The Lord of the Vineyard
The print shows the Duke of Portland as Lord of the Vineyard trying to pay his laborers equally ("Take it between ye") as in the Biblical parable (Matt 20: 1-16). The scene may be set (as the British Museum suggests) at Portland place. But I suspect (apart from identifying Portland) it is rather meant to represent the entrance to the Treasury, the fountain head of political payouts, as seen in other Gillray prints such as Election Troops Bringing in their Accounts to the Pay Table and A New Way to Pay the National Debt.
Portland, it is suggested, has not fully realized the rapaciousness of the fox (Charles James Fox) who is already stuffing himself with the fruits of the harvest while Lord North (identified as "the Badger" in the verses below the title and in other contemporary prints) is left vainly reaching for his share.
© National Portrait Gallery, London
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On April 2, the day before the publication date of this print, the Duke of Portland became First Lord of the Treasury, forming a coalition government with groups supporting the Tory, Lord North, and the Whig, Charles James Fox. North became Secretary of State for the Home Department and Fox became Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The two had been bitter enemies for years. Fox had spent much of his time in the Commons criticizing North for his (and the King's) policies towards America. But they were united in their dislike of Lord Shelburne, who had succeeded North as First Minister. Together, they saw and took the opportunity to topple the Shelburne Ministry and seize power with the Duke of Portland as the nominal head. Here we get Gillray's assessment of how well that was likely to work.
He was not wrong. Fox soon over-reached himself with his East India Bill, which appeared to be blatant attempt to control a major source of patronage, and the coalition ended a mere eight months later in December 1783.
Sources and Reading
- Commentary from the British Museum on The Lord of the Vineyard
- Draper Hill, The Satirical Etchings of James Gillray, 1976, #5
- "Fox-North coalition," Wikipedia
- Thomas Wright and R.H. Evans, Historical and Descriptive Account of the Caricatures of James Gillray #12
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