFORTUNATELY LOST HIS SIGHT AT THE BATTLE OF
LEADEN HALL.
Pu¥ 22^ March 1784, by W*» Humphrey. N<> 227 Strand,
Engraving. Fox, a blind beggar, is led (1. to r.) by a dog with the face of
North. He holds the dog's cord in his r. hand, a long spiked staff in the
other, its head ornamented with a crown; round his waist is a belt. A
bandage across his eyes is inscribed East India Bill; he looks over his r.
shoulder saying, This damn'd Bill has blinded me. North says. Be comforted.
There's none so blind as those who will not see. They advance towards
a building on the extreme r., one window of which is partly visible; it
suggests a debtors' prison, cf. No. 6483.
One of many satires on the defeat of the East India Bill, see No. 6368,
&c., and the gradual defeat of Fox in his contest with Pitt before the
dissolution, see No. 6373, &c., virtually decided by 8 March, cf. Nos. 6461,
6462. For Fox as Charles HI cf. No. 6622.
8JXi2|in.
6461 THE COCK PITT ROYAL.
Pu¥ 24 March, 1784, & Sold by F. Reilly High Holborn.
Engraving. A cock-fight between cocks, one with the head of Pitt (I.) the
other with that of Fox. Pitt is in full feather, wings erect, one claw held
up, threatening Fox. Fox looks down dejectedly, tail-feathers gone, wings
drooping. The backers stand behind their champions : the Devil leans over
Fox, holding up a money-bag and saying. He pecks again for £100! A
bishop behind Pitt, resembling Markham, Archbishop of York, holds out
his arm saying. Done M^ Devil. George HI leans across the arena, intently
watching his champion. Behind him, his arm resting on the king's shoulder,
stands Wilkes, looking over his r. shoulder at those standing behind him.
Pitt's other chief backers, grouped together in the foreground with the
king, are Thurlow, the Duke of Richmond, and Lord Nugent. Behind
Richmond, his mouth open as if shouting, is a profile resembling that of
Grafton . Behind the nearer spectators is a crowd of Pitt's supporters, some
waving their hats, some with favours in their hats. On the r. behind Fox
five of the most prominent spectators are Jews (Fox's creditors) ; one stands
in the foreground talking to North and holding up both hands as if in
despair; they stand on the floor of the pit, only their heads and shoulders
60
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
being visible. Of the other backers of Fox, Burke can be identified by his
Jesuit's biretta (cf. No. 6026) and his spectacles. Another is a butcher
smoking a pipe.
One of many satires on the contest between Pitt and Fox before the
dissolution, see No. 6373, &c. Fox's defeat seemed certain by 8 March
when his majority was reduced to one on a motion for an address to the
Crown against the retention of Ministers not having the confidence of
Parliament, and on 9 March the Mutiny Bill was passed unopposed.
Wraxall, MemoirSy 1884, iii. 313 fit. See Nos. 6462, 6463, 6482. For Pitt
and Fox as fighting-cocks see No. 6598. For Fox and the Jews cf. Nos.
6617, 6623. For the king and Wilkes see No. 6568, &c.
7jXiiiiin.
6462 CARLO KHAN DETHRON'D OR BILLY'S TRIUMPH
Published as the Act directs March 24^^ 1^84 by S. Fores. N. 3
Piccadilly
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). An imitation of, and
sequel to, Sayers's famous print, Carlo Khan's triumphal Entry into Leaden-
hall Street y see No. 6276. Fox, in oriental dress as before, lies on the
ground (1.), having fallen from the elephant on which Pitt, with a serene
and unmoved expression, sits in triumph. The elephant stands in profile to
the r., facing the door of the East India House ; its head, as before, is that
of North, though with an expression of bewildered distress. Pitt holds out
in his 1. hand his New India Bill; in his r. is the Stamp Acty under his arm
Supplies, and projecting from his pocket the Mutiny Act. Fox is saying,
Perdition Take thee for the Chance is thine. On the ground beside him are
a dice-box and dice.
This represents the situation after 8 Mar. when the contest in the
Commons, see No. 6373, &c., was virtually decided. See No. 6461, &c.
For Fox's attempt to hold up supplies see No. 6380, &c. Pitt's *New
India Bill' is prophetic in anticipating the Bill passed in Aug. (cf. No.
6634); his first India Bill was rejected on 23 Jan. Pari. Hist. xxiv. 412.
Cf. No. 6406.
7|Xioiin.
6463 THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE, THE FOOT-BALL OF THE
PEOPLE
[? J. Barrow.]
Pu¥ by J. Barrow. March 24. 1784. White Lion Bull Stairs, Surry
Side Black Fryers Bridge.
Engraving. Fox, in the air, is kicked as a football between two groups of
three men; from each coat-pocket falls a bunch of grapes. He says:
For all my cares, and long Harangues,
Must I receive these kicks and bangs?
Oh most ungrateful, stupid Blocks!
For serving thus your Old Friend Fox.
In each group is one prominent figure with a leg raised to kick; on the 1.
he is a sailor in round hat and short trousers, he grins ; pointing at Fox and
saying, The next kick shall send him to Bengali. A man behind, wearing
61
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
long striped trousers, says Heflyes like a Wild Goose. The third, partly cut
off by the margin of the print, is Jeffery Dunstan, collector of old wigs, see
No. 5637, often used in pictorial satire as representative of the rabble
who supported Fox. The prominent figure on the r. is a stout citizen
saying, Tho* he '5 a FoXj he shall have Monkeys allowance. One of his two
companions says. Instead of the Grapes ^ he has got the Gripes.
A satire exulting in the success of Pitt over Fox in the House of Com-
mons, see No. 6461, &c.
8Jx 131^6 in.
6464 EASTWARD HO ! ORTHE YOUNG STATESMAN'S RAMBLE.
[? I. Cruikshank.]
Pub. 24^ March 1^84. by W. Humphrey, N° 22y Strand.
Engraving. A design in compartments. A satire on Pitt*s return from
Grocers' Hall on the night of 28-29 Feb., see No. 6453. The inscriptions
over each compartment form a running comment on the whole.
[i.] A T.Q.L. portrait of Pitt as Will Trim, standing in profile to the r.
[2.] A similar portrait of Fox directed to the r., his r. hand in his
breeches pocket, his 1. thrust in his waistcoat.
3iJX2|in.
[3.] Fox (1.) and Pitt (r.) standing one on each side of a large cake on a
table, each with an arm raised menacingly. Behind them, faintly indicated,
is the Speaker (Cornwall), in his chair, and a sea of heads, showing that this
is a contest in the House of Commons. 12 Jan. 1784 (when Parliament
met) was expected to be 'Charles Fox's Twelfth Day, when he will chuse
King and Queen'. Gaussen, A Modern Pepys, ii. 241.
SilxsAin.
[4.] The king (1.) seated in his closet at a table. He hands a letter, which
he has just written, to a man holding a dark lantern, and covered with a
long cloak. The Devil directs the intrigue: he stands facing the king
between Temple on his r. and Pitt, standing shyly, hat in hand, whom he
is introducing to the king. One of a number of satires in which Temple is
represented as a conspirator with a dark lantern, see No. 6417, &c.
SisXsJin.
[5.] A stout citizen standing on the sea-shore, where a number of men
are carrying chests and bales from a ship at anchor. Beside him are pack-
ing-chests and sugar-loaves, representing the tea and sugar sold by grocers.
He is Fig the Smuggling Grocer, and is saying. This Fellow Charles is no
Friend to Smuggling, Fll be revenged on the Dog. He is a member of the
Grocers' Company, contemplating the entertainment of Pitt, see No. 6442.
It was actually Pitt who checked smuggling, cf. No. 6634.
4^X3 in.
[6.] A mob attacks the windows of a large building, Pitt stands con-
spicuously in the foreground, apparently about to throw a stone. A stout
citizen who shakes his stick at Pitt, is having his pocket picked. Jeffery
62
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Dunstan stands with his sack over his shoulder waving his hat and looking
at Pitt. See No. 6453.
4AX4iim.
[7.] A street scene, the sequel to the attack: Pitt and one of his company
are being thrashed by men with sticks.
4AX4f in.
The inscriptions over the compartments of the design are :
Will Trim \ and Charles \ Fight for the Cake^ and Charles was like to get
it. I But the Conjurer y the Devil & Will instigate Nobody [the king] to write
to the L ds of the Bed Chamber to Juggle Charles out of the Cake. \ Fig
the Smuggling Grocer determines to get drunk with Will in the City^ where
they agree to \ kick up a Rioty and break Charles's Windows. \ Will & his
Drunken Companions get soundly drubVdfor their Pains.
An attempt to transfer to Pitt the blame for the riot of 28 Feb., see
No. 6453. For Temple and the Lords see No. 6417, &c.
8xi2f in.
6465 THE DISCOVERY [24 Mar. 1784^]
[Rowlandson.]
Engraving. Frontispiece to The Book of the Wars of Westminster : from the
Fall of the Fox . . . to the 20^^ Day of the Third Months 1784. A group
of seven men and women standing in a semicircle. Slightly detached
stand North (1.) and Fox (r.) addressing the seven, who are the Witch
of Endor, with other witches and other supporters of Fox, who have
met in Westminster Hall on 14 Feb. to prepare for the meeting on that
day, see No. 6421, &c. North addresses the Witch of Endor, saying. Call
Fiends and Spectres from the Yawning Deep. The Witch, in profile to the
1., addresses her companions to whom she holds out a bag:
Cast in your mite each Midnight Hag
Fill the Protectors Poisoned Bag.
Each witch (who is to cast *in her collected drugs and the name of her
Lover', op. cit., p. 15), holds out an object towards the bag.
The one standing next the Witch of Endor says. Here 's Old Nick^s Nose;
her neighbour says. Here 's DeviVs Dung.^ In the centre of the semicircle
stands Jeffery Dunstan saying the Wind of Boreas. The next two witches
say BeliaVs Tongue and a Traitors Heart. On the outside of the semi-
circle (r.) stands Sam House saying:
and Gibbetts Blocks
But Hold ye Hags for here comes Fox,
Fox enters, his arms outstretched towards the witches, saying. And set
the Ministers of Hell to Work.
The background is the pillared wall of Westminster Hall, on which are
two escutcheons, one with a mantle, the other a chevron with three swans
or geese.
^ Advertisement: 'This day was published . . . .' London Chronicle ^ 24 Mar. 1784,
* A slang term for assafoetida. Grose, Diet. Vulgar Tongue , 1796.
63
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Possibly one represents a peer's mantle, and is an allusion to the
promises of peerages made by Fox, see Wraxall, Memoirs, 1884, iii. 255,
the other the Westminster geese, see No. 5843, &c.
The witches* bag is that which was thrown at Fox in Westminster Hall,
see No. 6426, &c. It was dropped accidentally by the Witch of Endor when
she clapped her hands at a speech by Sam House; it fell and burst *and
all the Effluvia of Hell broke in upon the Scaffold', op. cit., p. 20. For Fox
as Cromwell see No. 6380, &c.
A copy of the book is in the Print Room.
7jx6j^in.
6466 REYNARDS LAST SHIFT.
Pu¥ March 25. 1784 by J. Wallis N 16 Ludgate Street
Engraving. A fox (I.) runs (r. to 1.), carrying off the flat embroidered
bag decorated with the Royal Arms in which the Great Seal is kept. The
heavy cord is twisted round its neck and held in its mouth, while the
tassels trail on the ground. From the projecting bow-window of a house
(r.) leans Thurlow in his Chancellor's wig and gown calling Stop Thief.
The background is formed of houses on the opposite side of Ormond
Street (Thurlow's was No. 14) freely sketched.
On the night of 23-24 Mar., the Great Seal was stolen from the
Chancellor's house. Ann, Reg., iy84-5y pp. 185-6. As this was on the eve
of the dissolution, when the Seal would be needed for the issuing of writs,
it was suspected to be the work of Fox or his friends ; see Hist, of the West-
minster Election, 1784, pp. 77-82; Stanhope, Life of Pitt, 1879, *• 158-60.
The theft delayed the dissolution for one day ; Parliament was prorogued
on the 24th, and dissolved by proclamation on the 25th. See also Nos. 6468,
7481.
8^X12 in.
6467 THE ECLIPSE,
Published March 26. lySj^ by H. Macphail AT** 68 High Holborn
Engraving. Pitt's head, irradiated, emerges from the centre of a mass of
cloud. Through the cloud (r.) looks the swarthy face of Fox, partly oblite-
rated by the rays from Pitt. From the two upper corners of the design
appear the heads of North and Burke. Below the cloud stand two H.L.
figures: George III (1.), in profile to the r., looks up benignly at Pitt
Britannia (r.), in profile to the 1., points with her r. forefinger to Pitt,
while she appears to address the king, saying :
them [sicl Fiends of Darkness to P — t
Shall Soon give Way,
Reflect new Glories and
Augment the Day.
Verses addressed to Britannia by the king are engraved beneath the
design :
' Evidently an error for 1784.
64
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Behold Madam Goddess that Black Looking Dog
Which O, our Sweet Patroness deserves a Good Flogy
As a Desert which he Merits may he er^e be Disgraced,
And no more in office let him ever be placed.
All shall Yeild to A Youth who you see.
Like Chatham, Shall be
For Matchless was he,
Who begat thee.
And thou Like him Immortal shall be,
Reynard's Ambitions so Rampant and high.
His Tongue 's all deceit His words all a Lye,
Our Charters attempted which we hold so near.
To root out our Blessings at Prices so dear.
All shall Yeild &c.
Pitt we hold Loyal as Britains great Boast,
Preserves this our Country as our Ships will our Coast,
Pretenders we've many Our Rights to Maintain,
But all Like bold Reynards thier Pretentions are Vain
All shall Yeild &c.
Let Reynard delight in his Cards and is [«c] Dice,
Lord N [North] and B [Burke] both may Glory in Vice,
But the Virtues of Pitt tho he is but a Youth,
Shines zvith Lustre Supreme for Speaking the Truth,
All shall Yeild &c.
One of many satires on the defeat of Fox by Pitt in the struggle before
the dissolution, see Nos. 6373, 6462, &c. *Our Charters attempted' is an
allusion to the Charter of the East India Company, see Nos. 6290, 6364,
&c. For Pitt as Chatham's son cf. No. 5984. For the popularity of the
part played by the king cf. No. 6405, &c.
9fX9Ain.
6468 THE ADVENTURE OF PRINCE PRETTY MAN.
[c. Mar. 1784]
[J. Boyne.]
London Publishd by J. Boyne AT" 2 Shoe Lone [sic] Fleet S* w^
Engraving. A satire on the theft of the Great Seal, see No. 6466. Fox (r.),
as Falstaff, his back to the wall of a house, supports on his shoulders the
Prince of Wales, who holds out an open sack into which a man standing
within a window is about to put the Great Seal. This man's face is partly
concealed by a cloth tied over his head. Fox is bearded, and wears the
doublet, slashed breeches, and wide boots of Falstaff (as in No. 6231); his
feathered hat lies on the ground beside him ; he holds the feet of the prince
who kneels on his shoulders, his head in profile to the r. looking up at the
window. The corner of the house is inscribed G* Ormond Street.
Mrs. Robinson (Perdita), standing with a courtesan, is in profile to the
r. watching the escapade. Her hands are in a muff and she wears a large
feathered hat on which is a lozenge inscribed Perditi. Her companion looks
towards her, pointing to the Prince ; like Perdita she is fashionably dressed,
but her breasts are uncovered. The word suggests both the status of
the pair and the plight of their friends who are reduced to burglary (cf.
No. 7375).
65 F
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
The man inside the house may be intended for Fitzpatrick, cf . a squib
called 'The Consultation' :
Says F — t k to Fox, *0h how can we atel
By Jasus you know we have both pawn'd our plate ?*
Black Reynard replies, *We can have one good meal,
By filching from Thurlow his boasted Great Seal,*
Westminster Election, p. 421.
For the relations between Fox and the Prince of Wales cf. No. 6401, &c.
I2fx8f§in.
6469 THE STATE AUCTION.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ March 26^^ by W, Humphrey N" 22y Strand. 1784,
Engraving. Pitt, as an auctioneer, disposes of British liberties. A large
notice-board, high on the wall (centre), is inscribed Commission Warehouse,
Money advanced on all sorts of Useless Valuables, by Pitt & C° Auctioneers.
— ^A^^. Licensed by Royal Authority. The auction room is the House of
Commons. Pitt stands (r.) at a high rostrum; above his ornate chair are
the Royal Arms. Immediately below him is the Speaker, Cornwall, in his
chair. Pitt leans forward, in profile to the 1., his raised hammer inscribed
Prerogative; he says to the porter, who holds on his head an enormous
pyramid of books. Shew the Lot this way Harry, agoing — agoing — speak
quick or its gone — Hold up the Lot ye Dund — Ass. The porter, Dundas,
stands in the centre of the design, both hands holding the board which
rests on his head; he looks up at Pitt saying, / can houVd it na higher Sir.
His load is Lot I, the books are inscribed Rights of the People in 558 Vol.
(the number of members of the Commons). The Speaker, acting as the
sale-clerk, writing on a roll inscribed Sundry acts, says, We shall get the
Supplies by this Sale.
A crowd of members walk out of a doorway (1.), their backs to Pitt,
holding their hats under their arms ; they say. Now or Never, Despair not,
and Adieu to Liberty. At their feet is inscribed Chosen Representers. Fox,
who stands in front of the last man, facing Pitt, in the attitude of an orator,
hat in his r. hand, 1. arm outstretched, legs wide apart, is saying, / am
determined to bid zvith Spirit for Lot I. he shall pay dear for it that outbids me.
Beside Pitt's rostrum and the Speaker's table stand several peers,
inscribed Hereditary Virtuosies; the most prominent, in wig and gown, is
Thurlow; he points with outstretched arm at Fox, saying. Mind not the
nonsensical Biddings of those common Fellows.
On the walls are various lots for sale : Lot 2. is Magna Charta; a row of
stout volumes on a high shelf (1.) is Lot 3., Obselete Publick Acts. Beneath
these hang on the wall Lot 4, a sword, and Lot 5, the mace, hanging head
downwards. Lot 6 is a judge's tie-wig. Lot 7 is a gown or surplice.
A Foxite satire on the struggle between Pitt and Fox, the former backed
by the Crown and the Lords, the latter by the Commons, see No. 6373, &c.
Its particular application is to the dissolution of Parliament, see No. 6476,
&c. One of the relatively few anti-Pitt satires at this time; similar in inten-
tion to Nos. 6436, 6476; cf. No. 6474.
Reissued, Westminster Election, p. 48.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 121.
Six 13 in.
66
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6470 THE TOMBS OF THE WORTHIES.
Publish' d March 2y 1784 as the act directs by M, Smith, & sold at
N'' 46y in Fleet Street, — Price one Shilling,
Engraving. Part of the interior of a large church, perhaps intended for
Westminster Abbey. Burke and Sheridan, dressed in deep mourning, are
weeping over the tomb of North and Fox. The figures of North and Fox
(with a fox's head) He side by side, on a rectangular tomb, their hands held
together but the fingers not touching. North is the nearer; his obesity
conceals much of Fox, his eyes are closed, he is fully dressed, his bag-
wig dangling over the side of the tomb. Fox looks alert, his tongue hanging
from his mouth. The tomb is inscribed, They were lovely in their lives and
in their Death they were not divided. At the head of the tomb (r.) a cross-
beam, forming a gallows inscribed The True Reward of Such Virtues^ rests
on the capitals of two Corinthian columns. From it hang two nooses of
rope; below, on a slab between the pillars, is inscribed. Thus Gamesters
united in Friendship are found.
Burke (1.) and Sheridan (r.) stand together in theatrical attitudes,
Sheridan's arm across Burke's shoulder; each holds a handkerchief to his
face. Large mourning-scarves are draped round their wide flat hats and
over their shoulders. Burke, identified by the paper inscribed Sublime and
Beautiful protruding from his pocket, says Alass; Under the best of K — gSy
an allusion to his speech of 15 Apr. 1782, see No. 5979. A black-bordered
locket dangles from his neck. Sheridan, identified by papers inscribed
Theatrical Justice and The Critic^ says Ah Sure a Pair was never seen so
justly form'd to meet by Nature.
In the background are other tombs. A rectangular Gothic tomb, on
which reclines a draped figure, is behind that of Fox and North. Against
the wall (1.) behind Burke is a tomb sacred to . . . Virtues of Jemmy Twitcher
(Lord Sandwich), it is ornamented by a trophy of crossed axes. A figure
hanging from a gallows, part of a decorative wall-tablet, is inscribed Here
Rests Watt Tyler. A large rectangular wall-tablet inscribed To the Glorious
. . . of Jonathan Wilde^ is decorated by scourges, birch-rods, and a skull
and cross-bones.
One of many satires on the defeat of the Coalition; the date relates it
especially to the dissolution, cf. No. 6476, &c.
SigXisfin.
6471 PLUM PUDDING BILLY IN ALL HIS GLORY
Published by I. Notice Oxford Road march 2f^ 17S4
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). Pitt, at a City feast, is
waited on by members of the Corporation. He sits in a chair looking
towards Sir Watkin Lewes (1.), who kneels at his feet in profile to the r.
holding up a plum-pudding in which is stuck a large leek, emblem of
Wales. Pitt is very youthful, on the back of his chair are the letters WP.
Behind him (r.) Wilkes advances holding a chamber-pot; he appears very
old and toothless. Behind is a crowd of spectators, shaded to form a back-
ground, none being conspicuous. The heads are much caricatured, their
mouths wide open. Beneath the design is etched :
The Chancillor Billy behold here is seated
To tast a plum-pudding by Sir Watty Intreated,
67
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
He Sticks on a leake^ more his fancy to please y
And in hope of preferment is down on his knees.
Squinting J k [Jack] as the C n [Chamberlain] row^^ in behind
Supposing he may want to s te when he *s dine'dy
He holds the utencil & thinks no disgrace —
Lord! how folks are worshiped in power and place.
Pitt was entertained three times in the City before the dissolution of
Parliament, the famous occasion being on 28 Feb., when Lewes and Wilkes
took a prominent part in his reception, see No. 6442. On 13 Mar. he
dined at Goldsmiths* Hall and on 20 Mar. at the London Tavern. Cf. also
No. 6538. For 'Plum Pudding Billy* cf. No. 6813.
10^X71 in.
6472 IGNATIUS
[J. Boyne.]
London Published March 28 y^ 1^84 by E. Hedges N° g2 Cornhill
Engraving. A portrait of Burke, draped in a monkish robe and bald-
headed; the bare toes of an enormous foot protrude from his gown. He is
seated beside a rock (1.), on which he rests a book in which he is writing;
his 1. hand is raised.
For Burke as a Jesuit see No. 6026. A companion print to Nos. 6395,
6396, 6433.
7|X4|in.
6473 SFORZA
by Rob: GomersalL
Price 6^
Published 2g*^ March I784y by W*^ Leaky y6 Wood Street.
Engraving. A copy of the title-page by T. Cecill to Gomersall's The
Tragedie of Ludovick Sforza Duke of Millan. It decorates the centre of a
plate engraved with words attacking Fox. A fox seated on a throne holding
a sceptre, apparently unconscious of a lion (France) which stands be-
hind him on its hind-legs and removes his crown. The lion (r.) holds a
fleur-de-lis flag. In the foreground a fox (Sforza) is worrying a sheep;
behind is a group of dead sheep. The fox is seated on rising ground beside
a river, on the farther shore of which is a closely built town. At the bottom
of the design is engraved, London. Printed for John Marriott. 1628.
Tho: Cecill. sculp.
Above the design is engraved :
The following exact Copy of a Print published in the Year 1628 is offered
for the Amusement of the Public With Sir Richard Hill's Verses delivered in
the House of Commons on Monday the 8^^ of March iy84y entitling them
His Majesty's most gracious Answer to the Mover of the late humblcy loyaly
dutiful and respectful Address.
Hill's verses are engraved on the 1. side of the print, with annotations on
the r. ; they are printed in Pari. Hist. xxiv. 743-4. They profess to be
^ a8 Mar. was Sunday,
68
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
George Ill's answer to the Address to the king to remove his Ministers,
moved by Fox on i Mar., which the king answered on 4 Mar. Ibid.,
pp. 699 ff. and 717-18. Hill's line, All hail to thee Great Carlo Khan! is
annotated : Alluding to the print of M' Fox riding upon an Elephant in the
character of Carlo Khan (see No. 6276). North answered Hill saying,
*it was exactly that kind of idle nonsense about Carlo Khan, &c., that
had misled the weak part of the country so strangely'. Ibid., p. 744. Cf.
No. 6449.
In the centre, beneath the print of Sforza, is engraved :
A Fox thus mounted on a Throne^
Would give the People cause to moany
But Freemen will by Englands Laws,
Support their King & Pitts great cause.
Cf. satires on Fox as Cromwell, No. 6380, &c.
5JX3 in., pi. 9jxioin.
Another impression without publication-line.
6474 THE DRUM MAJOR OF SEDITION.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ March 29 1784 by M*"^ Dacheray S^ James's Street
Engraving. A tall lean man stands addressing the populace in Covent
Garden. His head is turned in profile to the 1., he grasps a long staff in his
r. hand, his 1. is on his hip, and he wears a long sword attached to his belt.
Behind him (1.), on a smaller scale, stands Lord Hood in admiral's uniform,
a drawn sword in his r. hand, holding out his hat in his r. as if making a
speech. He is saying Two faces under a Hood. No one appears to be listen-
ing to the two orators.
In the background (r.) is the portico of St. Paul's, Covent Garden. On
it is a group of people, very freely suggested, one of whom, with hat held
out and hand on breast, is addressing the crowd below; they look up at
the speaker, some waving their hats ; one has a wooden leg and is supported
on a crutch. They are supporters of Fox, their backs are turned to the two
principal figures.
The speech of the Drum Major (Major Cartwright) is etched below the
title :
All Gentlemen and others Electors for Westminster who are ready and will-
ing to Surrender their rights and those of their Fellow Citizens to Secret
Influence and the Lords of the Bedchamber let them repair to the Prerogative
Standard lately erected at the Cannon Coffee House where they shall be kindly
received untill their Services are no longer Wanted. This Gentlemen is the last
time of Asking as we are determined to Abolish the power of the House of
Commons y and in future be governed by Prerogative as they are in France and
Turkey
Gentlemen the Ambition of the enemy is now evident. Has he not within these
few days past Stole the Great Seal of England, while the Chancellor was
taking a Bottle with a female favoute [«c], as all great men do — I am informed
Gent^ that the Enemy now assumes Regal Authority and by Virtue of the
Great Seal {which he Stole) is creating of Peers and granting of Pensions. A
most shamefull Abuse Gent^ of that Instrument. If you assist tis to pull down
69
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
the House of Commons every person who hears me has a chance of becoming
a Great Man if he is happy enough to hit the fancy of Lord B [Bute] of
M^ J n [Jenkinson] . Huzza God Save the King — .
The radical Major John Cartwright, Hke his friend Dr. Jebb who
nominated Sir Cecil Wray on i Apr., was a strong opponent of the Coalition
and of Fox's India Bill. F. D. Cartwright, Life and Corr. of Major Cart-
wright^ 1826, i. 154. The irony of the burlesqued Pittite speech is increased
by the identity of the speaker, the advocate of annual parliaments and
manhood suffrage. For the alleged attack on the Commons cf. No. 6469,
&c. For the theft of the Great Seal see No. 6466, &c. The first print
on the Westminster Election; voting began on i Apr. This election, in
which Hood and Wray, the Ministerial candidates, were opposed by Fox,
becomes almost the sole subject of pictorial satire till after the close of the
poll on 17 May. For the daily state of the poll see Appendix I.
Grego, Rowlandsony i. 121. Small copy, Grego, Hist, of Parliamentary
Elections f 1892, p. 267.
9fx8f in.
6475 SIR CECILS BUDGET FOR PAYING THE NATIONAL DEBT.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ March 30*^ 1^84 by M" Dacheray S^ James's Street
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). A scene outside
Chelsea Hospital; the building (1.) is falling in ruins, columns from the
pediment lie on the ground, and among them are the terrified pensioners
fleeing from the debacle. Some lie prostrate, crushed by the pillars, others
are escaping as best they can by the help of their sticks and crutches. In
the distance (r.) Sir Cecil Wray is being mobbed by a group of maid-
servants and by a pensioner who raises his crutch to smite. Two women
attack him with brooms, one saying. Tax Servant Maids you brute, and
starve poor Old Soldiers a fine Member of Parliament. Another woman
empties a chamber-pot over his head. A dog barks at the fray.
A Westminster election satire, see No. 6474, &c. For Wray (1734- 1805)
see C. Dalton, Hist, of the Wrays of Glentworth, 1881, pp. 187 fiP. His
proposals to abolish Chelsea Hospital and to tax the employers of maid-
servants were highly damaging to him in the election. (He published an
address to the electors of Westminster, explaining that he had no wish to
reduce the pensions of the veterans, but had proposed to save expense by
devoting all the money to pensions, the men to live where they pleased:
^20 to each in-pensioner with an overplus to provide for 1,000 out-
pensioners. Morning Post, 29 Mar. 1784.) For these proposals see also
Nos. 6491, 6502, 6525, 6537, pp. 104, 113, 6576, 6586, 6590, 7892, 7894.
