The thunderer

Print shows Colonel Tarleton as Bobadil holding out a drawn sword. His plumed helmet caricatures that in Reynolds's well-known portrait of Tarleton. With him stands the Prince of Wales, with a plume of three ostrich feathers in place of a head, the centre feather having some resemblance to a face. Bobadil is saying, "They have assaulted me some Three, Four, Five, Six of them together, & I have driven them afore me like a Flock of Sheep; - but this is nothing, for often in a mere frolic I have challeng'd Twenty of them, kill'd them; - Challeng'd Twenty more, kill'd them; - Twenty more, killed them too; - & thus in a day have I kill'd Twenty Score; twenty score, that's two hundred; two hundred a day, five days a thousand; thats - a - Zounds, I can't number them half; & all civilly & fairly with this one poor Toledo!" The Prince says, "I'd as lief as twenty Crowns I could talk as fine as you, Captn ["Coll" has been scored through and "Captn" added with a caret, probably to show that "Captain Bobadil" is an officer with the rank of Colonel]. They are standing outside the door of a dubious place of entertainment. Over the door is inscribed "THE WHIRLIGIG Alamode Beef, hot every Night". Above this is a branch, representing a bush, the sign that wine is sold, and on a projecting beam, the sign of the house: the figure of a courtesan seated with outstretched legs and arms saying, "This is the Lad'll kiss most sweet Who'd not love a soldier?".