"The lion, with the face and wig of Melville, lies gazing up, blood falling on the papers under his paws: 'Plans for Manning tfthe Navy - List of ships built in 1804 ... of ye Line'; 'Abolition of Impress'. He is struck down by the blast from a blunderbuss whose muzzle is a tankard inscribed 'Whitbreads Entire'. This is fired by St. Vincent who crouches (left) behind a withered tree. The blast issues from a circle of froth inscribed 'Report'. Part of it, inscribed 'Condemnation without Trial', passes above the lion and strikes Britannia to the heart. She is leaning against an ancient but flourishing oak on the extreme right. The blast that strikes Melville is inscribed 'Invectives', 'Popular Clamour', 'Envy', 'Disappointed Jacobins', 'Malice'. On the upper part of the withered tree sits a monkey with the head of Wilberforce, holding up an open book: 'Solution of Vital Xianity', but directing at Melville a blast from his posteriors inscribed 'Cant! - Envy! - Abuse! - Hypocrisy! - Cruelty.' Three asses are kicking up their heels at Melville as they scamper off towards the mountainous background. The nearest has the head of Sidmouth, with ass's ears. He is laden with panniers inscribed 'Physick for the Lion.'; these are heaped with medicine-bottles, one labelled 'Emetic for ye Lion'; there are also a 'Clyster for the Lion', and a box of 'opening Pills' (cf. BMSat 9849), The other asses are Hily Addington and Bragge, cf. BMSat 9986. The latter (right) turns his head to say: "Very highly indebted to the Lion, brother Heeley!" His panniers are inscribed 'Provisions for the Doctors Family' and 'Trifles procured thro' the Lions Generosity'; they are piled high with papers: 'Pension to Brother Brag &...'; 'Annuity to all our Cousins'; '£40000 pr Ann'; 'Sinecure'; 'Pension for Aunts'; 'Pension for Brother Hely'; 'Pension'. The other ass (Hiley) answers: "Then give him another kick, Brother Braggey". He is laden with a sack of 'Candid Whorehound'. The lion is also assailed by a fox (Fox) who viciously bites his hindquarters, and by a serpent with the head of Grey (Whitbread's brother-in-law) who bites his neck. Three small rats, wearing legal wigs and bands (right), run viciously toward the lion; they are (left to right): Jekyll (see BMSat 9179), Erskine, and Robert Adair, an ardent Foxite, cf. BMSat 7158. A dog, its collar inscribed 'Kinard' (Kinnaird), bites the lion's tail, while one foot is in a plate containing a bare bone, and inscribed 'Melville-Castle' with a coronet."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Printmaker from British Museum catalogue., Three lines of quoted text following title: "And now, all the sculking herd of the forest, some out of insolence, others in revenge ..." Vide, Aesop's fables., and Mounted to 31 x 43 cm.
Publisher:
Pubd. July 16th, 1805, by H. Humphrey, 27 St. James's Street
Subject (Name):
Wilberforce, William, 1759-1833, Sidmouth, Henry Addington, Viscount, 1757-1844, Dundas, Henry, 1742-1811, Grey, Charles Grey, Earl, 1764-1845, Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Erskine, James Francis, 1743-1806, and Kinnaird, Charles Kinnaird, Baron, 1780-1826
"Erskine stands in profile to the left; he bends forward, resting both hands on the table of the House of Commons, part of which is visible on the left. His half-closed eyes give him an almost imbecile expression ..."--British Museum catalogue
Description:
Title from British Museum catalogue. and Signed with the monogram of James Sayers.
"Erskine stands in profile to the left; he bends forward, resting both hands on the table of the House of Commons, part of which is visible on the left. His half-closed eyes give him an almost imbecile expression ..."--British Museum catalogue
Description:
Title from British Museum catalogue., Signed with the monogram of James Sayers., and Mounted on page 11 with three other prints.
"Erskine stands in profile to the left; he bends forward, resting both hands on the table of the House of Commons, part of which is visible on the left. His half-closed eyes give him an almost imbecile expression ..."--British Museum catalogue
Description:
Title from British Museum catalogue., Signed with the monogram of James Sayers., 1 print : etching with stipple on wove paper ; plate mark 17.5 x 11.2 cm, on sheet 19.5 x 13 cm., Mounted with three other prints on leaf 7 of James Sayers's Folio album of 144 caricatures., and The figure in the print is identified by a small strip of paper (approximately 5 x 35 mm) pasted in lower left corner of sheet with their name in letterpress: Sir James Erskine.
