- Museum number
- 1865,1111.494-518
- Description
-
Illustrated political pamphlet of 51 pages with 24 plates entitled: "Horrida bella, pains and penalties versus truth and justice" The pamphlet, is written in verse which follows an alphabetical order with illustrations accompanying each letter.
Lettered beneath the title with the motto: "Arma virumque cano."
The etched vignette on engraved title-page, BM Satires No. 13948, depicts four barristers fighting, all having oval shields and using rolled documents as weapons. Brougham, armed with 'Truth', and Denman with 'Justice', vanquish Gifford and Copley (Attorney-and Solicitor-General), one with a shield inscribed 'Pains' and a document inscribed 'Filth', the other with a shield inscribed 'Penalties' and a document inscribed 'Lies'. The inscription below reads:
'Broomo's and Denny's judgmatical fire
Laid Giffo, with Coppo and C° in the mire.'
Lettered beneath the illustration: "London, Published by G Humphrey, 27 St James's Street, 1820, W Benbow, printer, 269 Strand."
Plate 1, BM Satires 13949, accompanies the lines printed on p.2: “A, for an Archer, who wounded a Queen/ The stoutest Apollo that ever was seen,…”
George IV, on a galloping horse, aims an arrow at the crowned head of the Queen (left), which emerges above the clouds of dust raised by his horse. He wears military uniform, with peacock's feathers (see BM Satires No. 13299, in his cocked hat. In the distance (right) are the domes of the Pavilion. The letter A and the publisher’s line, “Pub. By G Humphrey, 27 St James’ Street, 1820.”, are published beneath the illustration.
In Plate 2, BM Satires 13950, “B, for the blunder displayed, when again/ He strove to inflict the excesses of pain, . . “ (p.3) The King runs towards the Pavilion, carrying a large bow and spear, with a shield on which are a bottle and glass. At his feet kneels a demon sharpening an arrow on a leech (BM Satires No. 13740). The Pavilion is a grinning Chinese figure, with a (smaller) dome and a large minaret; it is partly hidden by smoke from which a second demon looks out. The letter B and publisher’s line (as above) are printed below the illustration.
Plate 3, BM Satires: 13951. “C, for the Cash that was promised to pay/ The Q—n, if she'd travel a different way, . . .” (p.4) The Queen stands on the shore, making a gesture of outraged refusal to Lord Hutchinson, who bows low, proffering a paper inscribed '£50,000' (see BM Satires. 13730). She points to a small vessel. The letter C and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
In Plate 4, BM Satires 13952, “D, for the Devils, with infamy fraught, Who first gave the Archer this cowardly thought. . . .” (p.5)
Three fat, bedizened women (? Ladies Hertford, Conyngham, &c.), dance in a ring, holding hands. The background is a curtain hanging in festoons. The letter D and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 5, BM Satires 13953. “E, for the Embassy, kept on full pay/ Collecting of slander and filth on the way ; . . .”(p.6) Rectangular bundles of documents, supported on human legs, march towards a writing-table (left) where two men await them eagerly, one being evidently Lord Stewart. These bundles recede in perspective from right to left. The two largest are inscribed: 'From Switzerland Via Colombier the Capital of Europe' and 'From Milan by the Brown road'. The others are: 'From Trieste'; 'From Carlsruhe'; 'Como'; 'Italy'; 'Devil'; 'Moloch'; 'Lucifer'. A bird flies towards the table with a paper inscribed 'Private'. Forked lightning darts towards the table, beside which trunks, boxes, and papers are piled, with a paper headed '... [Maj]ochys deposition'. Towards the table from the left advances (from an ornate Gothic building) a procession of lawyers, carrying books. The letter E and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
The only allusion in these satires to the part taken by Lord Stewart (half-brother of Castlereagh), Ambassador in Vienna, in collecting evidence against the Queen. (For the Milan Commission and Col. Browne see BM Satires No. 13755, &c. Louise Demont see BM Satires No. 13856) wrote jestingly of Colombier, her native village, as 'la capitale de l'Europe'. 'Parl. Deb.', N.S. ii. 1205.0
