The Times, Plate 1

Political satire was never one of Hogarth's main interests, and in his autobiography he says that this particular print was made more to make money than to advance the art of satire. It introduces some of the main characters who would hold sway over British politics for the next three decades in the rather tiny person of Fox who appears coming out of the doghouse at the lower left of the print. The complex imagery places Charles in the middle with the dove of peace flying over him as he attempts to put out the fire that threatens Europe (symbolized as a row of houses marked with a fleur-de-lis for France, an eagle for Germany, and globe for, well, the world). Various allies and enemies help or hinder this process, including William Pitt the Elder, stilts taking the place of his crutches and a millstone around his neck symbolizing his questionable annual income.