The pencil sketch for this print is in the Print Room (201. c. 6/47).
Grego, Rowlandsony i. 122.
8^Xi2|in.
6476 THE HANOVERIAN HORSE AND BRITISH LION.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ March jr^ 1784 by W. Humphrey 22y Strand
Engraving. A scene in the House of Commons. Fox (1.), riding the British
lion, faces Pitt riding the white horse of Hanover. In the centre, behind
70
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
and between Pitt and Fox, is the Speaker's chair, empty. Above it are the
Royal Arms, but in place of the British Lion, as the dexter supporter, are
the words We shall resume our Situation here at pleasure Leo Rex, In place
of the horse of Hanover in the fourth quarter is the word Strayed. Fox,
with a whip in his r. hand, holds out a bridle towards Pitt saying. Prithee
Billy dismount before ye get a fall — and let some abler Jockey take Your Seat.
The lion says. If this Horse is not tamed he will soon be Absolute King of our
Forest.
Pitt is riding bareback holding the animal's mane, the horse kicks
violently towards the members of the House of Commons who flee from
its heels (r.) looking back in alarm. Its forefeet are planted on a document
inscribed Magna Charta Bill of Rights Constitution-, its ears are back,
its head viciously forward, and it is saying to Fox, Pre-ro-ro-ro-ro-ro-ro-
rogative, while it is excreting towards the Commons, its tail streaming,
emitting a blast inscribed My faithful Commons. Pitt, who is very slim,
says to his mount. Bravo — Go it again — I love to ride a metal Steed Send
the Vagabonds packing.
In the rear of the fleeing Members is the Speaker (Cornwall) in back
view, in his gown and wig, carrying the mace. Beneath the title is etched :
A Scene in a New Play lately acted in Westminster with distinguished
Applause. Act 2'^ Scene last.
A satire on the dissolution of Parliament (prorogued 24 Mar., dissolved
by proclamation on 25 Mar.). Similar in intention to Nos. 6436, 6469.
See also Nos. 6470, 6477, 6538.
A pencil sketch for this print, apparently by an amateur, is in the Print
Room. Pitt is poorly drawn and the fleeing M.P.s are merely indicated.
The inscriptions are given in full (201. c. 6/21).
Reissued, Westminster Election^ p. 131.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 123 (reproduction). Reproduced, Grego, Hist, of
Parliamentary Elections ^ 1892, p. 268.
8|xi3iin.
6477 THE RISING OF PA— LAMENT. [c. 31 Mar. 1784]
[PCollings.]
Engraving. The interior of the House of Commons. The Speaker (1.) in
his chair holds out both arms towards the bodies of Fox (1.) and North (r.),
which hang from a gibbet inscribed Coalition. He says. This is a Dissolu-
tion. A member seated (r.) says, / wish many Trees may bear such Fruit.
Behind him Burke stands in a pillory saying. This is Sublime and Beautiful.
One of several satires on the dissolution of Parliament on 25 Mar.
See No. 6476, &c.
6fx8fin.
6478 THE WESTMINSTER CANVASS.
W. D. [Dent.]
Published, as the Act directSy by J. Ridgway, Piccadilly y Mar^ 31^^ ^7^4
Engraving. Fox, as Guy Vaux on 5 Nov., is carried (1. to r.) in a chair
resting on two poles by Hall, the apothecary, and Sam House, two of his
prominent supporters in Westminster. Fox, who is smiling, holds in his r.
hand a dark lantern inscribed Amor Patriae y in the 1. a bundle of matches
71
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
labelled Far the new Parliament. Hall (r.), in profile to the r. wearing
spectacles, in place of a hat has a pestle and mortar inscribed All Apothe-
cary Drugs prepared, Sam is in his usual dress (see No. 5696) with open
shirt and imgartered stockings, but wearing a hat in which is a large fox's
brush and a favour inscribed Vatix. Beneath the design is etched in three
columns on a scroll :
Electors know no reason why
They should not vote for Carlo Guy
SaySf barnacled Doctor Capsicum
And Sam^ the patriotic Scum^
So^ {as boysy you may remember ^
Parade the streets in November^)
From door to door in doleful ditty
Beg he may represent the City^
Declare Parliament he'll reform^
And other mighty deeds perform y
Deeds y which in place he quite forgot
But now he'll do them piping hot.
A satire on the Westminster election, see No. 6471, &c. For the begin-
ning of Fox's canvass see Nos. 6479, 6480. He published an advertisement
dated 30 Mar., thanking the electors 'for the very flattering and generous
assurances of support he has received on his canvass*, and apologizing to
others. Morning Post ^'7,1 Mar.; Hist. West. Election, p. 132; and No. 6479.
One of the few references to parliamentary reform in pictorial satire during
this decade, cf. Nos. 5638, 5657, &c. (1780), 6575, 7480. For Fox as Guy
Vaux see No. 6389, &c.
7^X12 J in.
6478 a a later impression (clipped), Ridgway's imprint erased and
replaced by [Pub] by H Humphrey N'> 51 New Bond Str[eei\
6479 A SALLY FROM SAM'S OR F— X CANVASSING
Publish' d as the Act directs March 31 1^84 by H M'Phail High
Holborn N 68
Engraving. Sam House stands (centre) looking towards Fox (1.), who
stands, his 1. hand in his pocket, as if about to bribe, holding out in his r.
hand an object intended for the jaw-bone of an ass (cf . No. 6420) and say-
ing, This shall do you justice. House holds erect a fox's brush from which
streams a flag inscribed The Intripid Fox; his 1. hand in his pocket holds a
bunch of ribbons for election favours. He says. He'll tip them his jaw. One
of Fox's supporters stands on the r., a fox's tail and election favour in his
hat, saying, He Will Make Me an East India Governor. A compact group
of four is advancing from the extreme r., their leader, holding up a pennant
to which is attached a fox's brush, says. And Fm to be A Captain; he also
wears a favour and a fox's brush in his hat. Next him is a stout man wear-
ing a cap, holding a foaming tankard inscribed Sam House ; one of the two
behind is blowing a trumpet. Sam kept open house for Fox's supporters
at his public house in Wardour Street, see No. 5696, &c.
A satire on the Westminster election, see No. 6474, &c. Fox canvassed
72
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
personally from door to door, and on 30 Mar. issued an advertisement
apologizing to those on whom he had not yet had time to call : *he proposes
to have the honour of waiting on them as early as possible*, see No. 6478.
7fXi2f in.
6480 THE WEST— TR CANDIDATE COMING NORTH ABOUT
THE GEESE
Publish' d as the Act directs by S. Fores N: 3 Piccadilly March 31 iy84
Engraving. Fox, North, and Burke stand together (r.) addressing and
feeding a number of geese representing the electors of Westminster (cf.
No. 5843, &c.) while Pitt stands behind the geese (1.) saying, Ye Fools they
are Wolves in Sheeps Cloathing I am your Guardian. North, in profile to
the 1., holds a satchel under his 1. arm inscribed Treasury Grant; with his
r. he scatters coins to the geese, saying. We Guard these Grains forYou, Fox
stands beside him holding a List of Voters and saying 77/ promise any
thing For your Votes. Behind and between them is Burke wearing a hat
with an election favour and holding a flag inscribed For The Liberty of The
Flock. Six of the ten geese are saying FoXy looking towards him, two are
picking up coins, one turns round towards Pitt saying, but You Give no
such Grains.
One of several satires on the beginning of Fox's canvass, see No.
6478, &c.
7jXioiin.
6481 THE POLITICAL CERBERUS.
W. D. [Dent.]
Pub. March 31 1^84 by H. Humphrey, iV*' 31 New Bond Street.^
Engraving. A dog with three heads : that of Fox in the centre is larger
than those of North (1.) and Burke (r.). Round its neck is a collar inscribed
Coalition, fastened by the padlock of Interest; from the collar rise the
Prince of Wales's feathers inscribed Ich dien. AH the mouths are open as
if snarling. The animal's tail is a fox's brush inscribed Euphorbium alias
stinking popularity, an allusion to the bag thrown at Fox on 14 Feb., see
No. 6426, &c.
The animal stands on guard before a closed door, probably intended for
that of the Treasury, Portland being inscribed in an oval across the panels.
Beneath this is a knocker composed of a mask of the faces of Fox and
North, as in Sayers's famous satire, see No. 6234, with a ring in its mouth.
The stone arch surrounding the door is decorated with emblems of the
Coalition : the keystone is a mask of Cromwell ; on each side of it is an axe ;
at the spring of the arch is the mask of Lord Derby (1.) and of Keppel
(r.); both have horns; Derby is grinning and Keppel scowling. Beneath
each mask is a noose of rope.
One of several satires on the attempts of Fox to prevent the issue of
money, &c., see No. 6380, &c.; the passing of the Mutiny Bill unopposed
on 9 Mar., however, marks the end of these attempts, see No. 6461, &c.
See No. 6507, a sequel. For Fox as Cromwell see No. 6380, &c.
8fxi3iin.
* Another imprint has been erased, cf . 6478 A.
73
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
6482 SATAN HARANGUING HIS TROOPS AFTER THEIR
DEFEAT [n.d. c. Mar. 1784]
Sold by W, Humphrey N° 22y Strand
Engraving. A sequel to No. 6383 by the same artist. Fox (r.) stands
addressing his downcast followers ; he rests his r. foot on a stone inscribed
To reign is worth Ambition e'en in Hell; his r. hand is extended, in his 1. he
holds the staff of Liberty, surmounted by its cap inscribed LibertaSy the
word scored through. Behind him and falling into an abyss is a crown
inscribed Paper Crown. By Fox's head are the words:
What tho* the Field be lost all is not Lost
th* Unconquerable Will & Study of Revenge
Vide Milton Par^^ lost Book i^
The foremost of the forces of Satan is Burke (cf. No. 6361) who stands
dejectedly, supporting himself on the staff of a reversed flag inscribed
Moleck the Sublime & Beautifull. He wears a Jesuit's biretta (cf. No. 6026).
Behind him, seated awkwardly on a rock, is North resting on the staff of
a reversed flag inscribed Mammon. On his forehead is the letter N and
encircling his arm is (incorrectly) a baron's coronet reversed. Between and
behind North and Burke appear the heads of Sheridan and Keppel.
Sheridan is in profile, his eye is closed, he wears a turban inscribed School
for Scandal, beneath which appears an animal's ear(cf. No. 6281). Keppel's
hat is inscribed 27 July, the accustomed gibe at the Battle of Ushant, see
No. 5992, &c. Port}and stands behind North covering his face with his
arms; he wears a ducal coronet and holds a standard (not reversed)
inscribed Belial. Behind Portland kneels a man in Highland dress; he
is probably Loughborough. Behind are other forms and faces, slightly
indicated but expressive of despair. Clouds of smoke form a back-
ground. Across them is inscribed Hell of Disappointment. Two small
black creatures with barbed tongues fly upwards.
The defeat of the Coalition was apparent by 9 Mar. when the annual
Mutiny Bill was passed unopposed. See No. 6461, &c.
9X13 J in.
A print in the Guildhall Library,
SATAN'S JOURNEY FROM HELL [c. 1784]
Engraving. Fox, as Satan, with webbed wings ascends through flames.
A scroll is inscribed Method to dethrone the K . .g AD 1784. Beneath
the design nine lines from Paradise Lost are engraved, beginning :
As in a Cloudy Chair ascinding rides
For Fox as Satan cf. No. 6383, &c.; for his ambitions. No. 6380, &c.
5iX4fm.
6483 IN OFFICE
OUT OF OFFICE [? c. Mar.-Apr. 1784]
[Rowlandson.]
Engraving (coloured impression). Probably from a book or pamphlet. A
design in two compartments ; in both Fox is making a speech, his hat in
his 1. hand. On the r. he stands in front of a small arc of colonnade as in
74
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
No. 6287 (3). He points before him with his open hand. Beneath the title
is etched : Commit him to Newgate! Own Sentiments! — Government must be
supported! Necessity!
On the 1. he is shouting, his r. arm raised and his fist clenched. Behind
him is the wall of a strongly built prison with a barred window, probably
intended for a debtors' prison, cf. Nos. 6460, 6540, 6558, 6567. Beneath
the title is etched: Rights of the People! Constitution! — Constituents! —
Corrupt influence! — Impeachment! Charter -Rights!
For a similar satire on Fox in and out of office see No. 6207, &c.
6fX4iin.
6484 THE COALITION PARTY BEATING UP FOR RECRUITS.
[? £:. Mar .-Apr. 1784]
[PCollings.]
Engraving (coloured impression). Fox, North, and Burke form a recruit-
ing party: North stands (c.) holding a pike, his hand on his hip, saying.
All gentlemen Voluntiers who will serve his Majesty Carlo Khan^ repair to
the Portland Blocky or the Sign of the Duke . On his high grenadier's
cap is the word Coalition ; a fox's brush hangs from it and on its summit
is a fox suspended above the points of a compass like a weathercock, the
fox pointing to N. Fox (r.) beats a drum saying. Present Pay^ good
Quarters and a handsome Landlady (the Duchess of Devonshire). Burke
(1.), taking a ragged recruit by the hand, addresses him with raised fore-
finger : Join the Coalition and you shall he cloathed; the recruit says, Serjeant
Kite & Corporal Trim for ever! Burke wears a Jesuit's biretta (cf. No.
6026) decorated with a fox's brush and the words Sublime & Beautiful.
This satire probably relates to Fox's canvass for Westminster, see No.
6474, &c. Cf. a squib quoted in Westminster Election^ p. 244: 'To-day
M^ Fox and his Company will perform "The Recruiting Officer" [by
Farquhar]. The part of Captain Brazen by M^ Fox, that of Serjeant
Kite by Sam House, and the other characters as usual.' For Carlo Khan
see Nos. 6276, 6473, &c.
7iX9jin.
6485 [THE STATE OF THE NATION] [1784^]
Published as the Act directs
Engraving. (No title.) George III and Pitt pull down Britannia from a
platform supported on two pillars : Constitution and Commons of England.
Both pillars are broken, Pitt puts his foot on that of the * Commons'. The
king (r.) kneels on one knee in profile to the 1. pulling at a ribbon, inscribed
Frenzy of the People ^ which is attached to Britannia's chair; Pitt also pulls
at the ribbon, holding out to the king, whom he faces, a bust portrait of a
king inscribed Sweden. Fox (1.), standing on a platform lower than that
of Britannia, tries vainly to prevent her fall, holding her hand. His plat-
form is inscribed The Principals that raised the House of Hanover and is
supported on three columns, each inscribed Whigism. The distressed
Britannia drops her staff and cap of Liberty and her shield; she grasps
three documents : Magna [Ch]artay Bill of Rights^ and Habea[s] Corpus.
* Another impression has the title (as above) and 'July i by J. Wjsen Walbrooke
— 1784' written in an old hand.
75
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
The high back of her chair is decorated with three feathers inscribed
respectively Ireland^ East Indies^ America. A number of rats inscribed Jack
Robinson (see No. 6427, &c.) nibble at the bases of the broken pillars of the
'Constitution' and the 'Commons'. A number of shields, each inscribed
with a name, rise behind Fox and above the king. Those of Fox contain
the names of the Whig magnates who supported the Coalition, those over
the king the names of those who actively supported Pitt. The former are :
FitzzvilliamSy Carlisle^ Surryy Manchester^ Pelham^ Conwayy Hertford^
Tozvnshend, Portland, Powis, Mansfield [James], ^ Saville,^ Masham,
Stormonty Marlborough, Derby, Cavendish, Spencer. The latter are Jebb,
Jenkinson, Galoway, Bute, Mason (with a bishop's mitre), M'^Crief, Price,
Trotman, Shelburn, Temple, Wilks 45, Muir Atkinson. Against Wilkes*
shield is Es^ on Woman.
Pitt holds out to the king a portrait of Gustavus III to incite him to a
coup d'etat, similar to that by which in 1772 Gustavus had altered the
Swedish constitution (from a weak and despotic republic into a strong and
(temporarily) limited monarchy, see No. 8101), by means of 'popular
frenzy' (cf. No. 6438, &c.). The loss of Ireland and India as well as
of America is prophesied. The absence of North from among the (Whig)
supporters of Fox indicates the unpopularity of the Coalition, while
Radical names (Jebb, Mason, Price, Shelbume, Wilkes) indicate the nature
of the opposition to Fox. The mitre implies that Mason's support of
Pitt is due to hopes of preferment. (Mason had publicly declared that
he would not accept a bishopric. Walpole, Letters, xiii. 126-7.) With
these are included the obscure (Fiennes Trotman, M.P. for Northampton ;
'M^Crief ' is perhaps intended for Mackreth, 'Bob', ex-waiter of White's,
and usurer), as well as notorious 'king's friends' (Bute and Jenkinson).
Richard Atkinson was a partner in Mure and Atkinson, see Trial of Lord
Melville, 1806, p. 109, &c. For other anti-Pitt satires see No. 6436, &c.
For the title cf. No. 5479, &c.
7JgX8f in.
6486 SOLOMON IN THE CLOUDS ! !
Pu¥ i'^ April, 1784. by W. Humphrey N"* 22y Strand
Engraving. George III supported in the air by Thurlow (1.) and Pitt and
Temple (r.) who are themselves floating and held up by air-balloons. The
king is excreting a blast inscribed. Proclamation for Dissolution from a
Broad Bottom', this expands into clouds which obscure the upper part of a
building immediately below, representing the House of Commons. The
clouds are inscribed R — y — / Inflammable Air. Thurlow, in Chancellor's
wig and gown, who holds the king under the r. leg, is inscribed Neighbours
I Have Lost the Seal (see No. 6467, &c.). Two circular balloons above his
head are attached to cords which pass round his shoulders, one inscribed
Wishes of the People, the other Air Balloons. Identical balloons on the
other side of the design support Temple and Pitt, that of Pitt being
inscribed Wishes of the People (cf. No. 6438, &c,). The king looks up with
a melancholy frown, his r. fist raised and clenched. The faces of his three
supporters express melancholy and concern. Temple wears a temple-
shaped head-dress inscribed Temple.
On the ground, behind the House of Commons (1.), is a band of men, on
* Probably, he was one of Fox's martyrs ; possibly Lord Mansfield, see Walpole.
Letters, xiii, p. 108. ^ Sir George Savile died 10 Jan. 1784.
76
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
a very small scale, holding a flag inscribed Firm. The three centre figures
in the front rank are Fox (c.) with Burke (1.) wearing a Jesuit's biretta (cf.
No. 6026) and North (r.) wearing his Garter ribbon. Rays of light emanate
from the band until they are obliterated by the heavy clouds issuing from
the king. In the foreground (r.) lies a minute British lion, muzzled and
Asleep.
A satire on the dissolution of Parliament, see No. 6476, &c. For other
anti-Pitt satires see No. 6436, &c. At this time 'air-balloons' were adver-
tised for sale, the sending up of small ones was a craze : 'They are now
become a common spectacle in most parts of our island', London Magazine,
1784, p. 159; see also p. 76. For the King as 'Solomon' cf. No. 7525.
6487 THE ELECTION TATE A TATE
Published as the Act directs April r* 1^84 by H. Humphries N" 51
New Bond Street.
Engraving. Sam House (1.) and the Duchess of Devonshire (r.) sit in
profile facing each other, a barrel between them, each raising a foaming
tankard, one inscribed Sam House (see No. 5696), the other Devonshire.
Sam holds in his r. hand a torn paper inscribed Sure Votes. Over his head
is a flag inscribed Fox and Liberty. The Duchess wears a large favour at
her breast inscribed Fox. In the background are the hustings with an
election crowd, behind which is a crude representation of the portico of
St. Paul's, Covent Garden, with its clock, beneath which is inscribed Sic
Trancit Gloria Mundi. Polling began in Westminster on i Apr., see Nos.
6474, 6478, &c. For the Duchess and Sam cf . Nos. 6529, 6539, 6548, 6577.
6iix8|in.
6488 TIME SHUTTING THE BOOK OF KNAVES OR THE COALI-
TION IN THE REGIONS BELOW
Publish' d r^ April iy84 as the Act directs. P^ r.
Engraving. The head and shoulders and the scythe of Time appear
above a large open book which he holds. On its 1. page is the Knave of
Clubs with the head of Fox; behind his feet is inscribed Pam be Civil. On
the r. page is the Knave of Hearts with the head of North. On the lower
edges of the book are Fox (1.) and North. The book rests upon two cliffs,
between which is a ravine into which it will fall when it is closed and across
which the title is etched. Time's hour-glass stands beside the book (r.);
he is the conventional figure with wings and a scythe. Pam connotes the
Knave of Clubs (see No. 6556).
One of many satires on the defeat of the Coalition, see No. 6399, &c. ;
its date relates it with the elections, see No. 6478, &c. For Fox as Knave
of Clubs see also Nos. 6976, 8144.
9Ax8in.
6489 THE POLITICAL REBELLION [i Apr. 1784]
Engraving. From the Rambler's Magazine. George III (1.) and Fox with
a fox's head (r.) stand each trying to pull the crown away from the other.
The king says, Ungratefull Monsters; Fox, Let me have this and Fll be
77
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
satisfied. North stands beside Fox, putting his hand on the crown; he looks
through his eye-glass saying, Let us have it between us. Pitt (1.) pulls at the
king's coat-tails saying, Their Ambition knows no bounds.
One of many satires on the ambition of Fox to acquire the prerogatives
of the Crown, cf. Nos. 6276, 6380, &c.
5fX3f in.
6490 THE DUCHESS OF D [DEVONSHIRE] IN THE CHA-
RACTER OF A MOTHER. [i Apr. 1784]
Engraving. From the Rambler's Magazine, The Duchess, seated by a
cradle, nurses an infant. The Duke sits beside her holding out a small
saucepan. On the ground beside him is a large book. Treatise on getting
and nursing of Children by the Duke of D. In front of a large fire are towels
hanging on a line. On the chimney-piece are a statuette of a Madonna and
Child, vases of flowers, and a jug. On the panelled wall above an oval
mirror hangs a picture of a pelican with her young. A bird-cage hangs
from the wall.
The Duchess's reputed neglect of her infant while canvassing for Fox
was a favourite subject of satire, see Westminster Election^ p. 234, and No.
6546. Inspired by Rousseau, it was said, she nursed her own children, *a
maternal duty wholly neglected by our fashionable Dames'. Pigott,
Female Jockey Club^ 1794, P- 16. For the Westminster election see No.
6474, &c.
5^X3! in.
6491 MARS AND VENUS, OR SIR CECIL CHASTISED.
Annibal Scratch Fecit. [? Collings.]
Published April 2*^ iy84 by Wilh Wells N° 132 Fleet Street
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). Sir Cecil Wray stands
between a Chelsea pensioner (1.), who threatens him with a crutch and a
clenched fist, and a servant-maid (r.), who threatens him with a broom.
Wray, hands deprecatingly outstretched, turns his head in profile towards
the furious pensioner, who has a wooden leg and a bandaged eye. The
maid stands on a paper inscribed Tax on Servants \ close behind her (r.)
is a door over which is inscribed Register Off [ice] for Maid Serv[ants]. The
door is padlocked and placarded. This House to be Let.
Behind is the river with the fa9ade of Chelsea Hospital falling in ruins.
In the centre, above Wray's head, a broom and crutch, tied with ribbon,
are irradiated. Beneath the design is etched :
Sir Cecil Wr Sir Cecil Wr
What a strange game it is you play
To keep y' seat which Charley gave^
You call your worthy Patron knave!
To ease the crippled Vefrans cares
You pull their home about their ears
And all the pretty Maids to sarve.
You turn them out of doors to starve.
One of many satires on Wray's unlucky financial proposals, see No
78
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6475, &c. For his election in 1782 as Fox's nominee see No. 5998. For
this he was called Judas, see No. 6492, &c.
Reissued, Westminster Election, p. 304.
8xi2| in.
6492 A KNIGHT OF THE BACK STAIRS WITH HIS THREE
BEST FRIENDS
Pub by Giles Brush the Foxite April 2 1^84
Engraving (partly coloured). Wray stands holding in front of him a large
guinea, representing his coat of arms ; the supporters are, dexter, the Devil
(1.) and, sinister, a figure dressed as Folly who represents Jackson, steward
to the Duke of Newcastle and one of Wray's election committee. Wray
holds a ladder, emblem of the back stairs, see No. 6417, &c.; in his r. hand,
which rests on the guinea, is a conspirator's dark lantern. Judas is inscribed
across his hat in large letters. He says : Talk not to me of Ghosts me thought
I saw T , . . .rs Ghost, who haunts my Guilty conscience (probably Sir
Charles Turner, d. 1783, one of the most respected of the Rockingham
Whigs).
On the monstrous guinea are the royal arms reversed and burlesqued:
the leopards resemble monkeys, the lion has a barbed tail. Round the edge
is inscribed The Golden Key or Secret Influence. The Devil, nude with
horns, hoofs, and barbed tail, is kneeling; he says, Judas my child be not
fearfull of Your election you are certain of my Vote, tho but a Lodger Lord.
(Lord Mountmorres, one of the most determined enemies of Fox, was
asserted in a Foxite handbill of 16 Apr. to be a lodger in a hotel, not a
householder. Westminster Election, p. 106; Wraxall, Memoirs, 1884, iii.
297.) Jackson (H.L.) has satyr's ears and a barrel in place of a hat; he is
dressed as a zany or pierrot, in his r. hand is a rattle. Across his back is
inscribed : The Scrub & Beer Butler to the Duke of N — c — stle & Public
Fool to Judas Iscari[ot]. Beneath the design is etched: From such evils
Good Lord Deliver us.
One of many election satires on Sir Cecil Wray. He was called Judas
for opposing Fox who had brought him in for Westminster in 1782, see
Westminster Election, pp. 138, 141, 143, &c., and Nos. 6491, 6502, 6510,
p. 113, 6574, 6576, 6578, 6586, 6589, 6621.
ioiX7iin.(pl.).
In the Guildhall Library is the proof of a print — no title except words
issuing from the mouth of the Devil: Wray & Hood hanging from the Key
of the Back Stairs with Small Beer etc. (cf. Nos. 6492, 6562, &c.).
6493 FEMALE INFLUENCE; OR, THE DEVONS ^E CANVAS.
[? Collings.]
Published April 3^ 1^84 by Wells N^ 132 fleet SK
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). The Duchess of
Devonshire, followed by two other ladies, canvasses a fat butcher. The
butcher stands holding the duchess's 1. hand in his 1. hand, while he wipes
his mouth on his sleeve and leers jovially towards her. The duchess, in
profile to the 1., bends towards him, her r. hand raised. She has a fox's
brush in her hat, which is inscribed Fox ; her skirts are looped up, showing
79
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
half-boots, and she advances with a masculine stride. Behind her walk
two ladies arm in arm, both wearing Fox favours at the breast; one is
probably the duchess's sister. Lady Duncannon, the other one of the
'select party of the finest women in England' who generally accompanied
the duchess, including Mrs. Crewe and the Ladies Waldegrave. West-
minster Election^ pp. 258, 299, &c. Others were Lady Archer, Mrs.
Bouverie, Mrs. Sheridan, *the Keppels', ibid., pp. 246, 259, 299; Cornwallis
Corr., i. 166. See also No. 6494. One (r.) turns her head to kiss an artisan
wearing an apron, while she slips a purse into his hand.
The butcher stands outside a butcher's stall, across the front of which
another butcher leans, knife in hand, grinning; he says. By George Fd kiss
the Dutchess. A block and axe stand in front of the stall. The scene is
probably St. James's Market.
The first direct satire on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devonshire
for Fox, but see No. 6487; polling began on i Apr., see No. 6474, &c.
For the results of her canvass see No. 6588, &c.
Reproduced, Stokes, Devonshire House Circle y p. 198.
8^Xi2f in.
6494 THE TWO PATRIOTIC DUCHESS'S ON THEIR CANVASS.
[Rowlandson.] [3 Apr. 1784]'
Pu¥ by W. Humphrey, 22y. Strand.
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire embraces a good-looking young
butcher, their lips are about to meet; her r. arm is round his shoulders,
with her 1. hand she slips a purse into his breeches pocket. His r. hand is
on her waist. Behind him is the butcher's stall with joints of meat, a
chopping-block, and cleaver. The stall partly conceals the Duchess of
Portland holding by the shoulders another young butcher who turns his
back and rejects her overtures. The ladies wear riding-habits and hats
trimmed with ostrich feathers and a fox's brush with a large Fox favour.
Beneath the title: Requesting the favour of an early Poll.
One of many satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devonshire,
see No. 6493, &c. Cf. a Foxite squib quoted in Westminster Election,
p. 193, where 'Fox's three friends' are Georgiana the Devonite, Dorothy the
Portlandite, and Harriet the Duncannonite. For the Duchess of Portland
see No. 6539.