Plate 6, BM Satires 13954. “F, for the fun that enlivened the city,/ And flashed in Pall-Mall [Carlton House] till Grub-St. was witty.. . .Ministers are trying 'To hatch the Green Egg . . .'. (p.7) Ministers sit on a large sack (the Green Bag, see BM Satires No. 13735), surrounded by Grenadier Guards standing at attention with fixed bayonets. Most prominent is Eldon, holding a paper inscribed 'Precedent', with an arm round Castlereagh's shoulder. Sidmouth (left) holds his clyster-pipe. Canning (right) hides his face in his hand (cf. BM Satires No. 13971). Harrowby sits next him. Wellington stands with drawn sabre, to give an order to the Guards. The letter F and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 7, BM Satires 13955. “G, for the Gold that bedizened his breast/ With trinkets and orders, a glittering jest— .../Ah! why should an arrow be shot in the dark?/ And why should an innocent Q—n be the mark ?. . “ (p.8) George IV, in uniform and covered with orders, holding bow, arrow, and shield, strikes an attitude of frightened defiance. Near him (left) are monsters, winged, reptilian, and (?) porcine; the largest having Castlereagh's profile, the others unrecognizable. The letter G and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 8, BM Satires 13956. “H, for the hubbub the Archer intended/ By one 'coup de main' should be presently ended. . . .” (p.9) George IV, seated on a Chinese throne with Chinese attendants, addresses a group of Ministers, &c. (right): Liverpool, Eldon, Canning, with a paper headed 'East Indies' in his pocket (he was President of the Board of Control), Copley and Gifford. The letter H and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 9, BM Satires 13957. “I, for the injury meant to be done/ By the great Bill of Pains, as a thundering gun, . . .” (p.10)
Gifford levels a cylindrical bill of 'Pains & Penalties' from which issues a blast of smoke, while Copley scatters squibs. Behind (left), spears, with the King's large bow, lean against a railing. The letter I and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 10, BM Satires 13958. “K, for the Knights in their armour all ready/ The troops in new clothing and bellies full, steady. . .” (p.11) Demont and Majocchi, both holding large spears, stand timorously, held up by Gifford and Copley. In the background are crowds of men (other witnesses), holding spears, with a banner, 'Pains & Penalties'. The letter K and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 11, BM Satires 13959. "L, for the lies that were told on the day/The combatants met in the Archer's affray; . . ." (p.12.) See BM Satires No. 13948. A mêlée of lawyers and witnesses in military action among clouds of dust, directed by Gifford and Copley, who stand in the foreground. Behind Gifford (right) stands a man holding a big book: 'Dutchess of Norfolk's Case'. Beside him are large volumes of 'Law'.
The seventh Duke of Norfolk, notoriously immoral, separated from his wife in 1685 for her misconduct; he finally obtained a divorce in 1700 after an unsuccessful attempt in 1682, and died of apoplexy in 1701. See G. E. C., 'Complete Peerage', and B.M.L. 'Catalogue'. An analogy with George IV is obviously implied.
Plate 12, BM Satires 13960. “M., for the Marchioness, lovely and round/ As any the Archer had hitherto found, . .” p.13 George IV and Lady Conyngham sit amorously together in a moored punt, heads together, arms enlaced. He holds a fishing-rod; hers lies across the punt. In the background is Windsor Castle. The letter M and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
The first of the prints on fishing in Virginia Water as one of the recreations of the Cottage,( see BM Satires No. 15126, &c. Cf. No. 13893.)
Plate 13, BM Satires 13961. “N, for the nonsense oft found in the head/ Of him, who is not so well tutored as fed— . . /The fame which he hoped was immortal, is lost.”(p.14) Wellington gallops from a well-dressed crowd who pelt him with mud and stones. He rides from a street towards a park gate, where in the distance tiny soldiers march with fixed bayonets. The letter N and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Wellington was much hooted during the 'trial'. He wrote to Lady Shelley, 4 Oct., 'The mob are too contemptible to be thought of for a moment! About thirty of them ran away from me in the Park this morning, because I pulled up my horse while they were "hooting".'
