Burke, as a lunatic, is seated on straw dressed only in breeches, but wearing a rosary and crucifix round his neck; major scott stands behind him, shaving his head. His right wrist and left ankle are chained to a staple in the floor, the chains being inscribed 'the censure of the commons' and 'the contempt of the lords'. He clenches his fists and turns his head in profile to the right, towards a vision of hastings, saying, "ha! miscreant! plunderer! murderer of nundocomar! where wilt thou hide thy head now ?" hastings walks in profile to the right, carrying a sack over his shoulder inscribed '£4000000'; he is about to enter the gate of 'st james's' from which two hands emerge to receive him labelled (in reversed characters) 'welcome'. Clouds surround hastings and the palace, showing that this is a vision. In the background (left) is a gibbet from which hangs a figure rudely drawn, as if chalked on awall, representing 'nundocomar'. Beneath the design is etched in three columns:
'madness thou chaos of the brain;
what art, that pleasure giv'st and pain?
tyranny of fancy's reign!
mechanic fancy! that can build
vast labyrinths & mazes wild,
with rule disjointed, shapeless measure,
fill'd with horror, filld with pleasure
shapes of horror, that would even
cast doubt of mercy upon heaven!
hoadley' 8 may 1789
hand-coloured etching. Date: 1789. Dimensions: Height: 259 mm; Width: 351 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Edmund Burke. Collection: British Museum. Cooling the brain. Or - the little major, shaving the shaver. (BM 1868,0808.5857)
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