Ahithophel in the Dumps
Like Gloria Mundi, or the Devil Addressing the Sun, published a week earlier, Ahithophel in the Dumps again portrays Charles James Fox as a rebel and traitor, in this case the character of Ahithophel from the Book of Psalms and the Second Book of Samuel.
There, Ahithophel is a friend and counsellor of King David, who betrays the King to support Absalom in his revolt. Later, foreseeing that the revolt will fail, Ahithophel "saddled his Ass, and arose, and went and hanged himself." In most Christian interpretations, Ahithophel was seen as a foreshadowing or type of Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Christ and also hanged himself.
© The Trustees of the British Museum
){kind=link}
In July of 1782, the First Minister, Rockingham, died suddenly and the King, as was his prerogative, appointed Lord Shelburne as Rockingham's successor. Fox bitterly opposed the appointment of Shelburne, portraying the Duke of Portland, Fox, and his followers as the logical successors to Rockingham and his policies. The King disagreed, and Fox resigned, hoping to precipitate the fall of Shelburne and the succession of Portland as the new First Minister. The King saw Fox's behavior as a distressing dereliction of duty, tantamount to rebellion, and never trusted him again.
On his side Fox almost immediately regretted his decision, having greatly overestimated the number of ministers who would follow his lead out of the administration. And he certainly must have felt some of the dejection portrayed in the print as Ahitophel/Fox confronts the gallows. The phrase "Let desert mount" is taken from Henry IV Part 2, Act IV, Scene 3 where Falstaff confronts the rebel and traitor Coleville. But the words are Falstaff's demanding to be recognized for the capture of Coleville. In this context they can be seen as ironically applied to Fox, since in resigning he almost asked to be hung.
The print was reissued in 1785 when Fox was again out of office following the King's dismissal of the Fox-North coalition.
Sources and Reading
- Commentary from the British Museum on Ahithophel in the Dumps
- John Derry, Charles James Fox, 1972
Comments & Corrections
NOTE: Comments and/or corrections are always appreciated. To make that easier, I have included a form below that you can use. I promise never to share any of the info provided without your express permission.