Plate 14, BM Satires 13962. “O, for the Oath that the Archer once took/ To love and to cherish, as wrote in the Book “ p.15. The marriage of Caroline of Brunswick. The Prince takes her hand at the altar rails. Behind her fly attendant cupids; beside him are satyrs with wine and fruit. The letter O and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 15, BM Satires 13963. “P, for the Press that exposes the view./ Which tyrants in despite of reason pursue, . . .” (p.16) A printing-press, behind which stands a printer; he shouts, waving his hat towards a placard on the wall: "The Queen for ever Procession to Brandenburg House." Behind him is pasted a large sheet of 'The Times October 1820'. On the left are three men in melancholy consultation. Behind them is a placard: 'The Liberty of the Press is like the air we breath, if we have it not, we die. The letter O and publisher’s line are printed below the image. The letter P and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
The Address 'from the Letter-Press Printers of London and its environs' (with 1,345 signatures) was presented on 11 Oct. by a deputation of 138 Compositors and Pressmen, (see BM Satires No. 13947.) It and the Queen's Reply were printed in 'The Times', 13 Oct. (See also BM Satires Nos. 13296, 13518, 13729, 13801, 13808, 13964, 13992, 14005, 14148, &c. Cf. No. 13764.)
Plate 16, BM Satires 13964. “Q, for the qualms that arose when they heard/ Hard blows in the contest, they challenged were feared.” (p.17) Irradiated banners carried by four cherubic little boys, followed by a youth blowing a newsboy's horn, are watched by four men who register despair. They are clustered round a decayed post topped by a crown, and are 'Dr. Slop' (Stoddart) and 'Treasury scribes'. A demon (left) beckons them from a cloud. The banners are 'Times' (the largest), 'Examiner', 'Traveller' (an evening paper), and 'News' (like the 'Examiner', a Sunday paper). The letter Q and publisher’s line are printed below the image. ( BM Satires 13964.) (See BM Satires No. 13963, &c.) 'The Times' led the press agitation for the Queen. See 'Hist. of the Times', i, 1935, pp. 240-3, and No. 14182. The post may be the 'Morning Post', as in BM Satires No. 13517.
Plate 17, BM Satires 13965. “R, for the roundabout road that was found/ To secret the Archer, while giving the wound.” (p.18.) A flat circular space lies between the Brighton Pavilion, in the centre, Windsor Castle (left), and the sea with the royal yacht (right). A coach and four with two postilions drives at a gallop making clouds of dust on the nearer edge of the circle. The letter R and publisher’s line are printed below the image. A satire on the King's seclusion during the proceedings against the Queen; he lived at the Cottage, with an occasional visit to Brighton and a few days in his yacht, see BM Satires No. 13853, &c.
Plate 18, BM Satires 13966. “S, for the shaking he felt in his nerves,/ That told what a cowardly action deserves;” (p.19)George IV (left), covered with orders, flees in terror from a figure (right) composed of rectangular slabs of different size, all inscribed 'Address', except for the head, which is inscribed 'Queen', and the feet: 'Feeling' and 'Sense'. This figure extends an arm towards the King, from its feet rays of light slant towards him. . The letter S and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 19, BM Satires 13967. “T, for the Telegraph giving the state/ Of Giffo's and Coppo's contention with fate— . . . (p.20) George IV, in déshabillé, stands at a bedroom window, with flexed knees, peering through a telescope at a semaphore (BM Satires: cf. No. 8612) on a distant ridge. The King looks for news of the progress of the Bill, (see BM Satires No. 13825)The letter T and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 20, BM Satires 13968. “V, for the Virtue displayed in the town/ When Demo and Kresso were said to be down. (p.21) ”The Queen drives in state through a cheering crowd; windows and balconies are filled with women waving handkerchiefs.
The very damaging evidence of Louise Demont (see BM Satires No. 13856) and Meidge Barbara Kress, chambermaid of an inn at Carlsruhe, was discredited in cross-examination.The letter V and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 21, BM Satires 13969. “W, for the wine and liqueurs he swallow'd/ While writhing he lay on the sofa and hallow'd,” (p.22). The King lies uneasily on a sofa, holding out a glass to be filled by Sidmouth, the 'Doctor', clyster-pipe in pocket. Beside him is a table, with bottles, &c. The letter W and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 22, BM Satires 13970. “X, for the cross, and the Archer's distress/ The battle had roared like a storm thro' the press.” (p.23) A fight between the four barristers: Brougham and Denman, without shields, wield papers inscribed respectively 'Truth' and 'Justice'. The other two, with shields and a heavy spear, are worsted; at their feet lie Eldon, and (according to the text) Lauderdale and Redesdale (the most aggressive of the peers during the proceedings). In the background (left), among clouds of smoke, the Ministerial forces, with a tattered banner inscribed 'Pains . . Penalties', are retreating to the left. A cheering crowd advances from the right. The letter W and publisher’s line are printed below the image. The letter X and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 23, BM Satires 13971. “Y, for the youths of the Archer's delight,/ Dumb with astonishment—pale with affright!” (p.24) Gloomy and agitated Ministers stand round Eldon who sits glumly on a sack (the Green Bag as in BM Satires No. 13954), from which issues a puff of smoke. Wellington and Liverpool are conspicuous, with Sidmouth (with his clyster-pipe) and Castlereagh; two others are poorly characterized. Canning runs off in the background (right), see BM Satires No. 13737, &c. In the middle distance the King and a bishop distractedly embrace. Behind is the sea, with (?) the royal yacht departing. (The Queen has triumphed.) The letter Y and publisher’s line are printed below the image.
