Staggering-bobs, a tale for Scotchmen,-or-Munchausen driving his calves to market, James Gillray, 1796

George hanger bestrides a pile of calves with which his pony is laden, high above his mount's head. He sits in profile to the left, carrying a bludgeon; his right leg thrust forward over the calves. The fore-feet and hind-feet of the calves are tied and lie across the pony and each other. Eleven heads are visible. Hanger says: "here they are my lord, here's the slunk calves, by gxx - no allusion, dxm'me! - almost forgot you was a north-countrey-man! - runt carries weight well! - no less than thirteen damme! - come push about the bottle, & i'll tell you the story; - in scotland they eat no veal, by gxx! nothing but staggering-bobs, - by gxx! - on my honor & soul i mean no insult! - but tattersal he swore, d------n me, if he didn't, - that on a small scotch runt, he saw, gxx dxxn my blood, - how many d'ye think he saw? - ( - "saw what, georgey? - ) - why calves! - staggering-bobs to-be-sure! - why d'ye think he saw seventeen? - no! - but dxxme, by gxx, he saw thirteen!!! - & all just upon such another little cock-horse as my own!!!' beneath the title: 'this print is dedicated to lord exxxl [errol, see bmsat 9024], his party, & the frequenters of steevens's in general. ' (stevens's was a famous coffee-house in bond street, cf. Bmsat 9067. ) 1 december 1796 hand-coloured etching. Date: 1796. Dimensions: Height: 355 mm; Width: 257 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: George Hay, 16th Earl of Erroll. Collection: British Museum. Staggering-bobs, a tale for Scotchmen,-or-Munchausen driving his calves to market (BM 1868,0808.6573)