A family of beggars standing in a row; the man (left), his clothes in rags, holds out his hat; on his coat pocket, turned inside out and in holes, is the word useless; he says, "I was once a Capital Dealer but thro' ye Obstinacy of one man &amp; ye Villainy of many More - am reduced to Beggary". His wife, an infant in her arms, is a ballad singer; she holds a broadside and sings, "Oh I wish that ye Wars were all over". The little girl next her sings, were all over; her arm is round her younger brother's neck, he sings, all over, while an infant on his left clad only in a ragged shirt, echoes over. This last child holds by a string a toy-horse on wheels, on which sits a figure of the king wearing his crown and Garter ribbon. On the right is the side of a building on which is a rectangular sun-dial, inscribed "Dum species Fugio". In front of it is a tree-stump with bare branches on which sit two owls. They say "Long live Sultan - as long as He lives, We shall never want Ruin'd Towns &amp; Villages - Vid. SPEC". From a branch hangs a kite by its tail, inscribed "in ye Reign of ye best of Princes". On the left is a row of three houses of diminishing size, all "To Let". (There were in 1779 "no less than 1,104 empty houses within the City of London". Macpherson, 'Annals of Commerce', iii. 649.)
<p><br>In the middle distance is a hunting scene: the king wearing his crown followed by another rider holding a club, chases a stag with three dogs. On the horizon, on the farther side of a stretch of water, two towns are seen in flames; one, left, is inscribed "Norfolk", the other, right, is "Æsopus". Norfolk, Virginia, was bombarded 1 Jan. 1776 by Lord Dunmore the Governor and afterwards burnt by the Americans to prevent Dunmore's establishing himself there. Æsopus was burnt by General Vaughan, Oct. 1777, see BMSat 5470.
<br>Beneath the design is engraved: "To his Excely Genl Washington. Pat. Patæ.  This Plate is humbly Address'd by His Obedient Servt Thos Tradeless
<br><br>Oh Wash'gton is there not some Chosen Curse 
<br>Some Hidden Thunder; in the stores of Heav'n, 
<br>Red with uncommon Wrath, to BLAST those MEN, 
<br>Who owe their Greatness to their Country's RUIN
<br>Addiss Cato."  
<br><br>Above the design are the words "Veluti in Speculum" (which then ornamented the proscenium of the theatre). December 1779
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<br>Etching
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