"A leech with the head and barrister's wig of Leach is coiled round an upright cylindrical document to which is tied with red tape a second bill; these are respectively 'Bill of Pains . . .' [see British Museum Satires No. 13825] and 'Divorce'. Propped against the former are two green bags (see British Museum Satires No. 13735), both closed with a large red seal on which is a 'G.R.' monogram. These are inscribed 'Fill'd with Filth and Lies!!!' and 'Lies . . . [L]ies'. With them are other large documents: 'List of Witness[es] against Q . . . N'; 'Expen[ces] & Bribes at Milan'; 'Protoc[ol]' (cf. British Museum Satires No. 13764). The small shambling Wilberforce is being pushed towards the leech by Castlereagh (left), who is a pendant to the more stalwart and bulky Duke of York (right). The Duke wears uniform, holds his unsheathed sword, and has a pyramid of cannon-balls crooked in his left arm. A paper, 'Bp Osnabu[rgh]', is thrust through his sash. He says fiercely: "Rascals! Villains!! Traitors!!! I have set the Claret running in One Place, and if any of you attempt, to deprive me of My succession, I will make your Bodies, a thoroughfare for York dumplings!! alias Artillery Bolouses." Castlereagh, with a scourge hanging from his pocket, says to Wilberforce: "O dear! O dear! That Bishop quite alarms me, now my dear Christian Friend, pray do persuade that great Horse Leech to muster up all his Italian Witnesses [see British Museum Satires No. 13762, &c.] immediately or that Military Bishop [cf. British Museum Satires No. 11227] will send us to Kingdom come along with out Master." Wilberforce holds a book: 'New Litany &c'; a Pet[ition] To Q--N' is under his arm; a paper, 'Slave Tra[de]' (cf. British Museum Satires No. 8793) hangs from his pocket. He says: "Pray Sr--Horse Leech, endeavour to stop the Q--'s mouth by bringing the whole host of Witnesses, before the L--ds, so as to Crush Her at once, otherwise that Terrable Bishop, will send us into Abrahams bosom, sooner, than We wish.""--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title from text below image., Printmaker's name in statement of responsibility in the form of a monogrammatic device formed by the letters "SV" followed by a depiction of an owl and the letters "es"., Mounted to 58 x 39 cm., Mounted on leaf 69 in volume 1 of the W.E. Gladstone collection of caricatures and broadsides surrounding the "Queen Caroline Affair.", and Figures of "D. York," "Sir John Leach," "Wilberforce," and "Londondery [sic]" identified in ink at bottom of image; date "16 Aug. 1820" written in lower right corner. Typed extract of five lines from the British Museum catalogue description is pasted beneath print.
Publisher:
Pubd. by J. Carlile, 55 Fleet Stt
Subject (Name):
Caroline, Queen, consort of George IV, King of Great Britain, 1768-1821., George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762-1830., Leach, John, 1760-1834, Wilberforce, William, 1759-1833, Castlereagh, Robert Stewart, Viscount, 1769-1822, and Frederick Augustus, Prince, Duke of York and Albany, 1763-1827
Subject (Topic):
Worms, Parasites, Wigs, Bags, Documents, Divorce, Military uniforms, British, Daggers & swords, and Cannon balls