Horrors of the Irish-union; -botheration of poor Pat -or- a whisper across the Channel, James Gillray, 1798

Britannia, buxom and beneficent, sits on one side of the 'irish channel'; on a smaller piece of ground stands pat, his hands deep in his coat pockets, looking sideways towards britannia. She sits with her shield and spear beside a pile of bales of goods and a cornucopia from which pour coins and jewels; she holds out a scroll: 'union of security trade & liberty'. She looks appealingly towards pat, her right hand on her breast, one foot trampling on a book inscribed 'discord' and a venomous snake. Tierney, fox, and m. A. Taylor look out from behind bushes, gazing fixedly at pat: fox says, his hand before his mouth: "hip! my old friend pat! - hip! - a word in your ear! take care of yourself pat! - or you'll be ruin'd past redemption - dont you see that this damn'd union is only meant to make a slave of you! - do but look how that cursed hag is forging fetters to bind you, & preparing her knapsack to carry off your property, & to ravish your whole country, man, woman & child! - why you are blind sure! - rouse yourself man! raise all the lawyers & spur up the corporations, fight to the last drop of blood, & part with the last potatoe to preserve your property & independence -" tierney says "beware pat", taylor echoes "beware. " pat is a sturdy fellow with bare legs; his clothes are ragged, his broken spear lies beside him. Behind (right) is a building in flames. He says: "plunder & knapsacks! & ravishments, & ruin of little ireland! - why - by st patrick, its very odd, now! for the old girl seems to me, to be offering me her heart & her hand, & her trade & the use of her shelalee to defend me into the bargain! - by jasus! if you was not my old friend, charley, i should think you meant to bother me with your whisperings to put the old lady in a passion, that we may not buss one another, or be friends any more. " 24 december 1798 hand-coloured etching. Date: 1798. Dimensions: Height: 245 mm; Width: 359 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Charles James Fox. Collection: British Museum. Horrors of the Irish-union; -botheration of poor Pat -or- a whisper across the Channel (BM 1851,0901.955)