Bethlemii ad portas se tollit dupla columna ... ; Stothard delt. ; W. Sharp sculpt. ; Published as the Act directs
Lettering continues: [Greek] Eikona tōn entos chōi lithos ektos echei ; Hic calvum ad dextram tristi caput ore reclinat, ; Vix illum ad laevam ferrea vinc'la tenet. ; Dissimilis furor est statuis; sed utrumque laborem, ; Et genium artificis laudat uterque furor. ; Lusus Westmonasterienses.
Translation of the lettering: At the gates of Bethlem rises a double column, and on which the stone outside holds the image of those within. This one rests his bald head with a sad face on the right, that one on the left his iron chains hardly hold. To each statue there is a different kind of madness, but both madnesses praise the labour and the genius of the artist
The lettering is attributed to "Lusus westmonasterienses", a collection of Latin and Greek verses written as exercises by the boys and masters of Westminster School