"A scene in the House of Commons, showing the Ministerial benches, with the Speaker's Chair and the Table partly cut off by the right margin. The Speaker (Manners Sutton) and one of the Clerks are just within the design. Castlereagh is speaking; he stands in profile to the right, hat in hand, with the Pope on his shoulders. The Pope holds crosier and keys, and wears an odd tiara. A demon crouches on his shoulders dressed as an acolyte, but displaying a cloven hoof; a mask with bland features (a device deriving from Gillray, cf. British Museum Satires No. 11384) is tied in front of his black horned head; he holds up a lighted candle, and clutches the Pope's hair. Castlereagh, with a blandly disingenuous smile: "I have the authority of the Head of the Catholic Church, for saying that there is no solidity in the objection taken on the other side: thus I am legislating with the Pope at my back!!!" The benches behind Castlereagh are crowded; the members listening intently; all wear hats, except Peel who sits immediately behind Castlereagh's empty seat, on the corner of which he has put a hat, inscribed 'Peel'. He looks up to say: "I hope that when the noble Lord observed that [he was legislating with the Pope at his back] he had no allusion to me, even if the noble Lord were willing to put the Popedom in Commission, I should not be willing to accept the office of one of the Commissioners." Men look down from the gallery. On the floor is a paper: 'St Steevens March 28 1821'."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
Whatever is, is right. Pope! and Weighty argument in favour of the Catholic Emancipation
Description:
Title etched below image. and Watermark: J. Whatman 1820.
Publisher:
Pubd. April 1821 by G. Humphrey, 27 St. Jamess Street, London
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain.
Subject (Name):
Castlereagh, Robert Stewart, Viscount, 1769-1822, Canterbury, Charles Manners-Sutton, Viscount, 1780-1845, Pius VII, Pope, 1742-1823, Peel, Robert, 1788-1850, and Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons,
Subject (Topic):
Catholic emancipation, Legislative bodies, Politicians, Public speaking, Popes, Crosiers, Keys (Hardware), Demons, Masks, and Candles
Title from letterpress text below image, in Spanish. and Date of publication inferred from variant edition with letterpress text in English, published by J.B.G. Vogel and dated to 1808 in the British Museum catalogue. Cf. No. 11057 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum, v. 8.
Publisher:
Printed by Harding and Wright ...
Subject (Name):
Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821, Enghien, Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon, duc d', 1772-1804, Pius VII, Pope, 1742-1823, Wright, John Wesley, 1769-1805, Ferdinand VII, King of Spain, 1784-1833, and Talleyrand-Périgord, Charles Maurice de, prince de Bénévent, 1754-1838
Subject (Topic):
Coats of arms, Devil, Pitchforks, Flags, French, Globes, Daggers & swords, Liberty cap, Roosters, Crucifixes, and Hourglasses
"John Bull sits in a double pair of stocks, his ankles heavily shackled. His wrists are linked by a huge padlock inscribed Million £800 000 000 [National Debt]. He sits on bales of Taxes; to his back is tied a huge bundle of Last Wars Taxes. His clothes are tattered; three pockets hang inside out, inscribed To Let. At his side (left), and in profile to the right, kneels a noble Spaniard, in very theatrical dress, with trunk hose, cloak, and ruff. He has a spear from which hangs a pennant inscribed Libertas. He puts his hands together in a gesture of prayer: I come once again, and on my kneens [sic] to implore your Aid, we are indeed grateful for former Services, and beleive that you fought purely for Spain and not for yourselves--Save us from our pretended Friends they are worse then Enemies--Save us, and the World, from the destruction of Liberty--. John bites his thumbs despairingly; he answers: I pity you, but I can only give you advice, when you came to me before, I was a Strong Man, and free, but I am now exhausted in saving you, and destroying your great Enemy--See how I am fetter'd--! My Creditors enchain me--! look at my Debt and pity me!-- At his feet a heavy pair of leg-irons lies across many papers inscribed Debt and Taxes. He sits under an oak-tree; from a partly-withered bough hang his cartouche-box and bayonet-belt. In the middle distance (right) Louis XVIII sits astride a cannon (cf. British Museum Satires No. 12797), on a gun-carriage drawn rapidly up a slope by the Tsar and the Emperor of Austria. Both wear uniform and crowns, that of the latter topped by a fool's cap. Both cry: War! War!! War! and blood!! Alexander holds a sword in one hand, a bayoneted musket in the other; Francis holds a sword and a pistol, against his shoulder is the shaft of a flag inscribed Holy Alliance. Louis XVIII leans back, flannelled legs extended, two pistols in his belt, a sword in one hand, a musket in the other. Before him on the cannon is a bowl of soup, &c. The Pope walks at his right, holding a string attached to his nose. The King: By the Powers I shall fall, and lose my Balance Stop!! Stop! I say don't pull so hard you'll rupture [your scored through] Eu rope, this is not suited to my Taste [scored through] Gout I am already crippled and cannot bear it Stop!!!-- The Pope, who wears his tiara and holds his crosier against his shoulder, answers: Fear not, I'll let you into Heaven, through the back door my dear Son. Keys hang from his neck. Behind the cannon runs the Devil pushing at the King's posterior with a trident; he says: They cannot go on without me so I bring up the rear!! Beside the cannon run tiny frogs in uniform with muskets, &c. A slightly bigger one holding a sword may represent Angoulême. Cannon fire at them from a fort on a hill."--British Museum online catalogue, description of an earlier state
Alternative Title:
John Bull flourishing in a dignified attitude of strict neutrality
Description:
Title etched below image., Later state, with initials "A.J." added in lower right and the words "with Spain" added to speech bubble immediately to the right of the stocks in center of image. For an earlier state lacking these additions, see no. 14520 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum, v. 10., and Sheet trimmed within plate mark.
Publisher:
Pubd. May 1823 by G. Humphrey, 24 St. James's Street & 74 New Bond Street
Subject (Name):
Louis XVIII, King of France, 1755-1824, Francis I, Emperor of Austria, 1768-1835, Alexander I, Emperor of Russia, 1777-1825, and Pius VII, Pope, 1742-1823
Subject (Topic):
John Bull (Symbolic character), Public debt, Taxes, Trees, Rocks, Stocks (Punishment), Forts & fortifications, Cannons, Devil, and Frogs
