File:By his Majesty's royal letters patent. The new invented method of punishing state criminals. (BM 1868,0808.4516).jpg

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By his Majesty's royal letters patent. The new invented method of punishing state criminals.   (Wikidata search (Cirrus search) Wikidata query (SPARQL)  Create new Wikidata item based on this file)
Title
By his Majesty's royal letters patent. The new invented method of punishing state criminals.
Description
English: Britannia, her shield hanging from her shoulders, is about to be torn in pieces by three horses, who are being violently assailed by their riders with scourges and huge spurs. She lies at the centre of cross-roads, one (l.) inscribed "To America"; up this gallops a horse inscribed "Tyranny", to which Britannia's r. ankle is bound. Her wrists are tied by ropes to the horses "Venality" and "Ignorance", which are galloping (r.) on the roads "To Spain" and "To France" respectively. Her l. ankle is attached to a post inscribed "Court Influence" which is grasped by a stout seated man wearing a riband, evidently Lord North, though his head is hidden by his arms. He sits on the fourth road, that of "Despotism". The three horses are ridden by men ferociously using huge spurs; two flourish knotted scourges, the third a spiked club.


Behind Britannia is a large rectangular pedestal or altar decorated with a chain, and with the inscription "Great is our Lord, and Great is his Power: Yea, and his Wisdom is infinite". From this watches George III, smiling vacuously, with a watchman's rattle in one hand, a model of a cock, apparently standing on a pair of breeches, in the other. This is perhaps an allusion to the king as a 'botching taylor', see BMSat 5573. He lies supported on his elbows, across him strides a Scotsman in a kilt, evidently Bute, his arms outstretched, holding in each hand a whip with two long lashes, with which he urges on the horses below. He wears a large thistle. A long ladder leans against the side of the pedestal. Above the road leading "To America" a winged figure is flying away, carrying the cap of "Liberty" on a staff. ?1779


Etching
Depicted people Representation of: George III, King of the United Kingdom
Date 1779
date QS:P571,+1779-00-00T00:00:00Z/9
Medium paper
Dimensions
Height: 229 millimetres
Width: 282 millimetres
institution QS:P195,Q6373
Current location
Prints and Drawings
Accession number
1868,0808.4516
Notes

(Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', V, 1935) The date is probably after the declaration of war by Spain in June 1779. Mason ended his "Epistle to Dr Shebbeare", 1777, with the words:

"Till mock'd and jaded with the puppet-play, Old England's genius turns with scorn away, Ascends his sacred bark, the sails unfurl'd, And steers his state to the wide western world: High on the helm majestic Freedom stands, In act of cold contempt she waves her hands, Take, slaves, she cries, the realms that I disown, Renounce your birthright, and destroy my throne."

Cf. Wraxall, 'Memoirs', 1884, ii. 101-2.
Source/Photographer https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0808-4516
Permission
(Reusing this file)		 © The Trustees of the British Museum, released as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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current22:14, 15 May 2020Thumbnail for version as of 22:14, 15 May 20202,500 × 2,012 (1.24 MB)Copyfraud (talk | contribs)British Museum public domain uploads (Copyfraud/BM) Satirical prints in the British Museum 1779 #11,027/12,043

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