Tithe pig [graphic]

"An obese and gouty parson (left) reclines in an arm-chair, inspecting through an eye-glass a sucking-pig which a buxom maidservant brings in on a dish. She shows it to the clerk, who sits beside the parson, with a paper: 'An Estimate of the Tythes of this Parish'. The latter sniffs at the pig's snout. Two dogs eagerly fawn on the maid. Through the doorway (right) a lean yokel sourly scratches his head, waiting for the verdict on his pig. The parson's swathed leg is supported on a stool; beside him are a bottle and glass, a crutch and chamber-pot. On the wall is a picture of a group of church spires, suggesting that he is a pluralist, though the room is bare and old-fashioned."--British Museum online catalogue