Comforts of a bed of roses; - vide Charley's elucidation of Lord C__stl_r__gh's Speech! - a nightly scene near Cleveland Row

Charles James Fox and his wife sleep in a large bed amidst swirls of sheets and covers. Both are prey to disturbing dreams. Mr. Fox is harassed by the specter of William Pitt, who died earlier in 1806, who tugs at the right side of his collar and cries "Awake, arise, or be forever fallen!" Napoleon, the nightmare that plagues Fox, tugs the left side of his nightshirt. Pitt's ghost attempts to wake Fox from his sleep (he pulls away the drapery from the bed) and to alert him to the danger Napoleon brings. Napoleon arrives at the bedside, one foot on a cannon inscribed "Pour Subjuger le Monde." In his free hand he raises a sword--possibly to cut Fox's throat. Behind Napoleon, French troops arrive in a cloud of fog; the banner attached to the eagle reads: "Horrors of Invasion." An eagle wearing a collar that reads "Prussia" swoops down toward Fox's head. A skeletal harbinger of death emerges from the foot of the bed. The top part of his face is covered by a blanket while his grinning jaw is revealed. He carries a spear and holds an hourglass above his head to the level of the sleepers. A banner attached to the hourglass reads: "Intemperance, Dro[p]sy, Dissolution." Ironically, Fox died later in the same year as Pitt did. The ragged and worn quality of Fox's face suggests his failing health. A watch dog wears a collar that identifies him as "John Bull." He stands at the right of the skeleton and barks viciously at the vision of Napoleon. The dog also urinates on a sheet of paper under his foot: it is inscribed "List of the Broadbottoms" (of which Lord Casltereigh was a leader). The "Bed of Roses" to which the title alludes is clearly not comfortable or luxurious. While the coverlet on top of the bed is embroidered with roses, and the carpet on the floor is also decorated with the flower, a bramble bush, studded with menacing thorns--and few buds--emerges from under the bed itself. The branches of this bush are inscribed: "India Roses," French Roses," Emancipation Roses," "Coalition Roses," and "Volunteer Roses"--each of which is literally a thorn in Fox's side. Charles James Fox and his wife sleep in a large bed amidst swirls of sheets and covers. Both are prey to disturbing dreams. Mr. Fox is harassed by the specter of William Pitt, who died earlier in 1806, who tugs at the right side of his collar and cries "Awake, arise, or be forever fallen!" Napoleon, the nightmare that plagues Fox, tugs the left side of his nightshirt. Pitt's ghost attempts to wake Fox from his sleep (he pulls away the drapery from the bed) and to alert him to the danger Napoleon brings. Napoleon arrives at the bedside, one foot on a cannon inscribed "Pour Subjuger le Monde." In his free hand he raises a sword--possibly to cut Fox's throat. Behind Napoleon, French troops arrive in a cloud of fog; the banner attached to the eagle reads: "Horrors of Invasion." An eagle wearing a collar that reads "Prussia" swoops down toward Fox's head. A skeletal harbinger of death emerges from the foot of the bed. The top part of his face is covered by a blanket while his grinning jaw is revealed. He carries a spear and holds an hourglass above his head to the level of the sleepers. A banner attached to the hourglass reads: "Intemperance, Dro[p]sy, Dissolution." Ironically, Fox died later in the same year as Pitt did. The ragged and worn quality of Fox's face suggests his failing health. A watch dog wears a collar that identifies him as "John Bull." He stands at the right of the skeleton and barks viciously at the vision of Napoleon. The dog also urinates on a sheet of paper under his foot: it is inscribed "List of the Broadbottoms" (of which Lord Casltereigh was a leader). The "Bed of Roses" to which the title alludes is clearly not comfortable or luxurious. While the coverlet on top of the bed is embroidered with roses, and the carpet on the floor is also decorated with the flower, a bramble bush, studded with menacing thorns--and few buds--emerges from under the bed itself. The branches of this bush are inscribed: "India Roses," French Roses," Emancipation Roses," "Coalition Roses," and "Volunteer Roses"--each of which is literally a thorn in Fox's side. Inscription: Pubd April 21st 1806 by H. Humphrey 27 St. James's Street. Printed Signature: J. Gillray inv. & fect.