Excise inquisition erecting by English slaves under the scourge of their task-masters the excise officers, British Cartoon Print

A British satire on an attempt by William Pitt and George Rose to transfer to excise law certain import duties; standing in opposition is Edward Thurlow. The central image shows Britannia, wrapped in a blanket labeled "Extension of Excise," being rocked to sleep in a cradle by Pitt and Rose. Another man, possibly William Mainwaring, is holding Britannia's spear and shield which is labeled "Maner" and saying "By, by, lullaby"; to the right of his feet is the British lion, blindfolded and chained to the ground. The destruction of the "Bastille" is shown in the upper right corner; by depicting the Bastille in a state of ruin, reference is made to the recent liberation of the French, and by implication, to the tyranny under which the British continue to live.

With caption: "Their Persons, their Property, their Reputation, their Lives were abandoned to the arbitrary decisions of a Court of Inquisition and sanctioned against the backs of a certain Class of British Subjects, ..." which concludes with "Vide. Alarming Progress of French Politics. Page 24."
Printed on laid paper with watermark: S LAY.
Attributed to Dent in BM CPPS.
Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires / George, v. 6, no. 7634
Forms part of: British Cartoon Prints Collection (Library of Congress).