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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1775

Three Noblemen Dance Round a Tall Thistle

c. 1775

A satirical engraving from about 1775 showing three noblemen, including North, dancing around a thistle while the devil plays bagpipes.

North is named among the figures in this c. 1775 satire on the Quebec Bill, which links him to a policy he led in Parliament.

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Engraving titled 'The Thistle Reel': three men in 18th-century dress dance around a tall thistle with a banner reading 'Nemo me impune lacessit'. A horned devil on a cloud plays bagpipes above. The man on the right holds a sheet labeled 'Quebec Bill'.
The Thistle Reel, c. 1775. Engraving, Iconographic Collections, Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is an engraving, dated about 1775, titled 'The Thistle Reel'. Three men in 18th-century dress dance around a tall thistle that carries a banner reading 'Nemo me impune lacessit'. A horned devil on a cloud plays bagpipes above them. The man on the right holds a sheet labelled 'Quebec Bill'. The collection record says the print satirises Scottish influence on the Quebec Bill. Its keywords name Frederick North, James Mansfield and John Stuart.

Why it matters

The Quebec Act, which this print refers to, was passed in 1774 while North led the government. The print shows that critics blamed Scottish figures for shaping British policy toward Quebec. It reveals how anti-Scottish feeling and debates about Canada were turned into satire in London.

Look closer

  • Why has the artist placed a devil playing bagpipes beside the dancers?
  • What does the sheet labelled 'Quebec Bill' suggest about the subject of the joke?
  • Whose point of view does the print express, and whose does it leave out?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Lord Frederick North on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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