,illustration3      ,,drawn by ,,john   
,,bewick1 #agha    ,,cherryburn4        
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,a                                      
,,memoir                                
,,of                                    
,,thomas ,,bewick1                      
,,written ,,by ,,himself4               
,,embellished ,,by                      
,,numerous ,,wood ,,engravings1         
,,designed ,,and ,,engraved ,,by ,,the  
,,author ,,for ,a ,,work ,,on           
,,british ,,fishes1 ,,and ,,never       
,,before ,,published4      ,illustration
                                        
,newcastleon,tyne3                      
,,printed ,,by ,,robert ,,ward1 ,,dean  
,,street1                        ,,for  
,,jane ,,bewick1 ,,gateshead4           
,london3                   ,,longman1   
,,green1 ,,longman1 ,,and ,,roberts1    
,,and ,,sold ,,by ,,all ,,booksellers4  
#ahfb4                   ,the ,right of 
,translation is ,reserved4              

----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
8,while speaking of the ,english school1
 ,i must not omit to notice a truly     
original genius1 who1 though not a      
painter1 was an artist of the highest   
order in his way--,thomas ,bewick1 the  
admirable designer and engraver on      
wood4 ,his works1 indeed1 are of the    
smallest dimensions1 but this makes  it 
only the more surprising that so much   
interest could be comprised  within such
 little spaces4 ,the wood cuts that     
illustrate his books of  natural history
 may be studied with advantage by the   
most ambitious  votary of the highest   
classes of art--filled as they are by   
the truest  feeling for nature1 and     
though often representing the most      
ordinary  objects1 yet never1 in a      
single instance1 degenerating into      
common-place4 ,the charming vignettes   
that ornament these books abound in     
incidents from real life1 diversified by
 genuine humour1 as well as by  the     

truest pathos--of which the single      
figure of a shipwrecked sailor  saying  
his prayers on a rock1 with the waves   
rising round him1 is an  instance4      
,there is often in these little things a
 deep meaning that  places his art on a 
level with styles which the world is apt
 to consider  as greatly above it1 in   
proof of which ,i would mention the     
party of boys  playing at soldiers among
 graves1 and mounted on a row of upright
  tombstones for horses2 while for      
quaint humour1 extracted from a very    
simple source1 may be noticed a         
procession of geese which have just     
waddled through a stream1 while their   
line of march is continued by a  row of 
stepping-stones4 ,the student of        
landscape can never consult the  works  
of ,bewick without improvement4 ,the    
backgrounds to the figures of  his      
,quadrupeds and his ,birds1 and his     
vignettes1 have a charm of nature  quite
 his own4 ,he gives us1 in these1 every 
season of the year2 and his  trees1     

whether in the clothing of summer1 or in
 the nakedness of winter1  are the trees
 of an artist bred in the country4 ,he  
is equally true in  his little home     
scenes1 his farm-yards and cottages1 as 
in the wild  coast scenery1 with the    
flocks of sea birds wheeling round the  
rocks4 ,in  one of these subjects there 
stands a ruined church1 towards which   
the  sea has encroached1 the rising tide
 threatening to submerge a tombstone    
raised 8to perpetuate the memory10 c4   
,bewick resembles ,hogarth in this1     
that his illustrations of the stories of
 others are not to be compared  with his
 own inventions4 ,his feeling for the   
beauties of nature as they  were        
impressed on him directly1 and not at   
second-hand1 is akin to the  feeling of 
,burns1 and his own designs remind me1  
therefore1 much more of  ,burns than the
 few which he made from the             
poet40--,leslie's ,hand ,book for       
,young ,painters4                       
----------------------------------------

--------------------------------        
,illustration                           
,,preface4      ,the anxiety necessarily
 attendant upon the publication of this 
volume  being now brought to a close1 it
 only remains to apologise for the      
delay1 for which many reasons might be  
adduced1 and to express a hope  that it 
may be received with the same favour    
which has for so long a  period been    
kindly extended to the works of ,thomas 
,bewick4 ,it may be  matter of interest 
to many of his admirers to learn that   
the whole of  the wood cuts now in the  
hands of the family are in as good      
preservation  as when they left the     
graver4#a    ,footnote #a3      ,as     
evidence of which1 it is impossible to  
distinguish the cuts    introduced into 
the last edition of 8,birds0 from those 
previously    published4 ,this is due to
 the well-known fact1 as mentioned at   
page    #bdc1 that an immense number of 
impressions may be taken from a wood    
block2 and to the system1 peculiar to   

,thomas ,bewick1 of lowering all    the 
more delicate parts4    ,this volume was
 considerably advanced at press before  
it was decided to  append the cuts of   
the ,fishes2 an arrangement which it is 
hoped may meet  with general            
approbation--more particularly as1 by   
that means1 the cuts  and the           
vignettes#b engraved for the ,history of
 ,fishes will thus go  together4 ,much  
additional matter respecting the        
,fishes1 which had  occupied so much    
time and attention1 would doubtless have
 found a place  in the pages of the     
,memoir1 had not the hand of ,death so  
suddenly  arrested the labours of the   
,author4 ,from the ample materials which
  exist1 the ,appendix might have been  
greatly extended1 but it is now felt  to
 be desirable to bring the publication  
to a termination as speedily as         
possible4                               
,j4 ,b4    ,gateshead-on-,tyne1 ,may1   
#ahfb4    ,footnote #b3      ,the       
vignette placed at page #bhf--;a view of

 ,cherryburn1 with ,mickley    ,bank in 
the distance1 and a funeral procession  
descending the sloping    pasture       
towards the boat1 waiting to convey it  
across the ,tyne to the    last         
resting-place of the family at          
,ovingham--appears1 from the date       
attached1 to be the last vignette ever  
executed by ,thomas ,bewick4            
,illustration                           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,it is at this period when the full     
value of a well-spent life will shine   
with full effulgence upon the mind1 and 
spread over it a  self-approbation of   
more worth than all the riches of the   
world4 ,an  ill-spent life1 on the      
contrary1 will bring forward its        
recollections1  and send the guilty and 
polluted body unregretted to the grave1 
and the  degraded soul to the ,giver of 
it1 to be disposed of1 in the justice   
and  mercy it will be found to          
deserve4--,loose ,note4                 

,t4 ,b4                                 
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration                           
,,contents4                             
,,chapter ,i4                           
,introductory--,parentage--,birth1      
#agec--,mickley ,school--,ovingham      
#a-ac     ,school--,first attempts at   
drawing--,hunting                       
parties--,sheep--,shelter for sheep in  
snow     storms--,birds--,border songs  
and laments--,earl of                   
,derwentwater--,whins food for cattle   
,,chapter ,,ii4     ,employments in     
spring--,angling--,mischievous          
pranks--,floggings      #ad-ca     at   
school--,ghosts and ,boggles--,change in
 the     mind--,man-fights1 dog-fights1 
cock-fights--,fear of ghosts            
entertained by the bulk of the          
people--,meet the ,devil going          
a-guising--,miss ,gregson's             
reproof--,mr4 ,gregson's                
lecture--,birds and their               

nests--,ants--,bees                     
,,chapter ,,iii4     ,description of    
,cherryburn--,the surrounding           
common--,the            #cb-di          
peasantry--,will ,bewick--,anthony      
,liddell--,thos4 ,forster--,john        
,chapman--,their peculiarities and way  
of life--,the very old     men--,their  
avidity for news--,old ,soldiers--,john 
,cowie--,ben     ,garlick--,their       
enthusiastic description of the battles 
they     had fought--,the               
,borderers--,their propensity for war   
and     rapine--,their names--,the      
farmers of ,tyneside--,the lairds--,the 
gentry--,plan of the late ,duke of      
,northumberland for raising     the     
character of the peasantry--,parish     
relief     degrading--,proposed iron    
works at ,eltringham--,failure of the   
scheme                                  
,,chapter ,,iv4     ,sent on trial to   
,ralph ,beilby1 engraver--,day of the   
binding      #ej-fa     arrives--,grief 
on leaving the country--,call at the    

parsonage1 ,ovingham--,assembling of the
 villagers at the     church-yard       
gates--,betty ,kell's luck              
penny--,journey to     ,newcastle1      
accompanied by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,gregson  
and his     son--,lecture--,christopher 
,gregson bound on the same              
day--,scrape at ,king ,jamie's          
,well--,new master and his              
discipline--,sketch of the              
,family--,copy ,copeland's              
,ornaments--,block out the diagrams for 
,charles ,hutton's     work--,etch      
sword-blades for ,w4 and ,n4 ,oley1 of  
,shotley     ,bridge--,coarse work of   
the shop--,silversmiths' work--,wood cut
     of ,george and the ,dragon--,cuts  
for ,children's books--,story           
,teller--,gay's ,fables--,select        
,fables--,obtain a premium for the      
cut of the old hound--,mr4 ,gregson's   
congratulations     thereupon           
,,chapter ,v4     ,lodge with ,mrs4     
,blackett--,gilbert ,gray--,his         
excellent             #fb-gi            

character--,lodge at ,hatfields--,scamps
 and tramps--,rise early     and obtain 
access to my master's books1 and to     
those at     the workshop of ,wm4       
,gray--,religious books--,become        
unwell--,dr4     ,bailes                
prescribes--,recommends temperance and  
exercise--,walks     to ,elswick        
,whey-house--,bread and milk            
diet--,walks to     ,cherryburn after   
shop hours--,reflections on getting into
     debt--,william ,bulmer1            
printer--,robert ,pollard1              
engraver--,thomas ,spence--,his         
vagaries--,george ,gray--,his worthy    
character--,engrave cuts for ,dr4       
,hutton's ,mathematical     ,works1     
#aggc1 and for ,dr4 ,horsley's edition  
of ,sir ,isaac     ,newton's works1     
#aggh--;,bird catchers and bird         
dealers--,profligate men--,serjeant     
,hymers--,whittaker                     
,shadforth--,practise the manual        
exercise--,miss ,beilby--,her     death 
,,chapter ,,vi4     ,expiration of      

apprenticeship1 #aggd--,return to       
#hj-ic     ,cherryburn--,employed on    
wood cuts for printers--,remain at      
,cherryburn till #aggf--;,beauty of     
,tyneside--,hunting--,angling--,northumb
erland pipes--,pedestrian     tour to   
,cumberland--,carlisle--,langholm--,hawi
ck--                                    
,selkirk--,dalkeith--,edinburgh--,border
 scenery--,auld ,reekie--,walk     to   
,glasgow--,to ,dumbarton--,smollett's   
monument on the side of     the         
,leven--,walk through the ,highlands of 
,scotland--,grandeur     of the         
scenery--,admiration of the             
people--,their     dwellings--,their    
loyalty to ,prince ,charles--,their     
hospitality--,fairs and trysts--,scotch 
music and     dancing--,leave the       
,highlands with regret--,walk to        
,stirling--,thence by ,linlithgow to    
,edinburgh--,return to     ,newcastle by
 sea                                    
,,chapter ,,vii4     ,visit ,london1    
#aggf--,meeting with friends and        

#id-ajd     schoolfellows--,execute wood
 cuts for ,isaac ,taylor--,meet with    
,serjeant ,hymers--,wood cuts for       
,thomas ,hodgson--,work for ,mr4        
,carnan and ,mr4 ,newberry--,fallen     
women and their     misery--,reverse of 
the picture--,celebrated                
preachers--,religions of different      
sects--,preference for the     ,church  
of ,england--,offer of procuring        
employment with ,mr4     ,pingo of the  
,mint--,surplus cash1 how disposed      
of--,dislike to     ,london--,determine 
to leave it--,mr4 ,taylor remonstrates  
on     the subject--,mr4 ,hodgson's kind
 offer to furnish     employment--,his  
legacy--,leave ,london by sea--,arrive  
at     ,newcastle1 #aggg                
,,chapter ,,viii4     ,fit up a work    
bench at ,hatfields--,offer of          
partnership with    #aje-aad     ,mr4   
,beilby--,reflections thereon--,brother 
,john ,bewick--,his     amiable         
disposition--,his talent--,visits to    
,cherryburn with     him--,his early    

death1 #agie--;,angling--,river-side    
scenery--,change of the                 
seasons--,reflections--,hardy           
constitution                            
,,chapter ,,ix4     ,presentiment of a  
change at ,cherryburn--,death of father1
       #aae-abc     mother1 and sister1 
#aghe--,sketches of their               
characters--,visits to ,cherryburn      
cease--,george     ,parkin--,diabolical 
attempt on his life                     
,,chapter ,x4     ,isaac ,hymen--,mr4   
,langlands--,matthew ,prior--,american  
war--,alfred   #abd-acd     the         
,great--,become acquainted with a       
society of literary     young           
men--,their dinners--,their             
songs--,northumberland pipes            
introduced at the                       
,theatre--,peacock--,cant--,john        
,bowman--,his     skill on the fife     
,,chapter ,,xi4     ,thomas             
,lawson--,walk to ,york with ,philip    
,gregson--,return by      #ace-adc      
,borough ,bridge--,darlington--,westward

 by ,bowes--,over     ,stainmore--,to   
,penrith and ,ainstable--,to ,cherryburn
 and     ,newcastle--,perambulation to  
,berwick--,stop at ,elwick--,nearly     
swept away by the tide in crossing to   
,holy ,island--,speeches     delivered  
at ,alnwick--,swarley's ,club--,wood    
cuts for     ,hutchinson's ,history of  
,durham--,for ,walker1 of               
,hereford--,for     ,nicholson1 of      
,ludlow--,for ,bulmer's publications of 
,parnell's ,hermit and ,goldsmith's     
,deserted ,village--,copper     plates  
for ,sir ,harry ,liddell's tour to      
,lapland--,canal     plates1 #agif      
,,chapter ,,xii4     ,commence the      
,history of ,quadrupeds with the wood   
cut of the   #add-aeb     ,dromedary1   
#aghe--,rev4 ,r4 ,oliphant--,rev4 ,t4   
,hornby--,marriage     with ,miss       
,elliot--,her death1 #ahbf--,visit to   
,chillingham1     #aghi--,large wood cut
 of the ,chillingham ,bull--,visit ,john
     ,bell at ,eslington--,make a       
drawing there of a ,newfoundland        

dog--,illness of ,rev4 ,c4              
,gregson--,his death1 #agij--;,his      
estimable character                     
,,chapter ,,xiii4     ,commence first   
volume of the ,history of               
,birds--,charmed with    #aec-afe       
the subject--,ornithological works of   
that     day--,correspondence with      
friends and amateurs on the             
subject--,visit ,mr4 ,tunstal's museum  
at ,wycliffe1 #agia--,make     drawings 
of birds there--,lodge with ,john       
,goundry--,rev4 ,dr4     ,zouch--,his   
hospitality--,his liberality of         
sentiment--,christians and              
,christianity--,thoughts on the         
,deity--,man in ,society--,genus        
homo--,canine race--,their              
instincts--,return from                 
,wycliffe--,visit an old                
schoolfellow--,preserved birds          
superseded by birds newly               
shot--,birds sent by ,general ,dalbiac1 
,lieutenant-,colonel     ,dalton1 ,major
 ,shore1 ,major ,h4 ,f4 ,gibson1 and    

from all     parts of the               
kingdom--,first volume of ,history of   
,birds     finished at press1           
#agig--,mr4 ,beilby retires--,gratitude 
a     rare virtue--,carelessness in     
money matters--,second volume of     the
 ,birds published1 #ahjd--;,additions to
 the first     volume--,severe          
confinement and application--,motives   
for     labours--,encouraged by amateurs
                                        
,,chapter ,,xiv4     ,natural ,history  
retarded by the work of the             
shop--,writing      #aff-aga            
engraving--,plates for bank             
notes--,prevention of                   
forgery--,carlisle bank note--,king     
,george ,,iii4 approves of     this     
note--,correspondence with ,s4          
,thornton1 ,esq41 #ahja--;,ends     in  
nothing--,commission appointed to       
investigate the subject     of forgery1 
#ahah--;,engrave plates for the ,berwick
 ,bank--,the     ,northumberland        
,bank--,gave in a plan to the           

commissioners--,the leading objects     
permanency1     c4--,correspondence with
 ,sir ,joseph ,banks on the             
subject--,fairman1 ,perkins1 and        
,heath--,their     specimens--,opinions 
of the commissioners delivered in the   
,house of ,commons by ,mr4 ,pierce--,sir
 ,william ,congreve a                   
commissioner--,his successful operations
                                        
,,chapter ,,xv4     ,illness1           
#ahab--sop's ,fables commenced--,an     
arduous              #agb-ahd           
undertaking--,published1 #ahah--,remarks
 on the ,french     ,revolution1        
#aghi--;,causes of it--,war declared by 
,england1     #agic--,waste of life and 
treasure--,apathy of country            
gentlemen--,remarks on the loyalty of   
that day--,valour of     ,british       
seamen--,rise in the value of           
land--,incites to     agricultural      
improvements--,messrs4 ,bailey and      
,culley--,their     agricultural        
reports--,mr4 ,smith's ,cheviot         

sheep--,make a     drawing of a         
ram--,sagacity of the shepherd's        
dog--,fat cattle     for ,durham report 
,,chapter ,,xvi4     ,further remarks on
 the measures and supporters of ,mr4    
#ahe-ahi     ,pitt--,witches--,their    
treatment--,consequences of             
ignorance--,mr4     ,pitt's             
motives--,general ,bonaparte's          
victories--,his ambition     and        
consequent ruin--,reflections on war and
 its     horrors--,what might have been 
done with the men and the               
money--,the moss-troopers--,their       
ferocity                                
,,chapter ,,xvii4     ,gifts of         
,omnipotence to the human race--,duty of
 man to         #aij-aii     cultivate  
these gifts--,consequences of neglecting
 these     duties--,education to be     
given to every one--,an imperative      
duty upon the community--,to check the  
reasoning power a     crime--,masters   
and servants--,equality                 
impossible--,patriotism     a first     

duty--,alfred the ,great--,foundation of
 ,england's     glory laid by him--,free
 discussion should be                   
encouraged--,review of past             
transactions--,foreign despots and      
demi-oligarchs--,loans wrung from the   
people--,jacobins1     ,levellers1 and  
,radicals--,fears for the safety of     
,great     ,britain--,the ,king can     
settle this question1 and entitle       
himself to the gratitude of posterity   
,,chapter ,,xviii4     ,major           
,cartwright--,disapprove of his scheme  
of universal        #bjj-bjg            
suffrage--,elections may be             
simplified--,wasteful expenditure     to
 be avoided--,holy ,alliance--,spain and
     ,italy--,superstition--,society for
 the ,suppression of                    
,vice--,constitutional                  
,association--,its object--,betrayers of
     innocence1 robbers of              
widows--,tattoo their                   
backs--,criminals--,plan to redeem their
 characters--,laws of                   

,england--,need of revision--,the       
learned     professions--,preference for
 medical men                            
,,chapter ,,xix4     ,remarks on the    
education of children--,their health and
         #bjh-bag                       
pursuits--,education of                 
girls--,horticulture and ,floriculture  
recommended to                          
ladies--,freeholders--,their            
duties--,oaths--,immorality--,profligacy
--,thoughts on     marriage--,education 
of boys                                 
,,chapter ,,xx4     ,the game           
laws--,riflemen--,the fisheries--,grants
 in feudal         #bah-bcj             
times--,a change necessary--,the way to 
effect     this--,remuneration to the   
present owners--,salmon formerly        
abundant in the ,tyne--,spawning        
places--,weirs and dams--,impure        
water--,appointment of vigilant         
guards--,destruction of ,salmon     by  
the porpoise--,suggestions for catching 
the porpoise--,uses     to which they   

may be applied--,necessity of protecting
 the     parent fishes--,incredible     
number of the fry--,the                 
angler--,angling ought to be            
unchecked--,preserved waters     debar  
the angler--,formation of ,waltonian    
,societies     recommended--,their      
duties--,constant beating of the streams
     to be discountenanced--,pought     
nets--,catching the fry in              
mill-races1 and liming the burns1 to be 
prohibited--,angling     and its        
delights--,beautiful scenery--,permanent
 pools may be     stocked with          
eels--,further reflections on the       
subject                                 
,,chapter ,,xxi4     ,visit ,edinburgh1 
#ahbc--,kind attentions shown--,morning 
walks to  #bca-bcf     ,elswick         
,lane--,contemplations in               
church-yards--,thoughts on              
monuments--,inscriptions on             
rocks--,erection of pillars over        
copious springs                         
,,chapter ,,xxii4     ,first efforts in 

engraving on                            
wood--,progress--,difficulties to       
#bcg-bdd     contend with--,albert      
,durer--,his cross-hatching and drawings
     on the wood--,printing from two or 
three blocks--,artists of     the       
present day--,improved methods of       
,printing wood     blocks--,attempt at  
colour on the wood--,lowering the       
back-ground--,stronger lines left to    
protect the cut--,a     delicate fac    
known to have printed above #ijj1jjj    
impressions                             
,,chapter ,,xxiii4     ,prints from     
large blocks formerly in use in         
cottages--,great    #bde-bej     variety
 of the subjects--,blocks printed in    
colours--,gubitz     of                 
,berlin--,impressions from duplicate and
 triplicate     blocks1 by ,j4 ,b4      
,jackson--,stroke engraving--,its       
capabilities     in landscape--,william 
,woollett--,his unequalled landscapes on
     copper--,his probable excellence as
 a wood engraver1 so as     to rival    

copper--,further notice of ,john ,bewick
 and ,r4 ,e4     ,bewick                
,,chapter ,,xxiv4     ,advice to        
artists--,difficulties of choosing a    
#bea-beg     profession--,study of      
nature to be preferred--,old            
masters--,their varied                  
excellences--,poetry and                
painting--,musical talent--,beauty of   
wild     scenery--,thompson--,allan     
,ramsay                                 
,,chapter ,,xxv4     ,the ,bible--,the  
sublime precepts it contains--,the      
#beh-bfd     ,israelites--,intentions of
 ,omnipotence--,wonders of the          
universe--,the deluge--,early history of
 mankind--,the ,bible the     first     
instrument of knowledge--,a future state
                                        
,,chapter ,,xxvi4     ,interpretation of
 the ,scriptures--,the mind1 the soul1  
and the  #bfe-bgj     reasoning powers  
of man--,religion natural and necessary 
to     man--,the inspired ,author of    
,christianity--,his pure and     perfect

 doctrines                              
,,chapter ,,xxvii4     ,the miracle of  
creation--,adoration due to the great   
,author of  #bga-bgg     the            
whole--,paganism and succeeding         
errors--,evils of     intolerance--,good
 effected by monks of old--,the         
,reformation--,american                 
institutions--,established              
clergy--,their     learning and         
acquirements--,fanaticism--,ravings of  
,ranters                                
,,chapter ,,xxviii4     ,religion and   
philosophy conjoined necessary to human 
#bgh-bhe     happiness--,selection of   
clergymen--,wonders of the              
universe--,intended for the             
contemplation of every human            
being--,revenues of the clergy--,more   
equal division     recommended--,ireland
 and the ,irish-,catholic               
emancipation--,absentees--,protestants  
and     ,catholics--,reflections on the 
value of religious                      
education--,colleges for the            

purpose--,no limit to the               
improvement of the human mind--,nor to  
the capabilities of     the human frame 
,,final                                 
#bhf     ,,appendix                     
#bhi-cdd        ,illustration           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,memoir ,,of ,,thomas ,,bewick4        
-------                                 
,,chapter ,i4                           
,tynemouth1 ,november1 #ahbb4    ,,my   
,,dear ,,jane1    ,it is in compliance  
with your wish that ,i have1 after much 
hesitation  and delay1 made up my mind  
to give you some account of my life1 as 
it  may at a future day amuse you and   
your brother and sisters in your        
passage through the crooked as well as  
the pleasant paths of the world4  ,i    
will commence by giving you some account
 of your pedigree as far back  as ,i    
can4    ,my grandfather1 ,thomas        
,bewick1 farmed the lands of ,painshaw  
,field and  ,birches ,nook1 near        

,bywell1 and also the ,colliery on      
,mickley ,bank1 or  ,mickley            
,common--how long since ,i know not1 but
 it might probably be about  the year   
#agjj4 ,he had the character of being   
one of the most  intelligent1 active1   
and best farmers on ,tyneside1 and it   
was said that1  by his good management  
and great industry1 he became very rich2
 but1  except his being an expert       
angler1 ,i know little more about him4  
,my  grandmother's maiden name was      
,agnes ,arthur1 the daughter of a laird 
of  that name at ,kirkheaton1 at which  
place my father was born in the year    
#agae1 while his mother was there 7,i   
believe7 on a visit to her friends4     
,my maternal grandfather1 ,thomas       
,wilson1 and my grandmother1 whose      
maiden  name was ,hannah ,thompson1     
lived at ,ainstable1 in ,cumberland2 but
 whether  he was curate of the parish of
 that place1 or parish clerk1 ,i do not 
know4 ,it is certain1 however1 that he  
was one or the other1 and that he       

taught a school there2 and1 from the    
circumstance of his teaching his  sons1 
and some of his daughters1 ,latin1 ,i   
conclude he taught some of his  scholars
 the same language4 ,when he died1 his  
eldest son1 ,christopher1  became       
possessed of his freehold property1     
consisting of a house1 c41  and a few   
fields adjoining4 ,the rest of his      
family were left little  beside a good  
education1 and were spread abroad in the
 world to do the  best they could for   
themselves4 ,in this state of their     
affairs1 my  mother1 ,jane1 and her     
youngest sister1 ,hannah1 were taken by 
a distant  relation1 a ,mrs4 ,gregson1  
of ,appleby1 to remain with her until   
she could  get them places to live at4  
,about this time1 the ,rev4 ,christopher
  ,gregson had been appointed to the    
curacy of ,ovingham1 and wanted a       
housekeeper2 and my mother1 though      
young1 was thought able to undertake    
that office1 and accordingly engaged to 
perform it4    ,your maternal           

grandfather's name was ,robert ,elliot1 
and your  grandmother's ,jane ,forster4 
,he farmed the land of ,woodgate1 near  
,bill  ,quay1 where your mother was     
born4 ,he afterwards removed to a farm  
at  ,ovingham1 where he died in #aggg1  
leaving the character of a sensible1    
honest1 and industrious man4    ,how    
long my mother lived with ,mr4 ,gregson1
 before her marriage1 ,i know  not2 but 
from him ,i afterwards learned that she 
was a valuable servant  to him1 both    
with respect to his house-keeping       
concerns1 and for the  occasional       
assistance she afforded him in hearing  
his pupils their ,latin  tasks4 ,from   
,ovingham1 in the year #ageb1 she       
married my father1 and went  to live    
with him at ,cherryburn ,house1 near the
 small village or ,hamlet  of           
,eltringham1 where all their family1 of 
which ,i was the eldest1 were  born4    
,the family consisted of myself and     
brothers1 ,john and ,william2 and  my   
sisters ,hannah1 ,agnes1 ,ann1 ,sarah1  

and ,jane4 ,sarah died at the age of    
#af2 the rest were reared to maturity1  
and were sent off1 one way or  another1 
into the world4    ,in ,august1 #agec1  
,i was born1 and was mostly entrusted to
 the care of my  aunt ,hannah1 7my      
mother's sister71 and my grandmother1   
,agnes ,bewick2 and  the first thing ,i 
can remember was1 that the latter       
indulged me in every  thing ,i had a    
wish for2 or1 in other words1 made me a 
great 8pet40 ,i was  not to be 8snubbed0
 7as it was called71 do what ,i would2  
and1 in  consequence of my being thus   
suffered to have my own way1 ,i was     
often  scalded and burnt1 or put in     
danger of breaking my bones by falls    
from  heights ,i had clambered up to4   
,the next circumstance1 which ,i well   
remember1 was that of my being sent  to 
,mickley ,school when very young2 and   
this was not done so much with a  view  
to my learning1 as to keep me out of    
8harm's way40 ,i was some time  at this 
school without making much progress in  

learning my letters or  spelling small  
words2 the master1 perhaps1 was         
instructed not to keep me  very close at
 my book2 but1 in process of time1 he   
began to be more and  more severe upon  
me2 and ,i see clearly at this day1 that
 he frequently  beat me when faultless1 
and also for not learning what it was   
not in my  power to comprehend4 ,others 
suffered in the same way4 ,he was looked
 upon  as a severe1 or 8cross10 man1 and
 did not spare his rod4 ,he was tall and
  thin2 and1 with a countenance severe  
and grim1 he walked about the           
school-room1 with the tawse or a switch 
in his hand4 ,he1 no doubt1  thought he 
was keeping the boys to their lessons1  
while the gabbering  and noise they     
made1 was enough to stun any one1 and   
impressed the  people passing by with   
the idea that ,bedlam was let loose4    
,how long he  went on in this way1 ,i do
 not recollect2 but1 like many others of
 his  profession1 who were at that time 
appointed to fill the most important    

office of a teacher1 no pains had been  
taken to enquire whether he  possessed  
the requisite qualifications befitting  
him for it4 ,he went on  with a         
senseless system of severity1 where     
ignorance and arrogance were  equally   
conspicuous4 ,conduct like this1 sours  
the minds of some boys1  renders others 
stupid1 and serves to make all more or  
less disgusted  with learning4 ,upon    
some occasion or other1 he ordered me to
 be flogged2  and this was to be done by
 what was called 8hugging10 that is1 by 
mounting me upon the back of a stout    
boy1 who kept hold of my hands over  his
 shoulders while the posteriors were    
laid bare1 where he supposed he  could  
do the business freely4 ,in this        
instance1 however1 he was  mistaken2    
for1 with a most indignant rage1 ,i     
sprawled1 kicked1 and  flung1 and1 ,i   
was told1 bit the innocent boy1 on the  
neck1 when he  instantly roared out1 and
 threw me down2 and1 on my being seized 
again  by the old man1 ,i rebelled1 and 

broke his shins with my iron-hooped     
clogs1 and ran off4 ,by this time1 the  
boy's mother1 who was a spirited  woman1
 and lived close by1 attracted by the   
ferment that was raised1  flew 7,i      
understood7 into the school-room1 when a
 fierce scold ensued  between the master
 and her4 ,after this ,i went no more to
 his school1 but  played the truant     
every day1 and amused myself by making  
dams and  swimming boats1 in a small    
burn1 which ran through a place then    
called  the 8,colliers ,close ,wood10   
till the evening1 when ,i returned home 
with  my more fortunate or more obedient
 school-fellows4    ,how long it was    
before my absence from school was       
discovered1 ,i know  not1 but ,i got    
many severe beatings from my father and 
mother1 in the  interval between my     
leaving the school and the old master's 
death4 ,as  soon as another schoolmaster
 7,james ,burn7 was appointed1 ,i was   
sent to  him2 and he happened to be of a
 directly opposite character to the late

  one4 ,with him ,i was quite happy1 and
 learned as fast as any other of the    
boys1 and with as great pleasure4 ,after
 the death of this much respected  young
 man1 who lived only a very few years   
after his appointment1 my  learning any 
more at ,mickley school was at an end4  
,some time after this1 my father put me 
to school under the care of the  ,rev4  
,c4 ,gregson1 of ,ovingham2 and well do 
,i remember the conversation  that      
passed between them on the occasion4 ,it
 was little to my credit2  for my father
 began by telling him that ,i was so    
very unguidable that he  could not      
manage me1 and he begged of my new      
master that he would  undertake that    
task1 and they both agreed that 8to     
spare the rod was to  spoil the child40 
,this precept was1 ,i think1 too        
severely acted upon1  sometimes upon    
trivial occasions and sometimes         
otherwise4    ,i was for some time kept 
at reading1 writing1 and figures1--how  
long1 ,i  know not1 but ,i know that as 

soon as my question was done upon my    
slate1  ,i spent as much time as ,i     
could find in filling with my pencil all
 the  unoccupied spaces1 with           
representations of such objects as      
struck my  fancy2 and these were rubbed 
out1 for fear of a beating1 before my   
question was given in4 ,as soon as ,i   
reached ,fractions1 ,decimals1 c41 ,i   
was put to learn ,latin1 and in this ,i 
was for some time complimented by  my   
master for the great progress ,i was    
making2 but1 as ,i never knew for  what 
purpose ,i had to learn it1 and was     
wearied out with getting off  long      
tasks1 ,i rather flagged in this        
department of my education1 and the     
margins of my books1 and every space of 
spare and blank paper1 became  filled   
with various kinds of devices or scenes 
,i had met with2 and these  were        
accompanied with wretched rhymes        
explanatory of them4 ,as soon as ,i     
filled all the blank spaces in my books1
 ,i had recourse1 at all spare  times1  

to the gravestones and the floor of the 
church porch1 with a bit  of chalk1 to  
give vent to this propensity of mind of 
figuring whatever ,i  had seen4 ,at that
 time ,i had never heard of the word    
8drawing20 nor did  ,i know of any other
 paintings besides the king's arms in   
the church1 and  the signs in ,ovingham 
of the ,black ,bull1 the ,white ,hare1  
the ,salmon1 and  the ,hounds and ,hare4
 ,i always thought ,i could make a far  
better hunting  scene than the latter3  
the others were beyond my hand4 ,i      
remember once  of my master overlooking 
me while ,i was very busy with my chalk 
in the  porch1 and of his putting me    
very greatly to the blush by ridiculing 
and  calling me a conjurer4 ,my father1 
also1 found a deal of fault for         
8mispending my time in such idle        
pursuits20 but my propensity for        
drawing was so rooted that nothing could
 deter me from persevering in  it2 and  
many of my evenings at home were spent  
in filling the flags of  the floor and  

