"Pitt arrogantly bestrides the Speaker's chair, towering high above the galleries of the House. He plays cup (or rather spike) and ball with the globe, on which 'France' is disproportionately large, the British Isles small and obscure. His head is turned to the left towards his own followers, who crowd obsequiously towards his huge right foot which rests on the head of Wilberforce (papers inscribed 'Slave Trade' issuing from his pocket) and on the shoulder of the bulky and truculent Dundas, who wears Highland dress. Canning (the 'Trial of Betty Canning' projecting from his pocket) kneels to kiss the toe of his shoe. His left foot crushes the leaders of the Opposition: Erskine, Sheridan, Fox (all prostrate), and a fourth (? Grey) with upstretched arms. M. A. Taylor, a tiny figure, with the legs of a chicken (see BMSat 6777) and wearing a bonnet-rouge, sprawls on the floor near Fox. The rest of the party raise their arms in dismay. The Speaker (Addington) looks up (raising his hat), as do the Clerks. Pitt's coat-pockets bulge like sacks; in one (left) are papers: 'Volunteers, 200000 Seamen, 150000 Regulars, Militia'; the other is stuffed with guineas, on this his left hand rests, holding a paper 'Resources for supporting the War'."--British Museum online catalogue.
Subject (Name):
Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., Erskine, Thomas Erskine,--Baron,--1750-1823--Caricatures and cartoons., Fox, Charles James,--1749-1806--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Humphrey, Hannah, active 1774-1817, publisher., Melville, Henry Dundas,--Viscount,--1742-1811--Caricatures and cartoons., Pitt, William,--1759-1806--Caricatures and cartoons., Sheridan, Richard Brinsley,--1751-1816--Caricatures and cartoons., and Wilberforce, William,--1759-1833--Caricatures and cartoons.
"The interior of a stable. On the right are horses with human heads ; behind, in a niche and partly cut off by the left margin, stands a mitred abbot. He is 'The Abbot of Saint Stephen' (the Speaker). In the foreground (left) stands Whitbread, a brawny and handsome Hercules, with bare legs and arms ; he flings the contents of a huge tankard of 'Whitbreads Intire' [see No. 10421] at the heels of the nearest horse. This clumsy animal has the head and wig of Melville ; he kicks, saying, 'What the Deel is the is the man a boot.' Under his forelegs is a broom inscribed 'Will force's [Wilberforce's] Broom for Suppression of Vice.' Behind Melville appear the head and four legs of Trotter, who says apprehensively : 'Attack the Gallopers I am only a poor Trotter.' Behind him is Pitt, a very lean horse, saying, 'I am afraid we shall be all drench'd in turn.' Behind him is a crown of barely differentiated ministerialists, the foremost has some resemblance to Castlereagh ; behind him is (?) Canning, who exclaimes : 'Who could have expected this.' Beside Melville, and on the extreme right, is a large chest : 'Private Chest for Stray provendor' ; on it stand money bags. Along the wall over the heads of the horses is a rack with partitions inscribed : 'Treasury Stall, Army Stall, Navy Stall'; these are heaped with money-bags. Below the title: 'Augeus a King of Elis, had a stable, which was not cleansed for thirty years-yet Hurcules cleaned it, in one day. Vid Heathen Mythology."--British Museum catalogue.
Description:
Attributed to Rowlandson by Grego. and Title etched below image.
Subject (Name):
Abbot, Charles,--Baron Colchester,--1757-1829--Caricatures and cartoons., Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., Dundas, Henry,--1742-1811--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Rowlandson, Thomas, 1756-1827, publisher., Whitbread, Samuel,--1764-1815--Caricatures and cartoons., and Wilberforce, William,--1759-1833--Caricatures and cartoons.
