Fox sits full-face, dandling on each knee a demoniac creature; he smiles down fondly at the one on his left knee, saying, "hush sweet darlings of my heart, now i have begotten you, we will carefully nourish & bring you to maturity, come nurse grey prepare the cradle for master revolution, while erske, amuses miss sedition". Under his right foot is a crown; sedition's serpentine body, with barbed tail, coils round his right leg, and the creature stretches a taloned hand towards a rattle which erskine holds up. Erskine, in legal wig and gown, stands on fox's right; he smiles down, saying, "there my favourite girl, there is a rattle made out of the jewels of a coronet. " on the right grey lifts the coverlet of a cradle whose head is decorated by crossed daggers. On the extreme right sheridan stands at a wash-tub, his head turned in profile to the left. He sings:
"as for the house of com------ns
we will not in it prate
for like subordination,
tis grown quite out of date,
& a begging we will go. "
on the extreme left horne tooke and thelwall stand facing each other in profile; they are slitting up an ermine-trimmed robe. Thelwall says: "these d------d old fashioned robes will be brought to a good purpose now for these favorites, did you hear my last lecture. " tooke answers: "have you heard from sheerness. " in the background between thelwall and erskine is a group of three: lauderdale (left) and bedford (right) sit on the floor facing each other, the former stitching a pair of breeches, the latter using a tailor's goose inscribed 'b-df-d'; stanhope looks down at them, saying, "we'll stitch up these old fangled garments for our beloved brats. " bedford says: "i can't help thinking on the poor duke of orleans" [see bmsat 8292, &c. ]. Lauderdale answers, "aye that was a cursed unlucky stroke! he paid a long visit at wooburn [bedford's seat] eh?" on the floor (right) is a paper 'to the delegates' [at sheerness, see bmsat 9021, &c. ]. 5 june 1797
hand-coloured etching. Date: 1797. Dimensions: Height: 291 mm; Width: 418 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford. Collection: British Museum. Divertions of Purley. Or opposition attending their private affairs. (BM 1868,0808.6637)
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