Excise Inquisition erecting by English Slaves under the Scourge of their Task masters the Excise Officers, William Dent, 1790

Britannia lies asleep in a cradle inscribed 'delusion' which is rocked by pitt (left) and rose (right). The rockers are 'law' (on which pitt places his foot) and 'excise'. Pitt, holding a rolled document inscribed 'plans', and a key (the 'key of the back-stairs', see bmsat 6564, &c), sings "rule britannia, britannia rule the waves". Rose, who holds a rose and a pen to show his identity, sings "britons never shall be slaves". Britannia holds a drooping spray of leaves in her hand; her coverlet is: 'extention of excise'. On the left stands thurlow in his rightobes, looking at britannia with clenched fist and angry scowl; he holds a paper inscribed 'for trial without jury the head of the best min------r cannot make sufficient attornment', and sings: "how fast the drowsy bitch doth lie. " on the right behind the head of the cradle stands a man singing 'by, by, lullaby'; he holds behind his back britannia's shield (inscribed 'maner') and spear. He is perhaps mainwaring, m. P. For middlesex and chairman of the middlesex quarter sessions (excise offences were tried before two commissioners or two j. P. 's without a jury). In the background (right) from a pile of stones inscribed 'bastille' (see bmsat 7550, &c. ) flies a large flag on which is a figure of liberty holding up her cap on its staff. The flagstaff is decorated with a fleur-de-lis. In front is a fleet of ships in full sail inscribed 'channel of st denis french fleet'. In the foreground on the extreme right the head of the british lion appears; he is blindfolded and chained to the ground. Beneath the title is etched: '"their persons, their property, their reputation, their lives were aban-" "doned to the arbitrary decisions of a court of inquisition and sanctioned" "against the backs of a certain class of british subjects, the sanguine hand" "of tyranny hoped soon to flourish with undiscriminating fury over our heads" "her vilifying rod, reeking with the blood of englishmen at large, already" "terrified into submission, tamed by example and gradually fashioned for" "the yoke - " vide. Alarming progress of french politics. Page 24. ' 12 march 1790 etching with hand-colouring. Date: 1790. Dimensions: Height: 248 mm; Width: 352 mm (badly damaged). Medium: paper. Depicted People: William Mainwaring. Collection: British Museum. Excise Inquisition erecting by English Slaves under the Scourge of their Task masters the Excise Officers (BM 1876,1014.41)