File:The Opening of St Stephen's Chapel for the present season (when men wish to serve themselves the Devil take the hindmost) (BM 1868,0808.5609 1).jpg

English: The figures and objects have numbers referring to notes beneath the title. Members of parliament on foot, horseback, &c, hasten towards a building representing the House of Commons in the upper right part of the design. A wide doorway takes the place of almost the whole front wall, showing the interior with the Speaker in his Chair, the benches and galleries. Each side of the doorway is flanked with an enormous fish between two loaves; above it is inscribed 'The Political Ark 1787', and in the gable end: 'Blessed are the K--ng's appointed, they shall taste the rich things of the Land; but woe unto thos that thwart his Rulers till they turn from their wickedness and do that which seemeth good'. The building is '1, St Stephen's ------'; the Speaker, '2'. 'The S------r'. The ministerial benches on the Speaker's right are 'Pro Rege'; they are crowded, the first two rows being filled with loaves and fishes, numbered '2, Velvet seats for the Inns'; the opposite benches are 'Pro Patria', they have only one occupant and are covered with spikes: they are '3, Porcupine seats for the Outs'. A man stands at each side of the doorway, one (left) says, "Gentlemen we yet have Ways & Means", he is not numbered but appears to be '4, Mr G------t'. (Probably Thomas Gilbert, M.P. for Lichfield, paymaster of pensions to the widows of sea officers.) On the right is '5 The Door Keeper' saying, "The S------r is in the Chair". The other figures converge upon the House from all parts of the design: ministerialists from the left, others from the right; five small figures on horseback in advance of the Opposition say respectively (left to right): "Aye or no for a place"; "My conscience for a place"; "I want a place"; "The Lad may be hard run & glad to come down handsomely"; "Thro' thick and thin for a place". From the left

six birds with legal wigs and bands, inscribed 'Law Covey', follow a larger bird, holding an irradiated lantern, who says "There will be some Glorious Promotions." He is '6 The A-----y G------l or great law luminary' (Pepper Arden). The foremost of the 'Covey' says, "Impeachment, if pursued, may afford us some crums" (an allusion to Hastings's pending trial). Five bare-legged men in Highland dress are the 'Scotch Squad', their leader (? Dundas) carries his breeches across his shoulder and says, "We'll try for a gude place mon". On the extreme left an elephant carries a castellated box on its back from which six heads appear, surrounded with coins. They are the 'Bengal Squad'. The
elephant is led by '7, M-----r. S------t' (Major Scott, agent to Hastings),
who says, "I'll talk & write Till black is white". (His unremitting advocacy of Hastings was considered ill-judged.) For the 'Bengal Squad' and Scott see 'The Rolliad', where the Squad is called 'The Pillars of Prerogative and Pitt'; it includes Vansittart, Call, Palk, and Barwell.
The leading members of the Opposition are in the lower right corner of the print: A rider in back view is '8 Mr L' saying, "If Charles should ever get in office again, sure, he would give honest Jack a good place" (John Lee, Attorney-General under the Coalition). North rides behind Fox on the same horse, Fox saying, "I'll warrant we'll kick up a Dust". They are inscribed 'Antigallicans' (as opponents of the Commercial Treaty, see BMSat 6995, &c.) and are '10 Mr F------& L------N'. Rather nearer St. Stephen's are '11' and '9'. '11' is 'Mr S------n' (Sheridan), riding a rocking-horse, whose rockers are inscribed 'Wit'; '9' are 'Mr B------e & Mr F------s': Burke, wearing a Jesuit's biretta (cf. BMSat 6021), holds two labels, one 'Impeachment', the other 'Francis Master Hastings'. 'We'll give a good bastings'; Francis sits behind him saying, "Anon, Anon, Sir". Their horse is leaping over a keg inscribed 'Rupees', in front of it is a larger bag inscribed 'Pagodas'. In the foreground on the left are '22', '19', and '16', the last being 'Mr E------n' (Eden), dressed as a Frenchman, his coat dotted with fleurs-de-lis, saying, "I must defend my Treaty, or farewell to all my hopes" (cf. BMSat 6815). '19' is 'Mr P------& L------ds of the T-----y': Pitt rides on the back of one of the Treasury lords, who holds the coat-tails of another lord who similarly holds the next lord. Pitt's back is decorated with an implement resembling a gridiron and inscribed 'T-----y Saveall' (cf. BMSat 6965); in his left hand he holds the French Treaty, saying "Gee ho for Universal Commerce". The four lords are the Marquis of Graham, Eliot, Sir John Aubrey, and the Earl of Mornington; they are inscribed 'State Scholars', indicating that they are political novices. On the extreme left '22, Sir J------ M-----y' (Joseph Mawbey), rides a pig (cf. BMSat 5746), saying, "I'll grunt till I get a peerage." The less prominent figures on the Ministerial side are '12', '13', '14', '17', '18', '20' (there is no '15'). '18, Sir L------K------n' (Lloyd Kenyon) rides a goat and flourishes a leek, saying, "Hur would give hur coat & leak to be chief" (see BMSat 7123). '17, Law Chicken' is abird with ahumanhead, saying, "I expect to be a welch Judge" (Michael Angelo Taylor, see BMSat 6777). '13, L------ G-----y' (Lord Galway) says, "A Red ribband binds me". He was M.P. for
York, Comptroller of the Household, K.B. in 1786. '14' is 'Mr W--lk--s' (Wilkes) saying "I'll have a squint at the market". '12 Aldn W-----n '(Alderman Watson) holds up his wooden leg, saying, "Gratitude spurs me" (cf. BMSat 6965). '20', two men riding an ass, are 'Messs R------e & S------l' (Rose and Steele, the Treasury Secretaries); they say, "We mend as we go". There are four unnumbered horsemen on the Ministerial side: one near the 'Bengal Squad' falls over his horse's head, another says, "I'll push hard for a good place", another, "It's a dirty road", a third, "Interest is my idol". They may be '23'. 'Ald. H------t' [Sir B. Hammet, M.P. for Taunton] &c. &c. 20 January 1787

Etching with hand-colouring