Satire against William Pitt and George III, and the suppression of political dissent in 1795. Pitt, left, holding a up a blazing sheet of paper lettered 'Bill of Rights' and holding his other fist out in defiance faces a blindfold George III, who stands in profile to the left holding out a long paper inscribed 'For Peace / Petition against Gagging / A Padlock / Freedom / Contrary / Bill of Rights'. Pitt has a large padlock over each shoulder, one attached to a chain that the King is holding up, and stands below a 'Sword of Justice' dangling on a string that is about to be cut by a large pair of scissors lettered ‘Fate’. He says 'My race is almost run / But ere I'm sunk for ever I'll sour the sweet milk of concord into hate, Uproar the universal peace, confound All unity on earth", while being dragged down to an open grave by three skeletons, who comment variously  "Come along Willie, War! Famine and despotism bring you to this" ; "Down busy devil down, down! And among the other miseries of war remember Dunkirk" (the disastrous failure of the siege of Dunkirk in September 1793 for which the government was blamed);  "Remember Quiberon!" (the failed British-backed  royalist landing at Quiberon Bay in June 1795). The King has two howitzers for boots and stands beside a pile of cannon balls saying "Where wilt thou lead me? Speak, I’ll go no further" . Behind him, right, an irate John Bull holds up upside-down a huge open padlock 'For Locking up John Bull' while on the right two soldiers are dropping their rifles and turning to run "I never saw such an energetic opposition", "D-m me if I fight in such a cause". December 1795
<br>Hand-coloured etching
1795<div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1795-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
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