The empty deceit of England, 1652

Satirical print on England in the First English War, 1652. The Dutch Lion (E) lies in a cradle lulled to sleep by the flute playing of the Spanish fox (P), with a group of standing men. Among them, Prince Rupert of the Palatinate (B) steals the purse of a merchant (I); a reference to the privateering that took place during this war. On the left sits Cromwell, an ape with a crown of peacock feathers, on the throne (F). The three masks behind him stand for deceit (A). He holds a cat (Jacob Cats), a dog (Paulus van de Perre), a peacock (Adriaen Pauw), and a sheep (Gerrit Schaep) (G) – the diplomatic embassy sent to Westminster to negotiate with the English government. In the background, a Spanish fox scatters coins over a group of men involved in a sword fight (H) and a prophetic scene in which the Dutch Lion takes revenge on the ape with the cat, dog, peacock, and sheep (N and O). A text sheet (with the title) belongs to the print, which is missing in this copy.