Grego, Rowlandson^ i. 124.
9|X7iiin.
A print in the Guildhall Library,
NIL DESPERANDUM. OR THE HANDS OF COMFORT
[Apr. 1784]
Engraving (coloured impression). Fox stands between two women saying
despairingly AlVs lost. They wear fox-brushes and favours; each puts a
hand in his pocket. Their identity is shown by two signposts : Road to
D — cannon (1.) and Road to Devonshire (r.).
One of many coarse satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devon-
shire, see No. 6493, &c. Fox's prospects at first seemed hopeless, see
No. 6500, &c., and Appendix I.
7|Xiof in.
* Dated by Mr. Hawkins and Grego.
80
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6495 [THE INCURABLE]^
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ April 4^^ 1784 by W. Humphry AT^ 22y Strand.
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). Two T.Q.L. figures:
Doctor Monro (1.) in profile to the r. inspects Fox through an eye-glass
held in his 1. hand. Fox, in a strait jacket, his face distraught (stressed by
his dishevelled hair), his arms folded, sings :
My Lodging is on the Cold ground and very hard is my Case
But that which grieves me most is the Loosing of my Place.
Monro says. As I have not the least hope of his Recovery Let him be removed
among the Incurables — M o. Dr. John Monro was physician to Bedlam.
Beneath the design is etched :
Dazzled with hope He could not see the Cheat
Of aiming with impatience to be great —
With wild Ambition in his heart we find
Farewell content and quiet of his mind
For Glittering Clouds he left the solid Shore
And wonted happiness returns no more.
One of many satires on the fall of the Coalition, cf. No. 6489. See also
Nos. 6496, 6500, &c.
Grego, Rowlandson^ i. 124.
7|Xii in.
6496 [FOX IN BEDLAM.] [?Apr.]
/ C^ 1784 [? Cniikshank.]
Publishd according to Act of Parliament
Engraving. (No title.) Fox reclines on a blanket laid on straw, clad only
in breeches and a pair of unlatched shoes. He wears a crown made of
twisted straw and in his r. hand is a bunch of straw which he holds as
a sceptre. Sam House stands (1.) outside a thin partition putting his head
through a small rectangular aperture to look at Fox; he says, Ah poor
Charley I thought it would come to this. Fox says. Do you not behold friend
Sam I have obtained the height of all my wishes.
See No. 6495. Fox despaired of success during the early part of the
Westminster Election, see No. 6500, &c. For Fox*s ambitions see No.
6380, &c.
7x91 in. (pL).
6497 CARLO KAN [?Apr.]
/C2 J7^^[?Cruikshank.]
Publish' d according to Act of Parliament.
Engraving. Fox standing, his waistcoat and breeches partly unbuttoned
to show his ruptured person which he is holding with both hands. Beneath
the title is etched. This State Tinker in Sundry pursuits not for fame but
Cashy at last undertook to cajole the Westminster Electors; the task being
severe and straining to excess Poor Carlo became Bursen, & altho several
^ Title from Grego. ^ The first letter may be T or J.
81 G
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
medical people of little fame were calVd m, B d zvith the rest declared it
a ruptured case and incurable.
Probably published when Fox's defeat at Westminster seemed certain,
see No. 6500, &c. Carlo Khan was the name given to Fox in Sayers's
famous print, see Nos. 6276, 6473, &c. The doctor is probably William
Bromfield, surgeon to the Lock Hospital, &c., see D.N.B.
9|x6i|in.(pl.).
6498 REYNARD TURND HARLEQUIN OR THE LAST SHIFT.
[? C.Apr. 1784]
Engraving. Probably cut from a book. Fox stands, looking to the 1.,
dressed as Harlequin, his club thrust through his belt. He has a long thin
horizontal moustache. His shoulders are raised as if in a shrug; his r. elbow
is close to his side, his hand held out deprecatingly. The background is a
landscape with trees.
Perhaps relates to the Westminster Election, cf. No. 6500, &c. See
No. 6424.
6fX4iin.
6499 ANY— BAD— SHILLINGS! [? c. Apr. 1784]
Engraving. Fox as a Jew money-changer or trafficker in bad money (for
which Jews were notorious, see Colquhoun, Police of the Metropolis ^ 1796).
His arms are folded, a sack or large bag is held under his r. arm; he looks
out of the corners of his eyes to his r., frowning. He has a beard, a large
three-cornered hat, an overcoat with a double cape over the shoulders,
striped and ungartered stockings, and flat shapeless shoes or slippers tied
with strings. There are large patches on all his garments, his shoes, and
his sack.
Perhaps relates to the Westminster Election, cf. No. 6500, &c.
SJxsiin.
6500 THE POLITICAL BEGGAR,
[J. Boyne.]
Published Aprill 5. 1784 by H, MacPhail N° 68 High Holborn.
Engraving. Fox, a ragged beggar, is barked at by two dogs (1.). Beneath
the title is engraved, / am grown so Unfashionable that Dogs bark at me
as I halt by them. He stands full-face, gazing disconsolately to the 1.
He wears a ragged coat fastened by one button, but exposing his hairy
chest. His hands are plunged into the bottomless pockets of his tattered
breeches, his stockings hang round his ankles; he has only one shoe,
unfastened, through which his toes protrude. A line of trees beside a path
leading to a gate suggests St. James's Park.
At the beginning of the Westminster Election, see No. 6474, &c., Fox
despaired of success. On 7 Apr. he wrote, 'Worse and worse, but I am
afraid I must not give it up, though there is very little chance indeed.'
Russell, Corr. of C.J. Fox, ii. 267. See Appendix I and cf. Nos. 6495, 6496,
6497, 6498, 6499. 5 Apr., when Fox was *in great jeopardy', was 'the
great push' in Westminster. Cornwallis Corr. i. 165. For Fox as a beggar
cf. also Nos. 6578, 6624.
i2iX9in.
82
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6501 THE POLITICAL CUDGELLERS, OR THE MACE OF THE
HOUSE OF COMMONS RENDERED OF NO SERVICE.
[? J. Barrow.]
Pu¥ by H. Humphrey. April 5 1784. N" 51 New Bond Street,
Engraving. Pitt (1.) and Fox (r.) are engaged in a cudgelling match. Fox
holds out the mace (which has more resemblance to a sceptre), but it is
broken by a blow from the staff held by Pitt (which resembles that held
by the king in No. 6504). On Fox's arm is a shield inscribed Resolutions ^ on
that of Pitt is one inscribed Addresses. The allusion is to the resolutions
against Pitt's ministry moved by Fox in the House of Commons (see No.
6380, &c.) and to the great number of loyal addresses which were made
to the king thanking him for the dismissal of Fox and appointment of Pitt,
satirically designated 'popular frenzy', see No. 6438, &c. The background
is the lower part of a building showing three sash-windows drawn like an
architect's elevation.
Cf. an election advertisement by Hood and Wray: *M^ Fox has upheld
the House of Commons against the Freeholders, Electors, and people of
Great Britain, in the case of the Middlesex Election, and in all the late
important questions in Parliament.' Westminster Election^ P- 95•
8ftXI2|in.
6502 PLUMPERS FOR S^ JUDAS, OR THE CHEALSEA PEN-
SIONERS REVENGE.
/ C [Cruikshank.]
Pu¥ 5^* April 1784.
Engraving. Sir Cecil Wray is cudgelled by two Chelsea pensioners;
another hurries towards the fray on crutches. A maid-servant (1.) is about
to strike him with a mop, saying, /'// souse him, a Dog, Tax Maid Servants,
ha! ; a bucket stands behind her. One of the pensioners (1.) raises a (broken)
wooden leg to strike; his r. sleeve is empty and is held to his coat by a
hook; he has a patch over one eye. The other, who is being tackled by
Wray, has a wooden leg, and a wooden r. arm raised to strike. In the back-
ground sits a fourth pensioner, cheering on the others, waving his hat and
a crutch; his wooden leg has been broken off for use against Wray.
One of a number of satires against Wray for his proposals to abolish
Chelsea Hospital and tax maid-servants, see No. 6475, &c., and for his
desertion of Fox, for which he was called Judas, see No. 6492, &c. Cf.
Westminster Election, p. 95, an ironical defence of Wray on these three
charges. A genuine defence, dated 29 Mar., is quoted on p. 89. See also
ibid., pp. 145, 288.
7i|XioJin.
6503 A NEW WEATHER COCK FOR ST STEPHENS CHAPEL.
ERECTED 1784.
Pu¥ Aprill 6 1784 by J Wallis N° 16 Ludgate Street.
Engraving. The roof of a building, showing the upper part of a row of
windows, on which is an enormous weathercock, the vanes of which are
the heads of Fox and North. On the roof rests a die; above this are the
83
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
four points of the compass below a dice-box which supports a second die
from which project the two heads. That of North is in profile to the r. with
a long fox's brush protruding horizontally to N. From Fox's mouth pro-
trudes a barbed dart pointing to E; he says : Oh that I had never turn'd
my face towards the East-In'^*^"^, Spiked on the weathercock is a card :
Knave of Hearts, cf. No. 5962.
One of many satires on the Coalition and the East India Bill, see Nos.
6271, 6368, &c. It indicates Fox's plight, see No. 6500, &c. Cf. The
Political Weathercocky No. 6230.
8^Xi2iin.
6504 THE VOTES OF COMPULSION OR THE MAGPYE CANDI-
DATES
J: B n
Pub: by W, Stafford Oxford Mar* Ap 6 1784
Engraving (coloured impression). A figure divided vertically from the
crown of the head, composed half of Lord Hood (1.) and half of Sir Cecil
Wray (r.), the two Ministerial candidates for Westminster, stands on the 1.
On the r., and on a smaller scale, the king drives two electors towards
Hood and Wray. That part of the candidate who represents Hoo4 is
dressed in naval uniform, and holds out a flag resembling an ensign, from
which half of the St. Andrew's cross is missing; on it is a broken sceptre.
Wray's half is dressed in military uniform (he was a captain in the Lincoln-
shire militia), and holds a long spear, on the point of which sits a bird
intended for a magpie but with more resemblance to a dove. The king
wears his Garter ribbon and star, a crown is suspended above his head ; in
his r. hand he holds a staff identical with that used by Pitt in a cudgelling
match against Fox, see No. 6501. (It has two circular knobs at the butt-
end, and a cross-piece near the tip.) He says : / am resolved to have a P 1
[Parliament] of my own Chusing see therefore that you Vote as I have Com-
manded. The two electors advance reluctantly towards the candidate,
saying :
Thus are we Driven to Vote for Hood & Wray
Our Tongues say Yes but our hearts say nay.
For the Westminster Election see No. 6474, &c.
8|xi3|in.
6505 THE MASK
Pub^ as the Act directs April 6'* 1^84
Engraving. Design in an oval. A candidate, hat in hand, obsequiously
addresses an election mob from a hustings. He wears a mask, which covers
his face, representing features set in a smile. He is in profile to the r., over
his eye is a black patch. He bends forward, holding out his r. hand; in his
pocket is a paper inscribed Bribe. The hustings is inscribed Land of
Promise. Behind it and between his legs is a crowd of heads and hats. In
the distance are two lamp-posts; each has a man astride on the lamp-
bracket, waving his hat; a dead dog or cat flies through the air. Beneath
the oval is inscribed in a rectangle Hypocrisy ofi the Hustings.
Perhaps the generalized representation of a candidate; he has some
resemblance to Sir Cecil Wray, see No. 6475, &c.
7i6X4|in.
84
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6506 BACCHANELS OR THE FRIENLY DROP
Published by E. Hedges N g2 Cornhill April 6'* 1784
Engraving. North as Bacchus sits astride a cask, in front of which Fox lies
on his back, his mouth under the wine which pours from a hole in the
cask. North is naked, his hair and person garlanded with grapes and vine-
leaves, a garland crossing his shoulder in place of his Garter ribbon. He
says. Friend of mine; in his r. hand is a bunch of grapes, in his 1. a wine-
bottle whose contents he is pouring upon Fox.
Similar in intention to earlier satires on the Coalition, cf. Nos. 6213,
6235, &c.
6|X9|in.
6507 THE GENERAL ELECTION
W, D [Dent.]
Pu¥ as the Act directs by T, Brown, Rathbone Place, Apr^ 7. 1784.
Etching. A sequel to No. 6481. A view of Temple Bar, with the heads
upon it, much larger than life, of North (1.), Fox (c), and Burke (r.) whose
spectacles have fallen off and rest on the top of the arch. Each head wears
a wig. In three niches (in place of the two on the real Temple Bar) are the
headless bodies of the three: that of North (1.), standing stiffly in profile
to the r., is inscribed Avarice; that of Fox is a fox standing on its hind legs
inscribed Ambition; that of Burke (r.) dressed as a Jesuit (cf. No. 6026) in a
monk's robe, with a rosary hanging from his waist, and wearing sandals,
standing stiffly in profile to the I., is inscribed Hypocrisy.
Above the niches are the royal arms, reversed and burlesqued : they are
in a circle resembling a guinea (cf. No. 6492); in place of the horse of
Hanover is a fox ; the supporters are (dexter) Britannia with three feathers
in her helmet, indicating the Prince of Wales; and (sinister) a female
figure (r.) whose head is irradiated. The lion stands upon a broken crown.
Beneath is the motto. Evil be to them that Evil think. The archway beneath
the niches is closed by a spiked gate, almost covered by a placard :
Declaration,
Since People in gerCral agree
This place should have fit Members three
{ Whigs, who for so high a station.
Have proved their qualification,)
Where they, pro bono publico.
The Crows their parts so rare may show.
And the Nation serve most truly
Elected I return ^em duly.
Justice
returning officer
On each side of the arch bills are posted; on the 1. two play-bills : At the
Kings Theatre by his Majesty* s Servants, The Patriots with The Triumph of
Virtue. Below this is. At the little Theatre by a Strolling Company will be
attempted Oliver Cromwell.^ after the play a dance of furies by Reynard,
Boreas and Omer with the Mock Patriot which will be performed in a masterly
* Oliver Cromwell, an historical play by G. S. Green, pub. 1752, was never
acted.
85
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
manner. On the r. : D^ Ax undertakes to cure the most confirmed Disorders j
by three doses y and to restore the Constitution to perfect Health. . . . Beneath
this is, Your Votes are desired for Edmund^ Frederic y Charles Cerberus (see
No. 6481).
One of many prints in which Fox is compared to Cromwell, see No.
6380, &c. For Burke as Edmund St. Omer cf. No. 5251. Cf. also Nos.
5660, 5661 (1780) where the heads on Temple Bar are those of North,
Sandwich, and Germain. For the results of the election cf. No. 6516.
i2iX9iin.
6508 SIR ZEALOUS GODFREY GIVING A BOUILLON
RAFFRAICHISSANT , TO HIS FRIENDS
[J. Boyne.]
Published Aprill 7, 1784 by H. Humphrey N^ 31 New Bond Street
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). North and Fox as
invalids sit (1.) close together in arm-chairs, both wearing dressing-gowns,
instead of coats, and night-caps. A man approaches them from the r. hold-
ing in each hand a bowl of soup in which are frogs ; one frog falls to the
ground, two others sit on the floor. He holds his hat under his arm; he
has a chain of alternate wine-bottles and glasses across his shoulder in
place of a ribbon and, in place of a star, a medallion inscribed Never Tired
on which is a gridiron (the emblem of the Beef Steak Club); he wears a
sword. Fox and North have expressions of melancholy discomfort; Fox
places a hand on his chest saying, Oh ... Oh ... Oh I shall never get my
Strength again; North says, will this Bouillon give me a new Majority in the
house. The man with the soup, whose French nationality is indicated by
the frogs but not by his appearance or dress, says, yes Yes my dear Friends
it will mend your Constitutions Apace.
Godefroi Charles Henri, due de Bouillon (d. 1792), was in England
1783-4. Fanny Burney quotes (9 Dec. 1783) a mot of Walpole on 'the
duke who tries to pass for an Englishman and calls himself M'" Godfrey.
But I think says M^ Walpole, he might better take an English title and call
himself the Duke of Mutton Broth'. Diary y ii. 237. Cf. Walpole, Letters,
xiii. 68-9. The due de Bouillon, according to a Foxite newspaper para-
graph, *has interested himself very zealously in M^ Fox's cause'. West-
minster Electiony pp. 309-10. He and the Due de Chartres were said to be
'constant attendants in Covent Garden'. Ibid., p. 305. See also Ann. Reg.y
17^4-5. p. 183.
iif X8f in.
6509 SR WATTY ON FULL GALLOP TO THE ELECTION.
[Apr. 1784^]
[? I. Cruikshank.]
To be had in the East & in the West, price 6^
Engraving. Sir Watkin Lewes, riding (1. to r.) on a galloping goat, turns
his head full face saying, / hope I shall have better luck than I had at
Worcester. He holds a leek above his head, another leek is in his hat. He
was defeated for Worcester at the general election of 1774 and was elected
' So dated by Miss Banks.
86
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
for the City of London on the death of George Hayley, 30 Aug. 178 1.
Beneath the title is etched :
iS*" Watty he visits his Friends in full Speedy
With hopes in his Canvass that he may succeed^
Should he be thrown out^ 'twere a wonderful Pity
For another Knight like him is not in the City,
Lewes had taken a prominent part in opposition to Fox's India Bill and
in support of Pitt, see No. 6442. The poll for the City closed on 6 Apr.,
Lewes being the second of the four members elected. London Chronicle,
6 Apr. 1784.
5iiX7in.
6510 THE RIVAL CANDIDATES.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ April 8^^ iy84 by W Humphrey N" 22y Strand
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). The three candidates
for Westminster, see No. 6474, &c. : Fox stands (c), his hand on his breast,
his 1. arm outstretched holding his hat, his mouth open as if speaking;
he is inscribed Demosthenes. Lord Hood (1.) stands directed to the r., his
hands crossed on the head of his cane ; he is Themistocles. Sir Cecil Wray
(r.), his arms folded, looks over his r. shoulder with a sly expression; he
is Judas Iscariot.
One of many satires on Wray for his desertion of Fox, see No. 6492, &c.
See also No. 6545. The figure of Hood is copied in No. 7341.
The plate is the frontispiece to the ist edition of the Westminster
Election; in the 2nd edition, where No. 6599 is the frontispiece, it faces p. i.
Grego, Rowlandsony i. 124-5 (reproduction). Reproduced, Grego, Hist,
of Parliamentary Elections y 1892, p. 266.
8/6Xi2|in.
6511 THE HUMOURS OF COVENT GARDEN OR FREEDOM OF
ELECTION [8 Apr. 1784^]
Engraving. An election mob in the Piazza, Covent Garden, the facade of
St. Paul's Church, with figures gesticulating on the hustings, indicated in
the background. The whole space is crowded with people in violent and
disorderly contest. In the foreground (1.) a man with a grotesquely ugly
profile, holding a flag inscribed No Back Stairs No Court Candidate Free-
dom for Every is carried on the shoulders of a lean man. He is followed by
a man whose queue is being pulled by a large burly market-woman, who
clenches her fist. In the centre a stout man, probably a chairman, a patch
over one eye, attacks with a bludgeon a well-dressed man of exaggerated
leanness, holding him by the lapel of his coat. The bludgeon-man has a
favour in his cap inscribed (?) Towny his victim a favour inscribed An
Elector. Three men lie on the ground, one (r.) lies across another; a large
favour in his hat is inscribed No Undue Influence. A woman with a stall
of cakes is being thrown down. Two viragoes (r.) fight viciously, one holds
the other's nose flourishing a broken bottle over her head. Behind her is
a flag inscribed The Womans Man for Ever. Hats, stones, clubs, a wig, a
^ So dated by Mr. Hawkins.
87
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
cat, fly in the air. In the thick of the crowd (1.) a coach is being overturned,
a man leans from the window.
Three figures on a very small scale address the mob from the hustings,
the central one being Fox, the others Hood and Wray. Near the hustings
is a high gallows with a fox's head; from it hangs a placard: Dying speech.
A man brandishes a squalling cat which he holds by the tail. High on a
pole surmounted by a crescent is hung a petticoat inscribed No petticoat
Government. To a broom is attached a flag inscribed Slats & Garters to
sell. Other flags are inscribed, No Black Leg the Admiral for Ever; Whig
Interest ; No Soldiers No Bayonets ^ and No Faction No F. Above the design
is engraved, The Rival Candidates ^ a Farce y^ Performed at Covent Garden
Theatre !
Covent Garden and its vicinity during the election (see No. 6474, &c.)
was *a scene of outrage and even of bloodshed, resembling the Polish
dietines'. Wraxall, Memoirs^ 1884, iii. 341.
A prelude by Colman, *The Election of the Managers*, was played at the
Haymarket showing 'the hustings of Covent Garden with the entire routine
of an election — flags, mottos, mobs, and uproar*. London Chronicle, 3 June
1784. Baker, Biog. Dram., i8i2, ii. 188. Of. No. 5699 (1780) and No.
7352, &c. (1788).
8Jxi2jin.
6512 THE SOLILOQUY OF REYNARD! [c. 8 Apr. 1784]
[? J. Barrow.]
Printed as the Act directs^ for E. Richy No. 55, Fleet-Street — Price 6^
Engraving. Heading to a printed black-bordered broadside. Fox, with a
fox's head, lies full length on a table, his hands together like a recumbent
figure on a tomb, as in No. 6470. One mourner stands at his head (1.),
another at his feet (r.), each holding a handkerchief to his eyes. Round
their flat hats and over their shoulders are mourning-scarves. The mourner
at his head is identified in an old hand as Burke. Both are poorly charac-
terized. Beneath the (printed) title is printed. Alias the Goose-Catcher!
[cf. No. 5843] — alias Carlo-Khan! [cf. No. 6473] — alias the Westminster
Mountebank! — alias the Man of the People! — &c. To which is added, a
Devonshire Lamentation! and an Epitaph! by the Widow of the Murdered
Man.
Beneath are verses in two columns : first. Soliloquy (40 11.), beginning,
^'The gloomy Crisis of my Fate draws near;
''And in Despight of all my puffing Friends,
"{Whose subtile Paragraphs, and well-frarrHd Lies,
''Made Truth itself seems false, and Falshood true)
"My Fame Politic dies! . . .
It ends,
"But, Oh! the King would hear his Subjects Cries!
"And {Spite of all my Efforts to prevent it)
"Their Charters, Rights, and Liberties maintain' d!'^
Having 'discharged the above tremendous Cataract of Oratory', Fox fell
into a trance, as represented in the plate. Cf. No. 6405.
' A comic opera by Bate (Bate-Dudley), 1775.
88
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
In The Devonshire Lamentation (18 11.) the Duchess asks rhetorically:
Did I the Tongue of Calumny defy^
And o'er the Bounds of Delicacy fly?
Forget my Sex's softness^ to defend
The sinking Cause of my politic Friend;
And all for nought? —
In the Epitaph (14 11.) the widow mourns her *butcher'd Husband*
(killed in an election riot, cf. No. 6593).^
A satire on the Westminster Election, see No. 6474, &c. From 3 to 17 or
19 Apr. Fox's defeat seemed certain, see Appendix I and Russell, Corr. of
FoXy ii. 267-8. See No. 6513, a sequel. For the canvassing of the Duchess,
see No. 6493, &c. For the broadside obituary, a traditional form both of
eulogy and satire, see J. W. Draper, A Century of Broadside Elegies,
5|x8-| in.; broadside, i8|xi3 in.
6513 THE LAST DYING WORDS OF REYNARD THE FOX!
[? J. Barrow.]
Printed as the Act directs^ for E. Richy No. 55^ Fleet Street.
[c. 8 Apr. 1784] ^
The plate of No. 6512 used to illustrate a similar black-bordered broadside.
After the (printed) title is printed Alias the Goose-Catcher! . . [as in No.
6512] &c. &c. &c. who departed this Life under the Hustings^ near S* Paul's
Covent-Gardenj a few Days after the Commencement of the Polly for want
of Assistance y although attended by the whole learned Body of Irish Chairmen.
To which is added his Elegy! by her Grace of D e. With his Epitaph!
The last dying words are lengthy; they begin: Terdition catch that
Wray! I am lost for ever! . , .* and end, 'curse on all the World but my dear
Perditta; oh! I am now nothing'. For Fox and Perdita see No. 61 17, &c.
Beneath are verses in two columns.
A sequel to No. 6512.
5jx8f in.; broadside, i8|x 13 in.
6514 THE PARODY,— OR MOTHER COLE AND LOADER.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ April 10*^ iy84 by W. Humphrey N*" 22y Strand
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). North as Mother Cole
is seated full-face in an arm-chair, the tips of his fingers sanctimoniously
together. Beside him sits Fox, as Loader, a handkerchief in his r. hand, his
1. pointing upwards . North says, Ay I am agoing; a wasting and a wasting —
what will become of the House when I am gone Heaven knows — No — When
people are Missed then they''" Mourn' d — Sixteen years have I lived in S*
Stephens Chaple comfortably and creditably; and tho I say ity could have got
bail any hour of the day! no knock me down doings in my house y a set of regular
sedate sober Customers — no rioters — Sixteen did I say — Ayy eighteen years have
I paid Scott and Lot — and during the whole time nobody have said M^^ North
Why do you so? unless twice that I was threatned with impeachment and three
times with a Halter!
^ No. 6513 is dated 8 Apr. 1786 by Mr. Stephens. Nicholas Casson, a constable,
was lulled on 10 May. If he is *the murdered man' No. 6512 would appear to
relate to the prospects of a scrutiny or to the defeat of the Coalition in the election.
89
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Fox says, May I lose deal^ with an honour at bottom^ if Old Moll does not
bring tears in my Eyes.
Mother Cole wears a hood and loose gown over her petticoat, her shoes
are slashed to ease her bulging feet. By her side is a bottle labelled Con-
stitution Cordial. Fox is dressed in his customary manner; at his side is
an overturned dice-box and dice. After the title is etched See Foot's Minor
page 2g.
North is represented as the sanctimonious bawd (for whom Mother
Douglas was the supposed original) who became a follower of Whitefield,
Fox as the sharping gamester. The words of the play are cleverly parodied,
the indictments of Mother Cole being changed into the threats of impeach-
ment which Fox had made against North, cf. Nos. 6187, &c., 6393.
Grego, Rowlandsony i. 125.
8JXi2|in.
6515 TEMPLE'S NEW DOCK YARD.
Published as the Act directs April 10. 1784.
Engraving. A man-of-war supported on two trestles, one at the stem (1.)
the other at the bows. Temple stands in the ship, in profile to the 1.,
hands on the upper end of a two-handed saw, whose blade passes vertically
through the ship, its lower handle held by Thurlow, in profile to the r.,
whose head is under the vessel's keel. They are dividing the ship longi-
tudinally from poop to bows; on her hull is inscribed. The Old Constitu-
tion built in the Year 1688 Broke up in 1^83-4 as no longer Serviceable.
The saw-blade is inscribed Unhackneyed in the way of Sawing. Temple
says. They shall have the Starboard side at S* James's. Thurlow says, My
Family at Stephen's [the Lords] shall have the Larboard side.
George III stands, in profile to the 1., leaning forward from the r. margin
of the design, a raised axe in his hands, having hacked off the figurehead,
Britannia, which lies on the ground. He says. And I'll have you MisSy to
light my Fire.
On the 1. is a new ship on the stocks. The Absolute, at r. angles to the
Old Constitution, showing her poop, supported by props, three of which
are inscribed Ambition, The backstairs, and Secret Influence. She is Building
at Chatham, probably an allusion to Pitt. Beneath the design is engraved
£1^000 p* Annum for Double Tides, an allusion to Thurlow's income as
Lord Chancellor; he had held office under North, Rockingham, and Shel-
burne, lost it under the Coalition and was re-appointed under Pitt. Cf.
also No. 6252.
One of a number of satires on the part taken by Temple in the defeat of
the India Bill in the Lords leading to the appointment of Pitt by 'back-
stairs' influence. See No. 6417, &c.
SfXH^in.
6516 THE TIMES.
Publishd by S. Fores. N° 3. Piccadilly. April 10. 1784.
Etching. Fox stands full-face with a wooden r. leg supported by a crutch
under his r. arm. His 1. hand is held towards three winged fish, flying
away from him, to each of which is tied a loaf. They are inscribed Loaves
& Fishes. Across Fox's waistcoat is inscribed Bowels of Compassion for
India; his paunch is shrunken as compared with its normal size. The head
90
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
of his crutch is that of North, the crutch itself is inscribed Majority of the
Home of Commons. The wooden leg is inscribed Popularity ^ the other leg
Oratory. A man (1.) stoops down holding a flaming torch to the bottom of
the crutch, while he empties a bag inscribed Gun Powder on the ground
at its foot.
Behind is the outline of a hill above which (1.) rises a sun surrounded
with rays, inscribed Pitt and Sun rise. Low down (r.) a setting sun is half
below the horizon; its rays are smaller and shadowed by clouds. This is
inscribed Fox and Sun set.