the hearth-stone with my chalky designs4
    ,after ,i had long scorched my face 
in this way1 a friend1 in compassion1   
furnished me with some paper upon which 
to execute my designs4 ,here ,i  had    
more scope4 ,pen and ink1 and the juice 
of the brambleberry1 made a  grand      
change4 ,these were succeeded by a      
camel-hair pencil and shells of         
colours2 and1 thus supplied1 ,i became  
completely set up2 but of  patterns1 or 
drawings1 ,i had none4 ,the beasts and  
birds1 which enlivened  the beautiful   
scenery of woods and wilds surrounding  
my native hamlet1  furnished me with an 
endless supply of subjects4 ,i now1 in  
the  estimation of my rustic neighbours1
 became an eminent painter1 and the     
walls of their houses were ornamented   
with an abundance of my rude            
productions1 at a very cheap rate4      
,these chiefly consisted of  particular 
hunting scenes1 in which the portraits  
of the hunters1 the  horses1 and of     
every dog in the pack1 were1 in their   

opinion1 as well  as my own1 faithfully 
delineated4 ,but while ,i was proceeding
 in this  way1 ,i was at the same time  
deeply engaged in matters nearly allied 
to  this propensity for drawing2 for ,i 
early became acquainted1 not only  with 
the history and the character of the    
domestic animals1 but also  with those  
which roamed at large4    ,the          
conversations of the ,nimrods of that   
day1 in which the instincts and         
peculiar properties of the various wild 
animals were described in  glowing      
terms1 attracted my keenest attention2  
and to their rude and  lengthened       
narratives ,i listened with extreme     
delight4 ,with me they made  a winter's 
evening fly fast away4 ,at holiday      
times1--and at other times  when        
prevented by the floods of the ,tyne    
from getting across to  school1--,i was 
sure1 with the most ardent glee1 to make
 one of the number  in the hunting      
parties which frequently took place at  
that time2 whether  it might be in the  

chase of the fox or the hare1 or in     
tracing the  foumart in the snow1 or    
hunting the badger at midnight4 ,the    
pursuing1  bating1 or killing1 these    
animals1 never at that time struck me as
 being  cruel4 ,the mind had not as yet 
been impressed with the feelings of     
humanity4 ,this1 however1 came upon me  
at last2 and the first time ,i felt  the
 change happened by my having 7in       
hunting7 caught the hare in my  arms1   
while surrounded by the dogs and the    
hunters1 when the poor1  terrified      
creature screamed out so                
piteously1--like a child1--that ,i would
  have given anything to have saved its 
life4 ,in this1 however1 ,i was         
prevented2 for a farmer well known to   
me1 who stood close by1 pressed  upon   
me1 and desired ,i would 8give her to   
him20 and1 from his being  better able  
7as ,i thought7 to save its life1 ,i    
complied with his wish4  ,this was no   
sooner done than he proposed to those   
about him1 8to have a  bit more sport   

with her10 and this was to be done by   
first breaking one  of its legs1 and    
then again setting the poor animal off a
 little before  the dogs4 ,i wandered   
away to a little distance1 oppressed by 
my own  feelings1 and could not join the
 crew again1 but learned with pleasure  
that their intended victim had made its 
escape4    ,the 8musical din0 of the    
hounds still continued to have its      
charms1 and  ,i still continued to      
follow them2 but from that day forward1 
,i have ever  wished that this poor1    
persecuted1 innocent creature might     
escape with  its life4 ,the worrying of 
foxes1 the baiting of foumarts1 otters1 
badgers1 c41 did not awaken in me       
similar feelings2 for in the fierce     
conflicts between them and the dogs1    
there was something like an  exchange of
 retaliation1 and not unfrequently the  
aggressors were  beaten2 and ,i have    
with pleasure seen that wonderfully     
courageous  animal1 the badger 7with    
fair play71 beat the dogs of a whole    

neighbourhood1 one after another1       
completely off4    ,in the              
vermin-hunting excursions in the depth  
of winter1 while the whole  face of     
nature was bound in frost and covered   
with deep snow1 in  traversing through  
bogs1 amidst reeds and rushes1 ,i have  
often felt  charmed with the sight of   
birds1--flushed1 and sometimes caught1  
by the  terrier dogs1--which ,i had     
never seen or heard of before2 and ,i am
 still  in doubt whether some of them   
have not escaped being noticed as       
,british  birds4    ,these were the     
diversions of the winter months1 which  
,i enjoyed in an  extreme degree1 amidst
 the storm and the tempest4 ,in that    
season ,i was  also sometimes better    
employed in looking after a small flock 
of sheep  on the fell1 a part of which  
was my own4#c ,the extremity of the     
weather  had taught them to seek a place
 of shelter under a steep but low       
8brae10  overhung with whins1 under     
which1 in such weather1 ,i was almost   

certain  to find them and their         
associates all huddled together4 ,to    
this place1  through wreaths of snow1 ,i
 early bent my way1 with a bundle of hay
 on my  back1 and my pockets sometimes  
filled with oats1 which ,i distributed  
amongst them4 ,upon these occasions1    
though at other times extremely  wild1  
they were quite tame1 and seemed to know
 me4    ,footnote #c3      ,they were of
 the long-legged1 black-faced kind1     
which were almost the    only sort at   
that time kept in this part of the      
country4 ,the improved    breed1 with   
their fatting qualities1 were then not  
known4 ,the mutton    of the former eats
 like dark1 juicy venison1 while that of
 the latter    puts one in mind of      
blubber4    ,from my sheep thus drawing 
into shelter1 gave rise to an opinion ,i
  formed1 and which has been confirmed  
by long reflection1 that much may  yet  
be done to protect the larger flocks    
from being over-blown and lost  on the  
bleak moors1 in great snow storms4 ,were

 long avenues made by  double rows of   
whin hedges1 planted parallel to each   
other at about six  feet asunder1 and   
continued in the form of two sides of a 
square1 with  the whins of each side    
drawn together1 and to grow interplatted
 at the  tops1 so as to form an arched  
kind of roof1 the sheep would1 on       
instinctively seeing the coming storm1  
immediately avail themselves of  such   
asylums1 and particularly in the lambing
 season4 ,in the corner of  the angle of
 this square1 the shepherd might have   
his hovel1 thatched  with heather and   
ling1 and his beds for himself and his  
dogs1 made of  the same materials2 and  
the whole of this 8bield0 might be      
rendered so  snug as greatly to defy the
 severity of the winter's drifting      
blasts and  wreaths of snow4    ,at that
 time of life1 every season had its     
charms2 and ,i recollect well  of       
listening with delight1 from the little 
window at my bed-head1 to the  murmuring
 of the flooded burn which passed my    

father's house1 and  sometimes roused me
 from my bed1 to see what it was like4  
,after this1 my  first and common       
employment was to 8muck0 the byer2 and1 
when the  servant girl did not come soon
 enough1 ,i frequently tried my hand at 
milking the cows2 and ,i was always     
particularly keen of being there in     
snow storms4 ,when this was the case1   
within the byer door1 ,i snugly  watched
 the appearance of various birds1 which 
passed the little dean  below1 and which
 the severity of the weather drove from 
place to place1  in search of shelter4  
,with the sight of my intimate          
acquaintances1 the  robins1 wrens1      
blackbirds1 sparrows1 a solitary crow1  
and some others1 ,i  was not much       
attracted1 but always felt an extreme   
pleasure and  curiosity in seeing the   
more rare visitants1--such as the       
woodcock1 the  snipe1 and other waders1 
with the red wings1 fieldfares1         
c41--make their  appearance4    ,the    
winter evenings were often spent in     

listening to the traditionary  tales and
 songs1 relating to men who had been    
eminent for their prowess  and bravery  
in the border wars1 and of others who   
had been esteemed for  better and milder
 qualities1 such as their having been   
good landlords1  kind neighbours1 and   
otherwise in every respect bold1        
independent1 and  honest men4 ,i used to
 be particularly affected with the      
warlike music1  and with the songs      
relative to the former description of   
characters2 but  with the songs         
regarding the latter1 a different kind  
of feeling was  drawn forth1 and ,i was 
greatly distressed1 and often gave vent 
to it in  tears4 ,these songs and       
8laments0 were commemorative of many    
worthies2  but the most particular ones 
that ,i now remember were those         
respecting  the ,earl of ,derwentwater1 
who was beheaded in the year #agae1 and 
was  looked upon as having been a victim
 to the cruelty of the reigning  family1
 and who was venerated as a saint upon  

earth4 ,it was said that  the light from
 ,heaven attended his corpse to the     
vault at ,dilston ,hall1  and that      
prosperity would shine no more upon     
,tyneside4 ,then followed the  sorrowful
 remembrances of those that were dead   
and gone4 ,to sigh over  them was       
unavailing2 they had filled the space   
allotted to them on this  side of ,time1
 and the winds had blown over their     
silent graves for ages  past4 ,the      
predictions that the mansions of those  
that remained would  soon1 for want of  
heirs1 become desolate--these and such  
like melancholy  reflections made a deep
 impression on my mind2 and ,i have     
often since1  with feelings of extreme  
regret1 beheld these mansions1 once the 
seats  of hospitality1 dilapidated1 and 
the families which once occupied them   
extinct and forgotten4    ,when the     
winter began somewhat to abate of its   
rigours1 or in the early  spring1 it was
 a common job for me1 before setting off
 to school1 to  rise betimes in the     

morning1--as indeed ,i was always       
accustomed to  do1--and equipt with an  
apron1 an old dyking mitten1 and a      
sharpened  broken sickle1 to set off    
amongst the whin bushes1 which were near
 at  hand1 to cut off their last year's 
sprouts4 ,these were laid into a  corner
 till the evening1 when ,i stript1 and  
fell to work to 8cree0 them  with a     
wooden 8mell10 in a stone trough1 till  
the tops of the whins were  beaten to   
the consistency of soft1 wet grass2 and1
 with this mess1 ,i fed  the horses     
before ,i went to bed1 or in the morning
 as occasion might  require4 ,they were 
shy about eating this kind of provender 
at first1 and  ,i was obliged to mix    
oats with it2 but they soon became so   
fond of it1  alone1 that there was no   
need of any mixture4 ,i know not whether
 a  scarcity of fodder first gave rise  
to the suggestion of using this         
expedient1 or it was tried as an        
experiment2 but certain it is that this 
kind of food agreed so well with the    

horses that they became soon very       
sleek1 and cast their winter coats of   
hair long before other horses that  were
 fed in the common way4 ,cows would not 
eat the whin tops thus  prepared1 but1  
in a winter of scarcity1 ,i have known  
all hands at work  in cutting ivy from  
the trees1 and even small ash twigs1 to 
be given to  the cattle as fodder4      
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,ii4      ,,from the little  
window at my bed-head1 ,i noticed all   
the varying seasons  of the year2 and1  
when the spring put in1 ,i felt charmed 
with the music  of birds1 which strained
 their little throats to proclaim it4   
,the chief  business imposed upon me as 
a task1 at this season1 was my being set
 to  work to 8scale0 the pastures and   
meadows2 that is1 to spread the         
mole-hills over the surface of the      
ground4 ,this1 with gardening1 and  such
 like jobs1 was very hungry work1 and   
often made me think dinner was  long in 

coming2 and1 when at last it was sent to
 me1 be it what it  might1 ,i sat down  
on the 8lown0 side of a hedge and eat it
 with a relish  that needed no sauce4   
,as soon as the bushes and trees began  
to put forth their buds1 and make  the  
face of nature look gay--this was the   
signal for the angler to  prepare his   
fishing tackle4 ,in doing this ,i was   
not behind hand4 ,fishing  rods1 set    
gads1 and night lines were all soon made
 fit for use1 and with  them1 late and  
early1 ,i had a busy time of it1 during 
the summer months1  until the frosts of 
autumn forbid me to proceed4 ,the       
uneasiness which my  late evening       
wadings by the waterside gave to my     
father and mother1 ,i  have often since 
reflected upon with regret4 ,they could 
not go to bed  with the hopes of getting
 to sleep1 while haunted with the       
apprehension  of my being drowned2 and  
well do ,i remember to this day my      
father's  well-known whistle1 which     
called me home4 ,he went to a little    

distance  from the house1 where nothing 
obstructed the sound1 and whistled so   
loud1 through his finger and thumb1 that
 in the still hours of evening  it might
 be heard echoing up the vale of the    
,tyne1 to a very great  distance4 ,this 
whistle ,i learned to imitate1 and      
answered it as well as  ,i could1 and   
then posted home4    ,from early in the 
morning till night1 ,i was scarcely ever
 out of an  action either good or bad2  
or1 when not kept close at school1 or in
  doing jobs such as those ,i have      
described1 ,i was almost constantly     
engaged in some mischievous prank or    
other2 but with a detail of these  it   
would be wearisome to load my narrative3
 they were occasioned by the            
overflowings of an active1 wild         
disposition4 ,at one time1 in imitation 
of the savages described in 8,robinson  
,crusoe10--or some other savages1--,i   
often1 in a morning1 set off stark naked
 across the fell1 where ,i was  joined  
by some associates1 who1 in like manner1

 ran about like mad  things1 or like    
,bedlamites who had escaped4 ,climbing  
the tall trees at  ,eltringham for rook 
nests1 at the hazard of breaking our    
necks or our  bones1 was another piece  
of business which employed our          
attention4 ,i was  also engaged in      
another equally dangerous4 ,having      
formed the resolution  of curing a      
vicious1 8runaway0 horse belonging to my
 father1 which no  one durst mount1 ,i1 
however1 took the opportunity1 when out 
of sight of  any of the family1 to do   
so4 ,with my hand entwined in his mane1 
and  bare-backed1 ,i set him a-going1   
and let him run over 8sykes0 and burns1 
up hill and down hill1 until he was     
quite spent4 ,in a short time ,i        
discovered that1 to make him run at all1
 he must be whipt to it4 ,at  other     
times ,i swam him in the river4 ,this1  
and such like treatment1 made  him look 
ill1 and quite tamed him4    ,i have    
often since shuddered at the thoughts of
 doing these and such  like desperate   

acts1 and wondered how ,i escaped2 but  
neither caution nor  fear had at that   
time taken a place in the mind2 on the  
contrary1 any  uncommon or frightful    
exploit had charms in it that ,i could  
not resist4  ,one of these pranks1      
however1 attracted the attention of the 
neighbourhood1 brought me into a great  
dilemma1 and occasioned me a  severe    
beating4 ,i engaged a constant          
associate1 who was ever ready at my     
command to help me1 as soon as ,i       
communicated any design to him4 ,i had  
discovered two oxen in a little         
savannah1 or bit of grazing ground1     
surrounded with hazel and other bushes1 
near the brink of the river4  ,thither  
we went in order to enjoy so tempting a 
sight as to see them  plunge overhead   
into the flood4 ,when all was ready1 we 
suddenly1 with  long branches in our    
hands1 sprang upon them from the bushes 
overhanging  the precipice1 the danger  
of which they did not see2 and they were
  plunged1 with such a delightful dash1 

overhead into the river6 ,they1         
however1 happened to be no worse for it2
 for they were driven down by  the rapid
 current of the flood1 and landed safely
 at a distance below4  ,this exploit1   
happening on a ,sunday forenoon1 was an 
aggravation of the  crime4    ,after    
this my father mostly took me with him  
to church1 where ,i  frequently employed
 myself in drawing figures upon the     
soft1 painted  book-board with a pin4   
,in doing this1 no one noticed me1      
especially as ,i  held down my head2    
and1 having got the church service off1 
,i repeated it  the same as the         
congregation4 ,this apparently regular  
behaviour was not1  however1 of long    
duration1 and was broken in upon at     
last4 ,sunday after  ,sunday a clownish 
fellow had obtruded himself into our    
pew4 ,i did not  think this quite right1
 and wished to put an end to it2 and    
this  happened in a very rude way in the
 end4 ,a dumb man 78,dummy1 of ,wylam071
  a constant church-goer1 had a seat in 

a pew before ours1 where1  regularly    
during the service1 he fell fast asleep4
 ,when in that state1  and sitting right
 before our obtruder1 ,i reached aside1 
and gave 8,dummy0  a smart blow on the  
head1 and instantly1 as if ,i knew      
nothing of the  matter1 ,i seemed to be 
quite grave1 and intent on looking on my
 prayer  book1 while the obtruder was   
putting on a broad grin4 ,at this poor  
,dummy  was enraged1 and with a         
distorted countenance1 he kept thumping 
the man  on the face and head1 at the   
same time making a hideous noise1 which 
was  heightened by the fellow's         
shouting1 and calling him 8fool10 at the
 same  time assuring him that it was ,i 
who gave the blow1 and not he4 ,to the  
deaf man this was a waste of words4 ,it 
need not be added that the  congregation
 was greatly disturbed1 while perhaps   
none knew or suspected  the cause except
 my father and my preceptor in the      
pulpit4    ,sometimes the lads in the   
same class ,i belonged to1 when we had  

been  doing amiss1 were sent to cut     
birch rods to whip us with4 ,at other   
times  we were locked into the belfry1  
where we often amused ourselves by      
drawing each other up by the bell ropes 
to the first floor2 but one of  our     
comrades having 7by the rope slipping   
through the hands of those who  held    
it71 been precipitated to the ground1 by
 which he was a good deal  hurt1 that   
mode of punishment was altogether       
dropped4 ,the parson1 poor  man1 had a  
troublesome time of it with one or other
 of us2 and ,i  remember1 once in       
particular1 of putting him into very    
great pain and  distress of mind4 ,after
 a great flood1 a large piece of ice1   
about the  size of the floor of a room1 
had been left in a place called 8,ned's 
,hole10 by the side of the river4 ,this 
,i got upon1 and persuaded several      
others to do the same1 and we then set  
to work with a 8boat stower0 to  push it
 off shore2 and1 in this manner1 we got 
some distance up the  river1 opposite to

 the parsonage garden1 where our master 
happened to  be1 and saw us4 ,i could   
see by his agitated motions1 and his    
uplifted  hands1 that he was put into a 
state much easier to be felt than       
described4 ,after having been guilty of 
misdemeanors of this kind1 ,i did  not  
go back to school for the remainder of  
the day2 but waded1 or  otherwise       
crossed1 the river1 and sat down or     
amused myself among the  bushes1 on the 
water banks1 until the rest of the      
scholars left school1  when ,i joined   
them and went home4 ,but as it would not
 have been safe for  me to go to bed 7if
 conscious of guilt1 or if otherwise    
betrayed7 for  fear of a visit from my  
father1 ,i always took up my abode for  
the night  in the byer loft1 among the  
hay or straw1 knowing well that1 when   
his  passion subsided1 ,i should escape 
a beating from his hands4    ,the first 
cause of my preceptor beginning a severe
 system of flogging  7beside the quantum
 ,i received for mischievous acts71 was 

for not  getting off my ,latin tasks4   
,when this was not done to his mind1 he1
 by  way of punishment1 gave me another 
still worse to do1 and still longer1    
till at length ,i gave up even          
attempting to get through them at all1  
and  began to stand a flogging without  
being much put about by it4 ,i think    
7at this day7 my very worthy preceptor1 
in following this rather  indiscriminate
 system of severe punishments1 was      
wrong4 ,he often beat  his own son1#d a 
youth of an uncommonly mild1 kind1 and  
cheerful  disposition1 whom ,i felt more
 distressed at seeing punished than if  
it  had been myself2 for ,i mostly      
considered that ,i richly deserved the  
stripes inflicted upon me1 and that he  
did not4    ,footnote #d3               
,christopher ,greason1 of ,apothecaries 
,hall1 ,london4 ,he died #aha--1 and    
was buried at ,ovingham4    ,there was a
 misdemeanor for which1 above all the   
rest1 ,i was more  severely punished1   
both at school and at home1 than for any

 other fault2  and that was for fighting
 with other boys4 ,to put a stop to this
  practice1 was the particular request  
of my mother4 ,to her it was odious  in 
the extreme4 ,her reasons ,i do not     
forget4 ,she quoted ,scripture in       
support of them4 ,therein1 she said1 we 
were directed 8if we were struck  on one
 cheek1 to turn the other also10 7,i    
forget the exact words73 it is  a       
portion of ,scripture ,i did not obey4  
,she also maintained that the  business 
of fighting was degrading to human      
nature1 and put a man that  practised it
 on a level with dogs4 ,i am conscious  
that ,i never sought a  quarrel with any
 one2 but ,i found an insult very bad to
 bear1 and  generally in the most secret
 manner contrived 8to fight it out40    
,when the floggings inflicted upon me   
had in a great measure begun to  lose   
their effect1 another mode of punishment
 was fallen upon2 and that  was1 after  
the school hours were over1 to lock me  
into the church1 where  ,i was kept till

 the dusk of the evening4 ,this solitary
 confinement was  very irksome to me2 as
 ,i had not at that time got over a     
belief in  ghosts and boggles1 for the  
sight of which ,i was constantly upon   
the  look out4 ,oppressed with fear1 ,i 
peeped here and there into every        
corner1 in dread of seeing some terrible
 spirit4 ,in time1 however1 this        
abated1 and ,i amused myself1 as well as
 ,i could1 in surveying the  surrounding
 objects1 and in climbing up the        
pillars1 with the help of a  rope or a  
handkerchief1 as ,i used to do in       
getting up large trees4 ,it  happened   
one evening1 when my master1 as usual1  
came to let me out1 that  ,i was sitting
 astride upon the capital of one of the 
pillars1 where he  did not see me4 ,he  
called on me1 but ,i made no answer1 and
 he then  posted off to see if the door 
was fast1 and having ascertained that it
  was1 he marched along the aisles in   
great perturbation of mind1  frequently 
exclaiming 8,god bless me60 c4 ,when he 

was gone1 ,i slipped  down1 and found   
the choir door only bolted on the       
inside1 so ,i waded the  river and      
posted home1 and slept in my old asylum 
the hay loft4 ,i have  frequently       
bitterly repented of having given a man 
,i afterwards so  highly respected      
through life so much pain and trouble4  
,i have before noticed that the first   
time ,i felt compassion for a dumb      
animal1 was upon my having caught a hare
 in my arms4 ,the next occurrence  of   
the kind happened with a bird4 ,i had no
 doubt knocked many down with  stones   
before1 but they had escaped being      
taken4 ,this time1 however1 the  little 
victim dropped from the tree1 and ,i    
picked it up4 ,it was alive1  and looked
 me piteously in the face2 and1 as ,i   
thought1 could it have  spoken1 it would
 have asked me why ,i had taken away its
 life4 ,i felt  greatly hurt at what ,i 
had done1 and did not quit it all the   
afternoon4  ,i turned it over and over1 
admiring its plumage1 its feet1 its     

bill1 and  every part of it4 ,it was a  
bullfinch4 ,i did not then know its     
name1 but  ,i was told it was a 8little 
,matthew ,martin40 ,this was the last   
bird ,i  killed2 but many1 indeed1 have 
been killed since on my account4    ,i  
had been at man-fights1 dog-fights1 and 
cock-fights1 without feeling  much      
compassion4 ,indeed1 with the last of   
these exhibitions1 ,i was more          
entertained at seeing the wry faces1    
contortions1 and agitations of the      
clowns who surrounded the cock-pit1 or  
circle1 than ,i was with the cocks      
fighting4 ,it was long before ,i felt   
disgusted at seeing men fight4 ,this1   
however1 happened at last4 ,a travelling
 merchant1 or respectable  pedlar1--a   
slim-made1 genteel-looking man1--had    
perhaps forgotten himself  over a glass1
 and not minded what company he was in4 
,he could not1  however1 be long in such
 society without being insulted2 but1 be
 that as  it might1 a fight ensued1 in  
which the stranger was over-matched4 ,i 

saw  only the concluding part1 and was  
extremely shocked2 for the stranger  was
 sitting propped up with his arms behind
 him1 quite spent and  speechless1 and  
looked like a corpse4 ,after sitting a  
short time in this  helpless state1 his 
opponent walked coolly up to him1 and   
with a blow on  the face or head laid   
him flat on the ground4 ,i thought he   
was killed1  at which ,i became so      
frantic with rage and indignation1 that 
,i believe1  at the moment1 if ,i had   
had a pistol at hand1 ,i would have shot
 the  sturdy barbarian4    ,in going    
along with my narrative1 ,i have noticed
 some of the first  impressions which   
produced a change1 and left a strong    
effect on my  mind4 ,in some of these1  
the change was quick and decisive2 in   
others of  a more tardy nature2 and     
prejudices which were early rooted were 
not  easily removed4 ,among the worst1  
was that of a belief in ghosts1         
boggles1 apparitions1 c4 ,these wrought 
powerfully upon the fears of the  great 

bulk of the people at that time1 and1   
with many1 these fears are  not rooted  
out even at this day4 ,the stories so   
circumstantially told  respecting these 
phantoms and supernatural things1 ,i    
listened to with  the dread they        
inspired1 and it took many an effort1   
and ,i suffered  much1 before it could  
be removed4 ,what helped me greatly to  
conquer  fears of that kind was my      
knowing that my father constantly       
scouted such  idle1 or1 indeed1 such    
pernicious tales4 ,he would not allow me
 to plead  fear as any excuse1 when he  
had to send me an errand at night2 and1 
perhaps1 my being frequently alone in   
the dark might have the effect of       
enabling me greatly to rise superior to 
such weakness4    ,i have known men1    
both old and young1 who dared to        
encounter almost any  danger1 yet were  
afraid of their own shadows2 and ,i     
remember well of  trying the experiment1
 one night1 upon a servant man of my    
father's1 who  was a kind of village    

,csar1 and feared not to stand the most 
desperate  battles with others of the   
same cast1 upon any occasion4 ,i began  
by  sneering at his courage1 and then   
bet him a penny that ,i durst do what   
he dared not4 ,all ,i intended to do ,i 
set about rather deliberately1 and  then
 rose to perform my feat1 which was to  
walk along the dark passage  to the back
 door1 and to repeat something 7rather  
ominous1 indeed7 about  8,silky0 and    
8,hedley ,kow40 ,after performing my    
task1 ,i returned with  apparent        
agitation and fear1 and sat down in     
silence close beside him  for some time1
 and then asked him if he durst do the  
like4 ,i1 however1  saw1 by his         
hesitation1 that the performance by him 
was given up1 and he  only remarked that
 8one may soon get what one'll never    
cast40    ,at another time1 in broad day
 light1 ,i took it into my head to make 
another trial of this kind upon my      
father's pitmen4 ,for this purpose ,i   
detained our cur dog1 until ,i buckled  

him up in a pair of old 8sods10  which  
covered him beyond both head and tail1  
and set him off to the pit1  knowing    
well that he would go straight there2   
for he was accustomed  every day to     
leave the pit lodge1 and go home1 where 
he waited until he  saw that dinner was 
ready1 and then his reappearance at the 
pit was as  good as telling my father   
and his servants to come home4 ,i durst 
not  have thus amused myself if ,i had  
not known that my father was out of the 
way4 ,i set off on the inside of the    
hedge1 keeping pace with the dog all    
the way up to the pit heap1 near which  
,i stopped1 and peeped to see the       
effect that would be produced2 and this 
was really curious4 ,one of the  men1   
seeing the odd appearance of something  
alive1 with a long body1  without either
 legs1 head1 or tail1 moving straight   
forward towards him1  knew not what to  
make of it2 and1 after rubbing his eyes1
 he ran off to  his companions1 who1    
when they had taken a peep1 all set off1

 with  speed1 on their way home4    ,in 
a business of a similar kind1 which     
happened not long after1 it was  my lot 
to be the sufferer4 ,a few companions   
used to come at nights to  our house to 
play at cards with me1 and ,i1 in turn1 
visited them for the  same purpose4 ,we 
were1 however1 taken to task by a       
bigotted old woman in  the              
neighbourhood1 who called the cards the 
8devil's books40 ,she told me  one night
 before setting off to play with my     
companions1 as usual1 that1  if ,i      
looked under the table1 ,i would see the
 devil2 and ,i recollect that  ,i       
several times peeped to see if he were  
indeed there4 ,when we were done        
playing1 two of the gamesters1 as was   
customary1 set me across part of  the   
fell towards home4 ,i was1 however1 much
 surprised at their suddenly  leaving me
 without saying good night1 or making   
any reply to my shouting  after them1   
and they were soon out of sight4 ,this  
was at a place called  the 8,sand       

,holes10 which ,i then left1 and was    
turning towards home1 when1  behold6 to 
my utter amazement1 ,i saw the devil6   
,it was a clear moonlight  night2 ,i    
could not be mistaken--his horns--his   
great white1 goggle eyes1  and teeth1   
and tail--his whole person stood fairly 
before me6 ,as ,i gazed1  ,i thought the
 hair lifted the hat on my head4 ,he    
stood1 and ,i stood1 for  some time2    
and1 ,i believe1 if he had then come up 
to me1 ,i must have  dropped down4      
,certain it is1 however1 that           
desperation succeeded fear4 ,i  moved   
aside1 and he did the same4 ,i          
involuntarily got my 8jackleg  knife10  
and1 if he had then approached me1 he to
 a certainty would have  been stabbed4  
,i slipped off my clogs1 made a start in
 a bending  direction1 and at full speed
 ran home4 ,he pursued me nearly to the 
door1  but ,i beat him in the race4 ,i  
had always understood that any person   
who  had seen a ghost1 or evil spirit1  
would faint on coming into a house  with

 a fire in it4 ,i feared this1 but ,i   
fainted none6 and when my father  asked 
me what was the matter1 ,i told him ,i  
had seen the devil4 ,he1  perhaps       
without thinking1 gave me a slap on the 
head4 ,it was not long1  however1 till  
the following affair transpired4 ,the   
man who personated  the devil1 when he  
met me1 had been on his way to a 8kirn  
supper10 and  was going 8a guising40    
,when my father heard the whole         
transaction1 he  wrought himself up into
 a great rage2 and very shortly after1  
meeting  the man1 in the street at      
,corbridge1 who had frightened me1 he   
instantly  paid him off by giving him a 
sound beating4 ,when the people1 who    
always  considered my father as a       
remarkably peaceable man1 saw him thus  
engaged1 they expressed their surprise2 
but1 as soon as they heard the  reason  
for what had been done1 they were also  
exasperated1 and1 ,i was  given to      
understand1 the man was obliged to leave
 the village4    ,the first time ,i took

 notice of any of my female             
school-fellows arose  from a reproof ,i 
met with1 and the manner it was given1  
from one of  them4 ,the amiable person  
alluded to1 was ,miss ,betty ,gregson1  
my  preceptor's daughter1 and somewhere 
about my own age4 ,she kept a messet    
dog1 and the sleek1 fat1 useless animal 
was much disliked by me as well  as by  
some of the other boys4 ,when it made   
its appearance in the  churchyard1 which
 it sometimes did1 we set about         
frightening it2 and1  for this purpose1 
some of us met it at every gate and     
outlet1 and  stopped its retreat till it
 became quite distressed4 ,the last time
 that  this kind of sport was practised 
on her little dog1 ,i happened to be the
  only actor4 ,having met with it at a  
little distance from its home1 ,i had   
stopped it from entering the house1 and 
had pursued it about and about1  or met 
it at the end of every avenue1 till it  
was put into great 8bodily  fear60 ,this
 behaviour towards her little favourite1

 was very offensive  to ,miss ,gregson4 
,she could endure it no longer1 and she 
called me to  account for it4 ,i can    
never forget her looks upon the         
occasion4 ,she no  doubt intended to    
scold me1 but the natural sweetness of  
her disposition  soon showed itself in  
its true colours4 ,she did not know how 
to scold2  for1 after some embarrassing 
attempts at it1 and some hesitation1 she
  put me in mind of my being related to 
her1 and of her uniform kindness  to me1
 and with irresistible arguments and    
persuasions made me see the  impropriety
 of my conduct4 ,with me this left its  
mark2 for from that  time forward ,i    
never plagued any of the girls at       
school1 nor did any  thing that might   
give them offence2 nor has this         
impression ever been  effaced from my   
mind1 but has been there fostered       
through life and  settled into a fixed  
respect and tender regard for the whole 
sex4    ,hitherto my life at school and 
at home might be considered as a life of

  warfare1 and punishments of various   
kinds had been inflicted upon me        
apparently with little effect4 ,as a    
cure for my misdeeds1 my worthy  master1
 however1 at length found out a better  
and more effectual way4 ,he  one day    
invited me to dine with him1 and after  
showing me the greatest  kindness1 he   
followed this up in a friendly1 plain1  
and open way1 by  remonstrating with me 
on the impropriety of my past conduct1  
the evil  tendency of it1 and the pain  
and trouble it had given him2 urging me1
 at  the same time1 in such a persuasive
 tone1 instantly to desist from it1     
that ,i felt quite overpowered with his 
discourse1 and fell into a flood  of    
tears4 ,the result was1 ,i never dared  
to encounter another of these  friendly 
meetings2 and1 while ,i remained at his 
school1 he never again  had occasion to 
find fault with me4    ,the transactions
 in which ,i afterwards became engaged1 
afforded me more  real enjoyment4 ,as   
silent time stole away1 in the varied   

seasons of the  long-measured years1    
changes gradually took place in many of 
the  erroneous notions ,i had formed of 
things4 ,as the mind became more        
expanded1 curiosity led me to enquire   
into the nature of the objects  which   
attracted my attention4 ,among the first
 was that of birds1 their  nests1 their 
eggs1 and their young4 ,these to me were
 long a source of  great delight1 and   
many a spring morning ,i watched and    
looked after  them4 ,i also spent many a
 summer evening1 on my way home from    
school1  lost in wonder in examining the
 works going forward among a nation of  
ants4 ,the place they occupied was on   
the top of the 8,boat ,hill10 near      
,eltringham1 and the colony was the     
largest ,i had ever seen4 ,from it      
their narrow roads1 through the grass1  
radiated in various directions to  a    
great distance4 ,these were like as many
 turnpike roads1 and as busily  crowded 
as any among men1 leading to or from a  
great fair4 ,i have  sometimes with a   

stick overturned their accumulated      
gatherings1 when it  was curious to     
observe the effect produced4 ,the       
greatest bustle and  confusion ensued2  
and yet ,i have observed with surprise1 
that next  morning every thing was      
restored to the same order as before4 ,i
 noticed  that they had other enemies   
that broke in upon them1 and which      
perhaps  injured them more than ,i did2 
and these were the turkeys from the     
village1 where great numbers were bred  
every year4 ,as soon as the young  brood
 were able to walk abroad1 the mother   
led them every day to this  great ant   
hill1 were they no doubt made terrible  
havoc among the  inhabitants and their  
works4#e    ,footnote #e3      ,the     
history and economy of these very       
interesting insects are1 ,i    think1   
not well known4 ,they appear to manage  
their affairs with as    much           
forethought and industry as mankind2 but
 to what degree their    reasoning and  
instinctive powers extend is yet a      

mystery4 ,after they    have spent a    
certain time toiling on earth1 they get 
wings1 and soar    aloft into the       
atmosphere4 ,what change they undergo   
before they assume    this new          
character1 or what becomes of them      
afterwards1 seems    doubtful4    ,bees 
also attracted much of my attention4 ,i 
could not see into the  interior of     
their works1 but ,i made every inquiry  
of those who had long  kept them1 and   
gathered1 in this way1 as good a        
knowledge of their  history and economy 
as ,i could4 ,one of my morning jobs was
 to sit before  the hives1 with a stick 
like a spatula1 to kill the wasps as    
they  alighted to enter and rob them4 ,i
 could see the bees enter1 loaded with  
what they had culled from every flower1 
but never could see them attack  or     
repel their enemies4    ,i frequently   
amused myself in observing the murders  
of a large spider1  which had placed its
 web in a corner of the little window at
 my bed  head4 ,being wishful to see how

 it managed its affairs1 ,i prevented   
the  servant girl from brushing the web 
away4 ,its proceedings did not excite   
in me any favourable opinion4 ,having   
seen it seize every innocent fly  that  
set foot upon its snares1 ,i had a mind 
to try how it would conduct  itself     
towards a more powerful opponent4 ,for  
this purpose1 ,i caught a  wasp1 which  
,i held by its wings upon the web until 
its feet got  entangled1 when out came  
the hitherto unthwarted tyrant2 and1    
after some  apparent hesitation1 it at  
length was tempted to pounce upon the   
obtruder4 ,the struggle was1 however1   
very short4 ,i soon perceived the  wasp 
double itself up and dart its sting into
 the body of its enemy1  which instantly
 retired1 and never afterwards returned4
 ,this is only one  experiment1 but     
further trials of the kind might be made
 to come at  truth4    ,illustration    
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,iii4      ,,cherryburn      

