Fox, as a fox with a human head, is being chased (left to right) by dogs with human heads, by two huntsmen on foot, and by lord temple riding on the king, an ass with the face of george iii. Partly visible on the extreme left is a high stone arch, surmounted by a crown and a thistle, and inscribed 'starting place'. From it temple has just emerged; his jockey cap is inscribed 'stow' (the name of his estate) to make his identity clear; from his mouth protrudes a long tongue inscribed 'rumor', his coat is patterned with what appear to be tongues. On his cap stands rumour as a small woman with ass's ears, blowing a trumpet. The rein in the king's mouth is inscribed 'secret influence'. Temple holds a whip whose broad lash is inscribed 'prerogative' to indicate his message to the house of lords on the king's wish for the defeat of the india bill, see bmsat 6283, 6417, &c. Seated behind him on the ass's back is a demon wearing a tartan plaid, to indicate that an evil scottish influence still prevails as in the days of bute (cf. Bmsat 6385). The dogs' heads are profile portraits: the foremost couple are pitt and thurlow; a key inscribed 't' (for treasury) hangs from pitt's collar, which is inscribed 'castril'. Thurlow wears his chancellor's wig; his collar is inscribed 'beetle brow' and a disk representing the great seal is fastened to it. Behind him is richmond, wearing his ribbon and star; his collar is inscribed 'ordnance' and it is fastened by a cannon-ball. Behind pitt is dundas, his collar inscribed 'thistle'. The hindmost dog is lord nugent, his collar inscribed 'old rat' (see bmsat 6059, &c). The two pedestrians are both dressed in long legal gowns, and both blow horns, the foremost (pepper arden) blowing 'char - char - charters', the other (kenyon) 'char - charters'. The words signify the exploitation by the opponents of the coalition of the attack on chartered rights involved in the india bill, cf. Bmsat 6364, &c. Arden, pitt's friend and solicitor-general, was one of the most indefatigable opponents of fox's india bill. Wraxall, 'memoirs', 1884, iii. 206-7. Fox's brush is inscribed 'coalition - receipt tax' (see bmsat 6243, &c. ) 'india bill' (see bmsat 6271, &c). Beside him is a signpost pointing 'to brookes's'; it is decorated with dice and surmounted by a dice-box, indicating that fox out of office must return to the gaming-table for support, cf. Bmsat 6013. Two heads look down upon the chase from the sky: above temple and the king, shelburne's smiling face (left) is the centre of rays; above fox (right) north's head emerges from clouds directing a blast at pitt to impede his progress. 29 january 1784
etching. Date: 1784. Dimensions: Height: 253 mm; Width: 350 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Charles James Fox. Collection: British Museum. The Fox Hunt (BM 1868,0808.5116)
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