13 November 2013

Pitt and Muzzled Mouths

In The Farington Diary (Vol. 1: 137) Joseph Farington records a meeting held at Downing Street in January 1796 between Pitt and several Lancashire delegates. This is how he describes Pitt at the time: “He [Pitt] was dressed in a worn Blue Coat and Red waistcoat, - a dirty pair of leather breeches, and a pair of old Boots…”
Amongst other discussions, “Mr. Pitt was also informed of a Society having been established by the Jacobins, since the Sedition Bills passed, where the members, at their meetings, sit with a kind of muzzle over their mouths, and converse only by signs and writing. Pitt laughed at the ridiculous description” (Farington, Vol. 1: 137).

Reference:

Farington, J. (ed. by James Greig) The Farington Diary, Volume 1. (3rd edition). London: Hutchinson & Co., p. 137.

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