"Sir William Curtis (left), grossly obese, wearing quasi-nautical dress, dines in the cabin of his yacht. The table is littered with wine-glasses; a dish contains a bare bone. Behind his chair is a pile of empty bottles. His broken pipe lies on the ground. He has a carbuncled nose, wears a small straw hat and striped trousers, with blue coat. He says to a servant who takes a bottle of wine from a large hamper: "John, I vonder if there ever vas since the Creation an Alderman possessed of so much courage as me (Zounds! what noise is that? Oh it's only the Vind,) to come to go into real earnest Danger, & all for one's pleasure! which is more than any other Officer in the whole of this here Fleet or Army can say, now there's your Seizures [Caesars], I thinks there were ten or a Dozen on 'em, then there's your Pitolomies & Cannibles & Poly-buss's & Eckserkses [Xerxes's] and all the rest of the bunch of Roman Generals -you never reads of any Alderman going out in any of their Exhibitions! no more Lord Mayors neither! & thats a bold word to say, now John we must 'bout Ship Speedy & soon ...for we dont know but one of Bonyparts D-d Bullets may get in to one of us then that would be a Bullet in [Bulletin] that ve dont Vant but how do we stand for Bubb & Grubb & Grape Shot?" The servant, a rough-looking fellow wearing a night-cap and apron, answers: "Why your Honor the Brown Stout is all gone, there is nothing left but the wing of a Turkey & Ham bone & a Bottle of Red --herefore as how we must steer speedily & soon for Port. Behind Curtis's head hangs a picture of the façade of a two-storied house: 'A view of Jacobs well'. On the right is a window through which are seen the sea and ships."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
Who's afraid, Great & glorious news for old England, and Great and glorious news for old England