Ministerial Eloquence

Ministerial Eloquence is one of a series of caricatured portraits (all listed as being published on January 6th, 1795) illustrating eight kinds of eloquence, and sometimes associated with particular, real-life individuals. For more about the series as a whole, see my Overview.

In this case, the print features Prime Minister William Pitt seen marshaling the votes in the House of Commons in support of the war against revolutionary France. Like the other expressions in the Eloquence series, the caption of Ministerial Eloquence is not an exact quotation. And it likely derives from several sources. Pitt himself first used the phrase "a just and necessary war" as early as February 12, 1793 in response to a message from the King (who also used it) announcing France's declaration of war against Brtitain and the United Provinces (Holland). On that day Pitt moved that an address be presented to the King, thanking him for his message and assuring him that he could

rely on the firm and effectual support of the representatives of a brave and loyal people, in the prosecution of a just and necessary war. . . .

In spite of determined opposition to the phrase by Whigs, who became increasingly convinced that the war was neither just nor necessary, Pitt and his representatives continued to use the phrase whenever they had to request more resources on behalf of the war. Pitt used it again, for instance when requesting support for the King's request to hire and use Hanoverian Troops in March and again in May when the King requested a further augmentation of forces.

I can find no instance where Pitt talks about "great successes in the East & West Indies" and the "conquest of Corsica." But that part of the caption does resemble the King's Closing Speech to Parliament in July of 1794, where he speaks appreciatively of his satisfaction with

the rapid and valuable acquisitions made in the East & West Indies, the successful operations, which have been carried on in the Mediterranean, and the brilliant and decisive victory obtained by my fleet under the command of earl Howe....

Comparing Gillray's version to the source he received from AS (aka Annibal Scratch aka Samuel Collings) is like comparing night and day. Collings version is crude and awkward. The face looks nothing ike the Prime Minister, and the forearm is much too long. Gillray retains the basic dress and pose, but in every other respect—the hair, the face, the jacket—he has created a new and more detailed and compelling portrait.

Sources and Reading

• Commentary from the British Museum on Ministerial Eloquence.
• "Samuel Collings," Wikipedia
• "William Pitt the Younger," Wikipedia

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