The disappearance of Fox's majority, based on the support of North and
his followers, was by this time certain, see No. 6657, &c. For the loaves
and fishes cf. No. 6915, &c.
7isX7Am.
6517 NO LONGER SOUR OR FOX IN HIS GLORY. [? 1784]
Publishd Aprill 10 Turner Snow Hill
Engraving. A fox guzzles grapes at the foot of a vine which extends across
the design from 1. to r. Beside his fore-paws (1.) is a mask lying on the
circular top of an E.O. table (cf. No. 5928, &c.); near it lie playing-cards.
Behind (r.), the Devil bears off North who is seated on his shoulders.
Fox is apparently represented as having thrown off the mask of public
spirit. The print was perhaps published in 1783, cf. No. 6208.
8X9i^6in.
6518 THE TOTTERING PYRAMID. N^ 11
Published April y' iiy iy84^ by G. Humphrey Print Seller N'^ 48 Long
Acre London.
Engraving. A pyramid of heads supported on a rectangular base, in front
of which lie a badger (1.), representing North, and a fox (r.), their tails
crossed and held together by a ribbon. In a central medallion above the
animals' tails is a profile with the head of Fox superimposed on that of
North, as in No. 6183 but reversed. A scroll draped from each animal's
head across the medallion is inscribed Interest , & Ambition.
The apex of the pyramid is the head of Fox wearing a laurel wreath
and saying. If his Highness Wags a Feather Fm down. The head beneath
him is that of the Prince of Wales wearing a coronet with the words Ich
Dien and decorated with the three feathers, the central one supporting
the head of Fox. The Prince says. It deserves an Increase of Establishment
to be thus Situated (for the dispute between the king and the Coalition
Ministry in June 1783 over the Prince's establishment see No. 6257, &c.).
The Prince's head rests upon that of Burke, in profile to the 1., and that of
North to the r. Burke says, Mine is not an (Economical Situation (alluding
to his Bill for Economical Reform, see No. 5657, &c.); North says, / wish
I was Uppermost. These two heads rest on the mitres of three bishops, all
full face and poorly characterized. That on the 1. is identified in a con-
temporary hand as Hinchcliffe (Bishop of Peterborough and Master of
Trinity, noted for his liberal opinions). The other two are probably
Shipley, Bishop of St. Asaph, and Watson of Llandaff ; these three had
opposed the American War, and were prominent Whigs (cf. No. 5983).
The bishops rest on four heads, those on the outside being in profile, the
91
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Other two full-face. Lord John Cavendish, in profile to the 1., ssiys^ I cannot
fall much lower; next him is the Earl of Surrey, then Keppel, then Powys,
saying, Landed Interest ^ and yet I ain neither Top nor Bottom, Five heads
form the base of the pyramid : the third and fourth from the 1., facing each
other, are Lord Carlisle and the Duke of Portland ; the fifth, in profile to the
r., may be intended for Sheridan.
One of many attacks on the Coalition; the date suggests that it was
intended to influence the Westminster Election, see No. 6474, &c., and
Appendix L For Fox and the Prince cf. No. 6401, &c. Cf. No. 6428.
iiiixSf in.
6519 THE RT HONBLE cs js pOX SHEWING BRITTANIA THE
DIABOLICAL M— RD— RS &C. COMM— T— D IN I— DIA. HIS
REASON FOR BRINGING IN A REF— M B— LL.
B.K. sc,
April 12 iy84 Pub d as the Act direct [sic] N" 14 Dover Street.
Engraving. Fox stands (r.) behind his peep-show, a rectangular box,
supported on trestles, which is a model of the India House showing (r.)
the Leadenhall Street fa9ade. On the side of the box (1.) are two circular
holes through which Britannia stoops to look. She supports herself on her
shield which rests on the ground; in her 1. hand is the cap of Liberty on
a long staff. The box is inscribed A View of India. On its top stand three
small figures or puppets : an Englishman brandishing a club in his 1. hand,
his r. holds by the neck a kneeling Indian; on his 1. a headless Oriental
proffers gifts.
The only satire in the Catalogue explicitly vindicating Fox's India Bill ;
cf. No. 6277, a defence of the Bill which is partly at least ironical, and
Nos. 6386, 6582.
Reissued 14 July 1789, see No. 7543.
8ix8|in.
6520 THE DEVONSHIRE, OR MOST APPROVED METHOD OF
SECURING VOTES
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ April 12*^ iy84 by M« Dacheray S^ James's Street
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire (r.), in profile to the 1., kisses a fat
butcher, putting her arms round his shoulders. She wears a hat trimmed
with feathers and ribbons. A plump woman approaches the butcher from
the 1. holding out her arms and shouting Huzza — Fox for Ever. Her dress,
with uncovered breast, suggests that she is a courtesan.^ Behind (1.) a man
wearing jack-boots holding a butcher's tray under his arm advances
towards the group, waving his hat and shouting.
* Grego suggests that she may be the Duchess of Gordon, but the duchess, like
Mrs. Hobart (also plump), was opposed to Fox. Anti-Fox newspaper paragraphs
did their best to suggest that the ladies who canvassed for Fox were of bad charac-
ter, e.g. : 'Among the fairest of the fair canvassers on the part of the Man of the
People, none was more successful than the Corbina alias the White Crow, not the
Bird of Paradise [Mrs. Mahon], nor the Perdita [Mrs. Robinson], sent so many polls
to the Hustings.' Quoted in Westminster Election, 1784, p. 232. *Lady Grosvenor,
Lady Dornhoff, Lady Cr — [Craven], just come from Paris, and Lady Worsley, are
among the canvassers who have the modesty to attempt to dictate to the honest
tradesman and independent citizen.' Ibid., p. 240. Cf. No. 6546, &c.
92
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
One of a number of satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devon-
shire for Fox at the Westminster Election; it appears in No. 6625. Cf.
No. 6393, &c.
Grego, Rowlandsoriy i. 126 (reproduction). Reproduced, Grego, Hist, of
Parliamentary Elections^ 1892, p. 270.
8jxi2f in.
6520 A Another impression, imprint erased and replaced by W. Humphrey
N° 22y Strand.
6521 DEVONIA, THE BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER OF LOVE &
LIBERTY, INVITING THE SONS OF FREEDOM TO HER
STANDARD IN COVENT GARDEN.
WPC, [Carey.]
Pub. according to act of Par^ by W: Holland^ N° 66 y Drury Lane,
April 12, 1784.
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire is the centre of a group of can-
vassing ladies. She stands full-face looking to the r., holding in her r.
hand a fox's brush, in her 1. a large flag on which is a bust of Fox supported
by seated figures of Britannia, with the British lion, and Liberty. It is
inscribed. If ever our smiles were your delight; if ever the blessings of Liberty
were an englishman's pride support a cause on which Our happiness & your
own security equally depend. Remember you are now called forth to defend
the cause of Love & Liberty Assert your rights Defend ours!
Fox and Liberty ^^^ Women of Westminster
Three other ladies, all young and pretty, stand behind the duchess ; it is
impossible to say which of the canvassing ladies they represent. Lady
Duncannon and perhaps Mrs. Crewe were her most usual companions,
see No. 6493. A rough-looking man has put an arm round the duchess's
shoulder, a butcher is embracing the lady on her r. All the ladies wear
feathered hats with Fox favours and two wear Fox favours on their dresses.
In the background (1.) is the facade of Covent Garden Church, the three
candidates standing under the portico. Fox on the r. The figures on the
clock-face over the portico are reversed. A crowd stands in front of the
church, looking towards the ladies and waving their hats. On the r. are
other spectators partly concealed by the large flag.
Similar in character to Nos. 6532, 6541.
8ixi2f in.
6522 WHOLESOME FOOD FOR MINISTERS [c. Apr. 1784]
WG[} Phillips.]
Pub'^ by [sic]
Engraving. Time with his sc5rthe flies above and between Pitt (1.) and Fox
(r.) who kneel on the ground. The Duchess of Devonshire holding a pair
of shears stands behind Fox on the extreme r. Time holds two long
tobacco-pipes in his mouth, one inscribed Court-favor the other Popularity ^
through which he is blowing two chains of bubbles, inscribed A bubble
bubble^ which Pitt catches in his mouth, holding up both hands towards
Time. Time looks towards Fox saying. Ha! Ha! Ha! Charley it is Billys
93
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
turn now: although the pretty Dutchess y wisKd to clip my pinions. Pitt says,
Thus while I am feeding my tender Frame with the Balsamick drops may no
secret blast or boisterous hurricane break their Texture. Fox says, O! Time^
thou comforter of the degraded^ and slandered; thou unvailer of plotSy &
secrets; grant, Oh! grant, once more, some of those precious Bubbles, by which
I have heretofore been pampered. The Duchess says, / tvill chearfuly submit
to any Thing to serve my Friend. Beneath the title is etched, or Charley after
many stir's neglected by Time for attempting to climb too high.
Behind Pitt (1.), on a rocky pinnacle, is a circular temple inscribed S^
Jameses, emitting rays of light. Behind Fox (r.) is a lighthouse inscribed
House of Commons, from the top of which hangs a flare, a fire burning in
a basket, implying that the influence of the House is slight compared with
that of the Court. On the horizon (centre) are pillars, round temples, and
hills, suggesting a view of Rome, from which Time appears to have flown.
For Pitt's popularity cf. No. 6438, &c.; for Fox's ambition. No. 6380; for
the Duchess and Fox, No. 6493, &c.
8fxi3Ain.
6523 THE INFRNALS [sic] CHOICE OR THE MAN OF THE
PEOPLE BELOW STAIRS.
Pub April 12 iy84 by J. Wallis N° 16 Ludgate Street
Engraving. Fox is being chaired by demons, who advance towards flames
(1.) in which stands a devil with a pitch-fork waiting to receive him. Fox,
seated, holding out his hat, his 1. hand on his breast, says, Westminster was
pretty Hot but this much more so. The demons who support Fox's chair and
prance along behind it appear to have been copied from the Devil in
No. 6283. The foremost has the same twisted ram's horns, the claws of a
bird of prey, and barbed tail. He shouts Fox for Ever . His companions
resemble him with slight variations. One also says Fox for Ever, another,
holding up a dice-box, says. He is the Devels own Representative. Two little
demons stand in front of the flames ; one says Fox for Ever, holding up
a fox's brush, the other blows a trumpet. Two heads of demons look from
the fire, and two small black winged creatures are flying in the flames.
Beneath the design is engraved:
Tho Reynard for Westminster *s Surely thrown out
Yet Hell will Elect him you need not to doubt
As member they ve Chair d him the only thats fit
To manage affairs in the Bottomless Pitt.
One of many satires on the Westminster Election, see No. 6474, &c.
Fox despaired of success until about 20 Apr. Russell, Memorials and
Corr. of Fox, ii. 267-8. See Appendix 1.
8iixi2f in.
6524 [THE CHAIRING OF FOX.]^
Pu¥ April 12^^ iy84 by W. Wall N" 31 Charles S^ opposite Middlesex
Hospittal
Engraving. Fox is being chaired (1. to r.) in a high-backed chair wreathed
with laurel, according to the custom in Westminster at the close of an
» Title probably cut off.
94
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
election, cf. No. 6590. The three supporters of the chair (T.Q.L. figures
in the foreground) are three ladies, all young and pretty, one of course the
Duchess of Devonshire. On the third (1.) is inscribed Portland Place ^
probably the Duchess of Portland, possibly Lady Archer, called *the
Portland Place Archer* in No. 6114. The other is probably Lady
Duncannon, see No. 6493, &c. All three wear hats trimmed with a fox's
brush. The foremost lady (r.) holds a paper inscribed British Constitution.
Beside Fox in his chair is the cap of Liberty on its staff; he holds up a torn
paper inscribed Rights of England; in his 1. hand is a paper inscribed
Privileges of the People. A cluster of cherubs' heads beside him, emerging
from clouds, is inscribed Voice of the People \ the principal cherub blows
a trumpet from which issue the words Fox & Liberty.
In the background behind the chair (1.) is a sea of heads; on the r. is
Sam House wearing his hat. Beneath the design is etched :
Friends freemen Britons all your strength be tried
To quell oppression stem corruptions tide
Let shouting plaudits fill resounding air
And Fox & virtue set in freedom* s chair.
An election print ; the tide had not yet turned in favour of Fox, cf . No.
6523 and Appendix L
9JX7|in.
6525 THE WESTMINSTER WATCHMAN. [c. 12 Apr. 1784]
[Rowlandson.]
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions) . Fox, dressed as a watch-
man, stands full-face, his r. hand grasping his staff (inscribed Uprightness)^
his 1. on his hip. Over his head is the word Liberty; his lantern stands
on the ground beside him sending forth rays inscribed Truth. His dog
(1.) is Vigilance. Zigzag flashes of lightning among clouds, inscribed
Ministerial Thunderbolts ^ threaten him from all sides.
In the background (r.) two sham watchmen are running off to the r.
holding staves and dark lanterns, which contrast with that of Fox, which
sheds its rays in all directions. The foremost is Sir Cecil Wray in military
uniform, saying. For Chelsea Ho a ; the other wearing a hooded cloak over
his naval uniform is Lord Hood saying. For Greenwich Ho a. They are
followed by two dogs. Beneath the design is etched. To the Independent
Electors of Westminster This Print of their Staunch Old Watchman The
Guardian of their Rights and Privileges is dedicated by a gratefull
Elector.
This is followed by an engraved inscription : N.B. Beware of Counter-
feits as the Greenwich and Chelsea Watchmen are upon the look out!
This plate illustrates the Westminster Election^ p. 166, where it faces an
address to the electors from *An Independent Elector', dated 12 Apr.,
where Fox is called 'your faithful watchman over ministerial encroach-
ment'. There had been no suggestion of abolishing Greenwich Hospital;
for Wray's proposals about Chelsea Hospital see No. 6475, &c. For the
dark lantern as emblem of Temple's intrigue see No. 6417, &c.
Reissued (or perhaps etched for), Westminster Election^ p. 166.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 126-7 (reproduction). Reproduced, Grego, Hist.
of Parliamentary Elections ^ 1892, p. 277.
SAxSfin.
95
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
6526 THE POLL. [i2 Apr. 1784]'
[Rowlandson.]
London, Publishdby PF"» Humphrey, N"" 22y Strand.
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). A see-saw representing
the state of the poll between Fox and Wray, Mrs. Hobart (1.) seated on one
end, the Duchess of Devonshire (r.) on the other, in front of the polling-
booth in Covent Garden. Mrs. Hobart, enormously fat, quite out- weighs
the Duchess, and is, moreover, held down by Lord Hood who kneels
behind her (1.), while Sir Cecil Wray stands beside him watching the con-
test with an enigmatical expression. Fox stands behind the Duchess trying
to hold down her end of the plank, but in vain ; his uplifted 1. arm and
closed eyes express the despair which he actually felt in the early days of
polling (Russell, Corr. of Fox, ii. 267). The ladies face each other astride
the plank, their arms outstretched, their bosoms bare.
The plank rests on an irregular stone post. An excited crowd, very
freely sketched, watches from the hustings and from below them; they
scream encouragement to the rivals, waving their hats. Over the head of
Wray is a play-bill. The Rival Candidates Farce; behind the Duchess is
another, Duke and no Duke Play. The former was a comic opera by Henry
Bate (afterwards Bate-Dudley), first played 1775, the latter a farce by
Tate, 1605.2
The first appearance in this catalogue of the much caricatured Mrs.
Hobart (see Index). Her canvassing for Hood and Wray was the subject
of many squibs. The print was perhaps suggested by a press paragraph
(n.d.) quoted in the Westminster Election, p. 325 : *M^^ Hobart, to convince
the world that Sir Cecil as well as M^ Fox, is a favourite of the loveliest part
of the creation, takes her station near Sir Cecilys side of the Hustings . . .
and where, ye agents and observers, can you find among the female race,
one fitter to be placed in contrast to the fair Duchess T Mrs. Hobart (d.
II Mar. 1 816, aged 77) was related to Sir C. Wray: she was the daughter
of Lord Vere Bertie by Ann Carey, illegitimate daughter and heiress of
Sir C. Wray, nth bart., who was succeeded by his cousin, father of the
candidate.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 127.
9Xi3iin.
6527 THE DUTCHESS CANVASSING FOR HER FAVOURITE
MEMBER.
WD [Dent.]
Pu¥ as the Act directs, for the Proprietor by J. Carter, Oxford Street.
April 13*^ iy84
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire about to kiss a short fat butcher;
one arm is round his neck, her r. hand under his apron. She says, Pll leave
no Stone unturned to serve the Cause', he answers, Then you shall have my
Plumper — but what says your Calf— mayhap, he 's Jealous. She wears a hat
trimmed with a Fox favour and four fox's brushes inscribed respectively,
' So dated by Mr. Hawkins and Grego, probably because at this date the
majority of Wray over Fox was at its highest point, see Appendix I.
2 There were two other dramatic performances of this name, see Baker, Biog.
Dram.
96
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Fox, FoXf Love, and Liberty. Her skirt is festooned up with Fox favours
and brushes inscribed Fox, showing her legs. A Httle chimney-sweeper
Hes on the ground looking under her petticoats and saying, Sweep y sweep.
A dog sniffs at her leg. The butcher has stuck into his girdle a paper
inscribed Leg of Mutton 10 1} Clare M^ [Market] . Behind him and on the
extreme r. is a placard on a pole, inscribed Cockspur Street. Behind the
duchess is a shorter lady holding up a purse inscribed Bett no Bribe. ^
On the extreme 1. stands Lord Surrey holding in his r. hand a beer mug
inscribed Surry and talking to a chimney-sweeper whose hand he holds,
saying, Come and Breakfast with me, and vote for Charly — it zvill be the
making of us all if he gets in — he'll do such things — he'll reduce the price of
Gin and Porter. The ragged sweep answers. Will he, then danUme, tho' I
live but in a hogstye, Pll Give him a Plumper — Fox for ever — .
One of many gross satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devon-
shire, see No. 6493, &c. Surrey was a notorious toper, cf. No. 8159.
7|XiiJin.
6528 RETURNING FROM BROOKS'S. No 12
[PGillray.]
London, Published April 1 3^^ 1784, by G. Humphrey, AT" 48 Long Acre.
Engraving (coloured impression). Design in an oval. The Prince of Wales,
drunk, staggers along supported on his r. by Fox, on his 1. by Sam House.
He wears a Fox favour and a Prince of Wales plume in his hat. Fox, whose
1. arm is linked in the Prince's r., points at him with his r. forefinger.
House (r.) stands in back-view, turning his head to look at Fox.
A satire on the election activities of the Prince of Wales, see Nos. 6530,
6547. Cf, No. 6401, &c.
The deliberately incorrect drawing appears to be an attempt to conceal
the identity of the artist. ^
Reprinted, G.PT.G., 1830. Reproduced, J. Ashton, FlorizeVs Folly,
1899, P- 72-
7iix6in.
6529 LORDS OF THE BEDCHAMBER.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ April 14^^ iy84 by W, Humphrey N"" 22y Strand.
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). The Duchess of
Devonshire (r.), in morning cap and gown, makes tea for Fox and Sam
House who sit side by side on a sofa (1.). The duchess leans back in her
^ Cf. 'Hint to the canvassing Duchesses and Countesses — ^When these ladies may
again give, as it can be proved they have given, five guineas for a bundle of broccoli,
eight guineas for a leg of mutton &c. &c. the tradesman may certainly take the
money with a safe conscience, if he votes on the other side; and this has already
been done in three instances in Westminster.* Newspaper paragraph quoted, West-
minster Election, p. 243.
^ *We are informed . . . that the means used by a Certain canvassing D s is,
to lay Ten Guineas against one, that they do not, or dare not vote for her dear
Charley. . . .' Ibid., p. 250.
^ A note by E. Hawkins on one impression: 'Townsend del. Lady Spencer
etch'd.' Lady Spencer was a Foxite and the attribution is extremely improbable.
Drawings (in a very different vein) by Lady Spencer were etched by Gillray.
97
H
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
chair, one hand on the tap of the urn, while she hands a cup to a footman
who stands with a tray, Sam (1.) has been served first; he sits stirring his
tea and gazing adoringly at Fox (r.), who playfully pats his bald head. A
spaniel stands in front of them, begging. On the wall behind are two
freely sketched W.L. portraits : behind the duchess is Reynolds's portrait
of her husband standing by his horse (as in No. 6546), the other is over the
heads of House and Fox.
A satire showing the importance to Fox of the publican, Sam House,
who kept open house for Fox's supporters as in 1780, see No. 5696, &c.
Cf. No. 6487, &c.
Grego, RowlandsoTiy i. 128-9 (reproduction). Reproduced, Grego, Hist.
of Parliamentary Elections y 1892, p. 276.
8Jxi2iJin.
6530 THE DEVONSHIRE METHOD TO RESTORE A LOST
MEMBER.
Pu¥ April 14 1784 by [name erased] Great Russell S^ Covent Garden.
Engraving (coloured impression). The interior of the shop of an apothe-
cary or quack medicine vendor. Three persons have entered (1.): the
Duchess of Devonshire stands full-face offering the apothecary (r.) a
purse, while she holds out her r. hand to Fox who stands beside and
slightly behind her. She says. His Tail restore^ You shall have more. The
apothecary, standing in profile to the 1., takes the purse saying. My
Famous Pills cure many Ills. He is well dressed and wears a doctor's tie-
wig. Fox puts his 1. hand to his forehead with a distressed expression;
under his foot is a paper inscribed D^ Leakes Antivanerial Drops. A lady
standing behind Fox, her hands in a muff, says, Oh poor Fox will Loose his
tail. Behind the apothecary is the shop-window with a counter in front
of it. On the counter are two small phials, each labelled Tkf Fox, and a
pill-box, besides glass jars. In the window are displayed glass bottles of
various shapes filled with coloured liquids. (Advertisements of Dr. Leake's
pills and drops were frequent in the newspapers and were posted as bills,
cf . No. 6540.) The duchess wears a Fox favour in her hat which is trimmed
with a fox's brush and three ostrich feathers, worn as an emblem of the
interest taken by the Prince of Wales in the election. Westminster Election,
p. 327. Her companion wears a fox's brush in her hat.
One of many gross election satires against the Duchess of Devonshire,
see No. 6493, &c. For the Prince's activities cf. No. 6528.
8|xi3ftin.
6531 A SIDE BOX AT THE OPERA.
[Pu¥ April 14, 1784 by J. Wtngrave.^]
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). Mrs. Hobart sits stiffly
in an opera-box in profile to the 1. Beside and behind her sits another lady,
also in profile. The hair of both is elaborately dressed and surmounted
by an erection of feathers, flowers, or ribbons, tilted forward and projecting
behind the puffed-out hair.
From its position in a volume of Westminster Election squibs and prints
^ From an impression in the Guildhall Library. The B.M. impression is the
reissue of 1792.
98
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
collected by Home Tooke, it was evidently issued as an election print. The
lady closely resembles Mrs. Hobart in Dark Lanthern Business (p. 112).
See No. 6526, &c.
Reissued by Fores, 15 Mar. 1792. At this date it might well pass for
a print of Mrs. Fitzherbert and Miss Pigot.
9jx8fin.
6532 FOX'S COTILLON IN ST JAMES'S MARKET.
W: P: C. Fecit [Carey.] M.
Pub. as the act directs by W. Holland N^ 66 Drury Lane April [15
1784Y
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire and three other ladies dance with
four butchers in St. James's Market. The couples are holding hands
behind their backs; the butchers leer at their partners. All the ladies wear
large Fox favours in their hats, which are trimmed with fox's tails. Over
the heads of the dancers is inscribed Love & Liberty! Freedom & Fox!
On the extreme 1., behind the dancers, a man plays the fiddle, a Fox favour
in his cap.
In the background (1.) is a butcher's stall with joints of meat hanging
from hooks. A bird sits on a calf's head, saying, Fox for ever. Spectators
watch the dance ; a boy waving his hat shouts Fox & Liberty. Two bull-
dogs bark Fox for ever. Behind the stall stand Hood and Wray looking
disconsolately at the scene; they are Candidates in the dumps.
The daily poll turned definitely against Wray and in favour of Fox on
13 Apr.; it was not till 27 Apr. that Fox passed Wray. See Appendix I.
For the canvassing ladies see No. 6493, &c. Similar in character to Nos.
6521,6541.
Reproduced, Stokes, Devonshire House Circle ^ p. 210.
I2|xi2| in.
6533 A CERTAIN DUTCHESS KISSING OLD SWELTER-IN-
GREASE THE BUTCHER FOR HIS VOTE [c. April 1784]
Published by H Macphail N 68 High Holborn R: Lyford Sculp.
Engraving (coloured impression). The Duchess of Devonshire in riding-
dress kisses a butcher, her r. hand on his shoulder, a riding-whip in her 1.
hand. They stand beside the butcher's stall on which hang joints of meat.
A round chopping-block with a cleaver is in front of the stall (r.). The
butcher's bulldog (1.) befouls the Duchess's dress. She wears a hat poised
on a high coiffure, and decorated with three upstanding ostrich feathers,
and three drooping fox's brushes, emblems of the Prince of Wales and Fox
(cf. No. 6530). The butcher wears a round hat in place of the more usual
cap. Beneath the title is engraved: O! Times! O! Manners! The Women
Wear Breeches & the Men Petticoats.
See No. 6493, etc.
io|X7|in.(pl.).
Another impression (uncoloured) without publication-line.
' Added by Mr. Hawkins, perhaps to reinforce etched figures.
99
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
6534 BOTTOM SNOUT & QUINCE vide Shakespeare Mid, Summer
Night Dream
I. B. [J. Boyne.]
London Published April 15^^ 1^84 by J. Wallis N 16 Ludgate S^ ^
Engraving. Fox (1.) as Bottom with an ass's head sits on an upturned
market-basket in the Piazza, Covent Garden. The eyes and eyebrows and
the arrangement of the hair make the head resemble that of Fox with a
disconsolate expression. North and Burke, as Snout and Quince, stand
regarding him in profile to the 1. North, as the tinker, wears a tucked-up
apron; he holds up his hands, saying, O Bottom thou art Changed. What
do I see on thee. Burke, dressed as a Jesuit (cf. No. 6026), his biretta worn
over a bald head, his 1. hand on North's shoulder, looks over him at Fox,
saying. Bless thee Bottom Bless thee thou art Translated.
Fox is seated outside the Shakespeare Tavern which was his election
head-quarters : in the arch of the arcade behind him is a sign The Shak-
spea[re] Tavern, with a bunch of grapes; on the wall above is Great Piazza.
On the r., above the heads of North and Fox, is the portico of St. Paul's
Church, where polling took place.
One of many satires on the Westminster Election, see No. 6474, &c.
12^X9 i^-
6535 REYNARD'S HOPE,
A Scene in the Tempest between Trinculo, Stephana and Caliban.
W. D. [Dent.]
Pub^ as the Act directs, by T. Brown, Rathbone Place, April 75** 1784
Engraving. A scene near the shore of the island; the wrecked ship with
splintered masts, lying on the shore (r.), is the Royal George. The Prince
of Wales as Trinculo (1.) stands in profile to the r. holding a bottle of wine
in his r. hand, addressing Fox who is Stephano; he says: Give me dear
woman — and give me good wine — and you may govern all things else as thine.
He wears a fool's cap with bells, ornamented with three ostrich feathers
and Ich dien. Beside him is a barrel inscribed Butt and P. of W. Fox as
the drunken butler, directed to the 1., holds out his r. fore-finger
to the Prince, saying: Tajfy — when the Island's ours — my brave Boy —
/ — rilbe King — and you shall be Viceroy; in his 1. hand he holds a dice-box
inscribed Compass. On the ground at Fox's feet, facing the Prince, kneels
Caliban, a hairy body with the head of North; he says:
My Jove, Fll lick your shoes & obey your nod.
And his, for sure he 's Bacchus, the bloated God.
Over the sea and above the wreck is a bright crescent encircling a dark
disk, shedding its rays on clouds.
A satire on the relations of the Prince of Wales with the Coalition, cf .
Nos. 6237, 6401, 6528, &c. For similar allusions to the Royal George
cf. Nos. 6042, 6574. For Fox's ambition cf. No. 6380, &c.
8|Xi2}Jin.
' Another publication-line has been erased.
100
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6536 A SCENE AT THE NEW THEATRE COVENT GARDEN
Published Aprill ye 16 1^84 by J Wallis N° 16 Ludgate Street
Engraving. The hustings in Covent Garden: five poll-clerks sit in front
with their large open books ; on the platform behind are the three candi-
dates, flanked by Sam House (1.) and the Duchess of Devonshire (r.). In
the foreground a ragged boy or man in back view, supported on crutches,
addresses a poll-clerk (centre), saying, ikf Fox Sir; the clerk holds out to
him a book on which to swear, saying. You have PoVd no more than Seven
Times so help you . Wray (1.) leans forward, saying to Fox (r.) who
clenches his fist threateningly, no Man Can have Seven Votes; Fox answers,
/ am for Liberty of Conscience. Between them (full-face) stands Hood, in
naval uniform, his large aquiline nose exaggerated ; he says, / must put
my Nose Between that they may not see each Other.
