- Museum number
- 1868,0808.4924
- Title
- Object: Peace porridge all hot, The best to be got.
- Description
-
Beneath are engraved the words of a song. Persons representing the powers negotiating peace stand holding basins of soup. France (left) in profile to the right, in feathered hat, bag-wig, and ruffles, holds a smoking bowl, and smiles, saying, "By gar John English you have well Crumb'd my dish".
Spain, full-face, in ruff, cloak, and slashed doublet, with jack-boots, says, "my peace soup is made very good by Stewing down Minorca & the Floridas". England, stout, plainly dressed, with a large stick under his arm, stands in profile to the left, saying to France and Spain, "my loss is your gain for my Soup is very Thin". America, in the foreground (left), sits on a low bank, saying, "I rest Contented with a dish of Independant Soup". She is an Indian woman with a head-dress and girdle of feathers. Holland, dressed as usual in a plain hat, short jacket, and wide breeches, stands (right) holding a smoking tobacco-pipe in his hand. He turns away from a waiter (right) who offers him a bowl, saying, "I will not taste it yet as it is not relish'd to my mind". The waiter (left) says, "Taste it Mynheer 'tis better than you deserve". 10 February 1783
Etching
- Production date
- 1783
- Dimensions
-
Height: 350 millimetres
-
Width: 247 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', V, 1935)
Preliminaries of peace were signed at Versailles between Britain, France, and Spain on 20 Jan. 1783, preliminary articles for a separate peace having been signed between England and America on 30 Nov. 1782. After being violently attacked by Fox and North as a means to overthrow Shelburne, the terms were substantially accepted by the Coalition, see BMSat 6222, 6229. A truce was made with Holland at the same time, but the Dutch demands were refused and a definite peace was not made till 20 May 1784 on terms more favourable to England, see BMSat 6292. For the peace see also BMSat 6009, 6171, 6173, 6174, 6175, 6176, 6182, 6184, 6188, 6212, 6223, 6267.
Beneath the design the words of the SONG are engraved. "Tune. Roast Beef of Old England". The first and last verses are:
"The Frenchman & Spaniard are both Cock-a-hoop
With America too they have got such nice Soup
Yet a Blow or two more might have made them all Stoop
O! the rare Soup & the Cooks boys
And O! the rare Cooks & the Soup.
Tho' things have gone Cross for a long time Confest
Yet now to lament, is no more than a Jest
But as well as we can out of Bad, make the best."
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1868
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1868,0808.4924
