"A scene in the House of Commons. In the foreground is the space outside the bar, filled with burlesqued supporters of Paull's petition against Sheridan's return for Westminster (see BMSat 10619, &c). These are struck by darts of fire, lightning, and smoke from the Speaker (Abbot), a diminutive figure, almost entirely composed of a huge wig. There are two main blasts, the larger (l.) directed against Paull, the other (r.) against Bosville, Horne Tooke, and Cobbett. In the former is the fiery face of Sheridan, glaring at his enemy, with flames from mouth and nostril. Paull has been thrown violently on to his back, having slipped from the back of a goose with the head of Burdett, on which he has ridden into the House. The goose waddles off to the right., with outstretched neck, following Tooke, the toe of one of Paull's boots still in a stirrup. From Burdett's profile projects the beak of a goose; his long neck is labelled 'Green-Goose from Brentford'. Burdett and his friends seem anxious to slink off without association with the calamity that has befallen Paull. The latter has dropped a long document, which is blazing; this is headed: 'Petition - Humble Petition against Rd Brin[sley] Sheridan for Bribery Corruption . . .' Other papers on which he has fallen are headed 'Scr[utiny]' and 'Impeachment Marquiss Wellesley' [see BMSat 10561, &c.]. A bonnet rouge falls from his head; he has dropped his yard-stick, shears, a cabbage, cucumbers (cf. BMSat 10608, &c). Behind him (l.) is his Counsel, Henry Clifford, in wig and gown, with a drink-blotched face, dropping a sheaf of papers: 'Brief - Paul versus Sheridan.' He heads a crowd of disreputable witnesses, characteristic of Gillray's denizens of the underworld (cf. BMSat 9202); some wear favours in their hats inscribed 'Paul'. All fall backwards under the impact of the Speaker's blast. One man, the palm of his hand branded 'R T' (signifying that he has returned from transportation), grasps a paper inscribed 'Perjury'; a noseless old woman holds a 'Forged Letter of Richd Br Sherridan.' One man holds up a marrow-bone, another a cleaver inscribed 'No Bastille, to show that they belonged to Burdett's election mob, see BMSat 9878, &c. (though he dropped that cry in 1804). Other papers on the ground are: 'Bribery'; 'List of False Votes - J. Powell'; 'Witnesses - Conkey Bean, Bill Soanes, Drake, Hart ye Informer - .' ..."--British Museum online catalogue.
Alternative Title:
Little tailor done over and Little taylor done over
Description:
Text following title: Vide, the terrible effects of provoking a red-hot-shot from the broad-bottom'd-Whig-battery. and Title etched below image.
Subject (Name):
Abbot, Charles,--Baron Colchester,--1757-1829--Caricatures and cartoons., Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., Buckingham and Chandos, Richard Temple Nugent Brydges Chandos,--Duke of,--1776-1839--Caricatures and cartoons., Burdett, Francis,--1770-1844--Caricatures and cartoons., Clifford, Henry,--1768-1813--Caricatures and cartoons., Cobbett, William,--1763-1835--Caricatures and cartoons., Grey, Charles Grey,--Earl,--1764-1845--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Humphrey, Hannah, active 1774-1817, publisher., Paull, James,--1770-1808--Caricatures and cartoons., Sheridan, Richard Brinsley,--1751-1816--Caricatures and cartoons., Tooke, John Horne,--1736-1812--Caricatures and cartoons., and Windham, William,--1750-1810--Caricatures and cartoons.
"The Tower of Babel is represented by a vast pile of bundles of documents tied by tricolour ribbon, culminating in the allegations of Mrs. Clarke against the Duke of York. It is being destroyed by the Speaker, Abbot, who swoops down upon it from a cloud with uplifted and irradiated mace, and holding up a long scroll: Justice Triumphant-- Decisions of the Rt Honble The House of Commons--Majority against the Evidence of a Prostitute--Majority against the Machinations of Republicans & Levellers--. The tower totters sideways under blasts from the mouths of Canning, Castlereagh, and (below) Perceval, who lean forward from clouds on the left of the design. Between the two clouds appears part of a curving band, on which is a sign of the Zodiac, the Scales, evenly balanced to show that they are an emblem of Justice (cf. No. 10972). The leaders of the 'Republicans' fall headlong from the tower (right) as it topples, and are also struck down by a copious stream of water from the sky inscribed Royal-Water-Spout. Mrs. Clarke receives its full impact. She is astride the shoulders of Wardle who is falling downwards from the summit. Her large muff (see No. 11225), inscribed Mrs A. Clarke's Old Conjuring Muff, To be sold to the best Bidder, flies from her hand. In her hair are the serpents of Discord. To her belt of Ingratitude is attached a bag of Plunder. Wardle wears regimentals; in his pocket is a paper: Wardle Private Reas[ons]. Just below him Lord Folkestone is falling; he drops Patriotic Harangues by Fid Fad Folkstone and a large bundle of papers inscribed Motions for Kicking up a Row in the House of Commons. In his pocket are papers: Cobbetts Hints. Just below him is Whitbread who has fallen on a (falling) ladder, breaking it in half; he sprawls across the broken fragment, struck down by one of his own barrels, inscribed Barrel of Mischief. Its frothing contents pour over his head, inscribed Quassia [see No. 10574], Cocus Indicus, Opium [see No. 10795]; the falling barrel-head is Whitbreads Entire Butt [see No. 10421]. He drops a paper: Essay upon Political Brewing without Malt or Hops, and an open book: Political Divinity by Sam Froth--The Wicked shall be caught in the work of their own Hands. The ladder which he has broken is the Broad-Bottom Ladder of Ambition [cf. No. 10530]. The vast Lord Temple has broken the lower rungs and lies on his back, his legs in the air, the ladder on top of him. ..."--British Museum online catalogue.
Description:
Three lines of quoted text following title: "And they said, go to, let us build to us a city and a tower, whose top may reach to heavens, and let us make us a name!" ... and Title etched below image.
Subject (Name):
Abbot, Charles,--Baron Colchester,--1757-1829--Caricatures and cartoons., Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., Buckingham and Chandos, Richard Temple Nugent Brydges Chandos,--Duke of,--1776-1839--Caricatures and cartoons., Burdett, Francis,--1770-1844--Caricatures and cartoons., Canning, George,--1770-1827--Caricatures and cartoons., Castlereagh, Robert Stewart,--Viscount,--1769-1822--Caricatures and cartoons., Clarke, Mary Anne Thompson,--1776-1852--Caricatures and cartoons., Cobbett, William,--1763-1835--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Humphrey, Hannah, active 1774-1817, publisher., Lansdowne, Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice,--Marquess of,--1780-1863--Caricatures and cartoons., Perceval, Spencer,--1762-1812--Caricatures and cartoons., Radnor, William Pleydell-Bouverie,--Earl of,--1779-1869--Caricatures and cartoons., Tooke, John Horne,--1736-1812--Caricatures and cartoons., Wardle, Gwyllym Lloyd,--1762?-1833--Caricatures and cartoons., and Whitbread, Samuel,--1764-1815--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.