Plate 24, BM Satires, 13972. “Z, for the Zanies, in frantic despair/ Their bag of combustion blown into the air ; . . .”
The Green Bag explodes, throwing into the air Eldon, Liverpool, Sidmouth, and Castlereagh. With these fly up the clyster-pipe and scourge of the last two, and papers: 'Rastelli's Pasport' [see BM Satires No. 13903], 'Majocchis Evidence' [see No. 13827], 'Madle Demonts Evidence' [see BM Satires No. 13856], 'Sacchi's Evidence'. The explosion is due to a beam from a mirror (right) inscribed 'Lens of Truth'. p. 25: The letter Z and publisher’s line are printed below the image. For the dropping of the Bill (here anticipated, as in No. 13974) see No. 13986. For the anxiety of Ministers that it should be 'got rid of' without going to the Commons, see 'Correspondence of Arbuthnot', ed. Aspinall, 1941, p. 20.
Etched illustrations on letterpress pamphlet
1820
- Production date
- 1820
- Dimensions
-
Height: 210 millimetres (approx. page size)
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Width: 137 millimetres (approx. page size)
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (All description and comment from M. Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', X, 1952)
Bound as part of "Political Tracts Volume 2." Number 2 of 10 volumes of “Political Tracts” A compilation of satirical and political pamphlets published circa 1819-1822. The contents of this volume mainly concern the Queen Caroline affair and satirise the Prince Regent, subsequently George IV, his court and ministers.
Illustration to a verse-satire by 'Rosco' (ten lines to a page), with twenty-five plates, BM Satires Nos. 13948-72; the plates are printed on both sides of thick paper and interleaved with the text, so that a plate faces each page of text. All are by the same artist, have the same imprint, and are approximately the same size as BM Satires No. 13949. The satire is exceptionally well-informed (see BM Satires No. 13953) and correctly makes Ministers subservient to the King in proceedings against the Queen. See BM Satires. No. 13760, &c. For the Bill of Pains and Penalties see BM Satires No. 13825. The plates were perhaps also issued separately, not printed back to back (A. de R. xviii. 34-5).
(Supplementary information)
Advertised, 'Examiner', 5 Nov., as 'Just published, price 2s-6d.'.
Bound in the volume "Political Tracts Volume 2". A collection of 24 pamphlets published between 1820 and 1822 concerning the Queen Caroline affair and satirising the Prince Regent subsequently George IV his court and ministers.
- Location
- Not on display
- Associated names
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Associated with: Henry Peter, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux
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Associated with: Caroline of Brunswick
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Associated with: John Singleton Copley, Baron Lyndhurst
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Associated with: Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman
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Associated with: Robert Gifford, Baron Gifford
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Associated with: George IV, King of the United Kingdom
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Associated with: John Hely Hutchinson, 2nd Earl of Donoughmore
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Associated with: Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham
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Associated with: John Leach
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Associated with: Isabella, Marchioness of Hertford
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Associated with: Thomas Henry Browne
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Associated with: Louisa Demont
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Associated with: Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry
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Associated with: George Canning
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Associated with: Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh and 2nd Marquess of Londonderry
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Associated with: John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon
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Associated with: Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth
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Associated with: Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
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Associated with: Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
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Associated with: Theodore Majocchi
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Associated with: Mary, Duchess of Norfolk
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Associated with: Meidge Barbara Kress
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Associated with: James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale
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Associated with: John Freeman Mitford, 1st Baron Redesdale
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Associated with: Giuseppe Rastelli
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Associated with: Giuseppe Sacchi
- Associated titles
Associated Title: Horrida bella, pains and penalties versus truth and justice.
- Acquisition date
- 1865
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1865,1111.494-518
