Apothecaries-Taylors, etc. conquering France and Spain. (BM 1851,0901.110)

A scene of disorder; men sitting and standing round a circular table; they are smoking, gesticulating and drinking. A very fat man, seated on the farther side of the table, wearing a hat and smoking, his hands folded, says,"we want men of Activity". His neighbour, also smoking, adds "To destroy all their Looms". The next man (left), clenching his fists, says, "Blood & Guts, what are we all about - our Armys are grazing in Idleness, like a Flock of Sheep till they die of the Rot - I'd send them to Slaughter all the Cattle on the Enemy's Coast & make the Papist Scoundrells keep a long Lent of it". A man (right) holding up a foaming tankard, says "Old England will never be conquer'd while we can Brew such Drink as this". A barber, a comb stuck in his hair, an implement for curling hair protruding from his pocket, leans back in his chair, saying, "We're all in the Suds - I could shew them a way to lower their French Toupees". On his right stands the figure of 'Prattle' (Atkinson of Pall Mall), as in BMSat 5603 but in reverse. He is saying, "Beg your Pardon my Dr Sir, meant no Offence my Dr Mr Tallow - too much Love & Respect - your Perfectly in the Right - of the same Opinion of my Led & I - they'll never Invade us as you say & my Lud Chatter observed to me the other Night at Lady Carbuncles". He is addressing a stout man standing on the left of the table, who flourishes a stick in his right hand while with a blow from his fist he overturns a punch-bowl, having upset a tankard, a lemon, and a number of wineglasses which are falling to the ground. He says "Dont Talk to me of your Dukes & your Lords, I'm a True Born Englishman, & dont care for Nobody not I - they dare not invade us - Damme they dare not - you Glister Pipe, you pitiful Plaister Spreader You------". A dog barks at him. A thin and rather ragged-looking man on his right, his hands in his breeches pockets, says "Invade us - Damme, what can Soup Meager do against Beef & Plumb Pudding"; a pair of scissors projecting from his coat-pocket shows that he is a tailor; his stockings are ungartered and his shoes are unbuckled. On the extreme left an elderly man with a tie-wig and wearing a hat and pince-nez, sits in a chair reading a newspaper; he holds up a hand in dismay saying, "All's lost". Behind stands a waiter, his napkin under his arm, saying "Dr Prattle says right - I'll go over to the Opposition and never drink another Pot with my Lords Footman". Hats are hung up on the wall, and a bracket-clock shows that it is one o'clock. 29 September 1779
Etching