,house1 the place of my nativity1 and   
which for many years my  eyes beheld    
with cherished delight1 is situated on  
the south side of the  ,tyne1 in the    
county of ,northumberland1 a short      
distance from the river4  ,the house1   
stables1 c41 stand on the west side of a
 little dean1 at the  foot of which runs
 a burn4#f ,the dean was embellished    
with a number of  cherry and plumb      
trees1 which were terminated by a garden
 on the north4  ,near the house1 were   
two large ash trees growing from one    
root2 and1 at  a little distance1 stood 
another of the same kind4 ,at the south 
end of  the premises1 was a spring well1
 overhung by a large hawthorn bush1     
behind which was a holly hedge2 and     
further away was a little boggy  dean1  
with underwood and trees of different   
kinds4 ,near the termination  of this   
dean1 towards the river1 were a good    
many remarkably tall ash  trees1 and one
 of oak1 supposed to be one of the      
tallest and straightest  in the kingdom4

 ,on the tops of these was a rookery1   
the sable  inhabitants of which1 by     
their consultations and cawings1 and the
 bustle  they made when building their  
nests1 were among the first of the      
feathered race to proclaim the          
approaching spring4 ,the corn-fields and
  pastures to the eastward were         
surrounded with very large oak and ash  
trees4 ,indeed1 at that time1 the       
country between ,wylam and ,bywell was  
beautified with a great deal of wood1   
which presented the appearance of  a    
continued forest2 but these are long    
since stubbed up4 ,needy gentry  care   
little about the beauty of a country1   
and part of it is now1  comparatively1  
as bare as a mole-hill4    ,footnote #f3
      ,this1 formerly1 was supplied by a
 copious spring of fine water1 which    
having found its way into some pit      
workings and disappeared1 the burn    is
 now only fed by day water from the     
fields4    ,to the westward1 adjoining  
the house1 lay the common or fell1 which

  extended some few miles in length1 and
 was of various breadths4 ,it was       
mostly fine1 green sward or pasturage1  
broken or divided1 indeed1 with  clumps 
of 8blossom'd whins10 foxglove1 fern1   
and some junipers1 and with  heather in 
profusion1 sufficient to scent the whole
 air4 ,near the burns1  which guttered  
its sides1 were to be seen the remains  
of old oaks1  hollowed out by ,time1    
with alders1 willows1 and birch1 which  
were often  to be met with in the same  
state2 and these seemed to me to point  
out  the length of time that these      
domains had belonged to no one4 ,on this
  common1--the poor man's heritage for  
ages past1 where he kept a few  sheep1  
or a ,kyloe cow1 perhaps a flock of     
geese1 and mostly a stock of            
bee-hives1--it was with infinite        
pleasure that ,i long beheld the        
beautiful wild scenery which was there  
exhibited1 and it is with the  opposite 
feelings of regret that ,i now find all 
swept away4#g ,here and  there on this  

common were to be seen the cottage1 or  
rather hovel1 of  some labouring man1   
built at his own expense1 and mostly    
with his own  hands2 and to this he     
always added a garth and a garden1 upon 
which  great pains and labour were      
bestowed to make both productive2 and   
for  this purpose not a bit of manure   
was suffered to be wasted away on the   
8lonnings0 or public roads4 ,these      
various concerns excited the attention  
and industry of the hardy occupants1    
which enabled them to prosper1 and  made
 them despise being ever numbered with  
the parish poor4 ,these men1  whose     
children were neither pampered nor      
spoiled1 might truly be called--        
,footnote #g3      ,this fell1 or       
common1 containing about #aheb acres1   
was divided in    #ahab4 ,by this       
division1 the poor man was rooted out1  
and the various    mechanics of the     
villages deprived of all benefit of it4 
,the    neighbouring farmers who reared 
their young cattle1 and kept as many    

sheep upon it as they pleased1 must now 
pay rent for the allotments    laid to  
their farms4 ,the wisdom which dictated 
this change is    questionable1 but the 
selfish greediness of it is quite       
apparent4                   8,a bold    
peasantry1 their country's pride20      
and to this day ,i think ,i see their   
broad shoulders and their hardy         
sun-burnt looks1 which altogether       
bespoke the vigour of their             
constitutions4    ,these cottagers 7at  
least those of them ,i knew7 were of an 
honest and  independent character1 while
 at the same time they held the         
neighbouring  gentry in the greatest    
estimation and respect2 and these1      
again1 in  return1 did not overlook     
them1 but were interested in knowing    
that they  were happy and well4 ,most of
 these poor men1 from their having      
little  intercourse with the world1 were
 in all their actions and behaviour     
truly original2 and1 except reading the 
,bible1 local histories1 and old        

ballads1 their knowledge was generally  
limited4 ,and yet one of  these--8,will 
,bewick0--from being much struck with my
 performances1 which  he called         
pictures1 became exceedingly kind to me1
 and was the first  person from whom ,i 
gathered a sort of general knowledge of 
astronomy and  of the magnitude of the  
universe4 ,he had1 the year through1    
noticed the  appearances of the stars   
and the planets1 and would discourse    
8largely0  on the subject4 ,i think ,i  
see him yet1 sitting on a mound1 or     
seat1 by  the hedge of his garden1      
regardless of the cold1 and intent upon 
viewing  the heavenly bodies2 pointing  
to them with his large hands1 and       
eagerly  imparting his knowledge to me  
with a strong voice such as one now     
seldom  hears4 ,i well remember being   
much struck with his appearance--his    
stern-looking brows1 high cheek bones1  
quick eye1 and longish visage2  and at  
his resolution 7upon another occasion7  
when he determined upon  risking his own

 life to save that of another man4 ,the 
latter1 in the  employ of my father1    
while at work as a pitman1 had lost his 
way in the  coal workings1 and was      
missing for perhaps a day or two1 7my   
father  being from home71 when our old  
neighbour1 just described1 who was also 
a  pitman and knew the workings1        
equipped himself with everything he     
thought necessary for so hazardous an   
undertaking2 and1 when he was  about to 
go down the pit shaft1 ,i felt much     
distressed at seeing my  mother         
trembling in great agitation of mind for
 his safety and that of  his lost       
associate4 ,after traversing through the
 old workings of the  colliery for a    
long time1--so long1 indeed1 that it was
 feared he had  also lost himself1--he  
found the man alive1 when1 with his     
well-known  thundering voice1 he called 
from the bottom of the shaft1 8all's    
well10  to the inexpressible joy of all 
who crowded the pit's mouth4    ,another
 of our fell-side neighbours1 ,anthony  

,liddell1 was a man of a  very singular 
character1 and was noticed as such by   
the whole  neighbourhood2 but a full    
account of him would far exceed the     
bounds ,i  wish to set to my narrative4 
,he might1 indeed1 be called the        
8village  ,hampden40 ,the whole cast of 
his character was formed by the ,bible1 
which  he had read with attention1      
through and through4 ,acts of           
,parliament  which appeared to him to   
clash with the laws laid down in it1 as 
the  ,word of ,god1 he treated with     
contempt4 ,he maintained that the fowls 
of  the air and the fish of the sea were
 free for all men2 consequently1  game  
laws1 or laws to protect the fisheries1 
had no weight with him4 ,he  would not1 
indeed1 take a salmon out of the locks  
on any account1 but  what he could catch
 with his 8click-hook10 in the river1 he
 deemed his  own4 ,as to what he could  
do in shooting game1 he was so inexpert1
 that  he afforded to sportsmen many a  
hearty laugh at his awkwardness2 for he 

could shoot none till he fixed a        
hay-fork in the ground to rest his      
piece upon4 ,indeed1 the very birds     
themselves might1 by a stretch of       
imagination1 be supposed also to laugh  
at him2 but his deficiencies did  not   
deter him from traversing over the      
country-side as eagerly as other        
sportsmen1 notwithstanding his want of  
success4 ,whatever he did was  always   
done in open day2 for1 as he feared no  
man1 he scorned to skulk  or to do      
anything by stealth4 ,the gaol had no   
terrors for him1 for he  lived better   
there than he did at home2 and1 on one  
occasion of his  being confined1 when he
 returned home he expressed his surprise
 to his  neighbours1 that all the time  
8he had not had a single hand's turn to 
do10 and exulted not a little that the  
opportunity had thus been given  him of 
again reading the ,bible through4 ,he   
was a great reader of  history1         
especially those parts where wars and   
battles were described2  and1 in any    

meetings with his neighbours1 he took   
the lead in discourses  founded on      
knowledge of that kind4 ,after the      
,bible1 8,josephus0 was his  favourite  
author1 next the 8,holy ,wars0--these   
and 8,bishop ,taylor's  ,sermons0       
composed his whole library2 and his     
memory enabled him nearly  to repeat    
whatever he had read4 ,his deportment   
and behaviour were  generally the       
reverse of anything like sauciness2 but1
 except in ability  and                 
acquirements1--which1 indeed1 commanded 
his respect1--he treated all  men as    
equals4 ,when full-dressed1 he wore a   
rusty black coat4 ,in other  respects he
 was like no other person4 ,in what     
king's reign his hat had  been made was 
only to be guessed at1 but the flipes of
 it were very  large4 ,his wig was of   
the large curled kind1 such as was worn 
about the  period of the revolution4    
,his waistcoat1 or doublet1 was made of 
the  skin of some animal4 ,his buckskin 
breeches were black and glossy with     

long wear1 and of the same antiquated   
fashion as the rest of his  apparel4    
,thus equipt1 and with his fierce look1 
he made a curious figure  when taken    
before the justices of the peace2 and   
this1 together with his  always--when   
summoned before them--undauntedly       
pleading his own cause1  often afforded 
them so much amusement that it was      
difficult for them to  keep their       
gravity4    ,thomas ,forster was a man  
of a different character from the last1 
but  singular enough in his way4 ,he was
 distinguished for his frugality and    
industry1 and always showed a wish to be
 looked upon in a respectable  light4   
,he used to call at our house on a      
,sunday afternoon1 for the  purpose of  
having a bit of chat with my father and 
mother4 ,he took a  liking to me1 and   
would observe that1 though ,i was       
mischievous enough1  yet he never could 
find that ,i was 8parrentory10--that is1
 impudent or  saucy with any one4       
,besides this part of the good opinion  

he had formed1  he must have had        
confidence as to my keeping any secrets 
he might impart  to me4 ,he kept a few  
sheep on the fell2 but his secret and   
main business  there was looking after  
his bees4 ,he had a great number of     
hives placed  in very hidden and curious
 situations4 ,some of them were         
concealed under  the boundary hedge of  
the common1 and were surrounded by a    
great extent  of whin bushes4 ,other    
hives were sheltered under the branches 
of old  thorns1 and almost covered or   
overhung by brambles1 woodbine1 and hip 
briars1 which1 when in blossom1 looked  
beautifully picturesque1 while at  the  
same time they served to keep the eye   
from viewing the treasures  thus        
concealed beneath4 ,others1 again1 were 
placed in the midst of a  8whin         
rush0--that is1 a great extent of old   
whins1 the stems of which  were about   
the thickness of a man's arm4 ,the      
entrance to these last was  always by a 
8smout hole10 or small opening1 through 

which we crept on  hands and knees to   
the hives1 and which1 on leaving1 was   
stopped up by a  bushy-topped whin4 ,by 
way of taking off the attention of the  
8over-inquisitive0 as to his stock of   
honey1 he kept hives in his garden  at  
home1 and sold the produce of these to  
his neighbours2 but the  greater part of
 his stock was sold at distant parts of 
the country4 ,in  this way1 and by his  
industry and good management1 he became 
what was  accounted very rich2 and1 as  
prosperity excites envy1 some people1 in
 a  kind of derision 7his mother being a
 midwife71 called him 8,tom ,howdy40    
,i might swell the list of such like    
characters 7among the unnoticed  poor7  
as those ,i have described1 but it would
 perhaps be tedious1  although1 ,i think
 it is to be regretted that they are not
 better known  to some of the unthinking
 great2 as it might serve to take off   
the  hauteur1 which is too often shown  
towards them4    ,another of these      
uncultivated1 singular characters which 

exhibit human  nature left to the       
guidance of its uncontrolled will1 but  
which1  sometimes1 may be found--from   
the force of innate natural pride--to   
soar  above every meanness1 was ,john   
,chapman4 ,this man1 though clothed in  
rags1 was noticed for his honour and    
integrity2 and his word was  considered 
to be as good as one thousand pounds    
bond4 ,he was one of my  father's       
workmen1--either as a pitman1 a         
labourer1 or a sinker1--and was  of so  
strong a constitution that he thought it
 no hardship1 on a cold1  frosty        
morning1 to be let down to the bottom of
 a sinking pit1 where he  was to be up  
to the middle1 or perhaps to the breast1
 in water1 which he  was to lave into   
buckets1 to be drawn up to the top4 ,he 
endured the  labour of every job he     
undertook without grumbling or thinking 
it hard4  ,his living was of the poorest
 kind4 ,bread1 potatoes1 and oatmeal1   
was  the only provender he kept by him2 
and with milk or water he finished  his 

repasts4 ,when1 by this mode of living1 
he had saved the overplus  money of his 
wages for a month or six weeks1 he then 
posted off to  ,newcastle to spend it in
 beer2 and this he called 8lowsening his
 skin40  ,i was at this time located in 
,newcastle1 and when the misguided man  
had  spent all his money1 he commonly   
borrowed two shillings of me to set him 
home again4 ,in this irrational way of  
life he continued for many years4  ,on  
one occasion1 when changing his beer    
house1 and taking up his  quarters in   
another1 he had made no stipulation with
 his new landlord as  to the place where
 he was to sleep at night2 and1 judging 
from his  ragged appearance1 he was     
thought unfit to be trusted as an inmate
  without inquiry being made into his   
character4 ,i was1 therefore1 applied   
to by the landlord1 whom ,i satisfied by
 assuring him that1  notwithstanding the
 outward appearance of his              
singular-looking guest1 he  might be    
trusted safely even with untold gold4 ,i

 further told him that  the man who     
could sleep upon the fallen leaves in a 
wood wanted no bed  in his house better 
than a wooden seat1 which would be as   
comfortable a  bed as he would wish for4
 ,matters being now perfectly settled1  
he was  permitted1 during his rambles1  
to make this house his home4 ,he had    
been  but a short time in this asylum   
until he got a pretty numerous          
acquaintance amongst the tradesmen who  
frequented the house1 to whom his       
singularity1 his droll and witty        
stories1 and his songs1 afforded great  
entertainment4 ,old age1 however1       
overtook him at last1 and he was then   
obliged to seek parish relief4 ,on this 
occasion1 a neighbouring laird          
persuaded him that his settlement was   
upon ,eltringham1 and prevailed on  him 
to swear to it4 ,when he called upon the
 farmers there for his  pittance1 and   
they convinced him that he had sworn to 
what was false1 he  was much shocked1   
and never called upon them again for his

 pay4 ,on being  asked why he had not   
done so1 he said1 8,i would sooner have 
my hand cut  off1 or be found dead on   
the highway through want1 than claim or 
receive  money to which ,i am not justly
 entitled40 ,after this he wandered away
  from ,eltringham1 and took up his     
abode in the glass house at ,bill ,quay1
  where he did any little jobs in his   
power1 and at the same time made        
himself very agreeable and often very   
entertaining to the workmen1 who  long  
remembered 8,johnny ,chapman40 ,from    
this place he set off on a visit  to a  
friend1 at some distance1 when he was   
rather unwell1 and not very  able to    
undertake the journey1 and was found    
dead on the road between  ,morpeth and  
,newcastle4    ,before taking leave of  
these hardy inhabitants of the fells and
 wastes1  whose cottages were surrounded
 with whins and heather1 ,i must observe
  that they always appeared to me1      
notwithstanding their apparent poverty1 
to enjoy health and happiness in a      

degree surpassing that of most other    
men4 ,their daily fare was coarse bread1
 potatoes1 oatmeal porridge1 and  milk1 
only varied by their boiling the pot    
with animal food1 cabbage1 or  other    
succulent vegetables1 and broth1 on     
,sundays4 ,when tired1 at night1  with  
labour1 having few cares to perplex     
them1 they lay down and slept  soundly1 
and arose refreshed from their hard beds
 early in the morning4  ,i have always  
felt much pleasure in revisiting them1  
and1 over a tankard  of ale1 in         
listening to their discourse4 ,it was   
chiefly upon local  biography1 in which 
they sometimes traced the pedigree of   
their  neighbours a long way back4 ,with
 the aged men ,i felt much amused4 ,from
  the avidity with which they gathered  
news1 they seemed to live upon it4      
,several of them met every day at the   
lodge1#h or earth-built hovel1  close by
 my father's pit1 for the purpose of    
being gratified in this  way4 ,the carts
 and wains came in all directions1 and  

many of them from a  great distance1 for
 coals1 the drivers of which imparted to
 them all  they knew of what was going  
on in their several neighbourhoods4 ,the
  information thus obtained was then    
speedily given in detail at the  smith's
 shop at ,mickley1 whence it was spread 
over the neighbouring  country4 ,one of 
these old men1 ,john ,newton 7the laird 
of the ,neuk71  almost every morning1   
while ,i was young1 met me and my       
schoolfellows at  or near the ,haly     
,well 7,holy ,well7 as we were going to 
,mickley ,school1  and he seldom passed 
me without clapping my head1 accompanied
 with some  good wishes4 ,many years    
after this1 while ,i lived at the       
,forth1  ,newcastle1 ,i met a little    
boy1 one morning coming to school there1
 when  ,i clapped his head1 and hoped he
 was a good boy4 ,i had not long passed 
him1 till ,i was rather struck with the 
coincident recollection of his          
grandfather's grandfather 7above named7 
so long before having passed me  in the 

same way4    ,footnote #h3      ,this   
lodge having always a good fire kept on 
in it1 with a bed of    straw on each   
side1 bounded by the trunks of two old  
trees1 to answer    the double purpose  
of bed-stocks and seats1 often proved a 
comfortable    asylum to the benighted1 
weary1 shivering traveller wandering on 
the    road4    ,to these ,i must add   
another description of men scattered    
about the  neighbourhood1 with whose    
histories and narratives ,i at that time
 felt  greatly interested4 ,their minute
 account of the battles they had been   
engaged in1 with the hardships they had 
endured1 and their hairbreadth  escapes1
 told with so much enthusiasm and       
exultation1 imparted the same  kind of  
feeling to me4 ,this was long before ,i 
had reasoned myself into a  detestation 
of war1 its cruelty1 its horrors1 and   
the superlative  wickedness of the      
authors of it4 ,i had not pictured to my
 mind the  thousands and tens of        
thousands of men in their prime being   

pitted  against a like number of others 
towards whom they could have no         
enmity--to murder each other66--for     
what8 ,it is foreign to my purpose to   
enlarge upon this subject3 ,i must leave
 that to others2 and there is an        
abundant scope to dilate upon1 and to   
depicture1 the horrors of war in  their 
true colours4 ,the old soldiers1 above  
alluded to1 were mostly the  descendants
 of the ,borderers1 whose propensity for
 war might1 perhaps1  be innate4 ,i     
think1 however1 that the breed is       
thinned1 from the numbers  that have    
been killed off in our wars4 ,one of    
these--a near  relative--would describe 
how he had had his knapsack1 as well as 
his coat  laps and the cocks of his hat1
 shot through and through1 and yet had  
escaped unhurt4 ,others of them would   
give similar descriptive accounts2  and1
 when a party of them met over their    
ale1 it is not easy to  depicture the   
warmth with which they greeted each     
other1 and prided  themselves on the    

battles they had won4 ,one of these1    
during a walk1 in  which ,i fell in with
 him1 from ,newcastle to ,ovingham1     
described the  minute particulars of the
 battle of ,minden2 and how1 in the     
absence of  ,lord ,sackville1 they shook
 hands the whole length of the line1    
vowing to  stand by each other without  
flinching4 ,this tall1 stout man1 ,john 
,cowie1  though old1 appeared to be in  
all the vigour of youth4 ,he lived at   
,ovington4 ,his associate1 ,ben         
,garlick1 of ,prudhoe1 appeared as if   
his  constitution had been broken down4 
,they had served in a corps called      
,napier's ,grenadiers4 ,cowie appeared  
occasionally in his old military  coat1 
c4 ,after he died1 this coat1 which had 
been shot at at ,minden and  elsewhere1 
was at last hung up on a stake on the   
corn rigs as a  scare-crow4    ,the     
ferocious people from whom1 as ,i have  
intimated1 the above  individuals were  
probably descended1 bore nearly the same
 names on both  sides of the ,border2   

their character seemed to have been     
distinct from  both their ,english and  
,scottish neighbours2 and war and rapine
 had long  been their almost constant   
employment4 ,many of these--the         
retainers of  the chieftains of old1    
whose feet were swift to shed           
blood--were called  by names descriptive
 of their characters and persons1 and   
which were  mostly continued by their   
offspring4 ,these consisted of a great  
variety  of names of cunning or         
ferocious birds and beasts1 as well as  
some  others1 the meaning of which is   
now unknown4 ,there were among them the 
,hawk1 ,glead1 ,falcon1 ,fox1 ,wolf1    
,bloodhound1 ,greyhound1 ,raven1 ,crow1 
,gorfoot1 ,crowfoot1 c41 c4    ,the     
farmers of the neighbourhood1 at the    
early period which ,i have been         
describing1 always appeared to me to be 
not of so intelligent a cast as  the    
poor labouring men4 ,their minds being  
more exclusively occupied with  the     
management of their farms1 they read but

 little4 ,they were mostly of  a kind   
and hospitable disposition1 and         
well-intentioned1 plain1 plodding  men1 
who went jogging on in their several    
occupations as their fathers  had done  
before them4    ,the next advance in    
society were the ,lairds1 who lived upon
 their own  lands4 ,i have always1      
through life1 been of opinion that there
 is no  business of any kind that can be
 compared to that of a man who farms his
  own land4 ,it appears to me that every
 earthly pleasure1 with health1 is      
within his reach4 ,but numbers of these 
men were grossly ignorant1 and in  exact
 proportion to that ignorance they were 
sure to be offensively  proud4 ,this led
 them to attempt appearing above their  
station1 which  hastened them on to     
their ruin2 but1 indeed1 this           
disposition and this  kind of conduct   
invariably leads to such results4 ,there
 were many of  these lairds on          
,tyneside2 as well as many who held     
their lands on the  tenure of 8suit and 

service10 and were nearly on the same   
level as the  lairds4 ,some of the      
latter lost their lands 7not fairly ,i  
think7 in a  way they could not help2   
many of the former1 by their misdirected
 pride  and folly1 were driven into     
towns1 to slide away into nothingness1  
and  to sink into oblivion1 while their 
8ha' houses0 7halls71 that ought to     
have remained in their families from    
generation to generation1 have          
mouldered away4 ,i have always felt     
extremely grieved to see the ancient    
mansions of many of the country         
gentlemen1 from somewhat similar causes1
  meet with a similar fate4 ,the gentry 
should1 in an especial manner1  prove by
 their conduct that they are guarded    
against showing any symptom  of foolish 
pride1 at the same time that they soar  
above every meanness1  and that their   
conduct is guided by truth1 integrity1  
and patriotism4 ,if  they wish the      
people to partake with them in these    
good qualities1 they  must set them the 

example1 without which no real respect  
can ever be  paid to them4 ,gentlemen   
ought never to forget the respectable   
station  they hold in society1 and that 
they are the natural guardians of public
  morals1 and may with propriety be     
considered as the head and the heart  of
 the country1 while 8a bold peasantry0  
are1 in truth1 the arms1 the  sinews1   
and the strength of the same2 but when  
these last are degraded1  they soon     
become dispirited and mean1 and often   
dishonest and useless4    ,i think the  
late ,duke of ,northumberland must have 
had an eye to raising  the character of 
the peasantry when he granted them small
 portions of  land at a reasonable rate4
 ,if so1 in my way of judging1 he was an
 honour  to the peerage1 and set an     
example worthy of himself and worthy of 
imitation4 ,by going a step further1 and
 planting healthy1 strong1 men  and     
women on these spots1 his patriotism    
would have been crowned with            
immortality2 for ,i cannot help thinking

 that1 if the same pains were  taken in 
breeding mankind that gentlemen have    
bestowed upon the breeding  of horses   
and dogs1 human nature might1 as it     
were1 be new modelled1  hereditary      
diseases banished1 and such a race might
 people the country  as we can form no  
conception of4 ,instead of a nation of  
mongrels1 there  would in time appear a 
nation of 8,admirable ,chrichtons40 ,if 
the lands  commonly attached to         
townships had been continued as such1   
and let in  small portions to mechanics 
and labourers 7as the late ,duke did71  
instead of dividing them by act of      
,parliament among those who already  had
 too much1 the good effects to the      
community at large would have been  soon
 felt2 and1 in addition to this1 if     
savings banks and benefit  societies    
were encouraged by every possible means1
 there would be little  occasion for    
poor laws except as a provision for     
helpless children1 and  the lame and the
 blind4 ,by such means as these1        

perhaps1 this national  evil might be   
done away4 ,all men ought to provide for
 the necessities of  old age1 and be    
made sensible of the manly pleasure of  
being  independent4 ,it is degrading1   
and in most cases disgraceful1 to those 
who look to parish assistance after a   
life spent in laziness and              
mismanagement4    ,i must not omit      
mentioning a circumstance that happened 
to ,eltringham  while ,i was a boy4 ,it 
was to have been called 8,little        
,birmingham10 but  this was not         
accomplished4 ,in #ag--1 a person of the
 name of ,laidler1 who  was said to have
 amassed a large fortune in ,london1    
came to the ,north1  and established the
 ,iron ,works at ,busy ,cottage1 near   
,newcastle2 and1 on  his taking a view  
of ,tyneside1 he fixed upon ,eltringham 
as a place at  which he could carry on  
works to a much greater extent4 ,he set 
about  this business in great haste4    
,all kinds of workmen were gathered     
together for the purpose of speedily    

accomplishing what he had in view2  and1
 while some of them were busy in making 
the mills and machinery1  others were   
digging a mill-race of about a quarter  
of a mile in length4  ,but lo6 when this
 was done1--not being permitted to      
encroach on the bed  of the river1--it  
was found they had not much more than a 
foot of  waterfall2 and1 as the sides of
 the mill-race were cut perpendicularly1
  about two yards deep1 through the dark
 fine soil1 the first great flood  of   
the ,tyne nearly levelled and filled it 
up4 ,the people in and about  the place1
 including my father1 who had got       
licenses to sell ale1 c41  were obliged 
to decline1 and the sign of my father's 
house1--the ,seven  ,stars1--which hung 
up between the two ash trees1 was taken 
down4 ,the  projector made our house his
 home while the works were going on1 and
 the  men were paid their wages there4  
,all was as suddenly sold off as it was 
begun1 and my father came to some loss  
after all the trouble and turmoil  he   

had been put to4                        
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,iv4      ,,being now nearly 
fourteen years of age1 and a stout boy1 
it was thought  time to set me off to   
business2 and my father and mother had  
long been  planning and consulting1 and 
were greatly at a loss what it would be 
best to fix upon4 ,any place where ,i   
could see pictures1 or where ,i  thought
 ,i could have an opportunity of drawing
 them1 was such only as ,i  could think 
of4 ,a ,newcastle bookseller1 whose     
windows were filled with  prints1 had   
applied to ,mr4 ,gregson for a boy2 and1
 when ,i was asked if ,i  would like to 
go to him1 ,i readily expressed my      
hearty consent2 but1  upon my father    
making enquiry respecting him1 he was   
given to understand  that he bore a very
 bad character3 so that business was at 
an end4 ,the  same year--#agfg--;during 
the summer1 ,william ,beilby and his    
brother ,ralph  took a ride to ,bywell1 

to see their intimate acquaintance1     
,mrs4 ,simons1  who was my godmother1   
and the widow of the late vicar there4  
,she gave  them a most flattering       
account of me2 so much so1 that they1   
along with  her and her daughter1 set   
off that same afternoon to ,cherryburn  
to visit  us1 and to drink tea4 ,when   
the ,newcastle visitors had given an    
account  of their enamellings1 drawings1
 and engravings1 with which ,i felt much
  pleased1 ,i was asked which of them ,i
 should like to be bound to2 and1       
liking the look and deportment of ,ralph
 the best1 ,i gave the preference  to   
him4 ,matters bearing upon this business
 were slightly talked over1  and my     
grandmother having left me twenty pounds
 for an apprentice fee1  it was not long
 till a good understanding between      
parties took place1  and ,i soon        
afterwards went to ,r4 ,beilby upon     
trial4    ,illustration3      ,,thomas  
,,bewick ,,newcastle    was ,bound      
,october the first #agfg      ,the first

 of ,october was the day fixed upon for 
the binding4 ,the  eventful day arrived 
at last1 and a most grievous one it was 
to me4 ,i  liked my master2 ,i liked the
 business2 but to part from the country1
 and  to leave all its beauties behind  
me1 with which ,i had been all my life  
charmed in an extreme degree1--and in a 
way ,i cannot describe1--,i can only    
say my heart was like to break2 and1 as 
we passed away1 ,i inwardly bade        
farewell to the whinny wilds1 to        
,mickley bank1 to the ,stob-cross hill1 
to the water banks1 the woods1 and to   
particular trees1 and even to the  large
 hollow old elm1#i which had lain       
perhaps for centuries past1 on  the     
haugh near the ford we were about to    
pass1 and which had sheltered  the      
salmon fishers1 while at work there1    
from many a bitter blast4 ,we  called   
upon my much-esteemed schoolfellow1     
,christopher ,gregson1 at  ,ovingham1   
where he and his father were waiting to 
accompany us to  ,newcastle--all on the 

same errand--7we were both bound on that
 day74 ,while  we were                  
condoling3--comforting each other--,i   
know not what to call it--at  the       
parsonage gates1 many of the old        
neighbours assembled at the  churchyard 
wall1 to see us set off1 and to express 
their good wishes2  and1 amongst the    
rest1 was a good1 sensible old woman of 
the village1  named ,betty ,kell1 who   
gave us her blessing1 and each a penny  
for good  luck4 ,this being done1 our   
horses were mounted1 and we commenced   
our  journey4 ,the parties kept at a    
little distance from each other4 ,i     
suppose our late preceptor was lecturing
 his son1 and my father was  equally    
busied in the same way with me4 ,he had 
always set me the example  and taken    
every opportunity of showing how much he
 detested meanness1  and of drawing     
forth every particle of pride within me1
 for the purpose  of directing it in the
 right way4 ,he continued a long while  
on subjects  of this kind1 and on the   

importance and inestimable value of     
honour and  honesty2 and he urgently    
pressed upon me to do my duty to my     
master1 in  faithfully and obediently   
fulfilling all his commands1 to be      
beforehand  in meeting his wishes1 and1 
in particular1 to be always upon my     
guard  against listening to the         
insinuations and the wicked advice of   
worthless  persons1 who ,i would find   
ever ready to poison my ear against him4
 ,he  next turned his discourse on      
another topic--new to me from him--of   
great  importance--religion--and pressed
 this also upon me in a way ,i did not  
forget4 ,he begged ,i would never omit1 
morning and evening1 addressing  myself 
to my ,maker1 and said that if ,i ceased
 to do so1 then he believed  and feared 
every evil would follow4 ,i was greatly 
surprised to hear him  dwell on this    
subject2 for ,i think it was the first  
time4 ,he used1  indeed1 to go to       
church2 but ,i do not recollect his ever
 commenting upon  the sermons he heard  