"A lumbering wagon drawn (l. to r.) by eight asses is stuck fast, up to the axles in water; the asses strain hard to drag it up a steep slope to dry land. Its dilapidated tilt is much patched and is labelled 'British State Waggon 1804'. The wagoner, Addington (r.), kneels on an adjacent bank, and shouts to a fat and jovial John Bull, dressed as a volunteer, who stands on the opposite bank of the deeply sunken lane, his bulldog beside him. Addington wears a smock, but his powdered hair is in a black bag. He holds his long whip and his hat in his right. hand, and extends his left. arm, shouting, " - help, Johnny Bull! - help! - my Waggon's stuck fast in the Slough! - help! help." John, who holds his bayoneted musket, looks down at Addington, pointing behind him with outflung r. arm at thirteen horses with human heads above and behind him on rising ground. He answers: " - stuck fast in the Slough! - ay to be sure! - why dost'nt put better Cattle to thy Wain? - look at them there Horses doing o' nothing at all! - what ether they matches in Colour, if they do but drag the Waggon out o' the Mud! - don't ye see how the very thoughts o' being put into Harness makes 'em all love and nubble one another?" The horses, [The identifications (most being self-evident) are those of Miss Banks, the alternatives in brackets being those of E. Hawkins. Wright and Evans arrange them differently and omit Spencer and Lansdowne.] though close together, are in groups. On the extreme left., and rather behind the others, Lord Spencer (or Carlisle) rubs noses with Carlisle (or Lauderdale), Erskine (in wig and bands) with Wilberforce. In front of this group the bulky Lansdowne (or Norfolk) lies on the ground, asleep, his back to the others. Next, Grey turns his head towards the haughty Buckingham, who wears spectacles and a Garter ribbon. Their backs are turned to the main group of four: Fox, with a foreleg placed on Grenville's shoulder looks up affectionately at the latter, who responds with a complacent smile. Pitt watches the pair with haughty benignity; Canning, behind, watches them intently. On the extreme right. Sheridan (a plump piebald), scowling fiercely, kicks up his heels at Windham, who retorts with a blast of excrement, his head turned towards Fox and Grenville. In the foreground (l.) is the stage-wagon (the slowest form of transit), drawn by its eight undifferentiated asses. The tilt is open at the back, showing it crammed with bundles, &c. The centre-piece is a bulging sack: 'Budget for 1804', from which project papers inscribed 'Taxes'. A treasure-chest is inscribed 'Treasury'; coins pour from a hole in its side. It is flanked by two bundles: 'Secret Service Money' and 'Family Pickings'. A bundle of 'Pensions' consists of bulky papers inscribed 'Sinecure'. Large volumes tied together are 'New Acts of Parliament'. Other papers are 'Defence against Invasion'; 'State of Ireland'; 'East Indies'. A bundle of 'Loans for / 84' [sic] contains 'Navy Bills' and 'Exchequer Bills'. There are also three tiny barrels of 'Gun Powder' and a bundle of muskets inscribed 'Volunteers'. From the side of the wagon hangs a basket of 'Family Medicine' containing two bottles labelled 'Broth[er] Bra[gge]' and 'Brother Hiley'."--British Museum online catalogue.
Alternative Title:
State wagoner and John Bull, Waggon too much for the donkeys!, and Wagon too much for the donkeys!
Description:
Imprint from British Museum catalogue. and Title etched in upper left corner of image.
Subject (Name):
Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., Buckingham, George Nugent Temple Grenville,--Marquess of,--1753-1813--Caricatures and cartoons., Canning, George,--1770-1827--Caricatures and cartoons., Carlisle, Frederick Howard,--Earl of,--1748-1825--Caricatures and cartoons., Erskine, Thomas Erskine,--Baron,--1750-1823--Caricatures and cartoons., Fox, Charles James,--1749-1806--Caricatures and cartoons., Gillray, James, 1756-1815, artist., Grenville, William Wyndham Grenville,--Baron,--1759-1834--Caricatures and cartoons., Grey, Charles Grey,--Earl,--1764-1845--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Humphrey, Hannah, active 1774-1817, publisher., Lansdowne, William Petty,--Marquis of,--1737-1805--Caricatures and cartoons., Pitt, William,--1759-1806--Caricatures and cartoons., Sheridan, Richard Brinsley,--1751-1816--Caricatures and cartoons., Sidmouth, Henry Addington,--Viscount,--1757-1844--Caricatures and cartoons., Spencer, George John Spencer,--Earl,--1758-1834--Caricatures and cartoons., Wilberforce, William,--1759-1833--Caricatures and cartoons., and Windham, William,--1750-1810--Caricatures and cartoons.
Subject (Topic):
John Bull (Symbolic character)--Caricatures and cartoons.
"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:
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 Title etched below image.
Subject (Name):
Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., Erskine, James Francis,--1743-1806--Caricatures and cartoons., Fox, Charles James,--1749-1806--Caricatures and cartoons., Grey, Charles Grey,--Earl,--1764-1845--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Humphrey, Hannah, active 1774-1817, publisher., Kinnaird, Charles Kinnaird,--Baron,--1780-1826--Caricatures and cartoons., Melville, Henry Dundas,--Viscount,--1742-1811--Caricatures and cartoons., Sidmouth, Henry Addington,--Viscount,--1757-1844--Caricatures and cartoons., and Wilberforce, William,--1759-1833--Caricatures and cartoons.
