"The windlass (right) is turned by Bedford, in profile to the left, Fox, in back view but looking to the raft (left), Sheridan, in profile to the right, and Tierney, coming towards the spectator. From Bedford's pocket hangs a paper: '£1400 Fined, for False Entry of Servants'. All are running, but it is clear that huge waves raised by Pitt will swamp the raft before it reaches shore. All wear coats except Fox, whose coat lies on the ground beside a paper: 'List of the New Republican Ministry. Citizen Volpone, Premier..'.. Fox's shirt is tattered, his hair is tied by a tricolour ribbon. Pitt's profile emerges from clouds in the upper (right) corner; his blast spreads as it reaches the raft, developing into flashes of lightning ..."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
Republican flotilla in danger
Description:
Title etched below image. and Sheet trimmed within plate mark on right and left edges.
Publisher:
Pubd. Feby. 1st, 1798, by H. Humphrey, 27 St. James's Street
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Tierney, George, 1761-1830, Bedford, Francis Russell, Duke of, 1765-1802, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816, and Pitt, William, 1759-1806
"Round a bare and decayed oak-tree is twined a serpent with the head of Fox; he has scaly arms with human hands and holds out a damaged apple inscribed 'Reform', saying, "nice Apple, Johnny! - nice Apple". John Bull (left) is a fat and squat yokel, wearing the Windsor uniform of blue coat with red collar and cuffs. The pockets of his coat and waistcoat bulge with round golden apples. His back is to Fox, towards whom he looks out of the corners of his eyes, saying: "Very nice N'apple indeed! - but my Pokes are all full of Pippins from off t'other Tree: & besides, I hates Medlars, they're so domn'd rotten! that I'se afraid they'll gie me the Guts-ach for all their vine looks!" Fox's scaly tail is coiled round the upper branches; its tip issues from a large cap of 'Liberté', decorated with tricolour cockade and ribbons, which is poised on a branch. The trunk of the tree is 'Opposition'; its roots are: 'Envy', 'Ambition', 'Disappointment'. The main branches are 'Rights of Man' (see BMSat 7867, &c.) and 'Profligacy'. Each rotten apple or medlar has an inscription: 'Democracy.', 'Treason.', 'Slavery.', 'Atheism.', 'Blasphemy.', 'Plunder.', 'Murder.', 'Whig Club', 'Impiety', 'Revolution', 'Conspiracy', 'Corresponding Society', 'Deism', 'Age of Reason' (Paine's deistic book). In the background (right) is an oak in full leaf: its trunk is 'Justice', the roots 'Commons', 'King', 'Lords', the branches 'Laws' and 'Religion'. From it hangs a crown surrounded by 'pippins', some inscribed 'Freedom', 'Happiness', 'Security'. (Cf. BMSat 8287, &c.)."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Temporary local subject terms: Liberty: tree of liberty -- Uniforms: Windsor uniform -- Literature: Thomas Paine's Rights of Man -- Vices -- Cap of liberty as bonnet rouge -- Serpents -- Reforms., and Watermark: 1794.
Publisher:
Pubd. May 23d, 1798, by H. Humphrey, No. 27 St. Jamess [sic] Street, London