there1 further than that1 the good man's
 discourse  from the pulpit seemed to   
him to be wasted upon the majority of   
his  congregation1 and of his calling   
some of them 8holy professors40 ,my     
mother1 who was of a religious turn1    
had1 indeed1 all her life  endeavoured  
to make me so too2 but1 as ,i did not   
clearly understand her  well-intended   
lectures1 they made little impression4  
,my father's pithy  illustrations1 as   
before hinted at1 were much more        
forcibly and clearly  made out3 ,i      
understood them well1 and they operated 
powerfully upon  me4#aj ,i have often   
reflected since upon the very high      
importance1 and  the necessity1 of      
instilling this species of education    
into the minds of  youth2 for1 were     
pains taken to draw forth the pride     
naturally implanted  in their minds for 
the wisest and best purposes1 if        
properly directed1  it would exalt human
 nature1 and be of the utmost importance
 to  individuals and to society4 ,it is 

the want of this education1 and the     
want of industry1 that occasions and    
spreads misery over the land4 ,how  can 
,i doubt that1 if my father had been a  
thief1 ,i would have been one  also1 or1
 if a highwayman or robber1 as expert as
 himself4 ,in my  opinion1 there are two
 descriptions of persons who ought to   
forbear1 or  be prevented1 from         
marrying--viz41 those of a base1 wicked1
 and dishonest  character1 and those who
 have broken down their constitutions   
and  debased both mind and body by      
dissipation4 ,the latter entail misery  
upon  their innocent offspring3 the     
children of the former1 by the bad      
example  shown to them1 become a curse  
to the community in which they live4    
,footnote #i3      ,this old tree was   
swept away by the great flood of the    
#agth ,november1    #agga4    ,footnote 
#aj3      ,i recollect one instance     
where ,i felt the force of this species 
of    education4 ,i might enumerate some
 others1 but this left its mark upon    

me4 ,having fallen in with1 and joined1 
two untutored lads1 in ,prudhoe         
8lonning10 they jumped over the hedge   
and filled their pockets with           
potatoes4 ,the farmer was watching1 but 
they escaped4 ,not having    followed   
their example1 ,i did not offer to fly1 
but he seized me1 and    threatened what
 he would do4 ,at this ,i was extremely 
distressed1 and    had it not been that 
,i consoled myself with the certainty   
that my    father and mother would      
believe me1 on my asserting that ,i had 
not    stolen any of his potatoes1 ,i   
believe ,i would have drowned myself4   
,when we arrived at ,newcastle1 the     
documents were soon made ready to bind  
my companion and myself4 ,he was bound  
to ,messrs4 ,doughty and ,wiggins1      
chemists and druggists2 but ,mr4 ,beilby
 7perhaps from his having heard  some   
unfavourable account of me7 and my      
father not readily agreeing upon  the   
exact terms of my servitude1 some fears 
were entertained that the  business     

between us might be broken off4 ,on this
 occasion my preceptor  interfered very 
ardently1 spoke warmly in my praise1 and
 dwelt forcibly1  in particular         
7notwithstanding my wild1 boyish        
behaviour at school71  upon my never    
being saucy or sulky1 nor in the least  
indulging in  anything like revenge4 ,in
 this business1 ,mr4 ,gregson was ably  
seconded  by his relation and my kind   
friend1 ,mr4 ,joseph ,langstaff1 of     
,newcastle1  who was also acquainted    
with my new master2 and so the business 
of  binding was settled at last4    ,my 
new master1 who1 ,i believe1 had laid   
down plans for the regulation of  his   
own conduct1 began with me upon a system
 of rigid discipline1 from  which he    
never varied or relaxed1 and it was not 
long before ,i gave  occasion to his    
putting it in force4 ,having walked out 
on a ,sunday  afternoon to see the      
environs of the town1 the first place   
that  attracted my attention was 8,king 
,jamie's ,well40 ,there ,i fell in with 

bad  company1 consisting of three low   
blackguard 'prentice lads1 from the     
,close4 ,having no wish to have anything
 to say to them1 ,i endeavoured to  shun
 their company2 but they1 seeing me in a
 strange and perhaps  somewhat clownish 
dress1 followed and insulted me2 and    
this they  persisted in till ,i could   
bear it no longer1 when1 turning upon   
one of  the sauciest of them1 ,i        
presently levelled him1 and was about   
serving  the second in the same way1    
when they all three fell upon me and    
showed  no mercy1 so that1 in the end1  
,i went home to my master's house with a
  scratched face and black eyes4 ,this  
was an abominable sight to the  family1 
which no excuse could palliate4 ,after  
this1 ,i was obliged to  attend my      
master to church twice a day1 every     
,sunday1 and1 at night1 to  read the    
,bible1 or some other good book1 to old 
,mrs4 ,beilby and her  daughter1 or     
others of the family2 and this continued
 during the time of  the term ,i boarded

 in the house with them4    ,the father 
of ,mr4 ,beilby followed the business of
 a goldsmith and  jeweller in ,durham1  
where he was greatly respected4 ,he had 
taken care to  give all his family a    
good education1 ,his eldest son1        
,richard1 had  served his apprenticeship
 to a die-sinker1 or seal engraver1 in  
,birmingham4 ,his second son1 ,william1 
had learned enamelling and painting  in 
the same place4 ,the former of these had
 taught my master  seal-cutting1 and the
 latter taught his brother ,thomas and  
sister ,mary  enamelling and painting2  
and1 in this way1 this most respectable 
and  industrious family lived together  
and maintained themselves4 ,but1 prior  
to this state of things1 while the      
family were more dependant upon the     
industry of their father1 he had failed 
in business1 left ,durham1 and  begun   
business in ,gateshead1 where he and his
 eldest son ,richard died4    ,i have   
been informed that the family had to    
struggle with great  difficulties about 

this period1 and that1 by way of helping
 to get  through them1 their mother     
taught a school in ,gateshead4 ,but this
 state  of things could not have lasted 
long2 for the industry1 ingenuity1 and  
united energies of the family must soon 
have enabled them to soar above  every  
obstacle4 ,my master had wrought as a   
jeweller with his father  before he went
 to his brother ,richard to learn       
seal-cutting1 which was  only for a very
 short time before his death4 ,he had   
also assisted his  brother and sister in
 their constant employment of enamel    
painting upon  glass4 ,at this time a   
circumstance happened which made an     
opening for my  future master to get    
forward in business unopposed by any    
one4 ,an  engraver of the name of       
,jameson1 who had the whole stroke of   
the  business in ,newcastle1 having been
 detected in committing a forgery upon  
the old bank1 he was tried for the      
crime4 ,his life was saved by the       
perjury of a ,mrs4 ,grey2 but ,jameson  

left the town4    ,for some time after  
,i entered the business1 ,i was employed
 in copying  8,copeland's ,ornaments20  
and this was the only kind of drawing   
upon which  ,i ever had a lesson given  
to me from any one4 ,i was never a pupil
 to any  drawing master1 and had not    
even a lesson from ,william ,beilby1 or 
his  brother ,thomas1 who1 along with   
their other profession1 were also       
drawing masters4 ,in the later years of 
my apprenticeship1 my master kept  me so
 fully employed that ,i never had any   
opportunity for such a  purpose1 at     
which ,i felt much grieved and          
disappointed4 ,the first jobs ,i  was   
put to do was blocking-out the wood     
about the lines on the diagrams  7which 
my master finished7 for the 8,ladies    
,diary10 on which he was  employed by   
,charles ,hutton1#aa and etching sword  
blades for ,william and  ,nicholas      
,oley1 sword manufacturers1 c41 at      
,shotley ,bridge4 ,it was not  long till
 the diagrams were wholly put into my   

hands to finish4 ,after  these1 ,i was  
kept closely employed upon a variety of 
other jobs2 for  such was the industry  
of my master that he refused nothing1   
coarse or  fine4 ,he undertook          
everything1 which he did in the best way
 he could4 ,he  fitted-up and tempered  
his own tools1 and adapted them to every
 purpose1  and taught me to do the same4
 ,this readiness brought him in an      
overflow  of work1 and the work-place   
was filled with the coarsest kind of    
steel  stamps1 pipe moulds1 bottle      
moulds1 brass clock faces1 door plates1 
coffin plates1 bookbinders letters and  
stamps1 steel1 silver1 and gold  seals1 
mourning rings1 c4 ,he also undertook   
the engraving of arms1  crests and      
cyphers1 on silver1 and every kind of   
job from the  silversmiths2 also        
engraving bills of exchange1 bank notes1
 invoices1  account heads1 and cards4   
,these last he executed as well as did  
most of  the engravers of the time2 but 
what he excelled in was ornamental      

silver  engraving4 ,in this1 as far as  
,i am able to judge1 he was one of the  
best  in the kingdom2 and1 ,i think1    
upon the whole1 he might be called an   
ingenious1 self-taught artist4 ,the     
higher department of engraving1 such  as
 landscape or historical plates1 ,i dare
 say1 was hardly ever thought  of by my 
master2 at least not till ,i was nearly 
out of my  apprenticeship1 when he took 
it into his head to leave me in charge  
of  the business at home1 and to go to  
,london for the purpose of taking       
lessons in etching and engraving large  
copper plates4 ,there was1  however1    
little or no employment in this way in  
,newcastle1 and he had no  opportunity  
of becoming clever at it2 so he kept    
labouring on with such  work as before  
named1 in which ,i aided him with all my
 might4 ,i think he  was the best master
 in the world for teaching boys1 for he 
obliged them  to put their hands to     
every variety of work4 ,every job1      
coarse or fine1  either in cutting or   

engraving1 ,i did as well as ,i could1  
cheerfully2  but the business of        
polishing copper plates1 and hardening  
and polishing  steel seals1 was always  
irksome to me4 ,i had wrought at such as
 this a  long time1 and at the coarser  
kind of engraving 7such as ,i have      
noticed  before71 till my hands had     
become as hard and enlarged as those of 
a  blacksmith4 ,i1 however1 in due time1
 had a greater share of better and      
nicer work given me to execute2 such as 
the outside and inside mottos on  rings1
 and sometimes arms and crests on       
silver1 and seals of various  kinds1 for
 which ,i made all the new steel punches
 and letters4 ,we had a  great deal of  
seal-cutting1 in which my master was    
accounted clever1 and  in this ,i did my
 utmost to surpass him4    ,footnote    
#aa3      ,afterwards the great ,dr4    
,hutton4 ,he died #bgth ,january1 #ahbc1
 in the    #hfth year of his age4       
,while we were going on in this way1 we 
were occasionally applied to by         

printers to execute wood cuts for them4 
,in this branch my master was  very     
defective4 ,what he did was wretched4   
,he did not like such jobs2 on  which   
account they were given to me2 and the  
opportunity this afforded  of drawing   
the designs on the wood was highly      
gratifying to me4 ,it  happened that one
 of these1--a cut of the 8,george and   
,dragon0 for a bar  bill1--attracted so 
much notice1 and had so many praises    
bestowed upon  it1 that this kind of    
work greatly increased1 and orders were 
received  for cuts for children's books2
 chiefly for ,thomas ,saint1 printer1   
,newcastle1 and successor of ,john      
,white1 who had rendered himself famous 
for his numerous publications of        
histories and old ballads4 ,with the    
singing of the latter1 the streets of   
,newcastle were long greatly  enlivened2
 and1 on market days1 visitors1 as well 
as the town's people1  were often highly
 gratified with it4 ,what a cheerful1   
lively time this  appeared to me and    

many others6 ,this state of things1     
however1 changed  when public matters   
cast a surly gloom over the character of
 the whole  country2 and these singing  
days1 instead of being regulated by the 
magistrates1 were1 in their wisdom1     
totally put an end to4    ,my time now  
became greatly taken up with designing  
and cutting a set of  wood blocks for   
the 8,story-teller10 8,gay's ,fables10  
and 8,select ,fables10  together with   
cuts of a similar kind1 for printers4   
,some of the ,fable  cuts were thought  
so well of by my master that he1 in my  
name1 sent  impressions of a few of them
 to be laid before the ,society for the 
,encouragement of ,arts1 c41 and ,i     
obtained a premium4 ,this ,i received   
shortly after ,i was out of my          
apprenticeship1 and it was left to my   
choice whether ,i would have it in a    
gold medal1 or money1 7seven  guineas74 
,i preferred the latter2 and ,i never in
 my life felt greater  pleasure than in 
presenting it to my mother4 ,on this    

occasion1 amongst  the several          
congratulations of kind neighbours1     
those of ,mr4 ,gregson1 my  old master1 
stood pre-eminent4 ,he flew from        
,ovingham1 where the news  first        
arrived1 over to ,eltringham1 to        
congratulate my father and mother2  and 
the feelings and overflowings of his    
heart can be better imagined  than      
described4    ,illustration             
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,v4      ,,during the time ,i 
was an inmate in my master's house1     
along with his  mother1 brothers1 and   
sister1 ,i attended his brother's horse1
 and made  myself as useful to the      
family as ,i could4 ,at that time ,i had
 no  acquaintances1--at least none to be
 very intimate with4 ,i needed none4 ,i 
wandered in the fields1 and on the ,town
 ,moor1 alone1 and amused myself  with  
my own thoughts4 ,when the time arrived 
that ,i was to cater for  myself upon   
four shillings and sixpence per week1 ,i

 went to lodge with  my aunt ,blackett1 
who1 being the widow of a freeman1#ab   
kept a cow upon  the ,town ,moor1 and ,i
 was abundantly supplied with milk1     
which was the  chief thing ,i lived     
upon4    ,footnote #ab3      ,thomas    
,blackett1 silversmith4 ,he was one of  
my godfathers1 and had    been foreman  
to the late ,john ,langlands1 by whom he
 was much noticed    as a man of a most 
intrepid spirit4 ,he was remarkable for 
his honour1    honesty1 and punctuality4
    ,at ,mrs4 ,blackett's ,i became     
acquainted with ,gilbert ,gray1         
bookbinder2  and this singular and      
worthy man was perhaps the most         
invaluable  acquaintance and friend ,i  
ever met with4 ,his moral lectures and  
advice  to me formed a most important   
succedaneum to those imparted by my     
parents4 ,his wise remarks1 his         
detestation of vice1 his industry1 and  
his temperance1 crowned with a most     
lively and cheerful disposition1        
altogether made him appear to me as one 

of the best of characters4 ,in  his     
workshop ,i often spent my winter       
evenings4 ,this was also the case  with 
a number of young men1 who might be     
considered as his pupils2 many  of whom1
 ,i have no doubt1 he directed into the 
paths of truth and  integrity1 and who  
revered his memory through life4 ,he    
rose early to  work1 lay down when he   
felt weary1 and rose again when         
refreshed4 ,his  diet was of the        
simplest kind2 and he eat when hungry1  
and drank when  dry1 without paying     
regard to meal times4 ,by steadily      
pursuing this mode  of life1 he was     
enabled to accumulate sums of           
money--from ten to thirty  pounds4 ,this
 enabled him to get books1 of an        
entertaining and moral  tendency1       
printed and circulated at a cheap rate4 
,his great object was1  by every        
possible means1 to promote honourable   
feelings in the minds of  youth1 and to 
prepare them for becoming good members  
of society4 ,i have  often discovered   

that he did not overlook ingenious      
mechanics1 whose  misfortunes--perhaps  
mismanagement--had led them to a lodging
 in ,newgate4  ,to these he directed his
 compassionate eye1 and for the         
deserving 7in  his estimation71 he paid 
their debt1 and set them at liberty4 ,he
 felt  hurt at seeing the hands of an   
ingenious man tied up in prison1 where  
they were of no use either to himself or
 to the community4 ,this worthy  man had
 been educated for a priest2 but he     
would say to me1 8of a  #8trouth1'      
,thomas1 ,i did not like their ways40   
,so he gave up the thoughts  of being a 
priest1 and bent his way from ,aberdeen 
to ,edinburgh1 where he  engaged himself
 to ,allan ,ramsay1 the poet1 then a    
bookseller at the  latter place1 in     
whose service he was both shopman and   
bookbinder4 ,from  ,edinburgh he came to
 ,newcastle4 ,gilbert had had a liberal 
education  bestowed upon him4 ,he had   
read a great deal1 and had reflected    
upon what  he had read4 ,this1 with his 

retentive memory1 enabled him to be a   
pleasant and communicative companion4 ,i
 lived in habits of intimacy with  him  
to the end of his life2 and1 when he    
died1 ,i1 with others of his  friends1  
attended his remains to the grave at the
 ,ballast ,hills4#ac    ,footnote #ac3  
,he died on the #abth ,february1 #agid1 
in the #hfth year of his age4    ,how   
long ,i remained with my aunt1 ,i have  
now forgotten4 ,after ,i left her       
house1 ,i went to lodge with a person   
named ,hatfield1 whose wife was an      
excellent cook and market woman1 and who
 had long lived in the family of        
8,willy ,scott10 the father of the      
present ,lord ,chancellor of ,england4  
,my  landlord afterwards got into a very
 unfortunate way of doing business4     
,being a flax dresser1 his brethren     
prevailed upon him and his wife to      
permit the tramps--or scamps--in that   
line to take up their lodgings with     
them4 ,here ,i was introduced1 or at    
least had an opportunity of becoming    

acquainted with them1 and a pretty set  
they were4 ,their conduct was  wicked in
 the extreme4 ,the proper effect1       
however1 was produced upon me2  for ,i  
looked upon their behaviour with the    
utmost disgust4 ,after my  landlord had 
for some time been cheated and defrauded
 by this set1 he at  length got done    
with them1 and boarded and lodged others
 of a better  cast of character4        
,long before the death of my friend     
,gilbert1 ,i had ceased to have the     
privilege of reading his books1 and what
 ,i could save out of my wages  only    
afforded me a scanty supply4 ,i had1    
however1 an opportunity1 per  favour of 
my master's servant1 7who admitted me   
early in the morning  into his parlour71
 of reading through1 with great         
attention1 the then  new publication of 
8,smollett's ,history of ,england20 and1
 for a long time  afterwards1 ,i clearly
 remembered everything of note which it 
contained4  ,with some of the characters
 therein depicted1 ,i was greatly       

pleased1 but  with others ,i was shocked
 and disgusted4 ,they appeared to me    
like fiends  obtruded upon the          
community1 as a curse and a scourge2 and
 yet how  surprising it is that some of 
these can be spoken of1 by authors1 with
  complacency4 ,another source from     
whence to obtain a supply of books      
presently fell in my way1 through the   
kindness of ,william ,gray1 the son  of 
,gilbert4 ,he was a bookbinder of some  
repute1 and this led him into           
employment of a superior cast to that of
 his father1 and his workshop  was often
 filled with works of the best authors4 
,to these1 while  binding1 ,i had ready 
access2 for which purpose ,i rose early 
in the  morning2 and to him my          
well-known whistle in the street was the
 signal  for his quickly preparing to   
get to his work1 and ,i remained with   
him  till my work hour came4    ,i feel 
it as a misfortune1 that a bias1 somehow
 or other1 took place in  my mind at    
this time1 which led me deeply into the 

chaos of what is  called religious      
works2 and1 for the purpose of getting  
into a thorough  knowledge of all       
matters of this important kind1 ,i spent
 much time1 and  took great pains1 to   
obtain information2 but1 instead of     
this1 ,i got  myself into a             
labyrinth--bewildered with dogmas1      
creeds1 and opinions1  mostly the       
fanatical reveries1 or the bigoted      
inventions1 of interested  or designing 
men1 that seemed to me to be without    
end2 and1 after all my  pains1 ,i left  
off in a more unsettled state of mind   
than when ,i began4 ,i  may be mistaken2
 but ,i think1 many a well-meaning man  
has spun out his  life1 and spent his   
time1 on subjects of this kind in vain4 
,waggon loads  of sermons have been     
published--some of them1 perhaps1       
good--in order to  prove matters 7in my 
opinion7 of no importance either to     
religion or  morality4 ,if it be true   
that every thing in perfection is       
simple1 so it  must be with religion4   

,there may be many moral and religious  
duties for  man to fulfil in his passage
 through life2 but the rules for doing  
so  are so plain and easily understood  
that common sense only is necessary  for
 all that is required of us in the      
performance of them4 ,the beauty  and   
simplicity of the doctrines laid down by
 the inspired and benevolent  ,author of
 the ,christian ,religion1 however they 
may have been distorted  and disfigured1
 are yet in themselves perfect4 ,they   
may1 indeed1 be  compared to a          
mathematical point--a point of          
perfection for all men to  aim at1 but  
to which none can fully attain4 ,the    
inspired writings of the  prophets of   
old are also full of simplicity1 as well
 as of indescribable  beauty1 and may be
 read and considered with               
ever-increasing delight4  ,poets and    
moralists1 of more modern times1 have   
also laboured most  clearly to point out
 the paths which lead to religion1 to   
virtue1 and to  happiness4 ,as far as ,i

 am able to judge1 all we can do is to  
commune  with and reverence and adore   
the ,creator1 and to yield with humility
 and  resignation to ,his will4 ,with   
the most serious intention of forming a 
right judgment1 all the conclusion ,i   
can come to is1 that there is only  one 
,god and one religion2 and ,i know of no
 better way of what is called  serving  
,god than that of being good to his     
creatures1 and of fulfilling  the moral 
duties1 as that of being good sons1     
brothers1 husbands1  fathers1 and       
members of society4    ,at this time1 ,i
 had few that ,i could call intimate    
acquaintances4 ,my  almost only ones    
were books1 over which ,i spent my time1
 mornings and  evenings1 late and early4
 ,this too intense application to books1
  together with my sedentary employment1
 and being placed at a very low  work   
bench1 took away my healthy appearance1 
and ,i put on a more  delicate look1 and
 became poorly in health4 ,when my      
master saw this1 he  sent for medical   

aid1 and ,nathaniel ,bailes1#ad surgeon1
 was consulted4  ,but1 before he uttered
 a word as to my ailment1 he took me to 
his own  house1 and there he stripped   
and examined me1 and1 looking me in the 
face1 told me 8,i was as strong as a    
horse40 ,he then made up some  medicine 
to cause expectoration4 ,this was all   
soon done1 but not so the  lecture he   
gave my master1 whom he addressed in    
terms which ,i thought  both long and   
rude4 8,what60 said he1 8have you no    
more sense than to set  a growing1      
country lad to work1 doubled up at a low
 bench1 which will  inevitably destroy  
him80 and1 in his passion1 he cursed    
,mr4 ,beilby for  his ignorance or      
something worse4 ,from this time the    
,doctor took a  liking to me1 and often 
criticised my work4 ,he also took great 
pains to  direct me how to live and to  
manage myself1 under so sedentary an    
employment2 and an intimacy commenced   
between us which lasted as long as  he  
lived4 ,he urged upon me the necessity  

of temperance and exercise4 ,i  then    
began to act upon his advice1 and to    
live as he directed1 both as  to diet   
and exercise4 ,i had read 8,lewis       
,cornaro10 and other books1 which       
treated of temperance2 and ,i greatly   
valued the advice given in the          
8,spectator10 which strongly recommended
 all people to have their days of       
abstinence4 ,through life ,i have       
experienced the uncommon benefit derived
  from occasionally pursuing this plan1 
which always keeps the stomach in       
proper tone4 ,i regularly pursued my    
walks1 and1 whilst thus exercising1  my 
mind was commonly engaged in devising   
plans for my conduct in life4           
,footnote #ad3      ,he was commonly    
called ,dr4 ,bailes4 ,he was a          
,newcastle worthy1 and was    accounted 
a man of great skill in his profession1 
as well as eminent    for his learning  
and other attainments4 ,he was ingenious
 and    enterprising1 a tolerably good  
engraver1 and a good mechanic4 ,he was  

called the 8,eloquent ,sword-bearer40   
,he headed the committee of the         
,burgesses1 in #ag--1 who tried and beat
 the magistrates of ,newcastle          
respecting their exclusive claim to the 
,town ,moor2 and he was active    in    
everything relative to the good of the  
town4 ,he invented a harpoon    for     
killing whales1 for which he got a      
patent4 ,it was of a triangular         
shape1 or like three razors1 back to    
back1 and brought to a sharp    point1  
and it was strongly barbed at its       
termination1 towards the    socket4 ,by 
its use1 lines and cords were saved4    
,the price was three    guineas1 which1 
being deemed too high1 was probably the 
cause of a    confederacy of harpoon    
makers1 sea-captains1 and others 7who   
knew not    how to appreciate its value7
 to set their faces against using it4   
,the    ,doctor1 who did not like to be 
kept debating with ignorance and        
prejudice1 and was not actuated by      
pecuniary motives1 suffered the         

business to go to neglect4 ,he died     
#afth ,july1 #agia1 aged #gd1 and was   
buried in ,st4 ,nicholas' ,church1      
,newcastle4    ,for a long time1 both in
 summer and winter1 ,i went to ,elswick 
three  times a day1 at the expense of a 
penny each time for bread and milk4 ,i  
had an hour allowed me for dinner2 and1 
as to my mornings and evenings1  ,i     
could take a much longer time4 ,a very  
small matter of animal food1  when ,i   
missed going to ,elswick1 was amply     
sufficient for me2 for ,i think  my     
constitution did not require to be      
stimulated4 ,by persevering in this     
system of temperance and exercise1 ,i   
was astonished to find how much ,i      
improved in health1 strength1 and       
agility4 ,i thought nothing of leaving  
,newcastle after ,i had done work--#g   
o'clock--on a winter's night1 and of    
setting off to walk to ,cherryburn4 ,in 
this ,i was stimulated by an ardent     
desire to visit my parents as often as  
possible2 and the desire  continued to  

act upon me as long as they lived4      
,in my solitary walks 7as before        
noticed71 the first resolution made was 
that of living within my income2 and    
another of similar import1 was that  of 
never getting anything upon trust2 but1 
indeed1 my limited income1 at  this     
time1 led me carefully to observe these 
rules1 and ,i have never  since         
forgotten them4 ,the train of           
reflections they brought along with     
them has also dwelt upon my mind4 ,i    
could not help observing the  inevitable
 ill consequences which a contrary      
course 7at first entered  upon1 perhaps1
 unthinkingly7 led thousands into1 and  
the misery it  entailed4 ,the more ,i   
have thought upon this subject1 the more
 clearly ,i  have seen its importance4  
,getting into debt is followed by       
leading  people to live beyond their    
incomes2 and this makes all who do so1  
soon  become demoralised and dishonest2 
and1 when the mind has been thus        
blunted and degraded1 anxiety and       

trouble must be its attendants1 till    
vice and misery close the scene4        
,amongst the acquaintances ,i made at   
the workshops of ,gilbert and ,william  
,grey1 was ,william ,bulmer1 afterwards 
rendered famous as the proprietor  of   
the ,shakespeare ,printing ,office1 in  
,cleveland ,row1 ,london1 who was  the  
first that set the example1 and soon led
 the way1 to fine printing  in ,england4
 ,he used1 while he was an apprentice1  
to prove the cuts ,i had  executed4 ,in 
this he was countenanced by his master1 
,john ,thompson1 who  was himself       
extremely curious and eager to see wood 
engraving succeed2  for at that time the
 printing of wood cuts was very         
imperfectly known4    ,about this time  
,i commenced a most intimate            
acquaintance and friendship  with       
,robert ,pollard1 afterwards an engraver
 and printseller of eminence  in        
,london4 ,he was bound apprentice to    
,john ,kirkup1 a silversmith in         
,newcastle2 and1 from his being         

frequently sent to our workshop with    
crests1 cyphers1 c41 to engrave1 he took
 a great liking to engraving1  and was  
indefatigable in his endeavours to      
become master of it4 ,in  furtherance of
 this1 we spent many of our evenings    
together at his  father's house1 which  
to me was a kind of home4 ,on his master
 declining  business1 my young friend   
was engaged for a term of years to learn
  engraving with ,isaac ,taylor1 of     
,holborn1 ,london4    ,in my frequent   
visits to the workshops of ,gilbert     
,grey1 and to that of  his son ,william1
 ,i first fell in with ,thomas          
,spence4#ae ,he was one of  the warmest 
philanthropists in the world4 ,the      
happiness of mankind  seemed with him to
 absorb every other consideration4 ,he  
was of a  cheerful disposition1 warm in 
his attachment to his friends1 and in   
his  patriotism to his country2 but he  
was violent against people whom he      
considered of an opposite character4    
,with such he kept no bounds4 ,for  the 

purpose chiefly of making converts to   
his opinion 8that property in  land is  
everyone's right10 he got a number of   
young men gathered  together1 and formed
 into a debating society1 which was held
 in the  evenings in his school-room1 in
 the ,broad ,garth1 ,newcastle4 ,one    
night  when his favourite question was  
to be debated1 he reckoned upon me as   
one of his 8backers40 ,in this1 however1
 he was mistaken2 for1  notwithstanding 
my tacitly assenting in a certain degree
 to his  plan1--viz41 as to the         
probability of its succeeding in some   
uninhabited  country or island1--,i     
could not at all agree with him in      
thinking it  right to upset the present 
state of society1 by taking from people 
what  is their own1 and then launching  
out upon his speculations4 ,i considered
  that property ought to be held sacred1
 and1 besides1 that the honestly        
obtaining of it was the great stimulant 
to industry1 which kept all  things in  
order1 and society in full health and   

vigour4 ,the question  having been given
 against him without my having said a   
word in its  defence1 he became swollen 
with indignation1 which1 after the      
company  was gone1 he vented upon me4   
,to reason with him was useless4 ,he    
began by  calling me--from my           
silence--8a ,sir ,walter ,blackett20#af 
adding1 8,if ,i  had been as stout as   
you are1 ,i would have thrashed you1 but
 there is  another way in which ,i can  
do the business1 and have at you40 ,he  
then  produced a pair of cudgels1 and to
 work we fell4 ,he did not know that ,i 
was a proficient in cudgel playing1 and 
,i soon found that he was very          
defective4 ,after ,i had blackened the  
insides of his thighs and arms1 he      
became quite outrageous and acted very  
unfairly1 which obliged me to  give him 
a severe beating4    ,footnote #ae3     
,afterwards famous in ,london as at the 
head of the 8,spenceans40 ,he was       
sent to ,dorchester gaol for 7,i        
believe7 some of his publications1      

promulgating his doctrines4 ,he taught a
 school at the ,broad ,garth1           
,newcastle2 afterwards writing and      
arithmetic in the great school at       
,haydon ,bridge2 and1 lastly1 he was    
master of ,st4 ,ann's public school1    
,sandgate1 ,newcastle4 ,at one time he  
was a member of a most respectable      
,literary and ,philosophical society in 
,newcastle1 one of the rules of    which
 required that each member should read  
in turn a written lecture    on any     
subject he pleased4 ,spence's was1 of   
course1 on that of    8,property in     
land10 c4 ,these lectures were1 by the  
rules of the    society1 prohibited from
 publication2 but ,spence broke the rule
 and    was expelled in consequence4    
,footnote #af3      ,sir ,walter        
,blackett1 bart41 was five times mayor  
of ,newcastle1 and    represented the   
borough in seven ,parliaments2 having   
been fifty years    a member4 ,he died  
,february #hth1 #aggg1 aged #fh4 ,as an 
orator he made no    figure in the      

,house1 and having changed his politics 
in his later    years1 he became rather 
unpopular4 ,his public and private      
charities    were on a munificent scale2
 for which1 indeed1 he was greatly      
distinguished4    ,i cut the steel      
punches for ,spence's types1 and my     
master struck them on  the matrices for 
casting his newly-invented letters of   
the alphabet1 for  his 8,spelling and   
,pronouncing ,dictionary40 ,he          
published1 in ,london1 many  curious    
books in his peculiar way of spelling4  
,most of them1 ,i believe1  on his      
favourite subject of property in land   
being everyone's right4  ,however       
mistaken he might be in his notions on  
this subject1 ,i am  clearly of opinion 
that his intentions were both sincere   
and honest4    ,the next most eccentric 
individual1 and at the same time one of 
the most  worthy characters1 ,i early   
became acquainted with was ,george      
,gray1 son  of ,gilbert1 and            
half-brother of ,william ,gray4 ,he was 

bound apprentice to  a man of the name  
of ,jones1 a fruit painter4 ,the latter1
 who1 ,i believe1  was accounted eminent
 in his profession1 lived beyond his    
income1 and  departed from ,newcastle4  
,george being thus left to himself1     
commenced in  the same way of business1 
and became eminent as a fruit painter2  
but1  from his versatility of           
disposition1 he dipped into almost every
 art and  science1 and excelled in many 
pursuits4 ,he was accounted one of the  
best  botanists and chemists in this    
part of the country4 ,he was also a     
geologist1 and was fixed upon as a      
leader or director to a party  employed 
by ,prince ,poniatowsky1 to take a      
survey of the various strata  of        
,poland2 but ,george1 being slovenly in 
his dress and negligent in his  person1 
felt himself slighted1 and left those   
who put on a more  respectable          
appearance to profit by his superior    
knowledge1 and to do  the best they     
could1 and he returned home4 ,whether it

 was before or  after this time ,i have 
forgotten1 but he visited ,north        
,america1 and  travelled in quest of    
knowledge pretty far into the interior  
of that  country4 ,on his return he     
resumed his old employment1 in a room   
never  cleaned or swept1 and surrounded 
with models1 crucibles1 gallipots1      
brushes1 paints1 palettes1 bottles1     
jars1 retorts1 and distills1 in such  a 
chaos of confusion as no words can      
describe4 ,from this sanctum  sanctorum1
 he corresponded with gentlemen of      
science in ,london and  other parts4    
,few men were better liked by private   
friends--as well for  his knowledge as  
for his honesty1 and the genuine        
simplicity of his  manners4#ag    ,in   
addition to the various jobs already    
noticed as keeping my master and  myself
 fully employed1 ,i had others which    
fell exclusively to my lot to  execute2 
and1 amongst these were the mathematical
 works of ,charles  ,hutton1 who        
frequently came into the room in which  