The duchess, wearing a cloak, her hands in a mufF, looks down discon-
solately, saying, / have Kiss'd & Canvas' d for him & after all must see him
Rejected. Sam House stands on the opposite end of the hustings, full-face,
holding a foaming tankard inscribed House; he says. So have I too Maam
but all wont do. A well-dressed elector standing below House raises
his hat, shouting. Hood <£f Wray for ever Huzza. Another stands beside
him in conference with a poll-clerk.
Posts with placards in front of the hustings show the electors where to
vote according to their parishes: on the 1. is Saint James' Sy on the r. Saint
Martins.
An advertisement informed the electors of Westminster 'that in conse-
quence of the exertions made by the friends of Lord Hood and Sir Cecil
Wray to detect false votes, and the parochial books being produced on the
hustings, such a check has been given to the infamous practices of M^
Fox's party, as to have occasioned the rejection of great quantities of
illegal voters. . . .' Quoted in Westminster Election^ p. 108. See No.
6553, &c. Cf. No. 7363.
7JX11 in.
6537 THE WESTMINSTER HUNT. OR THE RE TAIL lATION
Pu¥ as the Act directs April 16. 1784 by C. JoneSy Brewer Street.
Engraving. Two dogs, with the heads of Hood and Wray, followed by
huntsmen chase a fox (1. to r.) down a slope inscribed Constitution Hill. In
front of the fox (Fox) is a sign-post, one arm pointing (r.) To Cov. Garden;
two others pointing 1. are To St. James's and To the Gallows: The fox's
tail, inscribed Patriotism ^ brushes the eye of Wray, who says. This is a
swinging Brush it smarts D y he has Blinded me quite. The fox, turning
his head back, snarls: Ha Ha my old Friend you have Run hard for a little
Foxes P — ss. Hood, half a length behind the fox, and in the foreground,
says : Never fear Brother, a little Court Water will soon heal the Smart.
Behind Wray floats or flies a witch-like old woman carrying the staff and
cap of Liberty; she says. Hack Forward , good Dogs, Tally O Ho W—y he
has worried all my Geese & put my Hen Roost in an Uproar. Her skirt is
inscribed. Secret Influence; Prerogatives; Addresses, Petitions &c. (For the
addresses thanking the king for dismissing the Coalition see No. 6445, &c.)
Behind her, on the extreme 1. of the design, appear the head and shoulders
of the king wearing his crown ; he says. Tally O Tally O my Brave Chelsea
lOI
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Tally O, alluding to Wray's proposal to abolish Chelsea Hospital, see
No. 6475, &c. Behind are two shadowy huntsmen; one, mounted, says
Wee' I whip him Down by G — d\ the other blows a horn.
For the Westminster Election see No. 6474, &c. Fox did not draw ahead
of Wray till 27 Apr., see Appendix I.
7fXiiiiin.
6538 THE DISSOLUTION, OR YOUNG GROCER MAKING
PALATABLE PUNCH FOR HIS COMPANY.
[? Phillips.!]
Published by S. Fores, N^ 3. Piccadilly. April 16. 1^84.
Engraving. Pitt (1.) stands in profile to the r. making punch in an enormous
punch-bowl which stands on a low table with six carved legs. He squeezes
(in place of lemons) the heads of Fox and North ; liquid pours from them
into the bowl, in which is a sugar-loaf inscribed House of Commons with
a drawing of the interior of the House : the Speaker in his chair, the clerk
at his table, and rows of seated members on each side, one member stand-
ing to speak. Pitt, who wears a long apron, is saying. Thus I dissolve ye
Thus thy parts being disunited, the effects will be less pernicious to my Con-
stitution. Beside the bowl on the table is a large bottle of Popular Spirit,
of. No. 6438, &c. The bowl is decorated with an escutcheon on which is a
cask with two canisters, the supporters being two jovial-looking men, each
with a flag. This is probably a burlesqued coat of arms for the Grocers'
Company (not resembling their own). On the wall behind (r.) is very faintly
etched a circular temple resting on a bracket, indicating the part played
by Lord Temple in the defeat of the Coalition, cf. No. 6417, &c.
Pitt received the freedom of the Grocers' Company on 14 Feb., see
No. 6442, &c. Cf. election verses, 'The Grocer's Delight; or, a Sugar
Plumb for Master Billy', Westminster Election, p. 468. For the dissolution
see No. 6476, &c.
9|XiOi|in.
6539 SUPPLYS FOR THE YEAR 1784.
Published as the Act directs April ly. 1784 by H. MacPhail N° 68
H^ Holbarn,
Engraving. A fountain composed partly of the figures of two ladies who
sit back to back in profile above the centre of the basin, water (or wine)
gushing from their knees. They also shower coins from bags, that held
by one figure (1.) being marked D, showing that she is the Duchess of
Devonshire, the other P for the Duchess of Portland. Between their heads
is a vertical fox's brush surmounted by a ducal coronet and the Prince of
Wales's feathers which are the apex of the structure. The shallow fluted
basin of the fountain stands on a rectangular base. Its rim is decorated
with masks, one in the centre, the others in profile 1. and r.; from all of
them liquid pours to the ground, the central stream inscribed Sham
Pay — n. (Probably an allusion to Sir Ralph Payne, noted for his hospitality,
whose house in Grafton Street was a meeting-place for the leading Foxites.
^ Angelo, Reminiscences y 1904, i. Other prints by the same artist are signed
W. G.
102
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Wraxall, Memoirs y 1884, iii. 411.) The block on which the ladies sit is
inscribed This Conduit is Free for the Publick. The Duchess of Portland
(Lady Dorothy Cavendish) was the sister-in-law of the Duchess of Devon-
shire.
Fox stands on the 1. of the basin, Sam House on the r. Fox holds out
his coat-pocket to receive the shower of coins from the Duchess of Devon-
shire, saying, From their Emptyness I shall fill my Pockets. He stands full-
face, his r. hand on his hip. House holds out his hat to catch the coins
poured out by the Duchess of Portland, turning his head in profile to the
1. and saying. Friend Charles this will pass Current at Westminster. In his
1. hand he holds out a foaming tankard inscribed Sam House.
One of many satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devonshire and
Sam House, see No. 6487, &c. For the Duchess of Portland see No. 6494
and Westminster Electiony p. 232. The election, according to a Pittite
statement, was 'said to cost the Duchess of Devonshire 600 1. per day'.
Ibid., p. 268.
8xi2jpgin.
6540 [FOX AND BURKE AS HUDIBRAS AND RALPHO]
Published by I. Notice Oxford Road April ly 1^84
Engraving. No title. Fox and Burke (H.L.) seen through the barred
window of a brick building in which they are imprisoned. They are
Hudibras and his squire as in No. 6361, but in a prison instead of in the
stocks. Above the barred aperture is inscribed Bailiffs for Middlesex show-
ing that it is a sponging-house for debtors (cf. No. 6483, &c.). Outside
stands the Duchess of Devonshire looking at them over her r. shoulder.
She wears a hat with a Fox favour, trimmed with feathers and fox's tails
as in the canvassing caricatures, but wears a plain riding-dress of mascu-
line cut^ instead of the usual voluminous petticoats. Her 1. hand rests on
a tasselled cane. She is Hudibras's Lady who visited the pair in prison
and released them; her words are etched beneath the design:
heavens! quoth she, can this be true?
1 do begin to fear His you:
Not by your individual whiskers.
But by your dialect and discourse.
That never spoke to man or beast
In notions vulgarly exprest:
But what malignant star alas!
Has brought you both to this sad pass?
Hudibras, canto i mo. [i.e. Part II, canto i].
On the brick wall of the prison bills are posted : Several Pouting lips to
be hired by the day by Deven ;^ Hood Ray Fox; Hood and Wray for ever ;
Leakes justly famous pills for curing the veneral . . . [cf . No. 6530] ; No
Coalition No Bribery.
^ Cf. 'Her Grace sometimes rides about in a black riding habit, which is very
convenient in case she should be obliged to enter into contact with a Chimney-
Sweeper*. A newspaper paragraph quoted in Westminster Election, p. 246.
- One of the advertisements for Hood and Wray ran: 'To be hired for the day,
several pair of ruby pouting lips, of the first quality, [etc. etc.].* Westmimter
Election, p. 99.
103
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
One of many satires on the Westminster Election, see No. 6474, &c.
For the Duchess of Devonshire, see No. 6493, &c.
loJxSfin.
6541 THE DEVONSHIRE MINUET, DANCED TO ANCIENT
BRITISH MUSIC THROUGH WESTMINSTER, DURING THE
PRESENT ELECTION.
WPC[C2iTey]fec' M.
Pub. by W. Holland AT" 66 Drury lane April 20, 1^84
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire (r.) and a stout butcher (1.) dance
side by side ; she holds out her dress v^^ith her r. hand ; he holds a steel in
his 1. hand. Across his apron is inscribed All upright Members for ever.
Three grinning butchers stand (1.) playing a tune with marrow-bones and
cleavers, each cleaver being inscribed Ancient British Music. Behind (r.)
a grinning chimney-sweeper sits holding his brush in the r. hand, a cleaver
inscribed Ancient British Music in the 1. He sings : Toll lol de dol de dol de
dol dol dol. The Duchess wears Fox favours, as do the butchers. A favour
at her breast is inscribed Love & Liberty and one at her waist Freedom &
Fox. In her hat is a fox's brush.
One of many satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devonshire,
see No. 6493, &c. Similar in character to Nos. 6521, 6532.
8j^Xi2iin.
6542 FOX IN A TRAP AND THE CONSTITUTION PRESERVD
Pu¥ April 20y 1784, by J Linn Ludgate Street
Engraving. A fox stands with his fore-paws caught in a large steel trap,
beside which is the bait, the representation of a crown. Beside him is the
Duchess of Devonshire holding her handkerchief to her eyes and saying :
Alas! poor Fox your die is Cast,
You're trap'd zvith all your Triks at last.
In her hat is a Fox favour, the fox's brush, and the three ostrich feathers
which are the emblems of Fox and the Prince of Wales, cf. No. 6530.
The fox turns his head towards her, saying :
O Charming Dutchess mourn my fate ^
But think upon the Tempting bait.
The trap is attached by a chain to a staple at the side of an arched door-
way (r.). A hand projects from the 1. margin of the design pointing to the
fox with the words Guilty Death. (See No. 6657.)
One of many satires in which Fox (as Carlo Khan, Cromwell, or Charles
III) aims at the crown, cf. No. 6380, &c. His capture implies defeat in the
Westminster Election, see Appendix I, or on the general election.
8|Xi2-Jin.
A print in the Guildhall Library,
A COURT-CANDIDATE IN DISTRESS
London. Published April 20^^ 1784 as the Act Directs,
Engraving (coloured impression). A street scene ; Sir Cecil Wray is mobbed
by maidservants, and flies in terror from a Chelsea pensioner (r.). From
104
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
a first-floor window a servant empties a chamber-pot on his head. He says,
Quarters Quarters Alas! No Back Stairs friend to rescue me. The pensioner
has a wooden leg and is supported on a crutch; he Hfts the other crutch
menacingly, saying. No Quarters Judas turn me & my aged bretheren out of
our comfortable Quarters. Three maidservants attack him, one (1.) with
a mop, two (r.) with brooms. They say respectively: Fll mop his filthy
carcase till I make it as white as his Liver; You' I tax us will you treackrous
Dog; Let me at him old Boy [to the pensioner] Fll brush his jacket. On the
ground is a paper: Plan for Demolishing Chelsea Hospital & taxing Maid
Servants.
For these allegations against Wray see Nos. 6475, 6492, &c. For the
back -stairs see No. 6417, &c.
8jxi2/ein.
6543 THE COVENT GARDEN NIGHT MARE, [c. 20 Apr. 1784^]
[Rowlandson.]
Pub^ by W. Humphrey A^" 227, Strand.
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). A parody of The Night-
mare by Fuseli (which attracted popular attention at the R.A. in 1782^),
deriving much of its humour from its contrast with that picture. Fox,
naked, lies prone on a low bed, one arm hanging to the floor, the other
above his head. On his breast sits a demon, while a horse with staring eye-
balls puts its head through draped curtains. The horse, the demon, and
the general arrangement are closely copied from Fuseli, in reverse; but the
burly nudity of Fox is in complete contrast with his elegant female in
pseudo-classical draperies. In Fuseli's picture is a circular table of classical
shape on which are toilet bottles, &c.; on the smaller table beside Fox are
a dice-box and dice.
Fox anticipated defeat at Westminster, see No. 6474, &c.: on 20 Apr.
the fortunes of the poll began to appear definitely in favour of Fox, see
Appendix I.
The original drawing, incised for transfer to the plate, is in the
Broadley Collection, vol. i, in the Westminster Public Library.
Fuseli's picture was burlesqued (181 6) by Cniikshank. Reid, No. 599.
Grego, Rowlandson^ i. 129.
8|xi3in.
6544 MADAM BLUBBER ON HER CANVASS,
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ April 22 iy84 by Han Humphrey Bond Street.
Engraving. The fat Mrs. Hobart canvasses butchers for Hood and Wray.
She advances to two butchers seated in front of their stall before a punch-
bowl which stands on their chopping-block. She holds out a purse, saying.
Hood and Wray my dear Butcher. They disregard the lady but look at each
other: one (1.), very obese, leans back in his chair smoking a long pipe,
from the bowl of which issues a label inscribed /am engaged to the Dutchess.
The other puts a hand on his shoulder, saying, Pho' give her a glass; he
* So dated by Mr. Hawkins.
* A stipple engraving was published by J. R. Smith, 20 Jan. 1783.
105
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
holds a wine-glass towards her. The butcher's dog snarls at her petticoats.
On the punch-bowl is the figure of a fox. A third butcher stands behind
Mrs. Hobart, putting one hand on her hip, holding the other above her
head; he says, The fattest I ever handled. Behind him and on the extreme
r. stand two butchers with a dog, who say, Lincolnshire dafnmee and a
Plumper by G — d. The butcher's stall, freely sketched, forms a back-
ground; from it hang a carcass, joints of meat, and a sheep's head.
For Mrs. Hobart see No. 6526 and index. A song on a broadside en-
titled The Court Canvass or Madam Blubber has been pasted to the back of
this print, probably by Miss Banks; it was reprinted in the Westminster
Election, pp. 480-1, and is also given in full by Grego. Its refrain is some
variation of 'The Dutchess was here before you*. Another song began:
'Since women of fashion govern the State
And you M" Hobart, have sure the most weight
I wonder you've no better candidate
Than Sir Cecil Wray.'
Op. cit., pp. 478-9.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 129-30.
8ixi3iin.
6545 THE COVENT GARDEN PANTOMIME OR THE WEST-
MINTR CANDIDATES.
Pub April 22 iy84 by E Shirlock Drury lane
Engraving. Pitt, dressed as Harlequin, stands, his 1. foot planted on the
back of the prostrate Fox, his r. touching the back of North (1.), who
stands disconsolately in profile to the 1., his hands together as if in prayer.
Pitt's arms are outstretched; on his r. hand stands Lord Hood, on his 1.
Sir Cecil Wray. Pitt, only to be identified by the word Pit on his cap, has
a broad grin, and is saying, Theese are pretty parliment Poppets. Fox says,
D — fi such pantomime as this; North says. One Minister to another still
succeed & the Last Fool as welcome as the former; Hood says, / will alway*
serve my King & Cauntry; Wray answers, / like a Good parliment birth
brother Hood. In the background (r.) is the portico of Covent Garden
Church ; figures on the hustings are suggested ; a crowd watching the antics
of Harlequin is also indicated. On the 1. of the church are houses.
The figures of Hood and Wray appear to have been copied from those
in No. 6510, the arms being differently posed: each has one arm on his
breast, the other extended. One of many satires on the Westminster
Election, see No. 6474, &c. For the state of the poll see Appendix I.
i2iX9i|in.
6546 POLITICAL AFFECTION.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ April 22 iy84 by Jn° Hanyer Strand—
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire seated in a chair offers her bared
breast to a fox dressed as an infant, which stands on its hind legs before
her, placing a paw across her lap. Her own infant, seated on the ground (r.)
neglected, stretches out her arms to her mother with a protesting scream.
In the foreground (1.) a cat Hcks the face of a dog which sits on its hind
106
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
legs, while a kitten crawls neglected beside it. Behind the animals is an
empty cradle. On the wall (1.) is Reynolds's portrait of the Duke of Devon-
shire standing beside his horse, as in No. 6529. Another portrait (r.) is of
a stout man wearing a hat walking to the r., one hand in his pocket, the
other resting on a stick (? Fox). These are very freely sketched.
One of many satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devonshire for
Fox. Cf. Nos. 6490, 6625.
Grego, RowlandsoTiy i. 132 (reproduction).
6547 KINGS PLACE, OR A VIEW OF M (FOX) BEST FRIENDS,
[Rowlandson.]
April 22"^ 17S4. Pu¥ hy SW Fores N'' 3. Piccadilly
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). A group of courtesans
and brothel-keepers. One of the courtesans (1.) introduces the Prince of
Wales, who stands beside her, to another standing in profile to the 1. She
says. He is as Generous as a Prince And a Prince should not be Limmited.
He says. He supported my Cause, an allusion to the political crisis which
arose on the question of the Prince's establishment, see No. 6257. Two
stout bawds stand in conversation in the centre of the design, smiling at
each other; they wear cloaks and hoods and carry muffs; one, identified
by Mr. Hawkins as Mrs. Windsor, says, He introduced his R — H to my
house. Behind and on the extreme r. a third courtesan, older than the others,
and of debauched appearance, waving a fox's brush, says : / have taken
many a Pound of his Money Fox for Ever Huzza. The Prince wears his
ribbon and star, his hat is adorned with three erect ostrich feathers, and
a drooping fox's brush; each courtesan holds a fox's brush. A fox takes the
place of the word fox in the title.
There were many newspaper paragraphs alleging that Fox was supported
by the women of the town : e.g. * . . .his interest is strong in King's Place,'
*The support of M^ Fox, from drabs and duchesses, swindlers, uncertifi-
cated bankrupts, and foreigners, is exactly that which alone could be ex-
pected. . . .' Westminster Election, pp. 224, 240, cf. also p. 242. Cf. Nos.
6520, 6549. For a similar satire on the relations of Fox and the Prince of
Wales see No. 6231. Cf. also Nos. 6401, &c., 7356.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 132.
Sfx 131^5 in.
6548 WITS' LAST STAKE OR THE COBLING VOTERS AND
ABJECT CANVASSERS. [22 Apr. 1784]
[Rowlandson.]
Engraving. A canvassing scene in a poor and disreputable district of West-
minster, indicated by Peter Street on the corner of a house. The Duchess
of Devonshire canvasses a cobbler; she sits supported on Fox's knee, put-
ting one foot on a cobbler's stall that he may do some imaginary repairs,
for which she lavishly pays the man's wife, who leans forward, both hands
held together to receive the coins. The cobbler and his wife are behind a
stall protected by a pent-house roof. On this is a notice. Shoes made and
107
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
mended by Bob. Stichttt Cobler to her Grace the Tramping Dutchess NBDogs
Wormd Cats Gelded. From an open casement window above it a man leans
out waving a fox's brush; he holds a tankard and a long clay pipe in his 1.
hand. Beside him a woman holds her head to vomit from the window, her
elbows supported on the sill. A dog lies under the cobbler's stall.
Fox, his r. knee on his hat on the ground, the other supporting the
duchess, turns round to give his r. hand to a ragged man to whose mouth
Sam House holds a tankard, his other hand pressed on the elector's head,
who is shown by his long shovel to be a scavenger. Behind, a chimney-
sweeper with his brushes and his boy with brush and shovel are amused
spectators. These figures fill the space to the 1. of Fox and the duchess.
Behind are the irregular gabled roofs and casement windows of old West-
minster.
For the Westminster Election see No. 6474, &c. This design appears to
illustrate a newspaper paragraph: 'Her Grace of Devonshire has now
directed the efforts of her canvass to the purlieus of Peter Street, Petty
France, and Tothill Fields Bridewell. Sam House and her Grace form a
very agreeable tete-a-tete^ and appear to canvass with equal success.*
Westminster Election^ p. 244 (see No. 6487). One of the points made in this
and similar satires (cf. No. 6536) is that only householders who paid poor
rates, &c. were qualified to vote. The demand for a scrutiny was based
on allegations that such unqualified persons had voted for Fox. Cf. *No
less than one hundred unwashed unshaven^ and shirtless rogues (alias
journeymen Spitalfields weavers) tendered their votes for M'" Fox on
Friday and Saturday last, but owing to the excellent precaution of having
the parish books at the Hustings, they were rejected.' Westminster Election^
p. 240. See also Nos. 6566, 6575, &c. The title is from Thomas King's
farce (1769).
Reissued, Westminster Election^ p. 254.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 130-2 (reproduction). Reproduced (without the
background), Grego, Hist, of Parliamentary Elections , 1892, p. 275.
8|Xi3in.
6549 FATAL AMBITION! OR REYNARD AT HIS WITS END.
[? Collings.]
Puh. April 22. 1784. by W. Wells, AT" 132. Fleet Street.
Engraving. Fox is seated on the ground, a chain attached to his I. ankle;
North (r.) squats beside him with an anxious expression, holding him by
the arm. Three ladies stand round the disconsolate couple. The Duchess
of Devonshire leans towards him, holding out her arms and saying. Take
comfort — the Duke will never let you zvant a bit of Bread. Fox says. By
Heaven I shall abhor the sight of them that ever bid me be of comfort more.
Behind the Duchess (1.) stands a lady putting her hands together and say-
ing My dear Lord will nevermore be at the head of y^ Treasury \ she is the
Duchess of Portland,* see No. 6494, &c. Behind North the third lady
approaches Fox holding out her arms, and saying Where is he! Oh let me
clasp him in these eager arms and comfort him with love. She is probably
Mrs. Robinson (Perdita), often mentioned as canvassing for Fox; cf.
Cornwallis Corr., i. 166, and Nos. 61 17, 6520.
* Mr. Hawkins identified her as Lady North, but she is not mentioned among
the canvassing ladies.
108
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
The Duchess of Devonshire wears a riding-habit and a hat with a Fox
favour and a fox's brush. The other ladies wear plain straw hats and
a Fox favour at the breast, that of Mrs. Robinson being inscribed Fox
Love.
For Fox's despair of success at the beginning of the poll, see Russell,
Memorials and Corr. of C. J. Fox^ ii. 267. On 20 Apr. he was hopeful,
on 27 Apr. confident. Ibid., p. 268. See Appendix I.
8fxi3in.
6550 THE BRENTFORD RACE FOR THE MIDDLESEX SEPTEN-
NIAL PLATE.
PF. Z). [Dent.]
Pu¥ as the Act directs by J. Brown^ Rathhone Place. April 22^ 1784.
Engraving. The candidates for Middlesex and their supporters race (r. to
I.) to Brentford. The foremost rider is Wilkes on a horse wearing a royal
crown (indicating George III, cf. No. 6568); he holds up the cap oi Liberty
on its staff. Half a length behind, and nearer the spectator, is Mainwaring,
holding up a sword whose blade is inscribed Justice. His horse's human
head is blindfolded, in its mouth is a pair of scales ; in one balance is Byng
Dunston, in the other and heavier, Wilkes Manwaring. The horse probably
represents Justice, its rider was a well-known Middlesex Justice and chair-
man of the Middlesex Sessions. Behind Wilkes, his horse's head hidden,
is a rider not identified, he has lost his stirrups and clutches his saddle with
both hands. Behind these three and in the centre of the design is George
Byng, the friend of Fox and the Prince of Wales, M.P. for Middlesex since
1780 (see No. 6078). He rides a pair of horses (representing the Coalition),
standing with one foot on the saddle of each ; the near horse has the head
of Fox, the other that of North; the tail of the near horse is a fox's brush
inscribed Grace. The fore legs of the pair touch a paper inscribed Test.
Byng's whip is inscribed Coalition and he is saying, Spur them up behind
Doctor^ or I shall lose the race^ addressing Hall, the Westminster apothecary,
who rides like a hobby horse a pair of crutches tied with a ribbon ; in place
of a hat he wears a mortar inscribed All [sic^ Blue and Bujf\ he holds up
his pestle as if it were a whip.
Behind Byng, Jeffery Dunstan rides an ass with long ears and the head
of Sam House ; he looks round to address the Duchess of Devonshire who
is the last of the cavalcade. The Duchess (r.) rides astride, her bunched-
up skirt showing spurred half-boots. Her horse has the head of the Earl
of Surrey; she says, Byng for ever — and may the Hearty Cock ever stand
stout in our sarvice. Dunstan says. Well said my Dutchess — Charly's
Whipper-in for ever. Huzza. The Duchess wears a heavily trimmed hat
in which is a large election favour and four fox's tails, each inscribed Byng.
On the extreme 1. is a sign-post pointing To Brentford.
The Middlesex election was on 22 Apr. Wilkes and Mainwaring stood
together for the Government, Byng stood alone, so that the situation
resembled that in Westminster, but polling lasted one day only, the result
being Mainwaring 1,792, Wilkes 1,518, Byng 1,504. A scrutiny was
demanded for Byng, who was one of Fox's martyrs. London Chronicle ,
23 and 27 Apr.
8|xi3in.
109
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
6551 REYNARD PUT TO HIS SHIFTS.
[Rowlandson.]
iV« 13. Pu¥ April 23'^ iy84 by G Humphrey. N 48 Long Acre
London.
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire stands, her feet apart, raising her
skirt to allow a fox (Fox) to take cover under her petticoats. She turns her
head in profile to the r. towards a huntsman on foot who halloos to his
hounds. Tally O my good Dogs; his two dogs bark. No Coalition and No
India Bill. The duchess says, My dear Fox get into Cover. She looks very
handsome and bold, a sash round her waist streams out in the wind ; in her
hat are the usual ostrich plumes fcf. No. 6530, &c.), fox's brush, and favour
inscribed Fox. The fox crouches under her feet, looking round at his
pursuers in alarm.
One of many satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devonshire
see No. 6493, &c. For the state of the poll see Appendix I.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 132.
8|Xi2liin.
6552 A WORD TO THE WISE, OR BILLY UNMASKED
Published as the Act directs April 23 1784 by H M' Phail N 68 High
Holborn
Engraving. Pitt (1.) holds out in his 1. hand towards Fox (r.) a chain ; in his
r. is a mask ; he stands on Magna Charta. Fox looks away from Pitt, hold-
ing a sword in his r. hand and pointing to a British ship at sea; above the
ship is inscribed. Rule Britania Britania Rule the Waves For Britains never
Shall be Slaves. The ship and the words are enclosed within a rectangle
on the r. of the design. Fox is saying / will ever Maintain the Rights of the
People In Parliament, for it is that Parliament only that Can keep Us from
Slavery and Oppression.
On the 1. of the design, beside Pitt, are three rectangles arranged
vertically one above the other, which correspond to that on the r. In the
highest are the words By the K s Letters Patent P s [Pitt's] New
Invented Fetters after the French Fashion. Below this is a chain resembling
that held by Pitt and a pair of wooden shoes, traditional emblem of French
slavery. In the lowest compartment, inscribed Slavery, is an almost naked
man seated in a dungeon, his wrists chained to the wall.
One of the comparatively few satires directly attacking Pitt published
in 1784. See Nos. 6417, &c., 6436, &c., 6556, 6587, 6603.
7jXi2iyn.
6553 THE SCRUTINY, OR EXAMINATION OF THE FILTH.
[? Phillips.]
Published by S. Fores, N" j, Piccadilly, April 24 1784,
Engraving. Five men stand round six chamber-pots, arranged in two piles
of three, each inscribed Poll Book 1784 and supported on a rectangular
no
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
block or table on which the title is engraved. Each man holds his nose.
One (1.) in profile to the r., who holds a spoon, is vomiting; he says:
/ already am sick
Of this poisonous trick
The busines so thick
T'would weary old Nick
With spoon or stick
Right from wrong to pick.
His vis-a-vis (r.), who stirs the contents of a pot with a spoon, says :
The cause I may gainy
Though with labour and pain
I can hardly refrain
From puking amain
Thro such fillth for to tag
Is wores [sic\ than euphorbium bag
(an allusion to the bag thrown at Fox in Westminster Hall, see No.
6426, &c.).
The other three stand together behind the table; the central one says,
A hogo here is. Worse than Cats pis Than Devils Spew. Or Asafoetida. Two
demons hold out a net which stretches behind the scrutineers. One (1.)
says:
Ay Brother and by my tail,
The Sheriffs shall admit no bail.
The other (r.) says :
Spread the net and you shall see
Many a false oath will come to me.
