Justice

Justice. Detailed description below

“Justice stands on a small rocky plateau surrounded by waves. She holds up a pair of scales; on one scale (left) stands the Queen, noble and dignified, in royal robes, the crown at her feet. She far outweighs the other scale, on which is a huge green bag: ‘Ev[ide]nce a[gainst] [t]he [Que]en’; Castlereagh, Sidmouth, and Canning stand round it, with a serpent as pendant to the crown. The Queen holds out a scroll headed ‘Righ .. of .. Queen’ and an open book: ‘Liturgy’. Castlereagh holds out to her a scroll headed ‘50,000 pr An’; he says: “Another Bag (now almost ready) Will make the Balance firm & steady, And certain other pond’rous stuff Will make the Lady light enough.” Sidmouth flourishes a clyster-pipe (cf. British Museum Satires No. 9849). Canning stands behind the Bag on the extreme right; he says: “I wish to God that I was out Of this infernal mounting Scale, For plainly I percieve a rout, And that the Lady must prevail.” The Queen: “Vipers Go! I can’t endure you, You wrong me I assure you, Yet still I spurn the wrong, and view, With calmness all your Bag can do.” Below the title : ‘”Do thou inspire the stroke “With prevalence divine – as thine the wrong, “Vengeance and punishment to thee belong; “The injur’d state of Innocece [sic] restore, “Crush the bold insults of aspiring pow’r, “Shine like thy radiant source, and mak the world adore.'”–British Museum online catalogue.

  • Printmaker: Williams, Charles, active 1797-1830, printmaker.
  • Title: Justice [graphic].
  • Publication: [London] : [publisher not identified], [1 August 1820]

Catalog RecordĀ 

820.08.01.01

Acquired May 2019