,i worked1 to inspect  what ,i was      
doing4 ,he was always very civil1 but   
seemed to me to be of a  grave or shy   
deportment4 ,he lived in habits of      
intimacy with my master1  and used to   
write designs for him to engrave from1  
particularly for the  heads of invoices 
or bills of parcels2 and ,i remember    
that he wrote them  with an ink1 or     
preparation1 which was easily           
transferred to the copper4  ,this was   
before his appointment in the royal     
military academy of  ,woolwich1 in      
#aggc1 and long before he had the       
well-merited title of  ,l4,l4,d4 added  
to his respected name4 ,dr4 ,hutton was 
that kind of man1 who  never forget old 
friends2 and1 some years after1 when ,i 
was in  partnership with my old master1 
he recommended us to the notice of ,dr4 
,horsley1#ah who was commencing his     
publication of ,sir ,isaac ,newton's    
works1 the execution of the whole of the
 cuts for which devolved upon  me4 ,this
 transaction took place in #aggh4       

,footnote #ag3      ,he died on the #ith
 ,december1 #ahai1 aged #fa years1 and  
was buried in    ,st4 ,john's           
,church-yard1 ,newcastle4    ,footnote  
#ah3      ,afterwards ,bishop of ,st4   
,asaph4    ,i continued to take up my   
abode with ,hatfield1 and1 the spirits  
being  bouyant1 everything pleased me4  
,i cannot help noticing the happy time  
,i  spent there4 ,i was also entertained
 with the curious characters who        
resorted to his house4 ,these were      
mostly bird-catchers and bird-dealers1  
to whose narratives respecting their    
pursuits ,i listened with interest4  ,my
 landlord was almost constantly busied  
in rearing a numerous brood of          
canaries1 which he sold to a bird       
merchant1 who travelled with them to    
,edinburgh1 ,glasgow1 c41 for sale4     
,i also1 at various periods of the time 
,i remained under ,hatfield's roof1  got
 into a knowledge of the misguided ways 
which too many young fellows  pursued2  
and ,i watched1 and saw the wretched    

consequences of the kind of  life they  
led4 ,i felt grieved for them1 and did  
all in my power to  dissuade them from  
pursuing such a course of life4 ,for    
this advice they  laughed at me1 and    
called me 8the old man40 ,it was not    
very long1  however1 till two of them   
sent for me to come and see them on     
their  death beds4 ,the die was cast1   
and ,i cannot forget their thanks to me1
  and the bitterness with which they    
reproached themselves for not  listening
 to what ,i had so sincerely            
recommended4 ,such conduct as ,i have   
been alluding to appears to me to be of 
the very blackest die4 ,it is  amongst  
the most shocking of murders4 ,it is to 
be regretted that the  seducer and the  
seduced cannot be obliged to live       
together for life1  and1 while they     
live1 be allowed to herd only with such 
as themselves2  for they ought to be    
banished from the society of the modest 
and  virtuous part of the community4 ,i 
think it a great omission in parents    

and teachers not to make unguarded youth
 fully apprized of the risks  they run  
in towns of getting acquainted with the 
lost and polluted women  of this stamp4 
,nothing can be so sure a guard against 
this vice as that  of making young men  
see it in its true light--to be         
disgusted at it4  ,magistrates1 no      
doubt1 have it in their power1 in some  
degree1 to lessen  this great evil1 by  
preventing abandoned women from         
appearing in the  streets of a town2 but
 ,i have often felt for magistrates on  
account of  the great and gratuitous    
trouble they take1 and the difficulties 
they  must have to encounter1 in their  
endeavours to keep the wicked within    
due bounds4    ,my last fellow-lodgers1 
before ,i was out of my apprenticeship1 
were ,john  ,hymers1 who had been a     
sergeant in the ,life ,guards1 and had  
retired upon  his pension1 and          
,whittaker ,shadforth1 a watchmaker1 and
 also a musician4  ,the latter was of a 
quite different character from those    

before noticed1  but was wild1          
enthusiastic1 and romantic4 ,among the  
many whims and  fancies we indulged in1 
one of them was to learn the manual     
exercise4  ,the sergeant1 who had often 
laughed at our follies1 very readily    
agreed  to undertake this task1 provided
 we would strictly obey the rules he    
prescribed to us4 ,this we agreed to4   
,he began with a kind of lecture on  the
 necessity of soldiers being obedient to
 their officers1 and standing  like a   
brick wall without flinching2 adding    
that he would not use his  cane upon our
 backs1 but only to put us in mind to be
 very attentive4  ,this being settled1  
we were in the mornings to appear before
 him in  8bare buff10 that is1 without  
our shirts and upper-clothing4 ,this    
discipline was pursued steadily for some
 time1 notwithstanding the  switches he 
gave us on our bare backs with his rod  
or cane1 which we  bore with the utmost 
sang froid4 ,i think the sergeant1      
notwithstanding  the entertainment we   

thus afforded him1 began to tire first2 
for he at  last lay in bed while he was 
giving us our lessons1 and at length    
gave  the business up4    ,from the     
length of time ,i had known and noticed 
,miss ,beilby1 ,i had  formed a strong  
attachment to her1 but could not make   
this known to her  or to any one else4  
,i could have married her before ,i was 
done with my  apprenticeship without any
 fears on my part1 but ,i felt for her1 
and  pined and fretted at so many bars  
being in the way of our union4 ,one of  
the greatest was the supposed contempt  
in which ,i was held by the rest  of the
 family1 who1 ,i thought1 treated me    
with great hauteur1 though ,i  had done 
everything in my power to oblige them4  
,i had1 like a stable  boy1 waited upon 
their horse2 and had cheerfully done    
everything they  wanted at my hands till
 one of the brothers grossly affronted  
me in the  business of the stable4 ,this
 ,i instantly resented1 and refused     
attendance there any more4 ,before ,i   

was out of my time1 ,miss ,beilby had  a
 paralytic stroke1 which very greatly   
altered her look1 and rendered  her for 
some time unhappy4 ,long after this she 
went with her eldest  brother into      
,fifeshire1 where she died4             
,illustration                           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,vi4      ,,the first of     
,october1 #aggd1 arrived at last2 and1  
for the first time in  my life1 ,i felt 
myself at liberty4 ,i worked a few weeks
 with my old  master1 and then set off  
to spend the winter at ,cherryburn4     
,there ,i had  plenty of work to do1    
chiefly from ,thomas ,angus1 printer1   
,newcastle4 ,i  continued there1        
employed by him and others1 till the    
summer of #aggf4  ,this was a time of   
great enjoyment1 for the charms of the  
country were  highly relished by me1 and
 after so long an almost absence from   
it1 gave  even that relish a zest which 
,i have not words to describe4 ,i       

continued  to execute wood cuts and     
other jobs1 but often rambled about     
among my  old neighbours1 and became    
more and more attached to them1 as well 
as to  the country4    ,in the storms of
 winter1 ,i joined the ,nimrods as of   
old4 ,in spring and  summer1 my         
favourite sport of angling was pretty   
closely followed up4  ,about ,christmas1
 as ,i had done before when a boy1 ,i   
went with my father  to a distance to   
collect the money due to him for coals4 
,in these  rounds1 ,i had the           
opportunity of witnessing the kindness  
and hospitality  of the people4 ,the    
countenances of all1 both high and low1 
beamed with  cheerfulness2 and this was 
heightened everywhere by the music of   
old  tunes1 from the well-known1        
exhilarating1 wild notes of the         
,northumberland pipes1 amidst the buzz  
occasioned by 8foulpleughs0  7morrice or
 sword dancers7 from various parts of   
the country4 ,this  altogether left an  
impression on my mind which the cares of

 the world  have never effaced from it4 
,the gentry1 the farmers1 and even the  
working people1 of that day had their   
,christmas home-brewed ale1 made  only  
from malt and hops4 ,this was before the
 pernicious use of chemical  compounds  
was known1 or agricultural improvements 
had quickened the eyes  of landlords1   
banished many small farmers1 soured     
their countenances1  and altered for the
 worse the characters of the larger ones
 that  remained4    ,having all my life1
 at home1 at school1 and during my      
apprenticeship1  lived under perpetual  
restraints1 when ,i thus felt myself at 
liberty1 ,i  became1 as ,i suppose1 like
 a bird which had escaped from its cage4
 ,even  angling1 of which ,i was so     
fond1 and of which ,i thought ,i never  
could  tire1 became rather dull when ,i 
found ,i could take as much of it as ,i 
pleased4 ,while ,i was pursuing this    
sport on a hot day in ,june1 ,i gave it 
up2 and1 laying down my rod awhile1 ,i  
then tied it up and walked home4        

,having resolved to see more of the     
country1 ,i requested my mother to put  
me up some shirts1 c41 and ,i told her  
,i was going to see my uncle 7her       
brother7 in ,cumberland4 ,she soon      
complied with my request1 amidst        
expressions of fear for my safety2      
showing the natural feelings of a  good 
mother4 ,after sewing three guineas in  
my breeches waistband1 ,i set  off that 
afternoon1 and walked to ,haydon        
,bridge4 ,there ,i visited an old       
acquaintance1 ,thomas ,spence1 then a   
teacher in ,haydon ,bridge school1  with
 whom ,i was a welcome guest1 and       
stopped two days4 ,leave of absence     
from school having been given to him1 ,i
 rambled with him over the              
neighbourhood1 and visited everything   
worth notice4 ,when ,i departed1 he     
accompanied me on the road nearly to    
,haltwhistle4 ,after this1 ,i met with  
little to attract notice except ,naworth
 ,castle2 and1 when ,i left it1 and  was
 proceeding across the country1 ,i lost 

my way by following paths  which led    
only to holes that had been made by     
digging peats and turf1  and did not    
reach my uncle's house at ,ainstable    
till late in the  evening4 ,i remained  
at ,ainstable about a week1 during which
 time ,i  rambled about the             
neighbourhood1 visited my friends at    
,kirkoswald and  elsewhere1 and spent   
what time ,i could spare in fishing for 
trout in the  ,croglin4    ,after ,i had
 seen ,armanthwaite and ,penrith1 ,i    
began to think of moving  further       
abroad2 and my cousin having occasion to
 go to ,carlisle1 ,i went  with him     
there1 where we parted4 ,i wandered     
about the old city2 and1 in  the        
afternoon1 looked into the shop of a    
watchmaker1 to whom ,i was known  as    
having been employed1 by my master1 to  
engrave many clock faces for  him1      
during my apprenticeship4 ,while ,i was 
in his shop1 in came a man--a  kind of  
scamp--of the name of ,graham1 who asked
 me what road ,i was going8  8,to       

,scotland10 ,i replied4 8,so am ,i10    
said he2 8and1 if you can keep foot     
with me1 ,i will be glad of your        
company40 ,we had no sooner set off1    
than  ,i found he was a vapouring fop   
who was very vain of his great prowess  
as  a pedestrian4 ,i could soon see that
 he wanted to walk me off my foot2  but1
 having been long practised in that way1
 he found himself mistaken1  and long   
before we reached ,longtown1 he had     
called in at several public  houses for 
refreshment1 and invited me to do the   
same4 ,i1 however1 was  not thirsty1 and
 not being used to drink1 ,i sat on the 
seats at the  doors until he came out4  
,he kept on in this way till we reached 
,langholm1 when he surveyed me with an  
attentive eye1 but said nothing4    ,at 
,langholm1 my landlord1 who was a       
,cumberland man and knew my relatives   
there1 was very kind to me2 and1 among  
many other matters concerning  them1    
told me that my cousin who had          
accompanied me to ,carlisle had won     

nine belts in his wrestling matches in  
that county4 ,from ,langholm1 ,i set    
off to ,hawick and ,selkirk1 and from   
the latter place1 next morning1 by      
,dalkeith1 to ,edinburgh4 ,i had been1  
in this short tramp1 particularly       
charmed with the border scenery2 the    
roads1 in places1 twined about the      
bottoms of the hills1 which were        
beautifully green1 like velvet1 spotted 
over with white sheep1 which grazed on  
their sides1 watched by the  peaceful   
shepherd and his dog4 ,i could not help 
depicturing in my mind  the change which
 had taken place1 and comparing it with 
the times of old  that had passed away1 
and in inwardly rejoicing at the happy  
reverse4 ,it  is horrid to contemplate  
the ferocious battles of that day1      
between men  descended from the same    
stock1 and bearing the same names on    
both sides  of the border1 only divided 
from each other by a river1 a rivulet1 a
  burn1 or a stripe of ground2--that    
they should have been1 at the nod of    

their chieftains1 called out to the wild
 foray by the slogan horn1 or  the      
shrill notes of the bugle2 that they    
should have been led to meet  and       
slaughter each other1 to manure the     
ground with their blood1 amidst  the    
clash of arms and the thrilling music of
 the pipes1 which helped to  excite them
 on to close their eyes in death4 ,these
 transactions1 which  are handed down to
 their descendants of the present       
generation in  traditionary tales1 and  
kept in remembrance by the songs and    
tunes of  old times1 serve now only as  
food for reflection or amusement4    ,on
 entering ,edinburgh1 having been       
recommended to the ,george ,inn1        
,bristoport1 ,i halted there2 but1 being
 quite unacquainted with the  customs of
 living in such places1 ,i knew not what
 to do1 or how to  conduct myself4 ,i1  
however1 called for a pint of beer1--and
 ,i think it  was the first ,i ever     
called for in my life1--when1 lo6 a     
good-looking  girl1 bare-footed and     

bare-legged1 entered with a pewter pot1 
almost the  size of a half leg of a     
boot4 ,this ,i thought ,i could not     
empty in a  week4 ,as ,i found ,i could 
not remain in this place1 ,i sought for 
another1  and luckily fell in with an   
old ,newcastle acquaintance2 and to her 
,i  stated my case1 went with her1 and  
felt quite at home in her house4  ,after
 ,i had seen as much of 8,auld ,reekie0 
as ,i could1 and been lost in           
admiration at the grandeur of its       
situation1 and of its old buildings1 ,i 
next day called upon ,hector ,gavin1 an 
engraver1 in ,parliament ,close4  ,this 
kind man--a stranger to me--after a bit 
of chat about the arts1 c41  threw by   
his tools1 and was quite at my service4 
,the warmth of his  kindness ,i never   
can forget4 ,he took me all over        
,edinburgh1 and gave me  a history and  
explanation of everything he thought    
worthy of notice4  ,having parted from  
him with his best and warmest wishes1 ,i
 rose early on  the next morning and    

walked to ,glasgow4 ,after leaving my   
bundle at an  inn1 to which ,i had been 
recommended1 ,i took a ramble through   
the city4  ,there ,i fell in1 by chance1
 with an old acquaintance1 and who ,i   
supposed  was dead long ago4 ,he was not
 like me2 he could drink plenty2 so that
 ,i  was at no loss what to do at this  
inn1 as ,i had been in ,edinburgh4 ,he  
called upon me next morning with a      
well-informed man1 when they showed  me 
everything they thought worthy of notice
 in ,glasgow1 which1 though a  large    
city1 containing many handsome          
buildings1 ,i was not so charmed  with  
as ,i had been with ,edinburgh4    ,from
 ,glasgow1 ,i set off to ,dumbarton2    
and1 on my way1 took as good a  survey  
of the country1 and whatever was new to 
me1 as ,i could4 ,my  landlord at       
,dumbarton had seen a deal of the world1
 either as a soldier  or a gentleman's  
servant1 and was very communicative2 and
 ,i think ,i  spent the next day with   
him1 in walking about and viewing       

everything  that he could think of that 
might please or entertain me4 ,after    
leaving  him1 ,i wished much to see the 
printing at the cotton works1 and the   
print fields1 as they were called1 on   
the river ,leven1 near ,dumbarton4  ,to 
these1 however1 ,i could not get        
admission2 so ,i kept passing onward1   
up the ,leven1 till ,smollett's         
monument1 near the side of it1 arrested 
my  attention4 ,there ,i stopped1 for ,i
 had read ,smollett's works1 and almost 
adored him as an author4 ,on the        
pedestal of the monument1 was a long    
,latin inscription1 which ,i was        
endeavouring to translate1 but was      
puzzled to make out2 having never looked
 into a ,latin book since ,i had  left  
school2 and1 for the first time1 ,i felt
 mortified at not having  done so4      
,while ,i was thus employed1 up came a  
8lish10 clever young man1  a            
,highlander1 smartly dressed in the garb
 of his country4 ,he jumped down  beside
 me1 and we together made out the       

translation4 ,when this was done1  on   
learning from me that my sole object was
 to see ,scotland1 he pressed  me to    
accompany him to some place or other1   
the name of which ,i do not  now        
remember4 ,we1 however1 walked a long   
way together on the western  side of    
,loch ,lomond1 and ,i know ,i did not   
visit ,inverary1 the seat of  ,argyle1  
but stopped with my companion at a      
grazier's1 or farmer's1  house1 not a   
long way from it4    ,having made up my 
mind not to visit any town1 or put up at
 any inn1 ,i  commenced my 8wild-goose  
chase10 and bent my way1 in many a      
zig-zag  direction1 through the interior
 of part of the ,highlands1 by the sides
  of its lakes and its mountains4 ,the  
beauty and serenity of the former1  and 
the grandeur or terrific aspect of the  
latter1 ,i gazed upon with  wonder1 and 
with both was charmed to ecstacy4 ,in   
moving forward1 ,i was  often           
accompanied or directed to some farmer's
 or grazier's house1 by  the herds or   

drovers1 whom ,i fell in with2 and1 in  
some of these houses1  ,i took up my    
abode1 and often1 by the pressing       
solicitations of my host  or hostess1   
was prevailed upon to remain with them a
 day or two4 ,these  kind--these        
hospitable people--,i have never        
forgotten4 ,often the mistress  of the  
house in these remote places1 never     
having seen any person from  ,england1  
examined my dress from head to foot1 and
 in ,english--which1 it  was easy to    
discover1 had been imperfectly taught   
her--made many  enquiries respecting the
 country from whence ,i came2 while the 
herds1  with their bare knees1 sat      
listening around1 very seldom knowing   
what we  were talking about4 ,these     
herds1 or some of the family1 generally 
set or  directed me to the house of some
 other distant grazier2 and ,i met with 
the same kind and warm reception        
throughout my wanderings ,i had         
experienced at first4 ,it sometimes     
happened that1 by my having stopped  too

 long on my way1 in admiration of the   
varied prospects ,i met with1  that ,i  
was benighted1 and was obliged to take  
shelter under some rocky  projection1 or
 to lay myself down amongst the heather1
 till daylight4 ,in  my traversings and 
wanderings1 ,i called in at all the     
houses on my way1  whether situated in  
the beautiful little valleys1 in the    
glens1 or on  the sides of heathery     
hills4 ,in these places it was common to
 see three  houses1 one added to        
another4 ,the first contained a young   
married couple  with their              
healthy-looking children2 the next1 or  
middle one1 was  occupied by the father 
and mother1 and perhaps the brothers and
 sisters1  of this couple2 and1 further 
on1 at the end1 was the habitation of   
the  old people4 ,these places had      
always garths and gardens adjoining1    
with  peat stacks and other fuel at hand
 for the winter2 and the whole was      
enlivened with numbers of ducks1        
chickens1 c4 ,on my getting some        

refreshment of whey or milk in such     
places as these1 ,i always found it     
difficult to get payment made for       
anything1 as it seemed to give  offence2
 and1 when ,i could get any money       
slipped into the hands of the  children1
 ,i was sure to be pursued1 and obliged 
to accept of a pocket  full of bannocks 
and scones4    ,on one occasion1 ,i was 
detained all day and all night at a     
house of this  kind1 in listening to the
 tunes of a young man of the family who 
played  well upon the ,scottish pipes4  
,i1 in turn1 whistled several ,tyneside 
tunes to him2 so that we could hardly   
get separated4 ,before my departure     
next day1 ,i contrived by stealth to put
 some money into the hands of the       
children4 ,i had not got far from the   
house till ,i was pursued by a          
beautiful young woman1 who accosted me  
in 8badish0 ,english1 which she  must   
have got off by heart just before she   
left the house1 the purport  of which   
was to urge my acceptance of the usual  

present4 ,this ,i wished  to refuse2    
but1 with a face and neck blushed with  
scarlet1 she pressed  it upon me with   
such sweetness--while ,i thought at the 
same time that she  invited me to       
return--that 7,i could not help it7 ,i  
seized her1 and  smacked her lips4 ,she 
then sprang away from me1 with her bare 
legs1 like  a deer1 and left me fixed to
 the spot1 not knowing what to do4 ,i   
was  particularly struck with her whole 
handsome appearance4 ,it was a  compound
 of loveliness1 health1 and agility4    
,her hair1 ,i think1 had been  flaxen or
 light1 but was tanned to a pale brown  
by being exposed to the  sun4 ,this was 
tied behind with a riband1 and dangled  
down her back2 and1  as she bounded     
along1 it flowed in the air4 ,i had not 
seen her while ,i  was in the house1 and
 felt grieved because ,i could not hope 
ever to see  her more4    ,after having 
wandered about in this way for some time
 longer1 during  which ,i uniformly met 
with the same kind treatment among these

  unpolluted1 unspoiled1 honourable1 and
 kind people1 ,i began to think of  the 
long way ,i had to get over on my return
 towards home2 for1 although  my money  
was not greatly diminished among the    
,highlanders1 yet ,i knew  not how much 
,i might want in or near towns1 in the  
more civilised  districts2 so ,i turned 
back in a south-easterly direction      
through the  country1 where ,i met1 in  
my various wanderings1 the same warm and
  friendly reception4 ,from that time to
 this1 ,i have ever felt pleased at  the
 name of ,highlander4 ,were not these   
people proof against the  temptation of 
a bribe of thirty thousand pounds1 held 
out to them to  betray the unfortunate  
,prince ,charles ,stuart4 ,is it not to 
be regretted  that agricultural         
improvements have taught the landlords1 
or chieftains1  to turn numerous farms  
into one1 and to banish thousands of    
these hardy  descendants of the ancient 
,britons1--these brave race of men to   
whose  forefathers they owed so         

much1--to seek an asylum in foreign     
climes8 ,in  exchange for men1 they have
 filled the country with sheep6         
,property1  in every country1 should be 
held sacred1 but it should also have its
  bounds2 and1 in my opinion1 it should 
be1 in a certain degree1 held in  trust1
 jointly1 for the benefit of its owners1
 and the good of society4  ,to exercise 
a right of property beyond this is      
despotism1 the offspring  of misplaced  
aristocratic pride4    ,i have not      
noticed that ,i was sometimes1 in       
passing along1 detained at  fairs and   
8trysts40 ,these1 with their            
merry-makings1 were something like  the 
8hoppings0 and 8feasts0 on ,tyneside2   
and the girls had the same  ruddy look  
as the farmer's servants who are put to 
do field work in  ,northumberland and   
,durham4 ,with the ,scotch music and    
dancing1 ,i was very  much pleased4     
,they were certainly good dancers1 and  
seemed quite wild1  or exhilarated to   
excess4    ,i left the ,highlands with  

regret4 ,the last day's journey was a   
very long  one1 and a very hungry one2  
after which ,i entered ,stirling in the 
night4  ,i told the landlord of the     
public house there that ,i was almost   
famished1 not having stopped at any     
house on my very long journey to  that  
place2 and ,i begged of him to hasten to
 get me something to eat4 ,he  told me  
he had nothing left but eggs1 as his    
company had eaten up  everything that   
had been in the house4 ,i did not get my
 eggs till  midnight2 for a quarrel1 or 
an affray1 happened in the house at the 
time  ,i ought to have had them4 ,they  
were brought in to me at last1 and were 
boiled as hard as eggs could be4 ,with  
them1 in my eagerness to eat1 ,i  was   
nearly choked4    ,i remained about two 
or three days at ,stirling1 chiefly on  
account of my  face having been so      
blistered by the heat of the sun that ,i
 thought it  best to halt till the      
effects of it could be removed4 ,my     
landlord was  very kind4 ,he had seen   

the world2 and1 when he found that ,i   
was an  engraver1 he expressed his      
surprise that ,i had not carried my     
tools with  me2 for1 if ,i had done so1 
he said he had no manner of doubt1 with 
my  knowledge of heraldry1 c41 that ,i  
could have found plenty of employment   
among the gentry and the lairds1 in     
engraving their arms1 crests1 and  other
 devices1 besides being handed from     
chieftain to chieftain1 and  seeing the 
whole country in a very different way   
from that which ,i had1  through        
wildernesses1 so wildly pursued4 ,on my 
way to ,edinburgh1 by  ,falkirk1 ,i     
visited ,carron ,works1 and passed under
 the canal1 where1 for  the first time1 
,i saw vessels afloat that had passed   
over my head4 ,i was  also shown the    
ground where the ,battle of ,bannockburn
 was fought4    ,as soon as ,i could1 ,i
 made my way1 by ,linlithgow1 to        
,edinburgh4 ,i  engaged a passage by    
sea1 in a ship belonging to ,whitby1    
which had to  touch at ,shields4 ,i     

attended upon this vessel every tide1   
late and  early1 for several days1      
notwithstanding which ,i missed my time1
 and was  left behind4 ,in this         
emergency1 ,i got on board a ,leith     
sloop1 bound for  ,newcastle1 then      
moving from the pier4 ,we had no sooner 
got down the  ,frith of ,forth1 to the  
open sea1 than we met a heavy swell1 and
  presently encountered a violent gale  
which soon tore our sails to  shivers1  
drove us far out of sight of land1 and  
put our crew in a great  bustle and     
dilemma4 ,in this small vessel1 the crew
 and passengers  amounted to twenty-six4
 ,for these latter there was no         
accommodation4 ,the  boat upon deck was 
full of the sick1 covered by an old     
sail1 and the  rest were obliged to sit 
or lie down in any corner where they    
could find  room4 ,the first night was a
 sickly1 suffocating one2 and for three 
more  nights and three days1 there was  
little or no amendment of our           
situation4 ,on board this sloop there   

were only two beds that were not  stowed
 with goods2 and1 from my wanting rest  
so long before ,i left  ,edinburgh1 ,i  
crept into one of them as soon as ,i    
could1 but found it so  low that ,i     
could not lie on my side1 or easily turn
 over4 ,so ,i could get  no sleep2 and1 
to mend the matter1 ,i had not been long
 in this wretched  bed till an infant   
was put in beside me1 its mother being  
dismally sick  in the boat upon deck2   
and the child fell exclusively into my  
charge4 ,i  nursed it as well as ,i     
could during the whole voyage2 and1 ,i  
think1 had  ,i not done so1 it must have
 died4 ,after resting a day or two at   
,south  ,shields1 ,i set off to         
,newcastle1 where ,i arrived 7in the    
assize week1 ,i  think71 on the #abth of
 ,august1 #aggf4 ,after my long absence1
 ,i found ,i  had a few shillings left4 
,on this occasion1 my friends in        
,newcastle  quizzed me not a little for 
having1 as they termed it1 begged my way
  through ,scotland4    ,illustration   

----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,vii4      ,i ,,remained no  
longer in ,newcastle than until ,i      
earned as much money as  would pay my   
way to ,london4 ,i then took my passage 
on board a collier  bound to the great  
city2 and1 after beating about in good  
weather and  bad weather for about three
 weeks1 ,i arrived in ,london on the    
first  ,october1 #aggf4    ,the first   
,cockney ,i met was the scullerman1 who 
was engaged to land me  and my luggage  
near ,temple ,bar4 ,i was amused at his 
slang and his  chatter all the way to   
,london ,bridge2 and1 on approaching it1
 he asked  me if ,i was 8a-feared20 but1
 not knowing what ,i was to be afraid   
of1 ,i  returned the question1 at which 
he looked queer4 ,we passed the gulf    
about which he wanted to talk1 and ,i   
again asked him if he was  8a-feared40  
,it was not long before ,i found out my 
old school-fellows1 ,christopher  and   
,philip ,gregson1 my old companion1     

,william ,gray1 then a bookbinder in    
,chancery ,lane1 and my friend1 ,robert 
,pollard4 ,the first had provided me    
with a lodging1 and the last--through   
the kindness and influence of his       
master1 ,isaac ,taylor--with plenty of  
work4 ,before commencing work1 ,i       
thought it best to take a ramble through
 the city and its environs4 ,the  first 
day ,i went alone1 and saw nobody ,i    
knew4 ,on the second day1 ,i fell       
in--by chance--with ,sergeant ,hymers1  
in the ,strand1 who1 on seeing me1      
seemed quite surprised4 ,he held up both
 his hands--he looked--he               
laughed--shook me by the hand1 over and 
over again1 and seemed not to  know how 
to be kind enough4 ,he then took me back
 with him till he got  dressed2 and1    
when this was done1 he made a very      
handsome appearance  indeed4 ,the rest  
of the day he devoted wholly to my      
service4 ,he first  took me to the      
blackguard places in ,london4 ,i suppose
 this was done with  a view to          

corroborate the truth of the stories he 
had told me before1 in  ,newcastle4     
,after ,i had seen enough of these      
places1 he took me to others  better    
worth notice2 and1 having rambled about 
till ,i had seen a good  deal of the    
exterior as well as the interior of     
,london--of which it would  be          
superfluous to give an account--,i sat  
down closely to work until ,i got       
through the wood cuts which1 through    
,isaac ,taylor's kindness1 had been     
provided for me4 ,i then called upon    
,thomas ,hodgson1 printer1 ,george      
,court1 ,clerkenwell1 who had also      
provided work for me1 to meet my        
arrival in ,london1 and who had         
impatiently waited for my assistance4#ai
  ,i was subsequently employed by ,mr4  
,carnan1 and by ,mr4 ,newberry1 of ,st4 
,paul's ,church ,yard4    ,footnote #ai3
      ,thomas ,hodgson had served his   
apprenticeship as a printer to ,john    
,white1 ,newcastle 7before named72 and1 
having taken a liking to wood           

engraving1 he had employed most of his  
time in embellishing the    endless     
number of old ballads and histories     
printed at that office1    with rude    
devices1 as head-pieces to them4 ,he was
 a most assiduous1    careful1 and      
recluse man4 ,what he published in      
,london1 ,i cannot    enumerate2 but ,i 
understood he employed some ,germans1 as
 well as    myself1 to cut blocks for   
him4 ,he also employed me to make       
designs for    many of these cuts4 ,when
 he died1 he left me a legacy of five   
pounds4    ,this is the only money that 
,i have ever received that ,i have not  
wrought for4    ,having served my time  
as a kind of 8,jack of all trades10 ,i  
felt desirous  to work amongst the      
,cockneys1 to see if ,i could find      
anything amongst  them2 but in this ,i  
was disappointed2 for ,i was never      
permitted to see  any of them at work4  
,they1 indeed1 seemed desirous of seeing
 what ,i was  doing1 and occasionally   
peeped in upon me for that purpose4 ,i  

thought  such of them as did so were a  
most saucy1 ignorant1 and impudent set4 
,wherever ,i went1 the ignorant part of 
the ,cockneys called me  8,scotchman40  
,at this ,i was not offended2 but1 when 
they added other  impudent remarks1 ,i  
could not endure them2 and this often   
led me into  quarrels of a kind ,i      
wished to avoid1 and had not been used  
to engage  in4    ,it is not worth while
 noticing these quarrels1 but only as   
they served  to help out my dislike to  
,london4 ,they were only trivial        
compared to  other matters4 ,one of the 
first things that struck me1 and that   
constantly hurt my feelings1 was the    
seeing such a number of  fine-looking   
women engaged in the wretched business  
of 8street-walking40  ,of these ,i often
 enquired as to the cause of their      
becoming so lost to  themselves and to  
the world4 ,their usual reply was that  
they had been  basely seduced1 and then 
basely betrayed4 ,this ,i believed1 and 
was  grieved to think that they were    

thus1 perhaps1 prevented from becoming  
the best of mothers to an offspring of  
lovely and healthy children4 ,i  often  
told them so2 and this ended in their   
tears3 and1 if they were in  poverty1 ,i
 contributed my mite to relieve them4   
,what a pity it is that  this           
wretchedness is not prevented4 ,base men
 treat women as if they were  inferior  
beings1 made only to be used like brutes
 and tyrannized over as  slaves4 ,i have
 always beheld such conduct towards     
women with abhorrence2  for my          
conceptions of this wretched state of   
things are of the most  soul-harrowing  
description4 ,it would be extreme       
weakness to maintain an  opinion that   
all women are good1 and that the faults 
here noticed are  always ascribable to  
the men only4 ,this is not the case2 for
 ,i am  obliged to admit that there are 
good and bad of each sex4 ,i have often 
attempted to make an estimate of their  
comparative numbers1 in which ,i  have  
felt some difficulties4 ,sometimes my   

barometer of estimation has  risen to   
the height of ten to one in favour of   
the fair sex2 at other  times it has    
fluctuated1 and has fallen down some    
degrees lower in the  scale2 but1 with  
me1 it is now settled1 and ,i cannot go 
lower than four  good women to one good 
man4 ,i have often wondered how any man 
could look  healthy1 beautiful1         
sensible1 and virtuous women in the face
 without  considering them as the link  
between men and angels4 ,for my part1 ,i
 have  often felt myself so overpowered 
with reverence in their presence that ,i
  have been almost unable to speak1 and 
they must often have noticed my         
embarrassment4 ,i could mention the     
names of many1 but it might offend      
their delicacy4 ,when a man can get such
 a helpmate for life1 his  happiness    
must be secured2 for such a one is of   
inestimable value3 8,her  price is far  
above rubies40    ,i often spent my     
evenings at the 8,george10 in ,brook    
,street1 kept by a  person of the name  