A satire on the demand for a scrutiny made on behalf of Wray as soon
as it appeared that Fox might secure a majority (see Appendix I). On
23 Apr. the committee for Hood and Wray issued an advertisement pledg-
ing themselves 'should the various manoeuvres of M^ Fox's party so far
prevail, ... in justice to the injured Electors that not only a scrutiny shall
be demanded, but supported with every possible exertion*. Westminster
Election, 1784, p. 109. On 5 May, &c., Hood and Wray's Committee for
the scrutiny advertised the names of seven banks receiving subscriptions
'for supporting the said scrutiny', ibid., p. 114.
For the scrutiny see Nos. 6555, 6557, 6563, p. 123, 6575, 6578, 6589,
6590, 6619, 6621, 6622, 6623, 6624, 6626, 6671, 6783 (the defeat of the
Ministry), 7124, 7339, 7389, 7480.
7|Xioiin. (pi.).
6554 SUPPORTERS OF F— X AND LIBERTY.
[ ? J. Barrow.]
Pu¥ April 24. 1784. by H. Humphrey. N"" 31. New Bond Street.
Engraving. Four men stand in the pillory, in pairs. The arrangement is
not that of the actual pillory : they stand on a cross-bar which connects two
high posts, one at each side of the design, each of which supports a board,
through the holes in which are thrust the heads and hands of two victims.
The cross-bar is much above the level of the ground. In the centre of the
design, below the cross-bar, is inset the head of Fox in an oval, on a much
III
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
larger scale than the figures ; he has an expression of scowling perplexity.
The men in the pillory say (1. to r.), / am only vexed I was not Paid before
I swore; Little did I think of this &y Dam such pay as this; They Promise to
keep me from Danger-, and, Dam her Gr e she brought me to this.
They are supposed to be men who had taken 'the bribery oath', or had
sworn falsely that they were qualified electors of Westminster, undergoing
the punishment for perjury. The implication is that the scrutiny, see No.
6553, &c., will reveal a number of persons who will be indicted for perjury.
Beneath the design is engraved :
These little Villains must submit to fate
That great ones may enjoy the World, in State.
Three prints in the Guildhall Library,
DARK LANTHERN BUSINESS OR MRS HOB AND NOB ON A
NIGHT CANVASS WITH A BOSOM FRIEND.
[Rowlandson.]
Pub April 24^ by H. Humphrey Bond Street.
Engraving (coloured impression). A night-scene under the Piazza of
Covent Garden, the centre of the square in the background is seen through
an arch of the arcade. A couple, embracing, hurry through a doorway (r.)
over which is Haddocks (a well known bagnio). The Duchess of Devon-
shire, her breast bare, holding a lantern, takes a prim young man by the
arm, saying. Vote for whom you please but Kiss before you Poll. He answers,
tis too much neighbour! I could not go through with it. Behind (1.), Mrs.
Hobart directs her lantern upon an old and decrepit Chelsea pensioner
and a negro supported on stumps and crutches; she says, D n the
Duchess, She got all the young voters.
A satire on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devonshire, see No.
6493, &c., and Mrs. Hobart, see No. 6526, &c.
81X13 in.
INFLUENCE COALITION SATURN COALITION DEVON—E
COALITION
Published April 24, 1^84 by J. P. Elwen.
Engraving (coloured impression). Three isolated groups, each with its
title (as above). On the 1. Pitt stands behind the throne of George HI,
who turns to him as if asking advice. In the centre Fox and North stand
together. Fox (r.) with a cloven hoof which rests on Ch[art]er India, North
with Taxes issuing from his pocket; above their heads are an axe and
halter. On the r. the Duchess of Devonshire embraces a butcher, who
pockets a bribe of io£. Above their heads is a signpost : a ducal coronet
with a pair of horns.
A combined attack on the Coalition, see Nos. 6176-9, 6393, &c.. Fox's
India Bill, see Nos. 6271, 6368, &c., and the canvassing of the Duchess of
Devonshire, see No. 6493, &c. The Foxite theme of Pitt's subservience
to the Crown (see No. 6417, &c.) is countered.
7jXii|in.
112
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
THE DISAPPOINTED CANDIDATE AND THE TERRIFIED
PREMIER
W.P.C. [Carey.]
Pub. for W. P. Carey N" 66, Drury Lane, April 26, 1784.
Engraving (coloured impression). Wray sits (r.) in despair; a demon holds
out to him a halter, saying, All that remains for you to do now is to imitate
your great predecessor and use this Halter. Wray says. Disappointed in my
hopes, abandoned by my friends and dispised by my enemies I must now bid
adieu to this world. Beside him are inscriptions alluding to Chelsea
Hospital, the tax on maidservants, and other taxes: On Weddings, Do to
Prevent population, On Births (cf. No. 6253). Pitt stands looking at Wray
in alarm, saying. In thy fall i see my ruin! From his pocket issues a Satyr
on Woman (cf. No. 6556).
In the background are two scenes on a small scale : on the 1. Fox is being
chaired by three ladies ; he holds the cap and staff of Liberty. On the r.
Churchill stands in the pillory for Perjury ; a hostile crowd is indicated.
For Fox's increasing majority over Wray see Appendix I. Churchill was
the chairman of Hood and Wray's Committee. He was called in a squib
dated 20 Apr. 1784 'Prince of the United Parishes of S^ James's and St.
Margaret's Westminster'. For Wray as Judas see No. 6492, &c.
6555 A D E [DEVONSHIRE] ROUT OR REYNARD IN HIS
ELEMENT.
Pub April 26 1784 by F Clarkson N° 75 S^ Pauls Church Yard v
Engraving. Fox and the Duchess of Devonshire walk together (1. to r.)
hand in hand; her petticoats are being blown up to the knee by a blast
from the mouth of North, whose head emerges from clouds in the upper
1. corner of the design. She says. The Favourable assistance of Boras is very
gratefull when heated by the fateigues of Canvasing. Fox dances along with
a slyly jovial expression, holding up in his 1. hand a purse labelled Fresh
Supplies ; he says, Charly loves to kiss & play as sweet as Sugar Candy. The
Duchess wears a hat trimmed with a large Fox favour, three ostrich feathers
(cf. No. 6530, &c.), and a fox's brush. From her 1. leg hangs the ribbon
of a garter inscribed Fox. Immediately behind the Duchess is Burke on
hands and knees peering under her petticoats; he says. Heavens how
happily the principels of the Sublime & Butiful are blended. Behind him
walk together two rough fellows (1.), one a butcher, who turns grinning to
his companion and points to the Duchess's legs and saying, / thought we
ware all to avoid a Scrutany if Possible. Across the front of his cap is the
word Fox. The other answers. So we are, for except in this instance Dam
me if I think we are able to bare one. On the extreme r. a grinning youth
plays a fiddle to which Fox dances ; he sings,
Charly loves good Cakes & ale
Charly loves good Brandy.
The corner of a wall above his head is inscribed Henrietta Street,
showing that the scene is Covent Garden.
For the proposed scrutiny see No. 6553, &c.
9Xi3iVn.
113 I
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
6556 ROBIN HOOD'S VICTORY OVER PAM, THE K G'S
IMMACULATE CHAMPION, ON CONSTITUTION HILL.
W.P.C [Carey.] M
Pub. by Jacob DoucCy at the HustingSy Covent Garden — and in Drury
lane — April 26, 1784.
Engraving. Pitt (1.), riding an ass with the head of George III, is pierced
by the sword of Fox (r.) who is mounted on a bull inscribed John Bull.
Pitt, very thin, holds up his hand submissively, his sword has fallen to the
ground; it is a Scottish broadsword, the blade inscribed A present from the
ThaTWy to show that he has inherited Bute's supposed secret influence with
the king. The ass is inscribed The ♦****'* A**^ i.e. The Queen's Ass, a
familiar name for the Queen's zebra which grazed in the grounds of Buck-
ingham House, much used in pictorial satire c. 1762, see No. 3870,' &c.,
and cf. No. 7384; the ass (George III) is saying. Prerogative! prerogative!
now my dear boy^ Pam, cut him^ hack him, slash him! Fox, his sword resting
on Pitt, its blade inscribed The Sword of Rinaldo, says, Such be the fate of
Tyrants! The bull is snorting Z) — n prerogative.
One of the few prints directly attacking Pitt published during the election,
see No. 6552, &c. Pam connotes Knave of Clubs (see No. 6488), here Pitt,
but Fox in No. 6488, &c. Pitt, 'immaculate Billy', was ridiculed for his
chastity, cf. No. 8054. For George III as an ass cf. Nos. 5669, 5683, 6007.
8ftxi2i^gin.
6557 A MEETING OF THE FEMALE CANVASSERS IN COVENT
GARDEN.
WPG [Carey.] M.
Pub. as the Act directs by W. Holland N" 66 Drury lane [n.d.]
Engraving. Mrs. Hobart (1.), enormously fat, and the Duchess of Devon-
shire (r.) stand facing each other in profile. Mrs. Hobart holds under her
r. arm a fat badger with the head of Wray, his collar inscribed Ministerial
Badger. The Duchess holds a fox under her 1. arm ; the animals snarl at each
other; the fox (Fox) says. Poor Badger! Where's your scrub majority now!
The badger answers, A fig for your Electors! Mountmorres is acquainted
with the whole bunch and he swears you'll find them, my cunning Fox, sour
grapes in the scrutiny. Mrs. Hobart says, / shall burst with indignation.
Behind her and hung on a wall is a downward-hanging flag inscribed
Ensign of Disappointment, with a key inscribed Key of the Back Stairs, see
No. 6564. Between the heads of the canvassers is posted a bill, the lower
part only being visible : And for the coarse, vulgar abuse which appear in
certain manifestos, signed John Churchill, the Select Committee are only sorry
to see the friends of the Court Candidates so very angry at this period of the
Poll, as they will probably stand in need of some portion of temper at the close
of it. With this caution they leave the Committee at Wood's at full liberty to
rave about bribes and bludgeons, perjuries and butchers, lodgers and wounds,
weavers and cleavers, and according to their own discretion to decorate their
advertisement with all that election quackery suggests in desperate cases.
By order of the Committee
R. Morrell, Secretary.
* Also the title of a print of the Prince of Wales. See No. 7156.
114
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Probably an actual poster: R. Morrell signed the advertisements of a
Select Committee at Irelands', Bow Street, on illegal votes.
Behind the Duchess on the extreme r. are two slatternly ballad-singers
who sing, Charley Fox with a Plumper for me!^ and Fox with a Plumper for
me! Above their heads is the lower part of a placard inscribed :
an unalterable friend to the rights of the People.
I am with every sentiment of gratitude and respect ^
Gentlemen
Your most obedient^
And most humble seri/
C. J. Fox.
S^ James's S^ April 26
1784
The Duchess wears a large favour in her hat inscribed Fox & Liberty ;
one of the ballad-singers, whose breasts are uncovered, has a similar favour
inscribed Fox.
For the allegations that Lord Mountmorres, a leading supporter of Hood
and Wray, was a lodger without a vote, see No. 6492. John Churchill was
the active chairman of the Election Committee of Hood and Wray who
signed the party advertisements from Wood's Hotel. For some of the gibes
alluded to in Morrell's notice see Nos. 6548, 6575, &c. For the scrutiny
see No. 6553, &c. For Mrs. Hobart and the Duchess as rival canvassers
see No. 6526, &c. For the state of the poll see Appendix I.
The drawing, incised for transfer to the plate, is in the Print Room
(201* b. 2).
9Xi2iiin.
6558 CARLO-KHAN IN LIMBO.
Publish' d by I Notice Oxford Road April 26 1784
Engraving. Through a grated window in the stone wall of a dungeon looks
the disconsolate face of Fox; beneath the window is inscribed Pray
Remember the Poor Debters. Burke (r), walking in profile, approaches from
the r., holding in both hands a bag inscribed Broken Victuals. He has a
distressed expression, saying. Her Grace is very good to him I think — well
tis an oeeconeical [sic] situation. In the centre of the design is the low door
of the prison, studded with nails and fastened by a chain and huge padlock.
One of many satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devonshire,
see No. 6493, &c. For other satires on Fox's poverty, cf. No. 6500, &c.
For Fox as Carlo Khan see Nos. 6276, 6473, &c. For the debtors' prison
cf. No. 6483, &c. He was now confident of success, see Appendix I.
9Xi0j»gin.
6559 PARLIMENT SECURITY OR A BORROUGH IN RESERVE.
[ ? J. Barrow.]
Pu¥ by E. Rich April. 28. 1784. N 55. opposite Anderton's Coffee
House. Fleet street.
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire (r.), wearing very wide hooped
petticoats, shelters a fox beneath them. Its head projects from a slit
"5
y
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
which she holds open with her hands, its tail shows between her feet.
She says :
Here my dear Reynard when all trouble* s pasty
You'll find a Borrough open at the last.
Her hat is trimmed with the usual ostrich plumes and fox's brush, cf.
No. 6530, &c. North stands facing her, saying He's IN for a Borrough,
Beneath the design is inscribed :
In vain may Wits reprove^ and Criticks blarney
Nor shall concealment in this cause defamCy
Reynard in gratitude of such protectiony
Now pays the devoirs of his Election.
One of many gross satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devon-
shire for Fox, see No. 6493, &c. It anticipates news of the return of Fox
for Tain, Dingwall, and Kirkwall (the Orkney boroughs) on 26 April,
which Fox records on 7 May. Russell, Memorials and Corr. of Fox y ii. 269 ;
see No. 6614, &c.
8j^gXi2|in.
6560 THE TIPLING DUTCHESS RETURNING FROM CANVASS-
ING
Published Aprilly 29, 1^84 by A Aitken N"" 2 Orange Court Drury
Lane
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire, intoxicated, walks arm-in-arm
between two supporters, the one on her r. being Fox, the other one of his
more prominent adherents. Sam House (r.) walks before them, acting as
a link-boy with a lighted torch, his hat, decorated with a fox's brush, in his
r. hand. Fox says, Hold up Georgiana another Q** [ ? quartern] an we shall
soon be at Piccadilly. The Duchess says, My Eyes & Limbs I shall Spew
on the Duke to night. Her other supporter says, pointing to Sam House,
mxike hast Sam her Grace is taking short in the poop. Sam answers, / will
my lord Heaven bless her Grace.
The Duchess wears no hat, but her hair is decorated with a plume of
three large ostrich feathers (cf. No. 6530); her breast is bare.
One of many satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devonshire for
Fox, see No. 6493, &c.
9fxi3f in. (pL).
6561 MADAM BLUBBER'S LAST SHIFT OR THE AEROSTATIC
DILLY.^
[Rowlandson, probably after Townshend.]
Pu¥ April 2g*^ by H Humphreys [sic] Bond Street
Engraving. The piazza of Covent Garden, with the hustings, showing a
line of hill in the distance inscribed View of Richmond Hill. In the air,
flying towards the hustings, is Mrs. Hobart encased from the waist down-
wards in a circular balloon to which is attached a hammock-like platform,
on which lie two voters, face downwards, looking over the side. The lady,
' Dilly was colloquial for diligence, the most rapid form of stage-coach, which
became known as mail-coach after 1784.
116
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
in profile to the 1., looking upwards, excessively fat, with uncovered breast,
is saying This may save him; her petticoats have been transformed into
the balloon, her *last shift'. A blast issues from her posteriors. One of her
passengers in profile to the 1. holds out his hand, saying, / see the Hustings.
The other, facing in the opposite direction, says, thank God I am an outside
Passenger. A flock of birds scatters r. and 1. of the balloon.
Wray, kneeling on one knee, and Hood standing behind him (r.) look
up eagerly to the balloon, holding out their hands. Wrays says, A foul
wind is fair for us; Hood says, O come sweet Air Balloon or I must off in one.
The hustings under the portico of St. Paul's are freely sketched ; gesticula-
ting orators, hat in hand, address the crowd. One of the houses on the r.
(north) side of the piazza is inscribed Lows; a flag flies from a window.
Beneath the print is etched the title and an explanation in a centre
column, with the words of a song on each side of it :
The grand political Balloon launched at Richmond Park on the of March
1784 and discharged by secret influence with great Effect in Covent Garden
at 12 O Clock on the same day.
As it may be necessary to explain to the Public upon what principals a body
was conveyed 12 Miles with so great velocity it must be understood that the
lady tho ponderous being of a very Volatile disposition^ out of decency sewed up
her petticoats when a little accident happening an inflammable Gas was
generated which immediately raised her to a considerable height in the Atmo-
sphere and by the attraction of secret influence was conveyed to her desired
Object the support of Hood and Wray and the constitution and descended
happily to the Hustings with two outlying and dependent Voters.
The Song^ Tune Bellisle March^ begins :
Tho' in every Street
All the Voters you meet
The Dutchess knows but how to court them
Yet for outlying Votes
In my Petticoats
Vve found out a way to transport them.
This print was anticipated by a large bill signed 'Katterfelto Junior'
dated 28 Apr. adjuring the 'Friends of Hood and Wray' 'not to dispond
. . .the outlying Voters still remain ... a much distinguished Lady has
found a way of conveying them any distance her rival cannot reach. . . .
This friend to the Constitutional Candidates will descend upon the public
Hustings between one and three As an Air Balloon . . .'. Copy in Guildhall
Library (Collection of Squibs on the Westminster Election), reprinted
Westminster Election, pp. 109-10. Mrs. Hobart had a villa on Ham Com-
mon (which she called Sans Souci)^ hence probably the allusion to Rich-
mond Hill. See No. 6526.
The sketch for this print (lojx I2f in.) by an amateur is in the Print
Room (201. c. 6/23, 25). In this the inscriptions are as in the print with
words further to explain the rough sketch: 'Irish chairmen' being written
below St. Paul's Church. Its manner resembles that of sketches by
Viscount Townshend in the Department. It was attributed to him: 'M''^
H 1 has not ballooned a single vote to the Hustings since she was
caricatured by the unmerciful Viscount of Hanover Square'. Newspaper
paragraph quoted in the Westminster Electiony p. 363. (Townshend lived
"7
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
at 9 Hanover Square.) Rowlandson's working drawing incised for transfer
is with the sketch, showing that much of the design was etched directly
on the plate.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 134.
8 J X 9i in. ; with the song, 1 3ig X 9i in.
6562 THE CASE IS ALTERED.
[Rowlandson.]
Pub April 2g, 1784 by J. Hedges Royal Exchange
Engraving. A satirical sequel to No. 6456, in which Fox is in the cart.
Fox drives (r. to 1.) Sir Cecil Wray as a pauper in the county pass-cart to
the place of his settlement in Lincolnshire. Fox sits on the high driving-
seat of a ramshackle cart flourishing his whip and looking round at Wray,
who sits disconsolately in profile to the r., his hands clasped and resting
on the side of the cart. Fox says, / will drive you to Lincoln where you may
Superintend the Small beer & brick dust. Wray says, / always was a poor
dog But now I am worse than ever. Hood stands (r.) in profile to the 1. look-
ing at the cart and saying Alas poor Wray. A signpost (1.) points to Lincoln.
On a tilt which covers part of the cart, behind Wray's head, is inscribed
The Lincoln shire Caravan for Paupers.
One of many satires on Wray's defeat, see Nos. 6573, 6574, 6576, 6578,
6586, 6589, 6590, 6591, 6592, 6594.
Wray's country house was Summer Castle, near Lincoln. An accusation
of parsimony (see No. 6492, &c.), combined with his proposals for the
abolition of Chelsea Hospital and for a tax on servants (see No. 6475, &c.),
seriously prejudiced his chances at Westminster. See Wraxall, Memoirs,
1884, iii. 341. For the state of the poll see Appendix I.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 132-3 (reproduction). Reproduced, Grego, Hist,
of Parliamentary Elections, 1892, p. 281.
9X13 in.
6562 A A later impression, n.d., signed T. Rowlandson fec^. Hedges*
imprint erased and replaced by London, Published & sold by W. Humphrey
N° 3 Lancaster Court.
6563 THE DEPARTURE [29 Apr.^j
Etch'd by T Rowlandson Published by W Humphrey.
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). Fox seated on an ass
takes leave of two ladies, one on each side of the ass, holding a hand of
each. From under his saddle protrudes his India Bill. On his 1. stands the
Duchess of Devonshire (r.) holding out to him a fox's brush. She says:
Farewell my Charley — let no fears assail
For Sure no Fox had e^er so fine a Tail.
Fox answers, looking down at her :
If that a Scrutiny at last takes place
I can't tell how 'twill be & please your grace
But Ladies for your Friendship & good zvill
My Bushy Tail is at your service still.
^ See below ; dated 1 8 May by Grego, when perhaps the print was reissued.
118
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Lady Duncannon, holding Fox's r. hand, looks across at the Duchess
saying :
Ah! Sister, Sister, must he then depart
To loose poor Reynard: almost breaks my heart.
They stand outside a house; three ostrich feathers over the door (r.)
indicate Carlton House. From a window the Prince of Wales looks at the
group below. On the extreme 1. and facing Fox, stands Burke in profile
to the r. as a post-boy in jack-boots, and holding a whip ; under his arm is
his Plan of economy (cf. No. 5657). A signpost points (1.) To Coventry,
Fox retires *to Coventry' on account of the threatened scrutiny, see No.
6553, &c. Cf. also No. 6614, &c. For the India Bill, see Nos. 6271, 6368,
&c. For the canvassing of the Duchess and other ladies see No. 6493, &c.
For the Prince of Wales and the election see No. 6528, &c.
There is an earlier impression (copy in Guildhall Library) with the
imprint Puh April 2g^^ 1784 by S. Hedges Royal Exchange. North (after-
wards erased) is seated on the ground like a beggar (r.), naked except for
a tartan plaid on his shoulders ; he holds up his breeches on a staff, saying :
If you to Coventry with Baalam go
I still will Coalize — ge up — ge — ho.
For the Coalition cf. No. 6393, &c.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 140-1.
9X13 J in.
6564 PROCESSION TO THE HUSTINGS AFTER A SUCCESSFUL
CANVASS, NO: 14.
[Rowlandson.]
London Published April jo^* ^^7^4 by G Humphrey iV" 48 Long Acre.
Engraving. An election-procession marches (r. to 1.) towards the hustings
which are indicated by a corner of the pediment of St. Paul's Church and
a crowd. A band of butchers, with marrow-bones and cleavers, heads the
procession. Next walks the Duchess of Devonshire, holding up on a pole
a pair of breeches inscribed Man of the People, and surmounted by a crow-
ing cock. She is followed by a lady holding up on a pole a placard with
Fox (a fox) a?id the Rights of the Commons. A third lady holds up on a pole
a mob-cap and apron inscribed No Tax on Maid Servants. They are
followed by sturdy-looking citizens wearing Fox favours, one of whom
carries a fourth standard : a key tied in a hoop and inscribed Key of the Back
Stairs,^ in allusion to the 'secret influence' which favoured Pitt, cf. Nos.
6417, &c., 6557, 6592, 7139, 7325, 7339, 7372, 7634, 8102. House is seen
between the first two ladies, waving his hat and wildly cheering the pro-
cession; other spectators do the same. See No. 6475, &c.
The Duchess is more characterized than her two companions, who
are probably her sister Lady Duncannon and perhaps Mrs. Crewe, cf.
No. 6493, &c. All three wear the ostrich plumes and fox's brush which
were worn as emblems of the Prince of Wales and of Fox (see No.
6530, &c.).
' This emblem appears to have been first used on 14 Feb., during Fox's proces-
sion to Devonshire House (see No. 6421, &c.), when 'at Lord Temple's, a wag held
up a flag tied to a stick, hung round with crape, which he called the Secret Influence
Key in Mourning'. Full and Authentic Account of the Proceedings in Westminster
Hall, 1784, pp. 26-7 n.
119
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Reissued, Westminster Election, p. 219.
The original sketch for this design by an amateur, with the inscriptions
as in the plate, together with Rowlandson's sketch incised for transfer, is
in the Print Room (201. c. 6/14, 27). See also No. 6576.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 134. Reproduced, Grego, Hist, of Parliamentary
Elections, 1892, p. 282; Stokes, The Devonshire House Circle, 1917, p. 206.
SfxisJin.
6564 A Another impression with altered publication-line : the words after
G. Humphrey have been erased and Printseller & Dealer in Natural
Curiosities, N^ 48 Long Acre engraved in their place.
6565 HER ***** [GRACE] CARRYING A PLUMPER FOR CHARLY
[W. Dent.]
Pu¥ as the Act directs, for the Proprieter, by T. Bun, S^ Martinis Lane
April 30, iy84
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire (1.) carries a fat butcher (r.), both
her arms round his waist, his r. arm is round her waist, their faces are in
profile looking at each other. She says, Fll try all measures to bring the
matter to a proper Issue ; he says. Oh! — who can withstand such charms. She
wears a large hat trimmed with a Fox favour, laurel branch, and four fox's
brushes inscribed respectively, Love and \ Liberty \ Delicacy and \ Decorum.
A crudely drawn hand on a signpost (r.) points with a thumb To Covent
Garden. Behind the Duchess (1.) is the corner of a building inscribed
Newport Market.
One of many gross satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devon-
shire (see No. 6493, &c.), in which Dent appears to have specialized.
These 'filthy prints' were denounced in the press ; see Westminster Election,
pp. 194, 324, 327, 376. Cf. No. 6588.
8|x6|in.
6566 EVERY MAN HAS HIS HOBBY HORSE,
T. Petherfed [Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ May i'^ 1^84 by W. Humphrey N" 22y Strand.
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire, carrying Fox on her back,
approaches an alehouse. The host, a negro, 'Mungo', stands on his door-
step delightedly filling a glass for the Duchess ; a fat disreputable slattern
stands behind him. The Duchess, who supports herself by a large staflf,
holds a full purse in her hand, saying. For the good of the Constitution give
me a Glass of Gin, the suggestion being that she will pay a large sum for
the gin to secure a vote (cf. No. 6548). Her hat with ostrich plumes and
fox's brush has a favour inscribed Fox ForNi. Fox, one hand resting on her
shoulder, waves his hat ; they are both in profile to the r. Over the doorway
of the alehouse (or perhaps brothel) is inscribed Mungo' s Hotel Dealer in
British Spirits ; the woman says. Give the poor Man a Vote my Dear he is
a good Man for the Ladies. A dog beside her barks at the visitors. The
gabled roofs and casement windows indicated in the background suggest
that this is an old and disreputable part of Westminster, resembling Peter
120
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Street as in No. 6548. The crowd, which is very freely sketched, also suggests
a low neighbourhood ; a man and woman walk or dance along, their arms
round each other's shoulders ; he flourishes a full tankard. An excited group
shout and wave their hats round two tall standards : one. Fox and Liberty all
(yver the worlds above two crossed executioner's axes, the other. Rights of
the Commons and No Prerogative^ with a cap of Liberty on the pole, cf.
No. 6380, &c.
One of many satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devonshire,
see No. 6493, &c.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 135.
813X13 in.
6567 MESSRS p AND F OBTAINING THEIR FREEDOM.
[i May 1784]
Engraving. From the Rambler's Magazine ^ ii. 146. A design in two com-
partments. On the 1. Fox obtains his freedom by letting himself down
by a rope through a hole which has been broken in the stone wall of a
prison (cf. No. 6483, &c.); a barred window is behind his head. He says,
/ have got my Freedom without being beholden to the Grocers. Cf. No. 6648.
In the other and wider compartment men sit round a table on which
is a punch-bowl. Pitt (r.), in profile to the 1., has risen from his chair to
accept the box containing the freedom of the City, handed to him by a man
in a furred robe. He says, This Honour is highly acceptable to me. The man
offering the box says, You honour us greatly. One of the members of the
Grocers' Company says, M^ Pitt is a Sweet Man arid a Fig for M^ F.y
another says, M'' Pitt is welcome to MacCy Cinnamon and All-Spice^ but not
a brace of Nutmegs for M^ F . A man seated on the 1. points over his
shoulder towards Fox escaping and says. There he goes.
For Pitt's dinner with the Grocers on 28 Feb., when he was presented
with the freedom of the City and became a member of the Company, see
No. 6442.
3|x6Jin.
6568 THE NEW COALITION.
Pu¥ May i'^ 1^84 by I. CookCy Fetter Lane
Engraving. The king (1.) and Wilkes (r.) stand together, each with his r.
arm on the other's shoulder. Wilkes says, / now find that you are the best
of Princes [cf. No. 5979] ; the king says. Sure! the worthiest of Subjects &
most Virtuous of men. Wilkes holds the staff of Liberty reversed, the cap
resting on the ground. From his coat-pocket hang two papers, A^* B N° 45
and Essay on Woman (cf. No. 5245). Beneath the design is etched :
O rare Forty five!
O dear Prerogative!
The Wolf shall dwell with the Lamby <Sf the Leopard shall lie down with the
Kid; & the Calf & the young Lion & the Failing together: & a little Child
shall lead them. Isaiah. Chap. xi. V. xvi.
There are many allusions to the alliance between the king and Wilkes
121
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
involved in the latter 's uncompromising opposition to Fox's India Bill and
support of Pitt. See the lines entitled 'New Coalitions':
When foes like oil and vinegar unite
Which are wrong principles, and which are right ?
When Piety and Blasphemy agree,
Can there a stranger Coalition be!
O best of Kings! cries W kes, for ever live!
