The sick prince., James Gillray, 1787

The prince lies in bed, 'in extremis'; thurlow, pitt, and richmond stand behind a curtain (right), the first with a dagger raised to strike, pitt clutching a dagger. On the other side of the bed liberty with her cap and staff clasps her hands in supplication for the preservation of the prince; behind her stand fox, burke, north, and (?) sheridan in similar attitudes. In the foreground (left) time advances with his scythe towards the prince; he has mown down a man who falls backwards holding on his shoulder a naked african with a broken spear (? death). The african, about to fall, clutches the head of an apothecary seated on the ground. Rays of light fall diagonally on the prince; clouds extend over him and his would-be assassins. Resting on the clouds is a scroll inscribed: '1800 \ glory, \ conquest, \ submission of \ america - perfidy of france \ respecting the treaty'. Above the prince's head are his feathers and 'ich dien'. 16 june 1787 hand-coloured etching. Date: 1787. Dimensions: Height: 220 mm; Width: 257 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Edmund Burke. Collection: British Museum. The sick prince. (BM 1851,0901.364)