of ,darby1 whose wife1 a ,cumberland    
woman1 claimed a  distant relationship  
to me4 ,at this house1 ,i met with some 
very  respectable and pleasant          
tradesmen4 ,while ,i was there one      
evening1 a  stranger to me joined us4 ,i
 think he was a traveller4 ,he had1     
however1  been in ,scotland1 and had a  
mighty itch to speak very               
disrespectfully of  that country1 and   
was vociferous in attempting to         
entertain the company  with his account 
of the filth and dirt he had met with in
 it4 ,this ,i  could not bear3 their    
kindness was fresh in my memory2 and ,i 
felt  resentment rising in me4 ,i1      
however1 quashed that feeling1 and only 
told  him that ,i believed ,i had       
travelled on foot1 perhaps1 about three 
hundred miles through ,scotland1 and had
 met with no such people there1  nor    
such dirtiness as he described4 ,there  
might1 indeed1 be some such in  every   
country for aught ,i knew2 but ,i was   
confident such might be found  without  

going much beyond the street we were in1
 and who1 in addition to  their         
filthiness1 were also the most wretched 
and abandoned of the human  race4 ,some 
of them1 indeed1 appeared to me to be   
scarcely human4 ,i  concluded by        
observing that ,i was afraid he had been
 keeping very bad  company in ,scotland4
 ,a laugh by this was raised against    
him1 and he felt  him himself quashed by
 his own folly4    ,i very frequently   
visited ,westminster ,abbey1 on some    
part of the ,sunday2  and1 on the       
forenoons of that day1 ,i mostly went   
with my friend ,pollard  to hear the    
,rev4 -- ,harrison1 at ,st4 ,andrew's   
,church1 ,holborn4 ,i  sometimes1 also1 
went to hear eminent preachers at other 
places4 ,i was  once invited by my      
friend ,william ,watson1 of the         
,treasury1 who had  married the eldest  
,miss ,beilby1 to go with him to hear   
the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,dodd  preach at the     
,magdalen ,chapel4 ,whether this was at 
the time he was  arrested for forgery ,i

 am not certain1 but ,i know ,i did not 
see him4 ,i  also went with ,mr4 ,watson
 to hear the ,rev4 -- ,maxwell1 another 
eminent  divine2 but1 indeed1 ,i believe
 ,i did not miss hearing any of the     
popular  preachers in ,london4    ,for  
many years after ,i left ,london1 ,i    
went to hear the preachers of  various  
persuasions1 and attempted to find out  
the general character of  their several 
congregations4 ,having been brought up  
under the creeds and  doctrines of the  
,church of ,england1 ,i may1 perhaps1   
have some  partialities about me        
respecting that church1 but ,i have ever
 considered  that its clergy are the    
most learned of any1 and that1 excepting
 some of  the higher orders of them1    
they1 as well as their hearers1 are the 
most  tolerant4 ,i have always felt     
grieved that a great number of them     
should  consist of very learned and good
 men with curacies or poor livings that 
do not afford them a much better income 
than the wages of common  mechanics2 and

 that1 however great their abilities may
 be1 it is only by  patronage that they 
can be advanced1 while enormous stipends
 are  lavished upon others1 very often  
for the most useless1 or1 perhaps1 the  
most corrupt purposes4 ,i think it would
 be much better if the incomes of  the  
clergy could be equalized2 for1 so long 
as matters are managed  otherwise1 so   
long will it be considered as a system  
of revenue of which  religion is only   
the pretext4    ,but it is unnecessary  
here to dwell on these opinions of mine4
 ,every man  should be welcome to follow
 his own opinions on the all-important  
subject of religion4 ,if these are      
founded in truth1 there can be no fear  
of their being injured by unreserved    
discussion4 ,whatever the creed may  be1
 there can be no objection to the       
religion of a virtuous man2 and it  is  
to be hoped that the distinctions and   
bickerings amongst different            
denominations of ,christians will cease1
 and the causes of them be  thought of  

no more importance than whether a man   
uses his quid of  tobacco in the right  
cheek or in the left4    ,after this    
digression1 ,i must now turn my         
attention again to ,london4 ,my  friend 
,mr4 ,watson was very desirous to get me
 work with ,mr4 ,pingo1 in  the ,mint2  
and1 from his being so well-known and   
respected by the  gentlemen in most of  
the government offices1 he thought this 
might be  easily accomplished4 ,my mind 
was1 however1 bent quite another way1   
and  no more was done for me in that    
business4 ,the constant attention and   
kindness of my ,london friends1 whose   
company ,i enjoyed1 was unabated4  ,they
 walked with me everywhere1 and the     
house of ,william ,gray was a home  to  
me4 ,i met other ,newcastle friends1    
every ,monday night1 at the             
8,hole-in-the-,wall10 ,fleet ,street1   
where ,i went to see the ,newcastle     
newspapers4 ,some of these occasionally 
wanted assistance1 and got my  last     
sixpence4 ,at this time ,i earned a deal

 of money2 and1 from my  habits of      
temperance1 ,i spent little for my own  
living1 and thus  discovered what a     
small sum was sufficient to make me     
independent1 and ,i  never lost sight of
 the inestimable value of being so4 ,i1 
however1 never  had a surplus of cash   
long in my possession2 for one or       
another had  occasion for it1 and ,i    
could not bear to see distress without  
relieving  it4    ,notwithstanding my   
being so situated amongst my friends1   
and being so  much gratified in seeing  
such a variety of excellent performances
 in  every art and science1--painting1  
statuary1 engraving1 carving1 c41--yet  
,i did not like ,london4 ,it appeared to
 me to be a world of itself1 where      
everything in the extreme might at once 
be seen3 extreme riches1 extreme        
poverty1 extreme grandeur1 and extreme  
wretchedness--all of which were  such as
 ,i had not contemplated before4        
,perhaps ,i might1 indeed1 take too     
full a view of ,london on its gloomy    

side4 ,i could not help it4 ,i tired  of
 it1 and determined to return home4 ,the
 country of my old friends--the  manners
 of the people of that day--the scenery 
of ,tyneside--seemed  altogether to form
 a paradise for me1 and ,i longed to see
 it again4  ,while ,i was thus turning  
these matters over in my mind1 my warm  
friend  and patron1 ,isaac ,taylor1     
waited upon me3 and1 on my telling him  
,i was  going to ,newcastle1 he enquired
 how long it would be before ,i         
returned4  8,never10 was my reply2 at   
which he seemed both surprised and      
displeased4  ,he then warmly            
remonstrated with me upon this          
impropriety of my conduct1  told me of  
the prospects before me1 and1 amongst   
many other matters1  that of his having 
engaged me to draw in the ,duke of      
,richmond's ,gallery2  and he           
strenuously urged me to change my mind4 
,i told him that no  temptation of gain1
 of honour1 or of anything else1 however
 great1 could  ever have any weight with

 me2 and that ,i would even enlist for a
  soldier1 or go and herd sheep at five 
shillings per week1 as long as ,i       
lived1 rather than be tied to live in   
,london4 ,i told him how sensible ,i    
was of his uncommon kindness to me1 and 
thanked him for it4 ,my kind  friend    
left me in the pet1 and ,i never saw him
 more4 ,he afterwards1 when  an old man1
 visited ,newcastle1 but left it again  
without my knowing it  till after he was
 gone4 ,at this ,i felt much grieved and
 disappointed4 ,i  do not remember how  
long he lived after this2 but a memoir  
of him was  published in the            
8,analytical ,magazine0 at the time1    
together with a  letter ,i had written  
to him sometime before his death1 which 
he never  answered4 ,he was1 in his day1
 accounted the best engraver of         
embellishments for books1 most of which 
he designed himself4 ,the  frontispiece 
to the first edition of 8,cunningham's  
,poems0 was one of his  early           
productions2 and at that time my friend 

,pollard and myself thought  it was the 
best thing that ever was done4#bj       
,footnote #bj3      ,john ,cunningham1  
the pastoral poet1 died ,september1     
#aggc1 aged #dc    years1 and was buried
 in ,st4 ,john's ,church ,yard1         
,newcastle4    ,the same kind           
persuasions were urged upon me by ,mr4  
,hodgson1 to remain  in ,london1 as had 
been used by ,mr4 ,taylor1 which ended  
in a similar way4  ,the former1 however1
 went further1 and told me that1 if ,i  
were  determined upon leaving ,london1  
and would continue to work for him in   
,newcastle1 he would furnish me with    
plenty of it2 and that he would  begin  
by giving me as much as would keep me   
employed for two years4 ,this  was      
particularly pleasing to me1 because ,i 
could not bear the thoughts  of         
beginning business in ,newcastle in     
opposition to my old master1 for  whom  
,i had the greatest respect4    ,having 
spent the evening till a late hour with 
my friends at the  8,george10 in ,brook 

,street1 and in the morning taken leave 
of my landlord  and landlady1 ,mr4 and  
,mrs4 ,kendal1 and their family1 in     
,wharton's ,court1  ,holborn1 ,i then   
posted off to the ,pool1 and got on     
board a collier2 and1  after a very     
short passage1 arrived in sight of ,st4 
,nicholas' ,church  steeple1 about the  
#bbnd ,june1 #aggg4    ,illustration    
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,viii4      ,,the first thing
 after my arrival in ,newcastle was to  
see my old master1  and the next to     
engage my old lodgings at ,hatfields1   
and to fit up a  work bench there4 ,i   
then set to work upon my wood cuts4     
,this1 however1  was interrupted by     
other jobs2 and the first of the kind   
was that of  engraving a copper plate of
 the 8,theban ,harp10 for the ,rev4     
,james  ,murray1 for some of his        
publications4#ba ,some of the           
silversmiths also  began to press their 
jobs upon me4 ,i had not1 however1 been 

long at work  for myself till proposals 
were made to me to join in partnership  
with my  late master2 and this was      
brought about by a mutual friend 787    
,this  proposal--which was to set me    
down at once in a well-established      
business--,i did not relish so warmly as
 our mutual friend expected4 ,i  had    
formed a plan of working alone1 without 
apprentices1 or being  interrupted by   
any one2 and ,i am not certain1 at this 
day1 whether ,i  would not have been    
happier in doing so than in the way ,i  
was led to  pursue4 ,i had often1 in my 
lonely walks1 debated this business over
 in  my mind2 but1 whether it would have
 been for the better or the worse1 ,i   
can now only conjecture4 ,i tried the   
one plan1 and not the other3  perhaps   
each might have had advantages and      
disadvantages4 ,i should not  have      
experienced the envy and ingratitude of 
some of my pupils1 neither  should ,i1  
on the contrary1 have felt the pride and
 the pleasure ,i  derived from so many  

of them having received medals or       
premiums from the  ,society for the     
,encouragement of ,arts1 and taken the  
lead1 as engravers  on wood1 in the     
,metropolis4 ,notwithstanding this pride
 and this  pleasure1 ,i am inclined to  
think ,i should have had--balancing the 
good  against the bad--more pleasure in 
working alone for myself4    ,footnote  
#ba3      ,the ,rev4 ,james ,murray1 a  
,church of ,scotland minister1 with whom
 ,i had    been long acquainted4 ,he was
 accounted one of the best ,hebrew      
scholars    of his day4 ,his 8,sermons  
to ,asses0 attracted much notice1 and so
 did    many of his other works4 ,he was
 a keen1 satirical writer1 and1 amongst 
his friends1 he was of a lively1 witty1 
and pleasant temper1 and    greatly     
valued by a numerous acquaintance for   
his humanity and good    sense4 ,he died
 in ,january1 #aghb1 aged #ej years1 and
 was buried in ,st4    ,andrew's ,church
 ,yard1 ,newcastle4    ,during my       
absence in ,london1 ,mr4 ,beilby had    

taken an apprentice with a  premium2    
and1 to make us equal1 ,i took my       
brother ,john as mine4 ,with him  ,i was
 extremely happy4 ,he was constantly    
cheerful1 lively1 and very  active1 and 
my friends were his friends4 ,mr4       
,beilby was as well pleased  with him as
 ,i could possibly be2 for1 besides his 
affable temper1 he  took every kind of  
work in hand so pleasantly1 and so very 
soon learned  to execute it well1 that  
he could not miss giving satisfaction4  
,this he  continued to do as long as he 
was with us2 but other parts of his     
conduct1 when he arrived at manhood1 was
 not so well1 and gave me great         
uneasiness2 for he got acquainted with  
companions whom ,i thought badly  of1   
and my remonstrances respecting them    
proved in vain4 ,he would not1  as he   
called it1 be dictated to by me2 but    
this ,i persisted in till it  made us   
often quarrel1 which was distressing to 
me1 for my regard for  him was too      
deeply rooted ever to think of suffering

 him to tread in the  paths which led to
 ruin1 without endeavouring to prevent  
it4 ,to the  latest day of his life1 he 
repented of having turned a deaf ear to 
my  advice2 and as bitterly and         
sincerely did he acknowledge the        
slighted  obligations he owed me4 ,he   
rued2 and that is as painful a word as  
any  in the ,english language4    ,as   
soon as ,i thought my brother might be  
able to work his way in the  world1--he 
having been1 ,i think1 about five years 
with me1--,i gave him his  liberty1 and 
he set off to ,london1 where1 being     
freed from his former  associates1 his  
conduct was all that could be desired1  
and he was highly  respected and        
esteemed4 ,he was as industrious in     
,london as he had been  with us1 and had
 plenty of work to do4 ,he was almost   
entirely employed  by the publishers and
 booksellers in designing and cutting an
 endless  variety of blocks for them4   
,he was extremely quick at his work1 and
 did  it at a very low rate4 ,his too   

close confinement1 however1 impaired his
  health4 ,he revisited ,cherryburn1    
where he did not remain long till he    
thought himself quite recovered1 and he 
then returned to ,london1 where  he     
continued a few years longer1 and where 
the same kind of confinement  affected  
his health as before4 ,a similar visit  
to his native air was  found necessary2 
his health was again restored to him2   
and again he  returned to ,london4 ,he1 
however1 found that he could not pursue 
the same  kind of close confinement1 on 
which account he engaged to teach       
drawing  at the ,hornsey ,academy1 then 
kept by ,mr4 ,nathaniel ,norton1 which  
obliged  him to keep a pony to ride     
backwards and forwards2 thus dividing   
his  time between his work-office in    
,london and the school for some years1  
when his health began again to decline1 
and he finally left ,london early  in   
the summer of #agie1 and returned once  
more to the banks of the ,tyne4  ,here  
he intended to follow the wood engraving

 for his ,london friends1  and          
particularly for ,wm4 ,bulmer1 for whom 
he was engaged to execute a  number of  
blocks for the 8,fabliaux0 or 8,tales of
 ,le ,grand10 and for  8,somerville's   
,chace40 ,many of the former he had1 ,i 
believe1 finished in  ,london1 and had  
sketched others on the blocks1 which he 
finished at  ,cherryburn4 ,he had also  
sketched the designs on the blocks for  
the  8,chace20 and to these ,i put the  
finishing hand1 after his decease1 which
  happened on the #eth of ,december1    
#agie1 aged #ce years4 ,the last thing  
,i  could do for him was putting up a   
stone to his memory at the west end of  
,ovingham ,church1 where ,i hope1 when  
my 8glass is run out10 to be laid  down 
beside him4    ,while my brother was my 
apprentice1 he frequently accompanied me
 on my  weekly visits to ,cherryburn4   
,he was then a clever1 springy youth1   
and  our bounding along together was    
often compared to the scamperings of a  
pair of wild colts4 ,these journeys     

commenced while ,i was an apprentice4   
,i then mostly went and returned on the 
same day2 but1 when ,i became my  own   
master1 for many years--in summer's heat
 and winter's freezing cold--,i  did not
 miss a single week4 ,when ,i was an    
apprentice1 ,i had a few  holydays at   
,easter and ,whitsuntide allowed me1    
according to promise2 and  these were   
wholly employed in angling2 but1 after  
the time came when ,i  might do as ,i   
pleased1 ,i mostly stopped1 when the    
weather suited1 in  spring and summer1  
and spent the ,mondays in various       
streams1 at this my  favourite--and1    
indeed1 only--diversion4 ,in this ,i was
 accompanied by my  cheerful associate1 
8,jack ,roe10 with his flies and his    
tackle2 and1 when  we had got a         
sufficient number1 ,i returned to       
,newcastle with my creel  well filled   
with fish1 which ,i divided amongst my  
friends4 ,with an  account of these     
hungry1 stream-wading ramblings1 and the
 days spent in  angling1 and with a     

description of the beautiful scenery of 
water-sides1  and the renovating charms 
which these altogether inspired1 a      
volume  might be filled1 in imitation of
 the patriarch of anglers1 ,izaac       
,walton3  as might also one of a        
descriptive or sentimental journal of   
these my  weekly visits to my parents4  
,these visits continued regularly from  
#aggg  till #aghe1 in which year my     
mother1 my eldest sister1 and my father1
 all  died4    ,it will readily be      
believed that1 if ,i had not felt       
uncommon pleasure in  these journeys1 ,i
 would not have persisted in them2 nor  
in facing the  snow storms1 the floods1 
and the dark nights of so many winters4 
,this1  to some1 appeared like insanity1
 but my stimulant1 as well as my reward1
  was in seeing my father and mother in 
their happy home4 ,i always  reflected  
that this would have an end1 and that   
the time would come when  ,i should have
 no feelings of warm regard called up on
 their account4  ,besides these         

gratifications1 ,i felt others in       
observing the weekly  changes of the    
long-lengthened and varied year1 which1 
by being so  measured out1 appeared like
 living double one's time4 ,the         
8,seasons10 by  the inimitable ,thomson1
 had charmed me greatly2 but1 viewing   
nature thus  experimentally1 pleased me 
much more4 ,to be placed in the midst of
 a  wood in the night1 in whirlwinds of 
snow1 while the tempest howled above  my
 head1 was sublimity itself1 and drew   
forth aspirations to ,omnipotence  such 
as had not warmed my imagination so     
highly before2 but1 indeed1  without    
being supported by ecstacies of this    
kind1 the spirits1 beset as  they were1 
would have flagged1 and ,i should have  
sunk down4    ,as soon as the days began
 to lengthen1 and the sprouting herbage 
had  covered the ground1 ,i often       
stopped with delight by the sides of    
woods1  to admire the dangling woodbine 
and roses1 and the grasses powdered or  
spangled with pearly drops of dew2 and  

also1 week after week1 the  continued   
succession of plants and wild flowers4  
,the primrose1 the wild  hyacinth1 the  
harebell1 the daisy1 the cowslip1       
c41--these1 altogether1  ,i thought no  
painter ever could imitate4 ,i had not1 
at that time1 ever  heard the name of   
the great and good ,linnus1 and knew    
plants only by  their common ,english   
names4 ,while admiring these            
beautifully-enamelled  spots on my way1 
,i was also charmed with the equally    
beautiful little  songsters1 which were 
constantly pouring out their various    
notes to  proclaim the spring4 ,while   
this exhilarating season glided on by   
imperceptible degrees1 unfolding its    
blossoms till they faded into  summer1  
and as the days lengthened1 my hours of 
rising became more and  more early4 ,i  
have often thought1 that not one half of
 mankind knew  anything of the beauty1  
the serenity1 and the stillness of the  
summer  mornings in the country1 nor    
have ever witnessed the rising sun's    

shining forth upon the new day4    ,i   
had often listened with great pleasure  
and attention to my father's            
description of the morning1 with his    
remarks upon the various wild           
quadrupeds and the strange birds he had 
seen or heard in these still  hours     
throughout the year2 for he left his bed
 very early in summer1 and  seldom later
 than four or five o'clock in the       
winter4 ,the autumn ,i  viewed as the   
most interesting season1 and1 in its    
appearance1 the most  beautiful4 ,it is 
then that the yellow harvest of the     
fields1 and the  produce of the         
orchards1 are gathered in1 as the reward
 of the labours  of the year2 while the 
picturesque beauties and varying foliage
 of the  fading woods1 with their       
falling leaves1 and the assembling in   
flocks of  the small birds1 put me in   
mind of the gloomy months with which the
 year  is closed4    ,this is the short 
account of many years of uninterrupted  
health1 bouyant  spirits1 and of great  

happiness to me4 ,i had begun betimes1  
and by  degrees1 to habituate myself to 
temperance and exercise1 which hardened 
the constitution to such a pitch that   
neither wet nor cold had any bad  effect
 upon me4 ,on setting out upon my weekly
 pedestrian 8flights0 up  the ,tyne1 ,i 
never looked out to see whether it was a
 good day or a bad  one2 the worst that 
ever fell from the skies never deterred 
me from  undertaking my journey4 ,on    
setting out1 ,i always waded through the
 first  pool ,i met with1 and had       
sometimes the river to wade at the far  
end4 ,i  never changed my clothes1      
however they might be soaked with wet1  
or  stiffened by the frost1 on my       
returning home at night1 till ,i went to
  bed4 ,i had inured myself to this     
hardship1 by always sleeping with my    
windows open1 by which a thorough air1  
as well as the snow1 blew through  my   
room4 ,in this way1 ,i lay down1 rolled 
in a blanket1 upon a mattrass  as hard  
as ,i could make it4 ,notwithstanding   

this mode of treating  myself1 ,i never 
had any ailment1 even in the shape of a 
cold1 while ,i  continued to live in    
this way2 nor did ,i experience any     
difference  until1 when ,i married1 ,i  
was obliged to alter my plans1 and to   
live and  behave like other folks4 ,if  
persons brought up and habituated to the
  tender indulgences common in the      
world1 and not trained by degrees to    
bear the mode of life ,i have been      
describing1 were to try it1  unprepared1
 the experiment would be at their peril4
 ,my travelling  expenses for the day1  
were commonly only a penny or twopence  
for  crossing the water4 ,on the hottest
 day1 ,i was never made violently to    
perspire1 but only felt a dampness on my
 brow4 ,i carried no useless  weight of 
fat about me1 and the muscular parts    
were as hard as it was  possible to be  
on any human being4 ,on being asked by a
 gentleman--an  acquaintance whom ,i met
 at ,ovingham--what ,i got to drink on  
such hot  days1 on my road1 my reply    

was--8,nothing40 ,he had not been used  
to such  doings himself2 and was        
surprised1 and could hardly believe me4 
,he  earnestly persuaded me to try the  
experiment of the amazing good a glass  
of brandy and water would do me in hot  
weather4 ,this ,i took no notice of  for
 some time3 at length1 however1 on a    
thundery1 hot day1 on being  scorched   
with heat1 and in danger of being struck
 with lightning1 which  darted from a   
sky almost as black as ink1 ,i stepped  
into a public house1  and1 for the first
 time in my life1 called for a glass of 
brandy and  water4 ,i was then about #bh
 years old4 ,this would not be worth    
noticing1  but only on account of its   
being a beginning to me1 and which ,i   
did not1  when occasion pressed me1     
leave off for some years afterwards4    
,this life of rapturous enjoyment has   
its acids1 and at length comes to  an   
end2 and so did my walks1 and my        
reflections1 or contemplations1  which  
passed through the mind while engaged in

 them4 ,these1 at the time1  were mostly
 communicated to a moralising1 sensible1
 and religious  friend1 who waited my   
return on the ,sunday evenings1 when1   
over our  supper1 he1 in return1        
detailed to me the import of the sermons
 he had  heard through the day4         
,illustration                           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,ix4      ,,in ,christmas    
week1 #aghd1 while ,i was amusing myself
 with sliding on the  ice at ,ovingham1 
which was as smooth almost as a looking 
glass1 between  ,eltringham and that    
place1--,i know not what came over my   
mind1 but  something ominous haunted it1
 of a gloomy change impending over the  
family4 ,at this ,i was surprised1 for  
,i had never before felt any such       
sensation1 and presently scouted it as  
some whim of the imagination4 ,the  day 
was to be one of cheerfulness2 for ,mr4 
and ,mrs4 ,storey--distant  relations of
 my father's1 and for whom my parents   

had the greatest  regard--had been1 with
 other friends1 invited to dine with us 
at  ,cherryburn4 ,at dinner all was     
kindness and cheerfulness1 and my father
  was1 as usual1 full of his jokes1 and 
telling some of his facetious  stories  
and anecdotes4 ,for two1 or perhaps     
three ,sundays after this1 ,i  was      
prevented from getting over the water1  
by the ice and other floods1  and       
returned from ,ovingham without seeing  
or hearing how all were at  home4 ,the  
,sunday after1 upon my making my usual  
call at the gardener's  in              
,ovingham1--where1 when at school1 we   
always left our dinner poke1 and        
dined1--he informed me1 with looks of   
grief1 that my mother was very  unwell4 
,i posted off1 in haste1 across the     
river1 to see her4 ,upon my  asking her1
 earnestly1 how she was1 she took me    
apart1 and told me it  was nearly all   
over with her2 and she described to me  
how she had got  her death4 ,she had    
been called up1 on a severe frosty      

night1 to see a  young woman in the     
hamlet below1 who was taken ill2 and1   
thinking the  bog she had to pass       
through1 might be frozen hard enough to 
bear her1  she 8slumped0 deep into it1  
and1 before she had waded through it1   
she  got very wet and a 8perishment0 of 
cold2 and1 in that state1 she went to   
give her advice as to what was best to  
be done with her patient4 ,i  employed  
my friend1 ,dr4 ,bailes1 to visit her2  
and ,i ran up from  ,newcastle two or   
three times a week with his medicines   
for her2 but all  would not do3 she died
 on the #bjth ,february1 #aghe1 aged #eh
 years4 ,she  was possessed of great    
innate powers of mind1 which had been   
cultivated  by a good education1 as well
 as by her own endeavours4 ,for these1  
and  for her benevolent1 humane1        
disposition1 and good sense1 she was    
greatly  respected1 and1 indeed1 revered
 by the whole neighbourhood4 ,my eldest 
sister1 who was down from ,london on a  
visit to her home1 at the time of  my   

mother's illness and death1 by her      
over-exertion and anxiety1 brought  on  
an illness2 and1 for the convenience of 
medical aid1 and better  nursing1 ,i    
brought her to my hitherto little happy 
cot1 at the ,forth1  where she died on  
the #bdth ,june1 #aghe1 aged #cj years4 
,these were gloomy  days to me6 ,some   
short time before my sister died1 upon  
her requesting  me1 and my promising    
her1 that ,i would see her buried at    
,ovingham1 she  proposed to sing me a   
song4 ,i thought this very strange1 and 
felt both  sorrow and surprise at it2   
but she smiled at me1 and began her song
 of  8,all ,things have but a ,time40 ,i
 had heard the old song before1 and     
thought pretty well of it2 but her's was
 a later and a very much better  version
 of it4    ,during this time ,i observed
 a great change in the looks and        
deportment  of my father4 ,he had1 what 
is called1 8never held up his head0     
since the  death of my mother2 and1 upon
 my anxiously pressing him to tell me   

what  ailed him1 he said he had felt as 
if he were shot through from the  breast
 to the shoulders with a great pain that
 hindered him from  breathing freely4   
,upon my mentioning medical assistance1 
he rejected it1  and told me1 if ,i sent
 him any drugs1 ,i might depend upon it 
he would  throw them all behind the     
fire4 ,he wandered about all summer     
alone1 with  a kind of serious look1 and
 took no pleasure in anything1 till near
 the  #aeth ,november1 which1 ,i        
understand1 was his birthday1 and on    
which he  completed his #gjth year1 and 
on that day he died4 ,he was buried     
beside  my mother and sister at         
,ovingham4 ,after this1 ,i left off my  
walks to  ,cherryburn2 the main         
attractions to it were gone2 and it     
became a place  the thoughts of which   
now raked up sorrowful reflections in my
 mind4  ,some particulars respecting my 
father1 and illustrative of his         
character1 may1 perhaps1 be thought not 
uninteresting4 ,i shall give a  few of  

such as ,i recollect them4 ,in his      
person1 he was a stout1  square-made1   
strong1 and active man1 and through life
 was a pattern of  health4 ,i was told  
by some of my aunts1 who were older than
 he1 that he  was never ill from a      
disease in his life2 and ,i have heard  
him say 8he  wondered how folks felt    
when they were ill40 ,he was of a       
cheerful  temper1 and he possessed an   
uncommon vein of humour and a fund of   
anecdote4 ,he was much noticed by the   
gentlemen and others of the             
neighbourhood for these qualities1 as   
well as for his integrity4 ,he had1     
however1 some traits that might be      
deemed singular1 and not in order4 ,he  
never would prosecute any one for theft2
 he hated going to law1 but he  took it 
at his own hand1 and now and then gave  
thieves a severe beating1  and sometimes
 otherwise punished them in a singular  
and whimsical way4 ,i  have known him1  
on a winter night1 rise suddenly up from
 his seat1 and1  with a stick in his    

hand1 set off to the colliery1 in order 
to catch the  depredators whom he might 
detect stealing his coals4 ,i remember  
one  instance of his thus catching a    
young fellow1 a farmer1 with his loaded 
cart1 and of his giving him a severe    
beating1 or1 what was called1 a         
8hideing10 and of his making him leave  
his booty and go home empty4 ,the       
thieves themselves were sure to keep the
 business secret1 and he himself  never 
spoke of it beyond his own fireside4 ,in
 these robberies1 which he  saw with his
 own eyes1 he conceived he did not need 
the help of either  witnesses1 judge1 or
 jury1 nor the occasion to employ any   
attorney to  empty his pockets4 ,i have 
sometimes heard him make remarks upon   
people  whom he knew to be hypocrites1  
and on their loud praying and holding up
  their hands at church4 ,after having  
noticed that one of these1 one  ,sunday1
 had acted thus1 and remained to take   
the ,sacrament1 some person  called1 in 
the afternoon1 with the news that this  

very man had1 on his  way home1 caught a
 poor man's galloway1 which had entered 
through a gap  in the hedge into his    
field1 and had driven it before him into
 the  pinfold4 ,this was sufficient2    
this was the spark which kindled up and 
increased to a blaze1 which my father   
could not muster temper enough to  keep 
down4 ,next morning1 he set off to the  
smith's shop1 and sent for  this        
choleric1 purse-proud man1 to whom1 in  
rude terms1 he opened out  upon his     
hypocrisy1 and at length obliged him to 
release the galloway  from its hungry   
imprisonment4 ,he recommended him to    
make his peace with  the poor but honest
 and respected man1 and to go no more to
 church1 nor  to take the ,sacrament1   
till a change had taken place in his    
mind4 ,he  also told him that he ought  
that very night1 before he slept1 to sit
  down on his bare knees1 and implore   
forgiveness of the ,god he had          
offended4    ,the last transaction ,i   
shall mention1 on this subject1--and    

which bore a  more serious complexion   
than the foregoing1--happened when ,i   
was an  apprentice4 ,a pitman1 ,george  
,parkin1 who had long wrought in the    
colliery1 was highly valued by my father
 for his industry1 sobriety1 and        
honesty4 ,he would not do anything      
unfairly himself in working the coal  in
 the boards1 nor suffer others to do so4
 ,for this conduct he became  deservedly
 a great favourite1--so much so that one
 of the old lodges had  been comfortably
 fitted up for him and his family to    
live in rent free2  and a garth1        
besides1 was taken off the common for   
his use4 ,for these he  often expressed 
himself so highly pleased that he used  
to say1 he was  happier than a prince4  
,my father1 for many years1 had made it 
a point to  let the men down to their   
work himself2 so that he might see with 
his  own eyes that all was safe4 ,all   
passed on pleasantly in this way for a  
long while1 till one morning1 when thus 
employed letting the men down1  ,george1

 who was always the first at his work1  
having fixed himself on  the chain1 with
 his son on his arm1 to be both let down
 together1 had  given the signal1       
8,wise-away10 and at the same time      
holding up his 8low  rope10 he observed 
the pit rope which was to bear their    
weight had been  cut near the chain4 ,on
 this he shouted 8,stop10 and started   
back upon the  8seddle boards10 just in 
time to prevent himself and the boy from
 being  precipitated to the bottom of   
the pit4 ,the poor man was almost       
overpowered with the shock1 when my     
father1 keeping the 8dreg0 upon the     
8start10 caught hold of him and the boy1
 and conducted both into the  lodge4 ,on
 examining the rope1 my father found it 
had been cut through to  the last       
strand4 ,he then stopped the working of 
the pit for that day4  ,george1 in great
 distress of mind1 set off to ,newcastle
 to inform me of  what had happened4 ,i 
was grieved to hear his tale2 and this  
was  heightened by his declaring that   

all his pleasures were at an end2 for   
he never could go back to his work1 nor 
to his happy home again4    ,for some   
time1 my father seemed lost in pondering
 over this mysterious  affair4 ,he1     
however1 at length began to be fixed in 
his suspicions1 and1  as was usual on   
such occasions1 his indignation1 step by
 step1 rose to  the greatest height4 ,in
 this state of mind1 he set off         
unusually soon in  the morning1 to let  
the men down to their work2 knowing that
 the object  of his suspicions1--a      
wicked1 ignorant1 young fellow--would be
 the first1  and alone4 ,he began by    
accusing him of the horrid deed1 and    
instantly to  beat and overpower him2   
threatening him that he would drag him  
to the  pit1 and throw him down the     
shaft1 if he did not confess4 ,the      
threat  succeeded2 he was afraid of his 
life1 and confessed4 ,my father         
instantly  dismissed him from his       
employment4 ,when the rest of the men   
came to  their work1 they saw1 by the   

blood1 and the retaliating blows on my  
father's face1 that something unusual   
had occurred4 ,he then told them  the   
particulars1 at which they greatly      
rejoiced4 ,in this state of  things1 the
 accusing culprit1 while he bore the    
marks of violence upon  him1 set        
crippling off to lodge his complaint to 
the justices1 and my  father was        
summoned to appear before them4 ,when   
met together1 the  justices 7,captains  
,smith and ,bainbridge1#bb of the       
,riding71 heard the  charge of assault1 
which1 from the first appearance of the 
complainant  before them1 they had no   
reason to doubt4 ,they both expressed   
their  surprise to find such a charge   
against my father1 with whom they had   
been in habits of neighbourly intimacy1 
and who was the last man on  earth they 
could suspect as capable of committing  
such an outrage4 ,after  laying down the
 law in such cases1 they wished to hear 
what he had to  say for himself4 ,he    
readily acknowledged what he had done1  