Subjects like W kes, says G , kind fortune give!
Asylum for Fiigitive PieceSy i, 1785, p. 264. See also Westminster Election,
p. 329. See Nos. 6461, 6550, 6569, 6571, 6584, 6988, 7149. Cf. also
No. 6162, a humorous anticipation of the reconciliation, then (1782-3)
regarded as impossible.
Small copy, Grego, Hist, of Parliamentary Elections , 1892, p. 254.
8ftX7iin.(pl.).
6568 A THE NEW COALITION 1784
Another version, reversed, without publication-line. 'Virtuous' is spelt
VirtuoSy and an asterisk is prefixed to 'little Child' with the note * Vide Pitt,
Approximately the same size (clipped).
6569 GIVE JUSTICE HER CLAIMS. [i May 1784*]
Engraving. Wilkes (1.) and George HI (r.) hang from a post, the ropes
round their necks nailed to an oval (as in No. 6178) bearing the arms of the
City of London without the dagger, perhaps intended to suggest that the
City, by its attitude to Pitt and the king, was disarmed. From a cloud in
the upper 1. corner the Devil leans out holding a pitch-fork ; he points a
finger at them, saying. Ha! Ha! Ha! What! come together at last.
See No. 6568, &c.
7|x6f in.
6570 CHEEK BY JOUL OR THE MASK
Published by E Hedges N'' 92 Comhill May j^ iy84
Engraving. An imitation of The Mask by Sayers, see No. 6234: instead
of the faces of North and Fox, those of the Duchess of Devonshire (1.) and
Fox (r.) are joined together to form a mask, the division down the centre
of the nose. The hair of the Duchess extends above that of Fox, while
his 'gunpowder jowl' extends below the point of her chin.
Beneath the design is etched :
Two faces here in one you see designed.
Each strongly mark'd declares the inward mind,
One seems ambitious of a daring soul.
The other soft the passions to controul.
One rough & virulent, th* other fair & free.
With looks that promise sensibility.
When such as these in harmony unite.
The contrast surely must amize [sic\ the sight,
A satire on the relations of Fox and the Duchess, see No. 6493, &c,
9x8^ in.
* So dated by Mr. Hawkins.
122
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6571 THE GRAND COALITION MEDAL, STRUCK IN BASE
METAL GILT.
Pu¥ as the Act directs May 3^ 1784.
Etching. Design in a circle. An adaptation of Sayers*s Coalition Medal
struck in Brass , see No. 6183. Busts of Thurlow, Wilkes, and the king
superimposed, simulating high relief. Thurlow, facing 1., wearing his
Chancellor's wig, is the uppermost ; both his bushy eyebrows are visible,
the mace projects from behind him. The king is in profile to the r.
Squeezed between Thurlow and the king is the head of Wilkes, elon-
gated and much caricatured, squinting violently. Behind the heads is a
background of horizontal lines in an irregular oval ; outside this oval and
within the circle are emblems of the slavery threatened by this triumvirate :
a pair of shackles (1.) and a set of stocks fastened by a padlock (r.).
For the 'coalition' between the king and Wilkes, see No. 6568, &c. The
absence of Pitt is significant.
8 in. diam.
6572 A NEW WAY TO SECURE A MAJORITY: OR, NO DIRTY
WORK COMES AMISS.
[PCollings.]
1784 Pu¥ May. 3'^ hy W. Watts [? Wells] Fleet Street.
Engraving. One side of a poor street. Liberty Lane, showing (1.) a cobbler's
bulk or stall, next it the shop of a 'botching tailor', next it a 'penny barber's'.
The one-storied cottages recede in perspective from the 1., the roofs being
visible only on the r. ; Fox is canvassing the residents. He kneels in the
roadway, putting his face to the bare posteriors which the cobbler, who is
within his stall, offers to him. A placard beside the stall is inscribed Shoes
neatly mended by W. Heeltap. Beside the stall (1.) a man stands, saying,
What a prickley Beard the Rascal has got. Over the central house is in-
scribed Tiniy Stich Tailer Small Jobs done here. The tailor, wearing a night-
cap, sits on the sill of his casement window, his back towards Fox, with a
pair of open shears in his hand. He says Mine will be a Savory Rellish If
he's fond of Cabbage. For cabbage cf. Nos. 5805, 7867, 8035, &c. Over the
barber's window projects a striped pole, from which hangs a board inscribed
Shave for a penny. In front of its window a man is walking away from Fox,
saying. No Ray [W^ray] ; from his bare posteriors he emits a blast inscribed
Fox for ever. On the extreme r. a man disappears into a doorway, his bare
posteriors emitting a cloud of smoke inscribed Love and Liberty.
One of the few satires on the canvassing of Fox in which the Duchess of
Devonshire is not introduced. See Nos. 6474, 6493, &c.
8ixi2jin.
A print in the Guildhall Library,
REYNARDS DOUBT— AND HIS FRIENDS COMFORTING HIM.
Published as the Act directs May j — 1784 by E. Benson N° ig Helton
Str* long Acre.
Engraving (coloured impression). Fox stands complacently, saying, / Hugg
myself with assistance of 4^^ Reg^ alias Black-Guard I am chose for Westm*:
Shou'd I be thrown out on Scrutiny — What shall I do. The Duchess of
123
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Devonshire (I.), wearing Fox favours, hat with feathers and fox-tails, says,
My D^ Fox never dispair I have a Buro you shall be in again [cf. No. 6559].
Behind (r.) are Jeffrey Dunstan, standing (as in No. 5637, &c.) with his
sack of old wigs on his shoulder, and a little chimney-sweep riding an ass.
The former says. Sweet Duche's I will decline in Favor of Charles & turn
over my Interest. The other, waving his brush, says, Fox for ever Hur^a
now my Hearts for Garat.
Fox, if rejected on a scrutiny, see No. 6553, &c., through the help of his
ragamuffin friends will receive the seat of Garrat (Wandsworth), where
mock elections were held, Dunstan being elected three times. Cf. No.
6614, &c.
7Jx8Jin.
6573 WISDOM LED BY VIRTUE AND PRUDENCE TO THE
TEMPLE OF FAME.
[.f^ Kingsbury.^]
Pub May 6 1^84 by J. Wallis N" 16 Ludgate Street.
Engraving. Fox (Wisdom) is led in triumph between the Duchess of
Devonshire (Virtue) on his r. and Lady Duncannon (Prudence) who holds
his 1. hand in her 1. hand. They advance towards the Temple of Fame (r.)
where Britannia holds out her arms, saying. Welcome to my arms. The
ladies wear the usual ostrich feathers, fox's brush, and Fox favours in their
hair (cf. No. 6530). The Duchess also holds a fox's brush in her r. hand;
she says :
Let Envy rail & Disappointment rage.
Still Fox shall prove the Wonder of the Age.
Her sister says :
Triumph & Fame shall every Step attend
His Kings best Subject & his Country's Friend.
Behind (1.) stands Sir Cecil Wray, his arms folded, his hair composed of
writhing serpents, and wearing a cloak. He looks over his 1. shoulder at
the trio and says :
Now by the ground that I am banishdfrom
Well could I curse away a Winters night.
For Wray's defeat see No. 6562, &c., and Appendix L For the canvassing
ladies see Nos. 6493, 6588, &c.
9X12! in.
6574 SIR JUDAS WRECKED ON THE ROCK OF DISAPPOINT-
MENT.
Publishd as the Act directs by W. Moore Vere S^ Oxford S^ May 6.
1784
Engraving (coloured impression). Sir Cecil Wray stands in a man-of-war,
the Royal George (symbolizing George HI), which is sinking under the
waves, the ship being on a ver}' small scale in relation to the man. He says,
/ thought by embarking with so great a Commander I should have been
brought safe into Port. He looks towards a curiously-drawn globular hum-
* Attributed, somewhat doubtfully, to Rowlandson by Grego (i. 135).
124
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
mock (1.) inscribed Westminster^ indicating the rocks which have wrecked
the ship.
For other satires on Wray's defeat see No. 6562, &c. For Wray as Judas
see No. 6492, &c. For similar allusions to the Royal George cf. Nos. 6042,
6535-
yfxiojin.
6575 DOCTOR BARNACLE DRIVING A LOAD OF SPITTAL-
FIELDS WEAVERS TO POLL FOR WESTMINSTER.
W,D. [Dent.]
Pu¥ as the Act directs, by J. Browtiy Rathbone Place, May 6, iy84.
Engraving. Hall, a Westminster apothecary who was a prominent sup-
porter of Fox, walks beside the asses which draw (1. to r.) a cart crowded
with disreputable voters. A signpost (r.) is formed of a mask (on a pole)
of the heads of the Duchess of Devonshire (1.) and Fox (r.) as in No. 6570.
On the half-head of the Duchess is a Fox favour and a fox's brush. From
each corner of the mouth issues a label terminating in a pointing hand :
To Spittalfields (1.) and To Covent Garden (r.). Hall, in profile to the r.,
walks holding a whip over his shoulder. His hat is decorated by a fox's
brush, a Fox favour, and a laurel branch; similar branches and favours
decorate the (human) heads of the two asses which draw the cart, harnessed
tandem. Hall says:
If Carlo falls — no more the Graces smile;
Nor Lords with gluttony reward my toil;
So with expedient Fll cheer each drooping heart
And boldly deliver my vote-pregnant Cart.
The heads of the asses have ass's ears and are decorated with foxes'
brushes and laurel-branches. The leader says, The Major will call this
reforming Parliament in a Summary way [Major Cartwright, see No. 6474
and cf. No. 6478]. Round his neck hangs from a ribbon a medal on which
is a portcullis, indicating that he is an active Westminster Justice of the
Peace (see No. 4850) ; perhaps a Justice Kelly who was very active in Fox's
interest, see Westminster Election, p. 360. See also No. 6593. The wheeler,
with a broadly grinning face, says. Fox, Fox, Fox, Fox, Huzza &c. He
resembles Captain Morris, whose songs were a feature of the election, cf.
Westminster Election, p. 277. On the front of the clumsy two-wheeled cart
is inscribed H — ALL, Covent Garden, Common poll Cart, N° 6oy5. On it
stands a pestle and mortar inscribed Man-midwife ; in it is a laurel-branch.
The wheels have just passed a rock inscribed Conscience, and are about to
encounter a larger one inscribed Scrutiny.
The small cart contains ten voters, their heads and shoulders arranged
in a pyramid. The man who forms the apex holds up a large coin, shouting,
Fox and the Constitution — Alehouse for ever Huzza — huzza. All but three
are hatless or wear caps ; of those distinguished by hats (with election favours)
two say, A voting we will go we'll go — we'll go &c. and Huzza, huzza', the
third holds up a pair of crutches from one of which hangs a flag on which
is a shield with a dice-box and dice, a weaver's shuttle, and a paper
inscribed y 0,000 I. Beneath are the words Fox and the Loom holders for
ever.
'Spitalfields weavers' at this time stood for the poorest and least reputable
of London artisans. There were allegations in newspaper paragraphs that
125
I
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Spitalfields weavers, who of course would not be qualified voters, had been
brought to Westminster to vote for Fox, e.g.: 'Yesterday an eminent
weaver gave information that near sixty distressed manufacturers in the
neighbourhood of Spitalfields had been seduced to poll for M'" Fox*
— quoted, Westminster Election, p. 243. ^Spitalfields. We understand in
those parts, that perjury is an unexceptionable qualification*, ibid., p. 262.
See also p. 277.
For the Westminster Scrutiny see No. 6553, &c. For alleged voters
from Spitalfields see Nos. 6557, 6583, 6593, 6627, 7366. For other
pauper voters see No. 6547, &c.
8jxi2f in.
6576 [SIR CECIL WRAY IN THE PILLORY]
Published as the Act directs^ May 7, 1784,
Engraving. No title. Two men stand in the pillory on a small platform (1.) ;
over their heads is a cask, inscribed Small Beery erected on a pole. Over
the head of one 1. is Judas , indicating Sir Cecil Wray, over the other J . .k-
s..n indicating John Jackson,stewardof the Duke of Newcastle and a promi-
nent supporter of Wray, see No. 6492. A large key hangs from the corner
of the pillory, the emblem of the back-stairs by which Pitt and his sup-
porters were supposed to have obtained office, cf. No. 6564. Behind (r.)
walks a procession of maidservants who look scornfully at the victims ; one
carries a flag inscribed Tax on Maid Servants ; others, a broom, a mop, and
a shovel. Immediately behind the platform the heads of a crowd, a row of
staves marking the constables who stand in front, are suggested. Fox (r.)
stands in the foreground haranguing the crowd; he holds a Union flag
inscribed The Rights of the Commons. Behind him is a mob of men waving
their hats, among whom Sam House is conspicuous. The scene is by the
hustings in Covent Garden, the portico of the church (r.) being lightly
sketched behind Fox.
For Wray's defeat see No. 6562, &c. During the election he was called
'Judas Iscariot', 'Knight of the Back-Stairs', 'Sir Chelsea Tax-Girl*,
'Knight of the Key*, and 'Lord High Keeper of the Small Beer cellar*,
&c. See Westminster Election, passim. See Nos. 6475, 6492, &c.
The figure of Fox, the crowd, and the procession of maidservants are
similar to those in No. 6586, showing that one must have been copied from
the other, or both from a common source.
An impression with the imprint Published as the Act directs June 26*^
1783 by H. Humphreys N° 51 New Bond Street is clearly ante-dated.
8-ixi2|-in.
6577 THE POLITICAL SHAVER.
[ ? Kingsbury.]
Pu¥ May 10 1784 by J, Moore iV' ig Hallon [? Hatton] Street.
Engraving (coloured impression). Fox acts as barber to the Duchess of
Devonshire ; he applies a razor to her cheek, holding her chin. She is seated
on a settee (1.) covered with striped material. Sam House stands (r.) hold-
ing a barber's bowl, a towel under his arm.
For the Duchess and Sam cf. No. 6487, &c.
8JX12J in.
126
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6578 THE WESTMINSTER MENDICANT.
[Rowlandson.]
Pub^ iP^ [May] 1^84 by H. Humphrey N" 22y Strand
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). A blind beggar, Sir
Cecil Wray, is led (r. to 1.) by his dog, round whose neck hangs a Subscrip-
tion Box. He supports himself by a long staff; in his 1. hand is the dog's
cord, and under his 1. arm is a larger box, inscribed Subscription Scrutiny
Box. He sings :
Pity the Weaky and Needy pray
Oh pity me J Pve lost the day.
Behind the dog is a placard inscribed :
See here the Dogy of all his kindy
The fittest for a Beggar blindy
The Beast can bark or grunt as Hog.
His name is Churchill — Oh the Dog!
John Churchill was the Chairman of the Election Committee of Hood
and Wray. He signed the advertisements asking for subscriptions for
the expenses of a scrutiny which were issued on 5 May (and later), the
scrutiny being formally demanded on the declaration of the poll (17 May).
See Westminster Electiony pp. 114, 1 15-16.
The freely-sketched pillars of a portico in the background indicate
Covent Garden Church, where polling took place.
Beneath the title is etched :
Ye Christians y Charitable y good and Civil
Pray something give to this poor wandering Devil
By Men cast outy perhaps y by God forgiveny
Then may one Judas find a road to Heaven.
This plate illustrates the Westminster Electiony p. 196, facing a squib
dated 6 May, which may have inspired it : a petition from Tim Flanagan,
Chairman, to John Churchill, Chairman, asking for a share in the collection
for Hood and Wray, on account of his poverty. At the close of the poll
on 5 May *a wag hoisted 2i poor's boXy upon a staff bearing this inscription;
Pray remember Sir Cecil Wray's Scrutiny'. Ibid., p. 353. For the
Scrutiny see No. 6553, &c., for Wray's defeat No. 6562, &c. For 'Judas'
see No. 6492, &c. Cf. No. 6500, &c.
Rowlandson's pencil-drawing for this print is in the Print Room,
together with the suggestion on which it was based. This is a mere indica-
tion of the positions of man and dog and the pillars of the portico, giving
the inscriptions in full, except that in the penultimate line a blank is left
which has been filled in by *God for' (201. c. 6/1, 3).
Grego, Rowlandsony i. 137.
6JX5i|in.
6579 DEDICATED TO THE NEWLY CREATED E L OF L NS-
D LE
plowlandson.] May iP^ 1^84^
Engraving. A satirical coat of arms for Sir James Lowther, created Earl of
Lonsdale on 11 May 1784. The two supporters are ragged militiamen
* Probably ante-dated in allusion to the date of Lowther's peerage.
127
\y
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
realistically drawn, one (dexter) being without shoes, with ragged stock-
ings, through which his toes protrude, the other (sinister) is without
breeches, a ragged shirt about his legs. On their cross-belts are the letters
W.M. [Westmorland Militia]. On the shield are six documents, inscribed
respectively. False Musters; False Certificates for Volunteer Companies;
False Returns; Retention of Cloathing; Contract for Building a Man of War
(above a ship in construction, consisting of a few timbers only^) Can-
celled and Money Returned; Retention of Bounty. Beneath is the motto Who.
Doubts, it? Above is a very large earl's coronet.
Lowther was Gustos Rotulorum and Lieutenant of Cumberland and of
Westmorland, and brigadier-general of the Cumberland and Westmor-
land militia; he is here accused of dishonestly enriching himself at the
expense of the County Militia. This was the subject of a petition, rejected
nem. con. by the House of Commons, 5 May 1783. See Letters of Lady
Harriot Elioty 1915, pp. 79, 81. See also No. 8156. For his offer to equip
a man-of-war at his own expense in 1782, see No. 6246 and The Rolliady
Part II, No. V. For his character and reputation see D.N.B. His peerage
was a reward for the great borough interest which he had put at Pitt's
disposal; he had also brought Pitt into Parliament for Appleby in 1781.
Wraxall, Memoirs, 1884, iii- 357-6°. See also No. 6631, &c.
Grego, Rowlandson/i. 136.
iiiixi3iin. (pi.).
6580 THE GAMESTER BES ^T, OR, A NEW WAY TO WIN
MONEY.
W.D. [Dent.]
Pu¥ as the Act directs by J. Brozvtiy Rathhone Place, May, 13*^ 1^84
Engraving. An imaginary scene at Brooks's. Fox stands in the centre, his
waistcoat pockets hanging out empty, liquid dropping from the knees of
his breeches, which a dog is licking. A man stands (1.) in profile to the r.,
holding his nose, his 1. hand on Fox's shoulder; he says, Charles, Fll lay
$000 I. You have beshit your Breeches. Fox answers. Done, for / have not —
Patrick did I beshit myself? and, in another label (r.), addressing those who
stand on his 1., Done I take you all. He looks towards an Irish chairman (1.)
who stands hat in hand, answering No, your Honor, you gave me 2 thirteens
& i to do it for you — and a promise to keep me, if I shit your honor good luck.
Lord Derby (r.) grinning, his r. hand on Fox's shoulder, says, io,ooolyou
have — this is a safe Bett. Next (r.) stands the Prince of Wales, laughing and
saying Ha, ha, ha, cunning Ro — e [rogue], ha, ah, ha, he has taken us all
in — ha, ha, ha, Paddy shit in his breeches, ha, ha, ha, I shall laugh till I piddle
myself. He wears a hat with three ostrich feathers. The last two figures,
who, like the Prince, stand in profile to the 1. and wear ribbons, say, looking
at Fox, Horrid stench! 5000! and Aye, a bonny lad he smells as sweet as a
Rose in June Fll lay looool. The former resembles North, the other is
perhaps Portland.
In the foreground the floor is strewn with cards, dice-boxes, and dice.
The background is a wall in which are three doors. Over the centre one
is the head of a man or demon with horns, beneath it is inscribed Brookes
dealer in Foreign Spirits. On the door is written E.o. & faro. Over the r.
door is written Billiards, over the 1., Chess; over the former is a framed
picture of two cocks fighting, over the latter, a picture of a horse-race is
^ Also an earlier impression without the ship's timbers.
128
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
partly visible. The lower part of the wall is panelled, the upper part
covered with a wall-paper, in a design of squares and circles.
The filthy story occurs in Theophilus Swift's Gamblers^ i777> h 1- 55°
and n.; see No. 6279. ^^^ ^-O. see No. 5928, and for Faro, No. 5972.
Brooks's 'Foreign Spirits' may connote the alleged support of Fox by the
French Ambassador (injunctions to his tradesmen), and the Due de
Chartres. Westminster Election^ pp. 243, 246, 248.
8JXi3ftin.
6581 JOHN BULL ENRAGED!
Pu¥ as the Act directs May 15 1784 by E Hedges g2 Cornhill
Engraving. Fox (1.), as a butcher, rides a large and ferocious bull which
advances towards a group of his terrified supporters (r.). He wears a
striped butcher's coat or tunic, a cap inscribed Liberty ^ a roUed-up apron,
oversleeves to the elbow, his steel hangs from the back of his waist so as
to prod the bull. In his r. hand is a small flag inscribed Oratory^ with the
shaft of which he goads the bull. He says, My dear Fellow Butchers assist
me or I shall not be able to Keep my Seat. The men he addresses are fleeing
from the bull, except for North (r.), wearing a butcher's apron and steel,
who faces Fox, his arms held up in alarm, saying. Zounds Charly I thought
to have had y^ pleasure of knocking John Bull 0' the Head, but now am in fears
for my own Safety. The bull's horn is inscribed Prerogative ; he is trampling
on a yoke inscribed Yoke of Infatuation and a wig inscribed Whigs. Behind
(1.), two serpents raise their heads from a leafy bush and direct barbed darts
against the bull; they are Independant Country Gentlemen (cf. No. 6413).
John Bull, enraged by the demagogy of Fox, and with the help of
Prerogative, tramples the Whigs under his feet. Many of the addresses to
the king, see No. 6438, &c., had thanked him for using his prerogative
to dismiss the Coalition. A print on Pitt's triumph at the election.
8JXi2|in.
6582 THE MIRROR.
WG. [? Phillips.]
Published by S Fores iV^ 3 Piccadilly May ly 1784
Engraving. An election crowd is being addressed by Fox (1.) from the hust-
ings. The lower part of the pillars of the portico and the door of St. Paul's
Church are behind Fox ; the houses of the NW. corner of Covent Garden
Piazza, with spectators looking from the windows, form a background on
the r. A voter with Hood Wray in his hat approaches the hustings. Fox
stands, r. fist raised, saying :
Gentlemen I sincerely do wish you to lead
To Greatness to Glory to Freedom — indeed
Notwithstanding this Hubbub & this Hurly-Burly
Am conscious you nee'r to your Friends will be Churly
The Victory gained &' Treachery overthrow
Gratefully — in what eeW you Wish I am your own.
He is surrounded by supporters, one of whom (1.) holds out a bottle to
two men who advance from the 1. as if to vote. Beneath and in front is the
129 K
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
crowd. Among the more conspicuous figures in the foreground (1. to r.)
are : a boy astride a small cask which is labelled Small-beer S^ C W [Cecil
Wray], its tap is padlocked (see No. 6492, &c.) ; he wears a key, shouting
No back Stairs (see No. 6564, &c.). Behind him is a man with a flag
inscribed Fox & the Constitution. A tall lank man leaning on a crutch is
Corruption. Next him a man sits on the shaft of his ginger-bread barrow,
saying, Here* s your Spice Nuts. The barrow, on which is a bottle and glass,
is inscribed Fox Gin & Gingerbread for ever. A small dog befouling the
ground represents Ease. A very stout man is shouting :
May your Understanding lax
For making the Receipt Tax.
He is Alderman Calipash^ representing the clamour raised in the City
against the Receipt tax proposed by the Coalition and attacked by Wray,
see No. 6244, ^^- ^ "^^^ wearing top-boots and a riding-hat is labelled
Politician ; he shakes his fist at Fox, saying :
Thou Oliver Caesar Machiavilian
In that deep plot the Coalition [see No. 6380, &c.].
A poor woman holding an infant labelled Virtue appears to be address-
ing the back of the 'Politician' ; she says :
As Virtuous I am
The Vicious I damn.
An Indian Tyrant holding a tasselled cane, his coat-pocket labelled
Extent, is saying :
Had he passed the India Bill
I could no more my Coffers fill
With Rupees. Or in Blood have glutted
Oh! I should like the Reformer guted [see No. 6519].
Behind him a man holding the dark-lantern which indicates Lord Temple
(cf. No. 6417) is saying:
The hack Stairs I say
Is the forwardest way [see No. 6564, &c.].
A scuffling group (r.) appears to represent an honest citizen being
attacked by a bruiser. Beneath is inscribed Rights of the People.
A large house at the NW. corner of the piazza is evidently the head-
quarters of one of the candidates. A flight of steps leads to a balcony or
terrace on each side of the front door; people look from the windows and
from the balcony.
Beneath the design is etched :
The Mirror of Truth is here held up to view
A Candidate Right Honourable & true
Who always has been the Peoples Protector
A stanch friend to the rights of every Elector
Yet Envy & Avarice has made a great rout
Because the Shoe pinches they'r heard to cry out.
The poll was declared on 17 May, see Appendix I. See No. 6600, a
companion print by the same artist.
7i|Xiiiiin.
130
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
6583 THE FORCE OF FRIENDSHIP,
OR, THE ELECTION MAN-TRAP RETURNING FROM
SPITTALFIELDS WITH A HANDFULL OF WEAVERS.
W.D. [Dent.]
Pu¥ as the Act directs, hy J, Browriy Rathhone Place, May ly, 1784,
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire (1.) walks (r. to I.) holding a
number of small puppet-like men who hang limply, five over her r.
shoulder, a sixth under her 1. arm. A signpost (1.) inscribed Corruption
points To Henrietta Street Covent Garden. She says, There are more ways
than one of bringing the matter to a point. One of the weavers says, She'll
make Plumpers of us. She wears a riding-habit and a hat ornamented with
the usual Fox favour, a laurel branch, and four foxes' brushes inscribed
respectively Love and \ Liberty \ Guy \ Vaux. A poor woman, pregnant (r.),
an infant in her arms, holding a little ragged boy by the hand, watches the
Duchess. Behind her is a signpost inscribed Poverty pointing (r.) to Spittal
fields ; it is decorated with a laurel branch. The boy says, Mammy, what
is the fine Lady going to do with my Daddy? She answers, She's taking him
to the Ladies Committee Room to examine if he's properly qualified for
Polling.
One of many coarse satires on the canvassing of the Duchess of Devon-
shire, see No. 6493, &c., and cf. No. 6588, &c. For the alleged voters from
Spitalfields see No. 6575, &c. For Fox as Guy Vaux see No. 6389, &c.
8ixi2jin.
6584 A NEW COALITION MASK.
Pub May ly. 1784 by Edward Shirlock Drury Lane
Engraving. An imitation of Sayers's famous print, see No. 6234. A com-
posite mask formed of the faces of Wilkes and George III divided vertically
by a line down the centre. Beneath the design is etched :
Now Jacky & Georgee together is Joind,
The people may weep for it is a verry bad Sign,
For Jacky^ determind to have some more pelf.
Let who will Starve, he will serve himself
One of several satires on the ending of the feud between Wilkes and the
king, see No. 6568, &c.
9jX7ftin.
6585 N« 15. PRECEPTOR AND PUPIL.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ May 18^^ 1784 by G. Humphrey N" 48 Long Acre, London.
Engraving. The Prince of Wales (1.) sleeps on a grassy bank, his r. elbow
supported on a bank or rock. His hat with three ostrich plumes and the
motto Ich Dien leaves no doubt of his identity. A huge toad (r.) climbs
up his body to whisper in his ear : Abjure thy Country and thy parents And
I will give thee dominion over Many powers. Better to rule in hell than Serve
on Earth. His fox's brush shows that the 'Preceptor' is Fox. Trees are
indicated behind the Prince (1.). Behind Fox are water-weeds (r.).
131
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Beneath the design is etched :
Not Satan to the Ear of Eve
Did e'er such pious Counsel give. Milton.
For Fox and the Prince of Wales cf. No. 6401, &c. For Fox as Satan
of. No. 6383, &c.
Grego, Rowlandsony i. 140.
8Jxi2l|in.
6586 THE WESTMINSTER DESERTER DRUM'D OUT OF THE
REGIMENT, [18 May 1784^]
[Rowlandson.]
Engraving. Sir Cecil Wray (1.) is being drummed away from the hustings ;
Sam House, the central figure, beats a drum, looking at Wray. On the r.,
ignoring Wray, stands Fox addressing the populace, a cheering crowd
behind him; he holds a flag on which is the figure of Britannia seated,
holding the staff and cap of Liberty, and the words Champion of the People.
He says. Friends & Fellow Citizens I cannot find words to express my feelings
to you upon this Victory. Wray walks beside a procession which marches
to Sam House's drum. It is headed by Chelsea pensioners with wooden
legs, who scowl at him ; one carries a crutch over his shoulder. They have
two flags, inscribed respectively May all public Deserters feel public Resent-
ment (Wray had deserted the cause of Fox who nominated him for West-
minster in 1782, see No. 5998), and Chealsea Hospital. They are followed
by a detachment of maidservants, with a flag inscribed Tax on Maid
Servants ; they carry over their shoulders a broom, a brush, a mop, a shovel.
