The sign of the four alls

Rowlandson, Thomas, 1756-1827 · 1810

The four personages who constitute this famous view of the relative estates of the realm stand under niches ; the head of the State is the first represented ; and next, of course, is the Church ; then the powers militant ; and lastly, as a sort of necessary evil, the commonalty perhaps better kept out of sight altogether, since the presence of the representative of this portion of the empire is not acknowledged by the other three, his pastors and masters. Number one, George the Third ; the King in this case is represented strutting in awful but somewhat awkward majesty.