and his  reasons for doing so4 ,they    
seemed much shocked at the horrid       
narrative2  and1 after conferring       
together in private a short time1 the   
business was  resumed4 8,pray10 said one
 of them to the culprit1 8were not you  
the man  who robbed ,bywell ,lock1      
and0--looking him sternly in the        
face--8was not  this master of yours the
 very friend by whose unceasing         
endeavours and  influence you were saved
 from transportation8 ,begone6 leave the
 country1  and never let us see you     
more40 ,the man left the country for    
many years1  and1 on his return1 ,i was 
both pleased and surprised to find he   
was much  reformed4 ,in addition to this
 long account1 ,i must add1 that my     
father  could not be troubled to harbour
 ill-will in his mind1 and that1 if he  
were passionate1 he was equally         
compassionate4    ,footnote #bb3        
,now ,major ,bainbridge1 who has been   
many years in the commission of the     
peace1 in which he is much respected as 

a magistrate and a man4    ,without     
knowing what side he took in politics1  
,i have always    considered him as a   
local patriot1 keen of promoting        
everything for    the benefit of        
,tyneside4 ,while ,i am writing this    
7#bcrd ,june1 #ahbc7 he    is living1   
and in his #hgth year4 ,captain ,smith  
,i did not know4 ,major    ,bainbridge  
died #fth ,december1 #ahbf1 in his #iast
 year4    ,illustration                 
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,x4      ,,for many years1    
including a part of those of my         
apprenticeship1 my  master and self were
 fully employed upon such work as ,i    
have named  before1 from silversmiths1  
watchmakers1 and hardwaremen2 but a new 
customer 7,isaac ,hymen1 a ,jew71 came  
in the way with his seal-cutting        
orders1 which amounted to more1 in that 
way1 than all the rest put  together4   
,this man1 besides his box of watches1  
trinkets1 c41 had  gathered together a  

large collection of impressions of      
well-cut seals2  and1 being a man of    
good address1 and a good singer1 had    
introduced  himself into coffee-rooms   
frequented by gentlemen and respectable 
tradesmen1 where he exhibited his       
impressions as the work of his own      
hands2 and1 by this management--for he  
knew nothing whatever of  engraving--he 
got orders4 ,somehow or other1 it was   
propagated throughout  the town that his
 seals surpassed by far anything we ever
 did1 or could  do2 and1 although we had
 done the whole of his orders1 this was 
believed1 and there seemed to be only   
one opinion as to his very  superior    
excellence4 ,i remember once rising     
early in the morning1 and  working till 
late at night1 and1 on that day1 cutting
 five steel seals  with cyphers and     
initials1 for which our common wholesale
 charge was  #cs4 #f;d41 and to our     
private customers1 #es4 ,for these he   
charged  #abs4 #f;d4 each to his        
friends4 ,he observed to me1 on my      

remarking to  him on his extravagant    
charges1 8that it was foolish in us to  
do as we  did20 and1 for himself1 he    
said1 8you know1 ,i must live40 ,my     
wages for  the short time ,i worked for 
my master1 after ,i was out of my       
apprenticeship1 was a guinea per week1  
but ,isaac offered me two guineas  if ,i
 would travel with him4 ,the travelling 
part ,i should have liked well  enough1 
but not to travel with a ,jew4 ,he went 
on in this way1 with his  orders1 till  
we had no other customer in that        
department2 and my master  then1 as well
 as when ,i became his partner1 often   
expressed himself  highly chagrined that
 some of his old private friends went   
past him1 and  even joined others in    
lessening our work4 ,our friend ,isaac  
continued  long uninterruptedly thus to 
carry all before him1 till some of our  
old  customers became irritated at him1 
and particularly a watchmaker1 who  took
 great pains to open out and expose the 
business4 ,isaac then left  ,newcastle1 

and report said he was found dead on the
 road between  ,sunderland and ,durham4 
,i have often seen1 in ,london1--and    
perhaps the  same may be observed in    
every large town1--8,the pale artist ply
 his  sickly trade10 to keep in         
affluence such managing1 money-making1  
pretended artists as ,isaac ,hymen2 and 
this must continue to be the case  so   
long as gentlemen will not go themselves
 to the fountain head1 and be  at the   
pains to encourage merit4    ,our main  
supporter in the silver engraving1 was  
,john ,langlands1 who was  of a         
cheerful1 hospitable1 and charitable    
disposition1 full of stories  and       
anecdotes1 and who greatly esteemed men 
of ability1 integrity1 and  industry4   
,these he never forgot when age or      
infirmities brought them  down4 ,he then
 shook hands with them as he had done   
before1 but his own  mostly concealed   
his token of respect--a half guinea4 ,i 
spent many a  cheerful evening in ,mr4  
,l4's house1 in company with others who 

also  partook of his hospitable board4  
,the most remarkable of these was       
,matthew ,prior1 who had the character  
of being one of the best mechanics  in  
the kingdom4 ,he was assay master1 a    
musical instrument maker1 and a  turner1
 in which last he particularly excelled4
 ,the many remarkable  pieces of        
dexterous workmanship he had done in    
that way drew upon him  the notice of   
many gentlemen in the two northern      
counties1 with whom  also1 as an angler1
 a sportsman1 and a jovial companion1 he
 was a  welcome guest4 ,it happened1 on 
some pretence or other1 that an attempt 
was made to take away the assay business
 from ,newcastle1 which  occasioned     
,prior to be sent for1 to be examined by
 7,i believe7 a  committee of the ,house
 of ,commons1 as to his ability in      
conducting that  business4 ,the ease1   
the clearness1 as well as the           
straight-forward way  in which he       
answered all questions excited some     
surprise1 as well as  approbation4 ,when

 questioned as to the accuracy of his   
scale-beam1 he  said a hair clipped from
 the back of his hand would turn his    
scales  either way4 ,for a wager1 he    
turned two billiard balls of such equal 
weights that the difference was as      
nothing4 ,he was of a most independent  
cast of character1 and open and frank in
 his conversation4 ,it had been         
reported that ,prior had said of a      
proud1 high-minded gentleman that 8he   
durst do what neither the gentleman nor 
any of his family dared do40  ,prior had
 never said any such thing2 but this    
gentleman took him to task  about it1   
and1 with great indignation1 accused him
 of saying so4 ,at  this1 ,prior1 in his
 turn1 felt offended1 and told him1     
though he had  never said so1 he would  
now say so to his face4 ,this produced a
 wager  between them2 and ,matthew told 
him he would double the bet if he       
pleased4 8,now10 said the gentleman1 in 
high ill-humour1 8what is it you  dare  
do80 8,do60 said ,prior1 8,i dare spend 

the last shilling ,i have in  the       
world60#bc    ,during a great part of   
the time ,i have been noticing1 the     
,american ,war  was going on4 ,the      
8press0 broke out just after ,i landed  
in ,london1 and1  to escape the gang1   
one of our crew came and took refuge    
with me4 ,this  poor fellow1 a decent   
man1 had in his youth been on board a   
ship of war2  and1 as far as concerned  
himself1 he said he did not mind going  
again2  but the thoughts of being       
dragged from his family threw him into  
very  great distress4 ,political        
writings and debatings sometimes ran    
very high  between those who were       
advocates for a system of corruption1   
and  profited by the taxes1 and those   
who were advocates for the liberties of 
mankind2 but it always appeared to me   
that a very great majority of the       
people were decidedly against the war4  
,these writings and debatings1  which   
the war occasioned1 certainly served    
greatly to alter the notions  and the   

opinions of the people respecting the   
purity of the ,british  government1 and 
its representative system2 and this     
attempt at doing it  away altogether in 
,america seemed a prelude to the same   
system of  misrule1 when1 by slower     
degrees1 a future opportunity offered   
for doing  it away at home4 ,in these   
political debatings1 the question was   
often  asked1 8,whether the government  
was made for the people1 or the people  
for the government80 ,great numbers1 who
 hoped for the best1 still clung  to the
 government under which they had been   
brought up1 and had been  taught to     
revere as excellency itself4 ,while     
others were contending  whether a kingly
 government or a republic was best1 it  
was generally  admitted that a deal     
might be said pro and con2 for many     
examples  might be adduced of           
mal-administration under both forms4    
,some of these  disputants would repeat 
what ,pope had said--    ,footnote #bc3 
,matthew ,prior died ,june #ae1 #ahjj1  

aged #fe1 and was buried in ,st4        
,nicholas' ,church1 ,newcastle4         
8,for modes of faith let graceless      
zealots fight1                ,his can't
 be wrong whose life is in the right2   
,for forms of government1 it is confest 
,that which is best administered is     
best40    ,in ,england the people may   
boast that their forefathers had a king1
 in  ,alfred the ,great1 the wisest1 the
 bravest1 and the best the world ever   
knew2 by whose excellent conduct was    
laid the foundation of the  liberties of
 his country1 and from the influence of 
which there can be  no doubt that the   
,english language will be spoken over   
the whole ,globe4  ,were kings to       
endeavour to follow his example1 and    
ever to keep in mind  that they and     
their ministers ought to consider       
themselves as a royal  society for the  
promotion of arts and sciences1 and of  
everything that  can enlighten the minds
 and ameliorate the condition of        
mankind1 they  would do right4 ,kings   

would then reign in the hearts of the   
great  overwhelming mass of the people1 
and no confederacy or conspiracy of     
nobles or others could ever upset their 
rule4 ,but1 while they continue  to     
suffer themselves to be surrounded by   
flatterers1 sycophants1 and  selfish    
knaves1 no good need be expected2 for   
they are thus brought up1  like petted  
children1 and have not the same chance  
of becoming wise as  other men4 ,thus   
situated1 they are to be pitied4 ,one   
would think that  the respectable part  
of the old nobility1 or other opulent   
men of great  abilities1 might be found 
with patriotism enough to perform the   
offices  of the ministry gratis1        
scorning high salaries1 and only looking
 to  honourable distinction4 ,this would
 of itself put an end to corruption4    
,justices of the peace take the very    
great trouble of acting their parts     
gratuitously2 churchwardens and         
overseers do the same2 and why do not   
the great and rich men of the land      

follow the praiseworthy example8    ,in 
reverting back to take another look at  
the ,american war1 one may  reckon to a 
certainty of its having been made the   
subject of debatings1  and of furnishing
 matter for the thinking part of        
mankind1 over the  whole of the         
civilised world4 ,george the ,third and 
his advisers did not1  perhaps1 think of
 this1 nor its consequences2 neither did
 they ever  contemplate the mighty      
events they were thus bringing about in 
rearing  and establishing the wisest and
 greatest republic and nation the world 
ever saw4 ,when its immense territory is
 filled with an enlightened  population1
 and its government1 like a rock1       
founded on the liberties  and the rights
 of man1 it is beyond human             
comprehension to foresee the  strides   
the nation will make towards perfection4
 ,it is likely they will  cast a        
compassionate eye on the rest of the    
world1 grovelling under  arbitrary      
power1 banish it from the face of the   

earth1 and kill despots  with a frown4  
,one would fain hope1 however1 that     
kings and their  advisers will coolly   
reflect upon the improving intellect of 
mankind1  and take measures to govern in
 a way more befitting the state of the  
people over whom they are called upon to
 rule4    ,during the long continuance  
of this war1 and the debatings as before
  noticed1 ,i became acquainted with a  
number of young men of a literary  turn1
 who had a library of books4 ,i did not 
join their society1 but ,i  sometimes   
dined with them at their annual1        
cheerful dinner4 ,i was never  fond of  
public dinners or dining parties2 and ,i
 think ,i would not have  partaken with 
them had ,i not been tempted to do so by
 way of bearing  their songs1 with which
 ,i felt much charmed1 but particularly 
with the  ,scotch songs1 with which one 
of the members 7,walter ,cannaway7 used 
so  highly to delight the company on    
these occasions4 ,he1 according to my   
notions1 was the best singer ,i ever    

heard4 ,i have always been more  charmed
 with the human voice1 when well        
attuned1 than with any  instrumental    
music whatever2 and his voice was       
extremely good4 ,many  others1 perhaps1 
might have as good a voice1 and as      
correct an ear for  music as he1 and    
would have been equally as charming had 
they not been  spoiled by the fashion   
they had got into to please the         
surfeited tastes  of coxcombical        
connoisseurs and a vitiated1 aping      
public4 ,i have ever  been much         
disgusted to hear and see these spoiled 
performers1 quavering  and spinning out 
their unnatural falsetto voices until   
almost spent4 ,it  showed well how      
long-winded these kind of performers    
were1 but ,i never  could sit to hear   
any of them2 as it appeared to me to be 
anything but  music1 or music run mad4  
,on my first going to business1 ,i had  
an opportunity of sometimes hearing     
musical concerts4 ,my master belonged to
 a musical society2 and1 when ,i  had   

any message to take to him1 ,i was      
commonly invited to remain4 ,the  two   
sons of ,charles ,avison1 the musical   
composer1 belonged to this  society1 and
 ,mr4 ,beilby and family were on terms  
of intimacy with them4  ,i also         
occasionally heard the band at the      
theatre1 but ,i cannot say ,i  felt much
 pleasure in listening to them1 and ,i  
well remember on one  occasion of       
setting them aside4 ,the late ,mr4      
,dibden1 who often called  upon me1 had 
some performance to exhibit at our      
theatre1 and had  quarrelled with the   
theatrical band on account of their     
exorbitant  demands2 and1 in this       
dilemma1 he expressed himself much      
disappointed1  and knew not what to do4 
,i told him ,i thought1 if he would     
leave the  matter to me1 ,i could set   
all right2 and ,i instantly applied to  
old ,wm4  ,lamshaw1 the ,duke of        
,northumberland's piper1 to play at the 
theatre4 ,i  being well-acquainted with 
the old man1 he readily assented4 ,i    

then told  my friend ,dibden what ,i had
 done1 and satisfied him as to the      
preference  the audience would give to  
the piper4 ,in this ,i was not mistaken2
 for  all went well off1 and everyone   
expressed both pleasure and surprise at 
the change4    ,some time before the    
,american war broke out1 there had been 
a lack of  musical performers in our    
streets1 and in this interval1 ,i used  
to  engage ,john ,peacock1 our          
inimitable performer1 to play on the    
,northumberland or small pipes2 and with
 his old tunes1 his lilts1 his  pauses1 
and his variations1 ,i was always       
excessively pleased4 ,at one  time ,i   
was afraid that these old times1 and    
this ancient instrument1  might1 from   
neglect of encouragement1 get out of    
use1 and ,i did  everything in my power 
to prevent this1 and to revive it1 by   
urging  ,peacock to teach pupils to     
become masters of this kind of music2   
and ,i  flatter myself that my efforts  
were not lost4 ,i was afraid that the   

,northumberland family were beginning to
 feel indifferent1 or to overlook  these
 their ancient minstrels1 who had for   
ages past been much esteemed1  and kept 
in attendance by their forefathers4 ,it 
was1 however1 with great  pleasure ,i   
found that they had appointed ,william  
,cant1#bd a pupil of  old ,william      
,lamshaw1 to be piper to the            
,northumberland ,regiment of  ,militia2 
and he kept up with great spirit and    
effect this department of  their music  
while he remained in the regiment4 ,nor 
was the regiment  behind in the other   
departments of music2 for it was allowed
 by judges  that their fifers and       
drummers were inferior to none in the   
kingdom4 ,one  man1 in particular--,john
 ,bowman--it was asserted1 was the best 
performer  on the fife that was 8known  
in the world40 ,certain it is that every
 year  for twenty-two years1 he         
challenged the fifers of every regiment 
stationed in ,newcastle1 to a trial of  
skill on that instrument2 but none  of  

them could compete with him4 ,he could  
draw out tones from it the most  soft   
and graceful1 as well as the most       
stunning and loud1 such as the  ear     
could not endure in a room1 and which   
were only fit to be heard in  the open  
air4    ,footnote #bd3      ,on his     
death1 ,i sent the following notice to  
,mr4 ,walker's newspaper3--    8,july   
#aeth1 #ahba1 died1 ,mr4 ,william ,cant1
 of the ,blue ,bell ,inn1    ,newcastle1
 aged #gj years4 ,he was an excellent   
performer on the violin    and the      
,northumberland pipes2 and1 like his    
great predecessors on the    latter     
instrument--,turnbull1 ,gilley1 ,old    
,lamshaw1 and ,peacock--he kept    up   
the ancient tunes with all their        
charming lilts and pauses1    unspoiled 
by the modern improvers of music1 with  
their #8,idiot notes    impertinently   
long4' ,he played #8his native          
wood-notes wild1' such as    pleased the
 ears of the yeomanry of old at         
,otterburn1 ,hedgley ,moor1    and      

,flodden ,field4 ,for--                 
#8,whene'er his pipe did silence break  
,you'd thought the instrument would     
speak4'0    ,illustration               
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xi4      ,i ,,have noticed  
several of my friends and acquaintances 
whose characters  stood high in my      
estimation4 ,i have now another to      
introduce1 the  play-fellow of my youth1
 ,thomas ,lawson1 as remarkable as any  
of them4 ,he  left ,tyneside1 his and my
 home1 and came to ,newcastle about     
#aggg or '#gh1  to launch out into the  
world of exertion and turmoil2 and1 from
 his  abilities and integrity1 he seemed
 well befitted to make a great figure   
in it1 and1 had he been spared1 he      
would1 in my opinion1 have shone out    
like another ,benjamin ,franklin4 ,he   
was for a short time one of my          
schoolfellows at ,ovingham2 but1 from   
his father having been beggared by  the 
failure of a coal-owner for whom he had 

been employed many years1 my  young     
friend was obliged to leave school1 and 
to seek out some  employment for        
himself4 ,in the interim1 he took up his
 abode in my  father's house as a home4 
,the first employment that my companion 
got was  that of a plough-driver4 ,he   
next became a farmer's servant1 and     
afterwards a manager of a farm and      
brewery4 ,in all these departments1 he  
was distinguished for his industry1 good
 sense1 good management1 and  great     
integrity4 ,it happened1 however1 that  
he1 being handsome in his  person and   
manly in his deportment1 his employer   
began to suspect that  the young lady of
 the house was showing a marked         
partiality towards him2  and this having
 occasioned some frowns and hints which 
his spirit could  not brook1 he gave up 
his place and set off to ,newcastle1    
where he bound  himself to a printer1 as
 a pressman2 for which he was to be paid
 #hs4  per week4 ,with this wage1 he    
contrived to maintain himself1 and to   

pay  out of it for a night-school       
education4 ,his progress was truly      
astonishing in figures1 languages1 the  
use of the globes1 c42 but his  memory  
was so tenacious that he retained       
whatever he learned1 and he  could      
repeat the longest harangue1 7as far as 
,i was able to judge7  verbatim4 ,i once
 had an opportunity of witnessing this1 
in his repeating  the whole of a charity
 sermon1 preached by the eloquent the   
,rev4 ,dr4  ,scott1 of ,simonburn4      
,while he was employed in the drudgery  
of the  printing press1 he1 at the same 
time1 made himself master of the        
business of a compositor4 ,shortly      
after1 he left this employment1 and     
married a young woman of respectable    
parentage4 ,it happened that the        
printing of a ,bible in numbers had been
 established2 but the publisher1  either
 from mismanagement1 or something amiss1
 was on the verge of a  failure4 ,in    
this state of affairs1 ,lawson turned   
his attention to the  business1 and     

applied to his wife's friends for       
assistance1 but they  could1 at that    
time1 only spare him about thirty       
pounds2 and with this  sum in hand1 he  
made a proposal for purchasing the      
types1 and everything  belonging to the 
printing office4 ,it is singular enough 
that the printer  referred to1 having   
left ,newcastle1 lived and had his      
printing office in  the governor's house
 at ,tynemouth1 whither ,i went with my 
friend when  the bargain was to be      
closed between them4 ,he now commenced  
business on  his own account1 but how   
long he had to struggle through         
difficulties1  before he got well       
established1 ,i have forgotten4 ,it is  
remarkable that  he met with unsolicited
 aid from many friends2 for every one   
who knew  him became interested in his  
welfare4 ,he lived till he surmounted   
every  obstacle to his prosperity2 but1 
in doing this1 his too great            
application and exertion ruined his     
health4 ,he pined away and died1 in a   

house close by mine at the ,forth1 on   
the #gth ,march1 #aghc1 aged #ca years4 
,i1 with many other of his friends1     
accompanied his remains to ,ovingham1   
where he was buried4 ,this was the first
 time in my life that ,i felt  poignant 
grief4    ,my old schoolfellow and      
friend1 ,philip ,gregson1 of the ,custom
 ,house1  ,london1 being on a visit to  
his relatives and friends in the north1 
in  #aghj1 ,i1 being fond of rambling1  
proposed setting him on his return      
home1 as far as ,york1 if he would walk 
with me to that city1 to which he       
agreed2 and1 after spending a day or two
 with him there1 we parted4 ,on  my     
return1 ,i took the road by             
,boroughbridge to ,ripon1 where ,i      
stayed a  short time till ,i had viewed 
the country round it1 and particularly  
,studley ,park and its beautiful        
scenery4 ,i then returned to            
,darlington1  and changed my route to   
the westward1 by ,barnard ,castle1      
,bowes1 over  ,stainmore to ,brough1    

,appleby1 and ,penrith2 and from thence 
to my uncle's  at ,ainstable4 ,on       
leaving him and his family1 ,i walked   
home that day to  ,cherryburn1 and so on
 the next to ,newcastle4    ,i have not 
interlarded this journey with any of my 
remarks on the  road--on the grandeur of
 ,york ,minster--the large upright      
stones called  8,the ,devil's ,arrows10 
near ,boroughbridge--the extensive      
prospects from  ,cross ,fell1 c42 and   
therefore the whole of this may be      
regarded as  merely one of my 8tramps10 
and a description of these places by    
others  may be referred to4    ,in      
another of my perambulations1 ,i        
prevailed on an acquaintance to         
accompany me to ,berwick4 ,we set off1  
on an ,easter ,sunday morning1 in       
#aghd1 by the seaside1 and our first    
halt was at ,chevington1 beyond         
,widdrington4 ,i had not broken my fast1
 and was quite ready to make a  hearty  
meal upon some dry barley cake and      
cheese1 whilst my thirsty  companion1   

with equal pleasure1 enjoyed himself    
with hearty draughts of  ale4 ,we       
reached ,lesbury in the afternoon1 and1 
when my fellow-traveller  sat down1 he  
observed1 that ,i might go on if ,i     
pleased1 but he would not  move a foot  
further that night4 ,next day1 after    
sauntering about a  little in the       
villages on our road1 we reached        
,elwick1 the hospitable  mansion of my  
friend ,thomas ,younghusband1 ,esq41    
where we stopped that  night4 ,mr4      
,younghusband happened to have a few of 
his friends to spend  the evening with  
him4 ,we got on to make merry and to    
sing songs2 and1  when it came to my    
companion's turn1 the party were so     
agreeably  surprised and pleased at his 
performance that we did not separate    
till  the morning4 ,my companion and ,i 
set off to ,berwick1 and1 after seeing  
the town1 we returned to ,elwick by     
,holy ,island4 ,in the performance of   
this day's journey we had to encounter  
some difficulties which might  have been

 attended with fatal consequences4 ,we  
had been cautioned  against attempting1 
after a certain hour1 to walk across the
 extensive  flat left bare by the ebb   
tide4 ,we were beyond the time named1   
but  resolved to proceed1 and had to run
 the greatest part of the way2 and it   
was well we did so2 for1 before we      
reached the ,island1 we found the tide  
was rapidly advancing between us and the
 shore1 and we had to wade  deeply      
before we reached it4 ,on looking back1 
over the flat space we had  just left1  
we were surprised to view it as a sea4  
,my companion1 being  rather corpulent1 
was in a sad state of perspiration with 
over exertion1  and ,i think ,i was not 
much better1 from the anxiety ,i felt   
for him1  while ,i was constantly urging
 him to mend his speed4 ,we now hastened
 to  a public house1 dripping with wet1 
where my companion took a few glasses   
of gin1 and prevailed on me to take one 
along with him2 and this is the  first  
glass of that liquor ,i ever recollect  

taking4 ,our next business  was to get a
 boat to set us across the arm of the   
sea1 between the  island and the nearest
 shore1 towards ,elwick4 ,it was then   
nearly dark2  and1 before the boatmen   
got us rowed across1 it was quite so4   
,where they  landed us we knew not1 but 
we had to wade to the dry beach4 ,in    
shaping  our course to ,elwick1 we lost 
ourselves in the fields1 and it was late
  before we arrived there4 ,we were in  
as dirty a state as wet and mire  could 
make us4 ,mrs4 ,younghusband1 however1  
lost no time in fitting us up  with dry 
clothes1 and in making us as comfortable
 as she could4 ,my  companion having    
some business of his own to attend to1  
,i remained a day  or two at ,elwick1   
and made a few visits with ,mr4         
,younghusband in the  neighbourhood4    
,mr4 ,y4 had to attend a meeting of     
freeholders1 on some  election business1
 at the town hall1 ,alnwick1 and ,i     
accompanied him  thither4 ,never having 
before heard any speeches1 ,i was much  

entertained  with those now made4 ,this 
being about the time that ,mr4 ,pitt    
came into  the administration1 and being
 the son of the great ,chatham1 most    
people  hoped and expected he would     
follow the bright1 the patriotic example
  that had been set him2 but one        
gentleman appeared to differ in opinion 
from the majority1 and1 in what ,i      
conceived to be an eloquent speech1     
foretold that he would turn out1 in     
character1 to be quite a different  kind
 of man4    ,about the year #agij1 ,i   
became a member of 8,swarley's ,club10  
held in the  evenings1 at the ,black    
,boy ,inn4 ,this was the most rational  
society or  meeting ,i ever knew4 ,the  
few rules which bound us together were  
only  verbal4 ,the first was that every 
member should conduct himself with      
decorum1 and as a gentleman4 ,if any one
 transgressed on this point1 he  was    
immediately fined1 and if he did not    
pay1 he was sent to ,coventry1  or      
dismissed4 ,on entering the room1 every 

member paid fourpence1 which  was to be 
spent in refreshment4 ,any member might 
introduce his friend at  the same       
expense4 ,there were no fines for       
non-attendance and no regular  debatings
 allowed on any subject but such as     
might occasionally arise  out of the    
passing conversation1 and the company   
separated at ten  o'clock4              
,conversations amongst the friends thus 
associated1--consisting  of merchants1  
or respectable tradesmen1--were carried 
on without  restraint1 and only         
interrupted for the moment while the    
president  claimed attention to any     
particular news of the day that might be
 worth  notice4 ,such a place of meeting
 proved convenient and pleasant to many 
a  stranger who visited the town1 and   
the expense was as nothing4 ,it may     
seem strange that1 out of a fourpenny   
club like this1 there was commonly  an  
overplus left1 to give away at          
,christmas and ,easter to some          
charitable purpose4 ,i went to this club

 when ,i had time to spare in an        
evening1 and seldom missed a week to an 
end4 ,this happy society was at  length 
broken up1 at the time when war on      
behalf of despotism was  raging1 and the
 spy system was set afloat4 ,some spies1
 and others of the  same stamp1         
contrived to get themselves introduced1 
and to broach  political questions1 for 
the purpose of exciting debates1 and    
feeling  the pulse of the members1 who  
before this had very seldom touched upon
  subjects of that kind4    ,besides    
being kept busy with the routine        
business of our work-office1 ,i  was    
often engaged in executing wood cuts for
 publishers and printers1 at  various   
times from about the year #aghh to      
#agij4 ,the first of any  importance was
 the wood cuts of ,roman altars1 and the
 arms of the  ,bishops of ,durham1 for  
8,hutchinson's ,history of ,durham10 in 
which my  friend1 the late ,george      
,allan1 ,esq41 of the ,grange1          
,darlington1 took a  conspicuous part4  

,a set of cuts was done for             
8,goldsmith's ,deserted  ,village10 for 
,mr4 ,walker1 printer1 of ,hereford4    
,mr4 ,nicholson1 printer  of ,ludlow and
 ,poughnill1 the publisher of 8,elegant 
,selections from  ,various ,authors10   
employed me to embellish some of these  
with wood cuts4  ,my old friend1        
,william ,bulmer1 of the ,shakespeare   
,printing ,office1  ,london1 also       
employed me to execute the cuts for     
8,parnell's ,hermit0 and  8,goldsmith's 
,deserted ,village40 ,many other cuts   
were done1 from time to  time1 for      
printers in various parts of the        
kingdom4 ,these formed an  almost       
endless variety4 ,i engraved a series of
 copper plates1 at a low  rate1 for ,sir
 ,harry ,liddell's and ,captain         
,consett's 8,tour to ,lapland10  in     
#aghf4 ,my partner and self were busily 
engaged in engraving1 about the  year   
#agif1 the plan of the proposed canal   
from ,newcastle to ,carlisle1 as        
projected by ,mr4 ,chapman1 engineer1   

and plans of estates and views of  the  
mansion houses of a few gentlemen who   
opposed the canal1 on the  north side of
 the ,tyne4 ,after a great deal of      
scheming and manuvering1  under the     
management of an attorney of great      
ability1 the whole of this  great1 this 
important national as well as local     
undertaking was baffled  and set aside4 
,most men of discernment were of opinion
 that the  coalowners 8below bridge0    
were the cause of it4 ,the canal1 as    
projected  by ,mr4 ,dodd1 in #agie1     
would have certainly opened out a       
territory of  coal that might have      
affected their interest4 ,it would      
appear1 at least1  that they dreaded it2
 and in this1 as in almost every other  
case1  private interest was found to    
overpower public good4    ,illustration 
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xii4      ,,having1 from the
 time that ,i was a school-boy1 been    
displeased with most  of the figures in 

children's books1 and particularly with 
those of the  8,three ,hundred          
,animals10 the figures in which1 even at
 that time1 ,i  thought ,i could        
depicture much better2 and having       
afterwards very often  turned the matter
 over in my mind1 of making improvements
 in that  publication--,i at last came  
to the determination of making the      
attempt4  ,the extreme interest ,i had  
always felt in the hope of administering
 to  the pleasure and amusement of      
youth1 and judging from the feelings ,i 
had  experienced myself that they would 
be affected in the same way as ,i had   
been1 whetted me up and stimulated me to
 proceed4 ,in this1 my only  reward     
besides was the great pleasure ,i felt  
in imitating nature4 ,that ,i  should   
ever do anything to attract the notice  
of the world1 in the  manner that has   
been done1 was the farthest thing in my 
thoughts1 and so  far as ,i was         
concerned myself at that time1 ,i minded
 little about any  self-interested      

considerations4 ,these intentions ,i    
communicated to my  partner2 and1 though
 he did not doubt of my being able to   
succeed1 yet1  being a cautious and     
thinking man1 he wished to be more      
satisfied as to  the probability of such
 a publication paying for the labour4   
,on this  occasion1 being little        
acquainted with the nature of such      
undertakings1  we consulted ,mr4        
,solomon ,hodgson1 bookseller and editor
 of the  8,newcastle ,chronicle10 as to 
the probability of its success1 c41 when
  he warmly encouraged us to proceed4   
,such animals as ,i knew1 ,i drew from  
memory on the wood2 others which ,i  did
 not know were copied from 8,dr4        
,smellie's ,abridgement of ,buffon10 and
  other naturalists1 and also from the  
animals which were from time to  time   
exhibited in itinerant collections4 ,of 
these last1 ,i made sketches  first from
 memory1 and then corrected and finished
 the drawings upon the  wood from a     
second examination of the different     

animals4 ,i began this  business of     
cutting the blocks with the figure of   
the dromedary1 on the  #aeth ,november1 
#aghe1 the day on which my father died4 
,i then proceeded  in copying such      
figures as above named as ,i did not    
hope to see alive4  ,while ,i was busied
 in drawing and cutting the figures of  
animals1 and  also in designing and     
engraving the vignettes1 ,mr4 ,beilby1  
being of a  bookish or reading turn1    
proposed1 in his evenings at home1 to   
write or  compile the descriptions4     
,with this ,i had little more to do than
  furnishing him1 in many conversations 
and by written memoranda1 with  what ,i 
knew of animals1 and blotting out1 in   
his manuscript1 what was  not truth4 ,in
 this way we proceeded till the book was
 published in #agij4    ,the greater    
part of these wood cuts were drawn and  
engraved at night1  after the day's work
 of the shop was over4 ,in these        
evenings1 ,i  frequently had the company
 of my friend the ,rev4 ,richard        