A crowd cheers frantically; hats are waved at the procession and at Fox.
Behind Fox is part of the portico of St. Paul's, Co vent Garden, the scene
of his triumph at the hustings, see No. 6590, he.
For the allegations against Wray see Nos. 6475, 6492, &c. ; for his defeat,
No. 6562, &c.
The figure of Fox, the crowd, and the procession of maidservants closely
resemble those in No. 6576 : one must have been copied from the other,
or from a common source.
Reissued, Westminster Election, p. 209.
Grego, Rowlandson, 1. 138-9 (reproduction). Reproduced, Grego, Hist,
of Parliamentary Elections, 1892, p. 284.
9Xi3iin.
6587 SECRET INFLUENCE DIRECTING THE NEW P L ^T.
[18 May 17842]
[Rowlandson.]
th
Pu¥ by W. Humphrey \sic\, N° 22y, Strand London.
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). The king, seated on a
throne on a dais of two steps, says, / tru^t we have got such a House of
Commons as we Wanted. On his r. is Thurlow (1.) with the body of a bird
of prey; he is saying Damn the Commons, the Lords shall Rule. Behind the
throne crouches Bute in Highland dress, saying to Thurlow, Very Gude,
Very Gude Damn the Commons. On the king's 1. is a head in profile to the
* So dated by Grego. ^ So dated by Mr. Hawkins and Grego.
132
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
1. supported on an erect serpent's body; probably intended for Pitt (a poor
portrait but resembling Pitt in No. 6664).
In the foreground (r.) sits Britannia asleep, resting her elbow on her
shield. A man wearing a ribbon, perhaps the Prince of Wales, rushes up
from the r. with outstretched arms, saying. Thieves! Thieves! Zounds awake
Madam or you'll have your Throat Cut.
The new Parliament met on 18 May. An interesting indication of the
persistence of the legend of Bute's secret influence, cf. No. 6005. See No.
6417, &c., and No. 6603. For Thurlow's language cf. No. 7320.
Grego, RowlandsoUy i. 140.
8Jxi3in.
6588 CARLO KHAN'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO ST STEPHEN'S
CHAPEL [After 17 May]
S C Fee' [Collings.]
Engraving. The interior of the House of Commons. The Duchess of
Devonshire carries Fox on her shoulders; she looks round at the 'rabble'
who follow her, headed by a little chimney-sweep, using his brush and
shovel to beat a tune. She says. When I take a thing in hand I always
succeed. Her hair is decorated with a fox's brush. Fox in his orator's atti-
tude, r. fist clenched and held out, hat held out in his 1. hand, says, / could
never have got in without your Grace's assistance. Behind the chimney-
sweep is (?) Sam House in a shirt and breeches which are unfastened at the
knee ; he holds up on a pole a chemise or shift inscribed All sorts of Shifts
made by C. J. FoXy saying. This is the Devonshire method of introducing
Members — Carlo for ever. Behind is a man with a lighted torch or link,
saying. Sir Cecil has got the Devonshire Cholic. A band of butchers play on
marrow-bones and cleavers; one of them says. She is a devilish fine Carcass
—fine Meat! On a pole is the cap of Liberty together with a fox's brush
and a petticoat. In the background (r.) the Speaker, in his chair behind
the table with the mace, &c., and clerks are freely sketched: a sea of heads
behind indicates the members.
The effectiveness of the canvassing of the Duchess, see No. 6493, &c.,
is indicated by the grossness of the squibs and prints relating to it, which
aimed at stopping her activities. Cf. Walpole, Letters, xiii. 142. The
Duchess 'certainly procured the greatest part of M^ Fox's votes for him:
though the Court party endeavoured to deter her by the most illiberal and
indecent abuse . . .', cf. No. 6565, &c. See also Nos. 6493, 6573, 6589,
6591, 6594, 6597, 6599, 6601, 6983; cf. the flag 'Sacred to Female
Patriotism' (Nos. 6590, 6600).
7ftX9iiin.
6589 WESTMINSTER RACES.
IC. [1. Cruikshank.]
Pub ig. May 1784. by WH N'' 227 Strand.
Engraving. The three candidates for Westminster end their race: Hood
(1.) on a galloping horse, saying. Worthy S* Cecil Vm sorry for YoUy but
don't be discouraged, a Scrutiny shall do your Business at any Rate. Not a
133
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
length behind gallops Fox, holding up his hat and looking round with a
triumphant smile at Wray. Over his head are the words :
"It is not in the force of mortal Arm^ Scarsely in Fate''\
"to bind the struggling souly that galVd by wanton power'*
"indignant swells against Oppression.**
Wray (r.) is mounted on a braying ass, which kicks, its fore-feet firmly
planted; he has dropped the reins, and lost his stirrups; his hands are
folded and he is looking down with a melancholy expression, saying : Give
me a helping hand, my Lord, or Pm undone. In front of his ass's head is a
signpost inscribed Distance Post. Beneath the design is etched :
A Political Heat, run in Covent Garden, between Old Veteran a famous
Horse the Property of his M y, Dutchess a Filly, the Property of the
Duke ofD e, and Judas an Obstinate Ass, who was clearly distanced.
Fox's success is attributed to the Duchess of Devonshire, as in No.
6588, Stc. For Wray as Judas, see No. 6492, &c. For his defeat see
No. 6562, &c. For the scrutiny see No. 6553, &c. See also Appendix I.
7Xi3iin.
6590 THE DISAPPOINTED CANDIDATE SOLUS!!
Pub^ as the Act directs May 20 1784 by W Humphrey N^ 227 Strand
Engraving. Sir Cecil Wray in the foreground, standing on the edge of a
circular platform, looks down over his 1. shoulder at the procession which
is chairing Fox round Covent Garden. He holds his r. hand to his mouth,
in his 1. he clutches a paper, Instruction to make A Speech. The heads and
shoulders of the procession appear over the edge of the platform : in front
(1.) are men on horse-back, some playing musical instruments, their hats
decorated with favours and leaves. (They appear to represent the 'squad-
ron of gentlemen on horseback in the blue and buff uniform', who were
followed by trumpeters. London Chronicle, 18 May.) Their flag is inscribed
The Whig Cause. Next come men on foot immediately in front of Fox,
with a flag inscribed Man of the People. Fox, smiling, is seated above the
heads of his supporters, his chair wreathed with laurel branches. The
striped jacket of one of his bearers shows that he is a butcher; next comes
Sam House. Behind walk men, some wearing their hats, which are decor-
ated with favours and foxes' brushes. Their flag is inscribed Sacred to
Female Patriotism.
Behind (r.) is the facade of St. Paul's, Covent Garden, the pediment
inscribed House of Call for Candidates. The windows of the houses on the
south of the Piazza (1.) are crowded with spectators; others stand on the
roofs waving their hats.
Beneath the title are the words spoken by Wray : / am Bit D n the
Fox, the D ss, Chelsea Hospital, Maid Servants, Small Beer, the back
Stairs & all together, to be Sure Pm no Speaker Ive no Head I shall not
be brought in but the Scrutiny His M y will have that and that Bald
Pated Son of a B h Sam H se [House] not content with giving my
Opponent [sic] Plumpers Threatned to give me A Plumper in each Eye if I
did not Cock my Hat fother Way.
The actual procession on 17 May, much more extensive than is shown
here, carried the flags depicted, with others: 'The Rights of the Commons'
and 'Independence!', and was followed by the state carriages of the
Duchesses of Devonshire and Portland drawn by six horses, and each
134
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
attended by six running footmen. See newspapers. For the allusions in
Wray's speech see Nos. 6475, 6492, 6564, 6592, &c. ; for his defeat No.
6562, &c. ; for the scrutiny, No. 6553, &c. For the influence of the Duchess
of Devonshire see No. 6588, &c. For the procession on 17 May see Nos.
6593, 6600, p. 140.
9i-iX9^in-
6591 FOR THE BENIFIT OF THE CHAMPION, [20 May 1784^]
A Catch to be Performed at the New Theatre Covent Garden for
Admission Apply to the D ss.
N.B. Gratis to those who wear large Tails.
Etch'd by T. Rowlandson Pu¥ and sold by W"" Humphrey
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). The Duchess of
Devonshire with two other catch-singers. Fox and North, who are dressed
as fat old market-women. The Duchess (1.) elegantly dressed, but with
her breast uncovered and wearing her election hat with Fox favours,
feathers, and fox's brush, puts her 1. hand on Fox's shoulder, pointing to
a tomb-stone beside her (1.) inscribed, beneath its skull and cross-bones,
Here lies poor C — C — L — RA Y, She sings : Look neighbours look here lyes
Poor C ray [Cecil Wray]. Fox, his 1. hand grasping a crutch-headed
stick, turning to North, sings Dead & turned to Clay, North (r.), also
with a stick, sings What Old C /. Through the wings peers the
anxious-looking, spectacled profile of Burke (r.). Three framed pictures
decorate the wall behind the performers: The fox who had lost his Tail (cf.
No. 6530), a tail-less fox looking at four others who are discussing the
situation. This is flanked by two oval pictures. Fox and Crow (1.), the fox
looking up longingly at the crow on a branch, and Fox and Grapes (r.), a
fox on its hind-legs below a vine-branch, cf. No. 5962.
For Wray's defeat see No. 6562, &c. Cf. also No. 6588.
Grego, Rowlandson^ i. 142 (reproduction).
811X13 J in.
6592 FOX VICTORIOUS OR TREACHERY OVERTHROWN
WG [? Phillips.]
Piccadilly May 21 1^84?-
Engraving. A monster representing Sir Cecil Wray, or Treachery, lies on
his back beside a pond, one elbow in the water. He has a frog's mouth,
a naked hairy body with a rat's tail, and wears the pecuHar-shaped hat
worn by Wray ; in his r. hand is a dark lantern, emblem of conspiracy, in
his r. a large key, emblem of the back stairs, cf. No. 6564, &c. A fox,
carrying off a goose, stands over Wray, urinating upon him savagely, and
saying :
May you never ^ never rise!
By treachery to gain the prize
Thus I treat you with contempt
Until passed actions you repent.
' So dated by Grego. ^ The publisher's name appears to have been erased.
135
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
^ ^ ' As I was trusted with the Key
I meant to pick their bones quite free
But Fox the keenest of his race
Has thus o'er turn' d me with disgrace.
A gosling lies on its back beside Wray. The goose and gosling appear
to represent the Westminster electors (cf. No. 5843, &c.) whose bones
Wray had expected to pick. In the distance (1.) is a small cottage, on the
roof of which a cock stands crowing.
For Wray's defeat see No. 6562, &c.
5ix8iin.
6593 THE FOX AND GEESE TRIUMPHANT
W.D. [Dent.]
Puhlishedy as the Act directSy by J, Brown, Rathbone PlacCy May 21^^
1784
Engraving. A satire on the chairing of Fox on the declaration of the poll
for Westminster. Fox, with a fox's body, sits astride a goose with the head
of the Prince of Wales ; he grins with satisfaction ; on his erect brush is
inscribed At your Grace's service. Behind him (r.) holding hands, come
the Duchess of Devonshire and Sam House; they dance along, the
Duchess with her r. hand on her hip, Sam with his 1. She wears a riding-
habit ; in her large hat are a Fox favour and a branch of laurel with four
fox tails, inscribed respectively. Love and \ Liberty \ Guy \ Vaux. Sam's
hat, like those of the four other men in the procession, is decorated with
a Fox favour, a fox's brush inscribed Fox^ and a laurel branch. The hat
of the goose with the head of the Prince of Wales has a Fox favour, three
ostrich plumes with the motto Ich dien, and a laurel branch. In front of
the goose is a procession of four men: the foremost (1.) holds a wand of
office and a paper inscribed with the (correct) result of the poll : Charly
Boy 6234 Hood 66g4 Wray 5gg8. Round his neck is a medalHon on which
is a portculUs, and (in reverse) Key herald^ suggesting that he is a West-
minster Justice and had carried the large key, emblem of the 'Back Stairs'
which was a feature of Fox's election processions, see No. 6564. He is
perhaps Justice Kelly, see No. 6575 ; he has a concave and repulsive profile.
Next come the drum and fife of the procession, both wearing high caps
like those of the Grenadiers. The man with the drum is the apothecary,
Hall, wearing spectacles ; his drum is his mortar, inscribed All Apothecary.
On the front of his cap is a fox on its hind legs, and ALL Blue and Buff
dependants. Lord John Cavendish, playing the fife, is very short, his head
on a level with Hall's elbow; on his cap is a fox on its hind legs and Uncle
Jacky. Immediately in front of the goose walks the Earl of Surrey holding
a banner on which are the words Success to FoXy Freedom^ Weavers,
Butchers and Irish chairmen, and a burlesque coat of arms for Westminster:
a portculHs on a shield, with two geese (cf. No. 5843, &c.) as supporters;
the motto is A pliant Conscience. The crest is a fox's head (dexter) and a
goose's head (sinister).
The allegations and insinuations in this print repeat those of similar
prints by Dent on the Westminster Election, see No. 6575, &c. 'Irish
chairmen' is an allusion to the death of Nicholas Casson, a constable, in
Covent Garden, in a contest with a Foxite body of Irish chairmen and
136
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
butchers who were marching with marrow-bones and cleavers on 10 May.
Westminster Election^ pp. 116 ff. and 379 ff. (cf. No. 6512). For the pro-
cession see No. 6590, &c., and cf. No. 6524; for Fox and the Prince, cf.
No. 6401, &c. For Fox as Guy Vaux cf. No. 6389, &c.
Six 12/5 in.
6594 vox POPULi, vox del
[?I. Cruikshank.]
Pub 23^ May 1784 by W Humphrey iV^ 227 Strand.
Engraving. Fox stands, full-face, smiling ; he holds a stout staff of liberty
surmounted by a Phrygian cap. His 1. hand, holding a laurel branch, rests
on his hip. On his 1. stands the Duchess of Devonshire (r.), turning her
head in profile to the r. and holding out on her 1. arm a Shield of Virtuey
against the arrows of Malice and Envy ; other arrows fall to the ground,
broken by their impact with the shield, inscribed Woman Hater and Morn-
ing Post. In her hat are the usual fox's brush and ostrich plumes. A star-
shaped halo is lightly sketched behind her head. Sir Cecil Wray (1.) walks
off in profile to the 1., bending beneath a heavy burden and supported on
his stick. The burden consists of three bundles. Deceit, Ingratitude, and
Per\ju\ry, attached to his shoulders by a band inscribed Cecil W y.
Black clouds above his head emit forked lightning. Over his head are the
words / acknowledge my Transgressions, and my Sins are ever before me.
Over Fox's head flies a cherub holding out a laurel wreath; he blows a
trumpet directed towards the Duchess, from which issues the word
Victory. After the title is etched Dedicated to the Ladies who so con-
spicuously exerted themselves in the Cause of Freedom.
The Morning Post was conspicuous for its scurrilous paragraphs against
Fox and the Duchess of Devonshire. Westminster Election, pp. 218, 219 n.,
224 n., 228 n., 325, 352, and Nos. 6597, 6616. Fox's victory is attributed
to the Duchess, see No. 6588, &c. For Wray's ingratitude see No. 6492,
&c. ; for his defeat No. 6562, &c.
8ixi3iin.
6595 THE MATTER REVERSED, OR ONE GOOD TURN DE-
SERVES ANOTHER.
Pu¥ May 24 by J Notice Oxford Road
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire sits astride a galloping fox, her
face to its tail. A signpost by the fox's head points (1.) To Cuckolds Hall;
on the top of the post is a pair of horns. The Duchess wears a hat trimmed
with ostrich feathers and with a ribbon inscribed Fox.
One of many similar allegations against the Duchess of Devonshire, see
Nos. 6493, 6588, &c.
Reissued 24 May 1787.
Si^gXiOi^gin.
6596 RIDE FOR RIDE OR SECRET INFLUENCE REWARDED.
Pub May 25 1^84 by J. Shirlock Drury Lane
Engraving (coloured impression). Fox (r.) walks (1. to r.) carrying the
Duchess of Devonshire seated on his shoulders, her legs much exposed,
137
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
one with a garter inscribed Fox (reversed). He says Pray support me till
you are quite spent. She holds in both hands Fox's queue, saying, /// hold
fast by your tail & am sure we cannot fail. Behind is a high brick wall in
which is an open door (r.). In the background, in front of the wall, three
canvassing ladies (1.), on a small scale, ride their respective candidates. The
first is the Duchess of Devonshire, riding a fox ; the other two ride animals
with human heads; in front is (probably) Lady Salisbury, with a melan-
choly expression, riding Hood, and last the fat Mrs. Hobart on Sir Cecil
Wray. These three say respectively (the words written in reversed looking-
glass characters): Fojt; /or ever\ Hood for ever\ and One Ray of hope is left.
The poll was declared on 17 May, see Appendix I, so that the print was
out of date when published. One of many satires on the canvassing of the
Duchess of Devonshire and other ladies, cf. Nos. 6493, 6588, &c. Accord-
ing to a newspaper paragraph Lady Salisbury 'is the only woman of rank
who has interfered on the Ministerial side. . . . But her proceedings have
been marked with such delicacy and dignity^ as to shame the mobbing
conduct of her rivals*. Westminster Election^ p. 259. For Mrs. Hobart see
No. 6526, &c.
Reproduced, Fuchs, Die Frau in der Karikatur, 1906, p. 450.
8i|xi2jin.
6597 THE APOTHEOSIS OF THE DUTCHESS.
Veritas fedt
Pub 25 May 1784 by W Humphrey , N 22y Strand.
Engraving. The Duchess of Devonshire, supported by Truth and Virtue,
tramples on Scandal. She stands full-face, one foot on a cloud, the other
on the prostrate body of an almost nude man inscribed Scandal^ who lies
face downwards, one hand resting on the Morning Post, the other holding
serpents. She wears feathers in her hair, a scarf over her shoulders, and
a very wide hooped petticoat. Her r. wrist is held by a draped female
figure (1.) inscribed Truths who holds up her mirror in her 1. hand. A
similar figure inscribed Virtue holds her 1. wrist ; both stand upon clouds.
For the Morning Posty see No. 6594, &c. See also No. 6588, &c.
Reproduced, Paston, pi. xxxi.
8^Xi2|in.
6598 THE POLITICAL GAME COCKS.
Pub May 25 1^84 by W. Humphrey , N° 22y, Strand.
Engraving. Two fighting-cocks with the heads of Fox (1.) and Pitt (r.) on
the floor of the House of Commons. The steel spur on Fox's leg is inscribed
Coalition^ on that of Pitt, Prerogative. Between them stands a full money-
bag or small sack, inscribed The Purse of the Nation. In the centre, behind
the heads of the two cocks, is the Speaker (Cornwall) in his chair ; seated
members form a background, symmetrically arranged, r. and 1., a sea of
heads being indicated by freely-drawn circles.
The print suggests an equality between the combatants very far from
fact, although the heads behind Pitt appear to be more numerous than
those behind Fox. For 'Pitt and Prerogative' cf. No. 6442. For the
138
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
Coalition see Nos. 6176-9, 6399, &c. For Pitt and Fox as fighting-cocks
see No. 6461.
8xi2i in.
6599 LIBERTY AND FAME INTRODUCING FEMALE PATRIO-
TISM TO BRITANIA [25 May 1784^]
[Rowlandson.]
Engraving. Design in an oval. Used as a frontispiece to second edition
(1785) of The Westminster Election and probably designed for it. Britannia
seated on a throne (r.) raised on three steps holds out a laurel v^rreath
towards the Duchess of Devonshire who is led towards her by the draped
figures of Liberty (1.) holding the staff and cap of Liberty, and Fame (r.)
with her trumpet. The British lion lies at Britannia's feet (r.) looking over
its shoulder at the Duchess. Beneath the title is etched :
**She smiles —
Infused with a Fortitude from Heaven"! Vide Shakespears Tempest,
See also No. 6588, &c.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 141-2. Reproduced, Grego, Hist, of Parliamentary
Elections, 1892, p. 285.
6x8Jin.
6600 THE MAY GARLAND OR TRIUMPH WITHOUT VICTORY
WG [? Phillips.]
Published by S Fores N" 3 Piccadilly May 26 1784
Engraving. A burlesqued representation of the chairing of Fox on the
declaration of the Westminster poll on 17 May. The scene is one side of
the Piazza, Covent Garden, with one of the streets leading into it, both
densely crowded. In front (r.) is a woman ( } the Duchess of Devonshire)
riding an ass and waving a fox's brush. A man in the crowd beside her
waves his cap, shouting Petticoat Forever. Next her marches a man holding
a wand of office ; then comes a man carrying a coffin on his shoulders on
which is a skull and Memento Memori 1784. He is followed by a man
holding a bludgeon, who looks round at Sam House. Sam, with a satisfied
grin, holds a wand of office ; he walks in front of a band of butchers with
marrow-bones and cleavers; they have a flag with a marrow-bone and
cleaver and the words Marrow bones & Cleavers Constitutional Supporters.
They are followed by a man holding up a branch inscribed Tree of Good
& Evil. Next are men playing musical instruments, a horn, trumpet, &c.
Behind them the crowd becomes even denser as it surrounds Fox's trium-
phal chair: Fox is a grotesque non-human object with pointed ears, seated
in a chair decorated by a thicket of branches in which is stuck a flag with
the words Sacred to Female Patriotism and two hearts.
Near the front of the procession is a body of men on horseback with a
flag inscribed Perdition to Scrutiny's & High Bailiffs. In the crowd couples
are embracing. The windows of the houses are crowded with spectators,
and the whole scene, which is grotesquely drawn, has the appearance of
a saturnalia.
' So dated by Grego.
139
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
Below the design is etched :
See the Godlike Youth advance
Sports prepare and lead the dance
Fetes prepare and laurels bring
Songs of triumph to him sing.
Similar in manner and design to No. 6582, but contrasting with it in
political intention. For Fox's chairing on 17 May see No. 6590, &c. The
coffin is probably that of Casson, the constable, see No. 6593.
7iiXi2/ein.
A print in the Guildhall Library,
JOVE IN HIS CHAIR [May 1784]
Lockington Savile
Engraving (coloured impression). Fox, swarthy and saturnine and of
Jewish appearance, sits in a chair surrounded with greenery as if in an
arbour.
Fox was chaired in a chair decked with laurel branches, 'laurels green
of Covent Garden*, see No. 6590, &c.
6|X3|in.
6601 THE MODERN COLOSSUS
Pu¥ as the Act directs May 28^^ iy84 by F Clarkson y3 S* Pauls
Church Yard
Engraving. The gigantic figure of Fox strides across an ocean, the r. foot
planted on land inscribed East Indias, the 1. on land inscribed Loyalty.
He stands full-face, in his clenched r. fist he holds out a sheaf of thunder-
bolts inscribed Defiance, his 1. hand rests on his hip. He wears a crown
composed of playing-cards, the three principal cards being the ace of clubs,
the knave of clubs, and the ace of diamonds. On the crown are also the
letters v and p.
On the ground at his feet minute figures are variously engaged : on the
1. (in the 'East Indias') a circle of orientals prostrate themselves before a
sun with a face on it inscribed Pitt which rises above a mountainous
horizon inscribed Mountains of the East; round the sun are the words
Rising under y, followed by a crown.
On the opposite side is a scene in front of the hustings in Covent Garden.
The Duchess of Devonshire, looking up at Fox, holds a number of threads
attached to the noses of a crowd of electors, one of whom holds a
flag inscribed Indep^ Electors; a hat with a fox's brush is hoisted on its
staff. The Duchess holds in her r. hand a flag inscribed Woman of the
People. Behind her a butcher (inscribed Butcher) advances threateningly
with a knife or club.
Beneath the design is inscribed. The Materials that form'd this Image
came from Holland & by A number of loose principled people was Sett up &
Worshiped in A most Idolatrous manner this attracted that part of the people
calld the Mob [as much as a preceding Image known by its bad shape &
squinting Phiz] Untill the Northern Apostacyl! when many returned to their
Establishd Worship & it's thought like other Objects its popularity will soon
sink into Oblivion as its foundation is extremly Precarious and Tottering,
140
POLITICAL SATIRES 1784
This satirical account of Fox refers to his unpopular father, Lord
Holland, the 'public defaulter of unaccounted millions', cf. Nos. 4299,
4842, &c., and compares his popularity, until the Coalition with North,
with that of Wilkes. For his India Bill see No. 6271, &c. His election is
attributed to the canvassing of the Duchess of Devonshire, see No. 6588,
&c. For the popularity of the king's intervention cf. No. 6405, &c.
13^X9! in.
6602 THE PETITIONING CANDIDATE FOR WESTMINSTER.
[Rowlandson.]
Pu¥ May 28^^ 1784 by T, Comeille Bruton Street
Engraving (coloured and uncoloured impressions). Fox, with a fox's head
and brush and dressed in tartan kilt and plaid, gallops (r. to 1.) on a shaggy
pony along the road from Kirkwall to London. He waves his cap, saying.
From the Heath covered Mountains of Scotia I come. The background is a
mountainous landscape with a lake on which is a boat. A signpost (1.)
points (r.) To Kirkwall and (1.) To London.
Fox had been returned for the Orkney boroughs in case he should be
defeated for Westminster, see No. 6614, &c. He sat for them pending the
result of the scrutiny, see No. 6553, &c.
A pencil-sketch for this is in the Print Room (201. c. 6/44 b).
A note on the print attributes the design to Lord James Manners.
Grego, Rowlandson, i. 143.
8lixi2i|in.
6603 THE FIRST LEVEE OF THE NEW P R ^T. [PARLIA-
MENT.]
Pu¥ as the Act directs May 2g. 1^84 by T Hardy Strand
Engraving. Pitt stands in front of the throne to which he points with a
hand holding a number of threads attached to the noses of his supporters,
who advance through a doorway, the foremost kneeling or prostrating
themselves. Across his forehead is a placard inscribed Interest; he says.
Approach & Salute the Broad Bottom of Royalty!! He holds a large flag
inscribed Standard of venality on which are a large earl's coronet indicating
Lonsdale (see No. 6579), two duke's coronets, a mitre, a baron's and a
viscount's coronet, and three money-bags, each inscribed Cole (cf. No.
6213), followed by the words to be Given Away. On the ground at Pitt's
feet are the words. Road to Preferment.
The king kneels on the throne exposing his 'broad bottom' to the Pitt-
ites ; it is irradiated and to it are attached a pair of small wings ; it is further
adorned with Garter star and ribbon inscribed Honi Soit qui mal. . . . He
bends forward, his body in a horizontal position, so that his head and
shoulders are hidden by a curtain (1.) inscribed Secret Influence Drying
Clouts! Nursing Making toast [cf. No. 7923] Rocking the Cradle, &c. &c. &c.
The crowd of Pittites advances through a doorway surmounted by a
large royal crown flanked by a birch-rod and a sword. Across the doorway
is inscribed Hall of Prerogative 1784, and over the heads of the members,
Majority of y' New P T We are your Devoted Slaves. Their heads are
crudely drawn and few can be identified : a man in the forefront in tartan
141
CATALOGUE OF POLITICAL AND PERSONAL SATIRES
is evidently Dundas. A man full-face in the centre of the crowd who is
inscribed Rat Catcher and has a rat on his forehead is John (or Jack)
Robinson, see No. 6427, &c. Thurlow in wig and gown kneels in profile
to the 1., and a man on the extreme r. resembles Barre. A parson in the fore-
ground is probably Mason, cf. No. 6485.
For the peerages, &c., given by Pitt at this time see Wraxall, Memoirs,
1884, iii. 351 ff., Ann. Reg.y iy84-5, pp. 214 ff. The first of several satires
on the subject, see No. 6631, &c. For Pitt and 'secret influence' see No.
6417, &c. For other satires hostile to Pitt see No. 6552, &c.
8Jxi2f in.
6604 FOX'S FOOL [c. May 1784]
[P. Sandby.^]
Published as the Act directs
Etching. A portrait of William Austin with ass*s ears walking in profile
(1. to r.), his hat decorated with Foxite emblems: a Fox favour, a fox*s
brush, and a laurel branch. In his r. hand he carries a watchman's rattle
and a fox's brush and his cane which is under his arm. Under his 1. arm
is a portfolio, marked with an A, referring to a note below the print, A.
Drawings turnd out of R. Academy. He is tall and slim and fashionably
dressed, wearing top-boots, looking much younger than his age.
Behind are the backs of a row of houses, seen over a brick wall, drawn
with topographical precision. Outside the first-floor window of a dignified-
looking house is a large board inscribed Drawing And Etching Taught by
W Austen Rodney PlacCy surmounted by a bust wearing a cocked hat.
Beneath the title is etched : Most Humbly Dedicated to Sir Sam^ House &c
When Billy proudly struts the Streets
A Universal laugh he meefs
From Men, while Boys from School
Cry out Gadzooks! what Thing is That
With such a Head and such a Hat?
O Lord! its Fo 
