The interior of a panelled room; a young man wearing a three-cornered hat and the gown of a fellow commoner of Trinity College, with his hands behind his back and without any indication of passion, spits in the face of a man in a closely curled wig. A cat, with arched back, stands on a chair watching the encounter. On the wall behind are ranged objects to show that it is the room of an active justice of peace: a picture (left) of a man (three-quarter length) with bare back standing at a whipping-post; a pair of jack boots hanging from nails on the lower edge of the frame gives an illusion of a whole length figure. On the next two panels are hung a halter of rope and a chain. On the right. panel is a picture of Justice (half length) with ass's ears and wearing a fool's cap. One eye is blindfolded; in her right hand is a wooden sword, in her left a pair of scales, one end of which she is holding down with her right forefinger. (The J.P. was often styled a justass, see BMSat 6120.) Below this hangs an academic gown surmounted by a hat, beneath which stands a pair of shoes. Beneath the design is etched,
<p><br><br>"Ah! Poor Justice,                            Oh fie------[Stanley]
<br>Dud a cry,                                        To treat him so scornfully,                                
<br>Ah! welladay,                                   Shamefully, mournfully 
<br>Wipe an Eye                                     ------Fie." 14 January 1773
</p>
<br>Etching
1773<div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1773-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
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