In the middle of the picture sits the “second mother” (3) in a highly-wrought chair, round the legs of which twine carved serpents. Tears course down her cheeks. With her right hand she points to the cradle as she listens to the counsels of the papal nuncio Count Ferdinand d’Adda (4), who, with armour peeping from under {205} his robes and with his armoured foot treading on his naked weapon, recommends submission of the whole matter to the arbitrament of the sword. Immediately beyond the Cardinal stands Louis XIV. (5), James’s faithful ally. In one hand he carries a bag of money, referring, doubtless, to his offer of five hundred thousand livres for the equipment of an English fleet to oppose the Prince of Orange’s threatened invasion; with the other he exposes to view a list of his army. Behind, and to the right of Cardinal d’Adda, Louis’ son, the Dauphin of France, makes as though he would draw his sword, whilst the Pope (Innocent XI.), in shadow at the extreme right of the picture (7, the number is very indistinctly seen on the dark clothing) grasps the keys of St. Peter, and would seem to be sarcastically doubtful of the whole affair. “The Pope,” says Voltaire, “founded very little hopes on the proceedings of James, and constantly refused Petre a cardinal’s hat.” Beyond the Pope is seen the armoured figure of Leopold I. (8), with the German eagle on his helmet. With his right hand he grasps his {206} sword-hilt; with his left he gesticulates as though reminding the war party that he also has to be reckoned with. No. 9 I cannot identify. Behind Mary of Modena’s chair stands (13, the figure is on her breast) Catherine of Braganza, the childless wife of Charles II. She is doubtless lamenting that, when residing at Whitehall, she had not herself manufactured a prince on the Modena plan. Next to her (11, the figure is on the pillar) a doctor of the Sorbonne promises them all dispensations—a hit at James’s well-known misuse of the dispensing powers. Next to him, with his right hand convulsively grasping a roll of charters, stands James himself (10). In his left he carries parliamentary and corporation papers. With despairing eyes he gazes at the baby who, so far from giving, as he had fondly hoped, the finishing touch to the Roman Catholic triumph in England, is likely to prove the most damning count in the country’s indictment of his iniquities and treasons. To the left the midwife (12) encourages him to proceed with the imposture. Below her two monks (14 and 15), greatly alarmed, pray aloud at the head of the cradle. {207} Immediately behind them two heralds, one mounted on an ass, blow on trumpets to call attention to the Dutch fleet, which is seen approaching through the right-hand arch, whilst through the left a fort is seen belching forth smoke and resisting the landing of the longboats.