,oliphant1#be  who took great pleasure  
in seeing me work1 and who occasionally 
read to  me the sermons he had composed 
for the next ,sunday4 ,i was also often 
attended1 from a similar curiosity1 by  
my friend1 the ,rev4 ,thomas            
,hornby1#bf lecturer at ,st4 ,john's    
,church4 ,he would not1 like my friend  
,oliphant1 adjourn to a public house1   
and join in a tankard of ale1 but  he   
had it sent for to my workplace4 ,we    
frequently disagreed in our  opinions as
 to religious matters1 he being1 as ,i  
thought1 an intolerant1  high churchman2
 but1 notwithstanding this1 he was a    
warm well-wisher and  kind friend1 and  
was besides of so charitable a          
disposition that his  purse was ever    
open to relieve distress1 and he would  
occasionally  commission me to dispose  
of a guinea anonymously to persons in   
want4    ,footnote #be3      ,afterwards
 curate of ,longhorsley4    ,footnote   
#bf3      ,the ,rev4 ,thomas ,hornby1   
son of ,alderman ,hornby1 died in the   

prime of    life1 on the #bhth ,august1 
#agih1 and was buried at ,gosforth4     
,as soon as the 8,history of            
,quadrupeds0 appeared1 ,i was surprised 
to find  how rapidly it sold4 ,several  
other editions quickly followed1 and a  
glut  of praises was bestowed upon the  
book4 ,these praises however1 excited   
envy1 and were visibly followed by the  
balance of an opposite feeling  from    
many people at home2 for they raked     
together1 and blew up1 the  embers of   
envy into a transient blaze2 but the    
motives by which ,i was  actuated stood 
out of the reach of its sparks1 and they
 returned into  the heap whence they    
came1 and fell into dust4 ,i was much   
more afraid to  meet the praises which  
were gathering around than ,i was of the
 sneers  which they excited2 and a piece
 of poetry appearing in the newspaper1  
,i  was obliged1 for some time1 to shun 
8,swarley's ,club10 of which the        
writer1 ,george ,byles1#bg was a member1
 to avoid the warm and sincere          

compliments that awaited me there4      
,footnote #bg3      ,george ,byles came 
from one of the southern counties1 and  
commenced as    a teacher in ,newcastle4
 ,he was gentlemanly in his manners and 
conversation1 and of a most lively and  
animated cast of character4    ,i had   
long made up my mind not to marry whilst
 my father and mother  lived1 in order  
that my undivided attention might be    
bestowed upon them4  ,my mother had1    
indeed1 recommended a young person in   
the neighbourhood  to me as a wife4 ,she
 did not know the young lady intimately1
 but she  knew she was modest in her    
deportment1 handsome in her person1 and 
had a  good fortune2 and1 in compliance 
with this recommendation1 ,i got        
acquainted with her1 but was careful not
 to proceed further1 and soon           
discovered that1 though her character   
was innocence itself1 she was  mentally 
one of the weakest of her sex4 ,the     
smirking lasses of ,tyneside  had long  
thrown out their jibes against me1 as   

being a woman-hater1 but  in this they  
were greatly mistaken4 ,i had1          
certainly1 been very guarded  in my     
conduct towards them1 as ,i held it     
extremely wrong and cruel to  sport with
 the feelings of any one4 ,in this1     
which was one of my  resolves1 sincerity
 and truth were my guides4 ,as ,i ever  
considered a  matrimonial connection as 
a business of the utmost importance1 and
 which  was to last till death made the 
separation1 while looking about for a   
partner for life1 my anxious attention  
was directed to the subject4 ,i  had    
long considered it to be the duty of    
every man1 on changing his  life1 to get
 a healthy woman for his wife1 for the  
sake of his children1  and a sensible   
one1 as a companion1 for his own        
happiness and  comfort1--that love is   
the natural guide in this business1 and 
much  misery is its attendant when that 
is wanting4 ,this being the fixed state 
of my mind1 ,i permitted no mercenary   
considerations to interfere4  ,impressed

 with these sentiments1 ,i had long1 my 
dear ,jane1 looked upon  your mother as 
a suitable helpmate for me4 ,i had seen 
her in prosperity  and in adversity2 and
 in the latter state she appeared to me 
to the  greatest advantage4 ,in this she
 soared above her sex1 and my           
determination was fixed4 ,in due time we
 were married1 and from that day  to    
this no cloud1 as far as concerned      
ourselves1 has passed over us1 to       
obscure a life-time of uninterrupted    
happiness4                              
,,my ,,dear ,,isabella ,,died1          
,,after ,a ,,long ,,and ,,painful       
,,illness1                        ,,on  
,,the #a,,st ,,of ,,february1 #ahbf1    
,,aged #gb2                       ,,the 
,,best ,,of ,,wives ,,and ,,very ,,best 
,,of ,,mothers4      ,during the time ,i
 was busied with the figures of the     
8,history of  ,quadrupeds10 many jobs   
interfered to cause delay2 one of which 
was the  wood cut of the ,chillingham   
wild bull1 for the late ,marmaduke      

,tunstal1  ,esq41 of ,wycliffe4 ,this   
very worthy gentleman and good          
naturalist  honoured me with his        
approbation of what ,i had done1 and was
 one of our  correspondents4 ,he1 or my 
friend ,george ,allan1 ,esq41 employed  
me to  undertake the job2 and1 on       
,easter ,sunday1 #aghi1 ,i set off1     
accompanied  by an acquaintance1 on foot
 to ,chillingham on this business4      
,after  tarrying a little with friends  
at ,morpeth and ,alnwick1 we took ,huln 
,abbey on our way across the country to 
the place of our destination4  ,besides 
seeing the various kinds of pheasants1  
c41 at the last-named  place1 little    
occurred to attract attention1 except   
our being  surrounded1 or beset1 in     
passing over a moor1 by burning heather1
 and  afterwards passing over the       
surface of immense old winter wreaths of
  frozen snow4 ,arrived at ,chillingham1
 we took up our abode with my kind  old 
friend ,john ,bailey1 and spent a       
cheerful evening with him after our     

fatigue4 ,next day1 ,mr4 ,b4 accompanied
 me to the park1 for the purpose of     
seeing the wild cattle4 ,this1 however1 
did not answer my purpose2 for ,i  could
 make no drawing of the bull1 while he1 
along with the rest of the  herd1 was   
wheeling about1 and then fronting us1 in
 the manner described  in the 8,history 
of ,quadrupeds40 ,i was therefore       
obliged to endeavour to  see one which  
had been conquered by his rival1 and    
driven to seek  shelter alone1 in the   
quarryholes or in the woods2 and1 in    
order to get  a good look at one of this
 description1 ,i was under the necessity
 of  creeping on my hands and knees1 to 
leeward1 and out of his sight2 and ,i   
thus got my sketch or memorandum1 from  
which ,i made my drawing on the  wood4  
,i was sorry my figure was made from one
 before he was furnished  with his      
curled or shaggy neck and mane4    ,on  
our return home1 my companion and ,i    
took up our abode for two days  and     
nights1 at ,eslington1 in the apartments

 of our kind and hearty  friend1 ,john  
,bell1 then steward to ,sir ,harry      
,liddell1 ,bart41 and  afterwards a     
merchant at ,alnmouth4 ,having made a   
drawing from the large  ,newfoundland   
dog kept there1 and rambled about       
visiting some of ,mr4  ,bell's friends1 
we then bent our way homewards1 highly  
gratified with  the journey1 crowned as 
it was with hospitality and kindness    
which could  not be surpassed4    ,in   
the year #agij1 ,i was employed much in 
the same way as ,i had been in  other   
years about that period2 but this was   
besides marked by an event  which       
enwarped and dwelt on my mind4 ,no doubt
 all thinking men in their  passage     
through life must have experienced      
feelings of a similar kind4  ,my old and
 revered preceptor1 the ,rev4           
,christopher ,gregson1 died this  year4 
,no sooner did the news of his extreme  
illness reach me1 than ,i set  off1 in  
my usual way1 and with all speed1 to    
,ovingham4 ,i instantly  rushed into his

 room1 and there ,i found his niece in  
close attendance  upon him4 ,with her1  
being intimately acquainted1 ,i used no 
ceremony1 but  pulled the curtain aside1
 and then beheld my friend1 in his last 
moments4 ,he gave me his last look1 but 
could not speak4 ,multitudinous         
reflections of things that were passed  
away1 hurried on my mind1 and  these    
overpowered me4 ,i knew not what to say1
 except 8,farewell for ever1  farewell60
 ,few men have passed away on ,tyneside 
so much respected as ,mr4  ,gregson4    
,when he was appointed to the curacy of 
,ovingham1 ,i understand  his income was
 not more than thirty pounds per annum4 
,thus set down1 he  began by taking     
pupils to board and educate1 chiefly as 
,latin scholars2  and ,mrs4 ,gregson1   
after my mother left him1 did everything
 in her power  to make the seminary     
respectable4 ,he afterwards1 however1   
commenced  teaching on a more extended  
scale1 by taking in scholars of all     
kinds1  from their ,a1 ,b1 ,c's1 to the 

classics4 ,in this1 his task must have  
been  of the most arduous description1  
which he got through without any usher  
or assistant4 ,his assiduity must have  
attracted the notice of the late        
,thomas ,charles ,bigge1 ,esq41 of      
,benton1 the lay rector1 for he added   
some  land to the glebe1 by way of      
bettering his condition4 ,little as this
  farm was1 as to its magnitude1 it     
enabled him1 by his good management  and
 unceasing industry1 to show himself a  
good farmer1 and he was not a  little   
vain on being complimented on this      
score4 ,as a clergyman1 he was  not one 
of the fittest for that very important  
office2 but this was  chiefly owing to  
his defective voice1 which was so low   
and raucous1 that  his hearers could not
 so well profit by his sensible         
discourses4 ,in  another way--,i mean as
 a village lawyer--he stood pre-eminent4
 ,his pen was  ever ready at the service
 of his parishioners1 and whatever      
dispute  arose amongst them there was   

never any objection to leave the matter 
to  the decision of ,mr4 ,gregson2 and1 
,i have often heard it asserted that    
there was not one lawsuit in the parish 
while he was minister there4 ,he  set   
out in life on this poor curacy1 upon a 
system of great economy1 and  perhaps1  
like other frugal people1 it grew upon  
him till he was accused  of 8nearness20 
but1 be this as it may1 he accumulated1 
after a life of  great good management1 
a sum of about nine hundred pounds4 ,if 
his pen  was ever ready to serve his    
parishioners1 so1 on certain occasions  
was  his purse2 for he eyed with great  
attention the situation of such of his  
neighbours as were industrious2 and1    
when he found these were struggling     
under untoward circumstances1 or        
unforseen losses1 without being         
solicited1 he lent them money to ward   
off the evil1 and to serve their  need4 
,illustration                           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        

,,chapter ,,xiii4      ,,while the sale 
of edition after edition of the         
8,quadrupeds0 was going on  with great  
success1 ,i turned my thoughts to the   
8,history of ,british  ,birds40 ,i felt 
greatly charmed with1 and had long paid 
great attention  to1 the subject2 and ,i
 had busied myself very much in reading 
various  works4 ,as far as ,i can now   
recollect1 the first books ,i had become
  acquainted with were 8,brookes and    
,miller's ,natural ,history10 and 8,dr4 
,smellie's ,abridgement of ,buffon40    
,these were now thrown1 as it were1     
into the back-ground2 having been       
succeeded by ,pennant's works4 ,i might 
name others ,i had perused1 chiefly lent
 to me by my kind friend ,george        
,allan1 ,esq4 ,these consisted of       
8,albin's ,history of ,birds10 ,belon's 
very  old book1 ,willoughby and ,ray1 c4
 ,mr4 ,john ,rotherham#bh gave me       
8,gesner's ,natural ,history40 ,with    
some of these ,i was in raptures4       
,willoughby and ,ray struck me as having

 led the way to truth1 and to  ,british 
,ornithology4 ,the late ,michael ,brian1
 ,esq41 of ,london1 lent me  the        
splendid volumes1 8,planche ,enlumine10 
of ,buffon1 and ,george  ,silvertop1    
,esq41 of ,minsteracres1 8,edward's     
,natural ,history40 ,i was much  pleased
 with 8,white's ,history of ,selborne40 
,pennant1 however1 opened out  the      
largest field of information1 and on his
 works ,i bestowed the most  attention4 
,latham seems to have wound up the      
whole1 and ,i have often  lamented that 
it was not--by being embellished with   
correct figures--made  a great national 
work1 like the ,count de ,buffon's4 ,the
 last of our  ,ornithologists1 and one  
of the most indefatigable1 was the late 
,col4  ,george ,montagu1#bi author of   
the 8,ornithological ,dictionary40      
,footnote #bh3      ,mr4 ,john          
,rotherham1 son of the late ,dr4        
,rotherham1 of ,newcastle1 who    had   
been a pupil of the good and great      
,linnus4    ,footnote #bi3      ,george 

,montagu1 ,esq41 died in ,july1 #ahae4  
,i have heard that he was    killed by  
the overturning of a carriage in which  
he was travelling4    ,as soon as it was
 spread abroad that ,i was engaged with 
the history of  birds and their figures1
 ,i was in consequence led into a       
seemingly  endless correspondence with  
friends and amateurs2 so much so1 that  
,i  often felt myself unable duly to    
acknowledge the obligations ,i owed     
them1 and many a letter ,i have written 
after being wearied out with the        
labours of the day4    ,at the beginning
 of this undertaking ,i made up my mind 
to copy nothing  from the works of      
others1 but to stick to nature as       
closely as ,i could2  and for this      
purpose1 being invited by ,mr4          
,constable1 the then owner of           
,wycliffe1 ,i visited the extensive     
museum there1 collected by the late     
,marmaduke ,tunstal1 ,esq41 to make     
drawings of the birds4 ,i set off from  
,newcastle on the #afth ,july1 #agia1   

and remained at the above beautiful     
place nearly two months1 drawing from   
the stuffed specimens4 ,i lodged in  the
 house of ,john ,goundry1 the person who
 preserved the birds for ,mr4  ,tunstal2
 and boarded at his father's1 ,george   
,goundry1 the old miller  there4 ,whilst
 ,i remained at ,wycliffe1 ,i frequently
 dined with the ,rev4  ,thomas          
,zouch1#cj the rector of the parish4 ,he
 watched my going out of  church on the 
,sundays1 where ,i attended1 accompanied
 by old ,goundry1 to  invite me to dine 
with him4 ,on these occasions he often  
made the  character of his late         
neighbour1 ,mr4 ,tunstal1 and of ,george
 ,goundry1 the  subject of his          
conversation1 and dwelt with great      
pleasure on the  excellence of both4    
,mr4 ,tunstal was a ,roman ,catholic1   
and had a chapel  in his own house2 ,mr4
 ,zouch was a ,church of ,england       
minister2 and ,george  ,goundry was a   
,deist2 and yet these three uncommonly  
good men1 as  neighbours1 lived in      

constant charity and goodwill towards   
each other4  ,one might dwell long with 
pleasure on such singularly good        
characters4 ,i  wish the world was      
better stocked with them4    ,footnote  
#cj3      ,the ,rev4 ,thomas ,zouch1    
,d4,d41 ,f4,l4,s41 prebendary of        
,durham1 and rector    of ,scrayingham1 
,yorkshire4 ,this venerable divine was  
born in #agcg1 at    ,sandal1 and died  
there on the #agth ,dec41 #ahac4 ,he had
 been offered the    bishopric of       
,carlisle1 but refused it4    ,i have   
often reflected with pain on the        
asperity with which one  description of 
,christians has commonly treated others 
who differed from  them in opinion on   
religious matters2 or1 rather1 as to    
their different  modes of faith2 and ,i 
have thought that the time would come   
when that  cruel1 bloody1 and disgusting
 portion of history would not be        
believed1  which has recorded the fact  
that one denomination of ,christians    
actually  burned others alive1 who      

differed from them in opinion on matters
 which  ought to have been considered   
beneath contempt4 ,but1 judging from the
  past1 it is certain that1 when men    
give up their reason1 and substitute    
faith1 or anything else1 in lieu        
thereof1 there is nothing however       
absurd that may not be believed1 and no 
punishments1 however cruel1 that  may   
not be resorted to1 to enforce that     
belief4 ,men thus degraded may  fairly  
be called man-tigers1 being fitted for  
any cruel1 wicked  purpose2 and1 under  
equally wicked governments1 they have   
been guided  and commanded to deluge the
 earth with blood4 ,it is strange to    
think  that this should have been the   
case1 when it is considered that the    
whole of the authorities are derived    
from one and the same pure source2      
bewildered1 indeed1 by the twisted      
imaginations of ignorance1 bigotry1  and
 superstition4    ,the inspired and     
benevolent ,author of ,christianity     
taught neither  intolerance nor         

persecution4 ,the doctrines ,he laid    
down are plain1 pure1  and simple4 ,they
 hold out mercy to the contrite1 aid to 
the humble1 and  eternal happiness to   
the good4 ,for my own part1 it is long  
since ,i left  off bewildering myself   
with dogmas and creeds1 and ,i feel pity
 for those  that do so4 ,i am quite     
clear and willing to believe and to     
allow1 that1  whatever modes of faith   
honest and well-meaning people think    
best to  adopt1 they may in sincerity of
 heart1 and to the best of their        
judgments1 be doing what is called      
serving ,god4 ,they surely ought not to 
interfere with the creeds of others1 who
 are equally as sincere as  themselves  
in the means they pursue for the same   
end4 ,however various  these modes of   
faith may be1 there is one rule that    
ought to guide the  whole1 and it       
appears to me to be simple and easy to  
comprehend1--and  that one is1 that all 
men1 to the utmost of their power1      
should  endeavour through life to steer 

clear of everything that may degrade    
their own souls2 that the mysterious1   
incorporated compound may not1  when    
summoned to leave this world1 have to   
appear before ,omnipotence  polluted and
 debased4 ,the man who attends to this  
will fear nothing1 but  that of erring  
and doing wrong4 ,he will fear the face 
of no man4 ,the  little1 strutting      
authorities of despotism he will        
despise1 and the  virtuous magistrate   
will ever be his friend4 ,he will break 
no good laws  that have been made for   
the guidance of man in society2 and1 as 
to his  religion1 that is an affair     
between himself and his ,maker only4    
,with the  ,author of his ,being he     
will1 with unentangled mind1 commune    
freely1 at  all times1 when his spirit  
moves him to do so2 and no man ever did1
 or  ever will1 feel himself happy that 
does not pursue this course through     
life4    ,ever since ,i habituated      
myself to think1 ,i have always seen1 as
 clearly  as ,i could see anything1     

that1 it is the intention of the ,deity 
that  mankind should live in a state of 
civilised society1 and that no period   
of human existence can be comfortable   
without the pleasures and  endearments  
of social intercourse4 ,every object in 
nature that can be  contemplated shews  
this2 and the full and exact fitness of 
all its  component parts clearly prove  
that man1 from his social nature1 is    
destined to live in this state4 ,he has 
been endowed with reason1 as his  guide1
 for the purpose of regulating and      
conducting the whole2 but1 when  that   
guide is neglected1 and he suffers his  
selfish propensities and bad  passions  
to mislead him from the path of         
rectitude1 from that moment1            
everything1 so far as this reaches1 goes
 wrong4 ,for reasons of this  kind1 it  
is necessary that equitable and just    
laws should be made and  enforced1 to   
restrain vice from breaking down the    
barriers that are  erected to protect   
virtue and patriotism4 ,to break through

 these laws is  sin4 ,but1 in the       
present wretched state of society1 it   
may be difficult  to bring about such a 
reformation of manners as would ensure  
the  accomplishment of so desirable an  
end2 for it appears to me that the      
character of mankind ought to be new    
modelled before this can  effectually be
 done4    ,having long busied myself in 
wading through systems of natural       
history1--the orders1 genera1 species   
and varieties1--the whim has often      
struck me to lay down an imaginary one  
of classing mankind4 ,the genus  homo   
may be made to consist of three species 
and their varieties4 ,the  first        
7including in one1 the wise and the     
good7 is honest men2 the  second is     
knaves2 and the third fools4 ,these and 
their gradations and  varieties1 gliding
 into each other1 form the present      
jumbled mass of  society--the community 
of which we all form a part4 ,as any of 
these may  happen to predominate in the 
government of society1 so1 in exact     

proportion1 will the good1 bad1 and     
indifferent effects of their  management
 be felt by the whole people4 ,i think  
it will be admitted  that1 out of the   
first species ought to be chosen the    
persons1--every man  according to his   
mental powers and the education he may  
have received to  call forth these      
powers1--to fill every public office    
from the constable  upwards4 ,out of the
 two latter species1 when conjoined1 are
 formed the  great mass of the wicked1  
gross1 vulgar herd 7high and low7 of    
mankind4  ,amongst these1 knaves of     
great ability ought to be particularly  
guarded  against4 ,they are a kind of   
splendid devils who have from time      
immemorial spread abroad much misery in 
the world2 but1 notwithstanding  their  
abilities1 they would not have got      
forward in their public  wickedness1 nor
 have formed their majorities1 had they 
not enlisted1 as  tools1 their          
ready-made auxiliaries--the fools2 and1 
if we take only a  slight glance at     

individual misery1 it will be seen that 
most of it is  inflicted by one man upon
 another3--                             
8,man's inhumanity to ,man              
,makes countless thousands mourn40      
,could this be remedied1 what a         
beautiful world would this appear to    
thousands1 instead of their being       
obliged to view it through the medium   
of an almost perpetual cheerless gloom4 
,i have often amused myself in          
considering the character of the canine 
species1 and of comparing it1 and its   
varieties1 with those of the  untutored 
part of mankind2 and it is curious and  
interesting to observe  the similarity  
between them4 ,to his master the dog is 
an uncommonly  submissive1 obedient1 and
 faithful servant1 and seems to look    
upon him  as if he were a god2 his      
sagacity and his courage are equally    
conspicuous2 and1 in defence of his     
master1 he will suffer death4 ,but to   
his own species he is ill-behaved1      
selfish1 cruel1 and unjust2 he only     

associates with his fellows for the     
purpose of packing together to  destroy 
other animals1 which cannot be effected 
otherwise4 ,he will  sometimes1 indeed1 
let a supplicating dog1 into which he   
has inspired  terror1 sneak off2 and ,i 
have often watched to see the wary1     
circumspect  plan that a strange dog    
adopts on his being obliged to pass     
through a  village1 or through amongst  
those of his equally ill-behaved        
brethren1  the butchers' dogs in a town4
 ,it is curious to see the stranger1    
upon  these occasions1 view his danger1 
and then affect lameness1 and go        
8hirpling0 through amongst them         
unmolested4 ,i knew their instinct was  
surprising1 but some of their reasoning 
powers ,i had not tried2 and1 for  this 
purpose1 when a boy1 ,i cut two thin    
slices of meat and plastered  the       
insides with mustard1 and then threw it 
to one of my father's dogs4  ,this1 he  
being very apt at 8kepping0 caught in   
his mouth1 and1 as  quickly as he could1

 got quit of it again2 and1 from that   
time1 he would  rather run the risk of  
losing it than 8kep0 any more4 ,to prove
 how far  selfishness and malignity     
would operate upon him1 ,i placed two   
basins  filled with very hot1 fat broth1
 at a distance from each other1 when he 
ran from one to the other to prevent a  
spaniel bitch from partaking of  either 
of them4 ,his attention was so taken up 
with thus watching her1  that at length 
his patience was exhausted1 by going so 
often from one  basin to the other1     
that1 with the utmost vengeance1 he     
seized her1 and  tore away his mouthful 
of skin from her side4    ,on my return 
from ,wycliffe1 being thoroughly        
drenched with an incessant  rain1 ,i    
called upon an old and much-esteemed    
schoolfellow1 at ,bishop  ,auckland1 and
 spent a day or two with him1 in busy   
converse about our  former transactions 
at school1 c4 ,perhaps few have passed  
through life  without experiencing the  
pleasure that a retrospect of the times 

gone by  thus afford to old cronies1 in 
talking over the recollections of       
youthful frolics1 and even of the       
discipline which followed in            
consequence of them4    ,as soon as ,i  
arrived in ,newcastle1 ,i immediately   
began to engrave from  the drawings of  
the birds ,i had made at ,wycliffe2 but 
,i had not been  long thus engaged till 
,i found the very great difference      
between  preserved specimens and those  
from ,nature2 no regard having been     
paid1  at that time1 to fix the former  
in their proper attitudes1 nor to place 
the different series of the feathers so 
as to fall properly upon each  other4   
,it has always given me a great deal of 
trouble to get at the  markings of the  
dishevelled plumage2 and1 when done with
 every pains1 ,i  never felt satisfied  
with them4 ,i was on this account driven
 to wait for  birds newly shot1 or      
brought to me alive1 and in the         
intervals employed  my time in designing
 and engraving tail-pieces1 or          

vignettes4 ,my  sporting friends1       
however1 supplied me with birds as fast 
as they could2  but none more so than my
 kind friend the late ,major ,h4 ,f4    
,gibson1 of the  #dth ,dragoons4        
,lieut4-,col4 ,dalton1 ,major ,shore1   
,captain 7now ,general7  ,dalbiac1 and  
other officers of the same regiment1    
also shewed great  attention to the     
growing work4 ,besides these1 many birds
 were sent to me  by friends from       
various parts of the ,kingdom1 but the  
obligations ,i owe  are mostly          
acknowledged in their proper places in  
the work4 ,after  working many a late   
hour upon the cuts1 the first volume of 
the book was  at length finished at     
press in ,september1 #agig4 ,mr4 ,beilby
 undertook the  writing or compilation  
of this the first volume1 in which ,i   
assisted him  a great deal more than ,i 
had done with the ,quadrupeds4 ,after   
this1 ,mr4  ,beilby gave up the         
engraving business1 and dedicated his   
whole time to  the watch-crystal and    

clock manufactory1 in which he had been 
long  engaged before our separation4    
,the printing of other editions of the  
first volume of the ,birds still  met   
with a ready sale2 but some disputes    
happening respecting the  printing of   
the ,quadrupeds1 ,mr4 ,beilby1 who now  
sought repose1 and could  not be        
turmoiled with disputes of any kind1    
sold me his share of that  publication4 
,sometime before the second volume of   
the ,birds was put to  press1 he also   
sold me his share of the first volume4  
,i had no sooner  agreed to give the    
price demanded than many recollections  
of the past  crowded upon my mind1 and1 
looking at the unfavourable side1 ,i    
could not  help thinking of the extra   
labour and time ,i had spent in the     
completion  of these works1 wherein he  
had born comparatively a small part--not
 even  an equivalent in time and labour 
in the other department of our          
business2 and in this instance ,i could 
not help thinking that he had  suffered 

greediness to take possession of his    
mind2 but1 having promised  to pay the  
sum1 ,i made no further observations to 
any one4 ,on the other  side of this    
account1 ,i called to my remembrance the
 many obligations ,i  owed him1 for the 
wise admonitions he had given1 and the  
example he had  set me1 while ,i was    
only a wild and giddy youth4 ,these ,i  
never could  forget1 and they implanted 
so rooted a respect for him that ,i had 
grudged nothing ,i could do to promote  
his happiness4 ,i had noticed1 for  some
 time past1 that he had been led under a
 guidance and influence that  made an   
alteration in his conduct for the worse2
 and he appeared to me  not to be the   
,ralph ,beilby#ca he had been4 ,i used  
to think him careful  and sometimes     
penurious1 and this disposition might   
indeed have crept  and increased upon   
him2 but1 whatever natural failings     
might be in his  composition1 these had 
heretofore been checked and regulated by
 the  rules of morality and religion4   

,it seemed to me that it must have been 
a  maxim with him to do justice to all1 
but not to confer favours upon any  one2
 and yet he often joined me in          
conferring such1 in various ways1  upon 
our apprentices and others of our       
workpeople1 for which we commonly  had  
dirt thrown in our faces4    ,footnote  
#ca3      ,ralph ,beilby1 engraver1     
,newcastle1 died #dth ,jan4 #ahag1 aged 
#gc1 and    was buried at ,st4          
,andrew's4    ,it does not require any  
great stretch of observation to discover
 that  gratitude is a rare virtue1 and  
that1 whatever favours are conferred    
upon an ungrateful man1 he will conclude
 that these would not have been         
bestowed upon him had he not deserved   
them4 ,in these our gifts1 ,i was to    
blame in thus conferring favours that it
 would have been as well to let  alone4 
,in other charities he was not backward 
in contributing his mite1  but in these 
matters he was led by wisdom4 ,in the   
former case1 mine1 by  giving vent to my

 feelings1 were led by folly2 but1      
indeed1 these  follies were trivial     
compared with others relative to money  
matters1 in  which ,i had been led away 
by my feelings1 in lending money to     
some1 and  in being bound for the       
payment of it for others1 which1 if ,i  
had been  more of his disposition1 would
 not have happened2 and ,i now clearly  
see  and feel that1 had it not been for 
these imprudences1 ,i should1 at this   
day1 have found myself in better and    
very different circumstances than  those
 ,i am in4 ,my partner1 indeed1 often   
watched1 and sometimes  prevented me1   
from engaging in such ruinous concerns1 
and would remark  to me that it was     
impossible to serve any man who would   
not serve  himself4    ,as soon as ,mr4 
,beilby left me1 ,i was obliged1 from   
necessity1 not  choice1 to commence     
author4 ,as soon as each bird was       
finished on the  wood1 ,i set about     
describing it from my specimen1 and at  
the same time  consulted every authority

 ,i could meet with1 to know what had   
been said2  and this together with what 
,i knew1 from my own knowledge1 were    
then  compared2 and1 in this way1 ,i    
finished as truly as ,i could the second
  volume of the ,history of ,birds4 ,i  
also examined the first volume1 with a  
view to correct its errors1 and to add  
many new figures and descriptions  of   
them to it4 ,although all this could not
 be done but by close1 and1  indeed1    
severe confinement and application1 yet 
,i was supported by the  extreme        
pleasure ,i felt in depicturing and     
describing these beautiful  and         
interesting aerial wanderers of the     
,british ,isles4 ,i also hoped that  my 
labours might perhaps have the effect of
 inveigling my youthful  countrymen to  
be smitten with the charms which this   
branch1--and1 indeed1  every other      
department of ,natural                  
,history1--imparts1 and with the endless
  pleasures afforded to all who wish to 
8trace ,nature up to ,nature's ,god40   

,while ,i was thus proceeding1 ,i was   
encouraged and flattered by amateurs1   
who took a deep interest in my growing  
work1 and seemed to partake of  the     
ardour in which ,i had long indulged4   
,from them birds were sent to me  from  
far and near2 but1 to give a list of the
 names of these friends1  and to detail 
the kindness ,i experienced first and   
last1 might indeed be  giving vent to my
 feelings of gratitude1 but it would far
 exceed the  bounds prescribed to this  
,memoir4                                
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xiv4      ,,whilst ,i was   
engaged with figures of the             
,water-,birds1 and the ,vignettes1  and 
writing the ,history1 ,i was greatly    
retarded by being obliged often  to lay 
that work aside1 to do various other    
jobs in the wood engraving1  and also   
the work of the shop1 for my customers  
in the town1  particularly writing      
engraving1 which1 ,i may say1 ,i was    

obliged to learn  and to pursue after   
,mr4 ,beilby left me4 ,the most         
interesting part of  this kind of work  
was plates for bank notes2 but1 as one  
of the most  important of these was a   
five pound note for the ,carlisle ,bank1
 which  attracted much notice1 it may be
 right to give some account of it4 ,it  
happened1 one evening1 that1 whilst ,i  
was in company with ,george ,losh1      
,esq41 who was in some way connected    
with that bank1 he asked me if ,i  could
 engrave a bank note that could not be  
easily forged4 ,in reply1 ,i  told him  
,i thought ,i could4 8,then10 said he1  
8do it immediately20 and ,i  lost no    
time in beginning upon it4 ,i had1 at   
that time1 never seen a  ruling machine1
 nor the beautiful engine-turning lately
 brought into use  by ,perkins1         
,fairman1 and ,heath1 which were at that
 time1 ,i believe1  utterly unknown4 ,i 
however1 proceeded with my plate1 and my
 object was  to make the device look    
like a wood cut2 and in this1 though a  

first  attempt1 ,i succeeded2 and the   
number of impressions wanted were sent  
to  ,carlisle4    ,soon after this1 ,i  
was told by ,sir ,t4 ,f--1 ,bart41 that 
his brother1 who  held some office under
 government1 and was much with the      
,king--,george  ,,iii41 whose curiosity 
was insatiable as to everything relative
 to the  arts--had got one of these bank
 notes4 ,sir ,t4 ,f--'s brother showed  
it to  the ,king1 who greatly admired   
and approved of it4 ,about two years    
after  this1 in the year #ahja1 ,samuel 
,thornton1 ,esq41 of the ,bank of       
,england1  wrote to me respecting this  
note1 and wished to know how it was     
executed1 and whether it was done on    
wood or copper1 c4 ,i was strongly      
advised1 by a friend1 not to give the   
gentlemen of that bank any  information 
whatever about my plate2 8for10 said he1
 8as soon as they  know the nature of   
what they are enquiring after1 you will 
hear no more  from them40 ,i did not    
take his advice2 and1 after a deal of   

trouble in  writing to them1 and stating
 amongst many other matters1 that1      
8though  my plate would do well for     
country banks1 it would not do for the  
great  number wanted for the ,bank of   
,england10 the business ended in        
nothing4  ,it may perhaps be well1 while
 ,i am on the subject of bank notes1 to 
pass  over a number of years1 and come  
down to the year #ahah1 when a          
commission was appointed to investigate 
the business of forgery1 and to         
endeavour to prevent it in future4 ,some
 time previous to this1 ,i was  employed
 by my friend1 ,john ,bailey1 ,esq41 of 
,chillingham1 to engrave  plates to     
prevent a repetition of the pen-and-ink 
forgeries which had  been committed upon
 the ,berwick ,bank1 which it was found 
had been better  imitations than could  
be made from copper plates4 ,in this ,i 
succeeded2  and also1 by a simple       
process1 on the plates ,i engraved for  
the  ,northumberland ,bank4 ,immediately
 on the heel of this1 and as soon as the

  commissioners above-mentioned had     
commenced their enquiries1 it seemed  as
 if the services and abilities of all   
the artists in the kingdom were  held in
 requisition1 to give in their specimens
 and their schemes for  this purpose2   
and1 willing to contribute1 all in my   
power to accomplish  so desirable an    
end1 ,i1 amongst many others1 gave in my
 plan4 ,the  leading object with me was 
permanency1 or1 in other words1 to aim  
at  executing a device that would never 
need either alteration or repairs2  and 
the other part of my plan was1 that the 
device should be of such a  nature1 that
 all men of common discernment could    
easily recognize the  note as a         
legitimate one4 ,in my letters to ,sir  
,joseph ,banks1 ,i did not  mention     
anything about using types1 or how      
highly ,i approved of their  use1       
because ,i knew that others had done so 
before1 and to point out in  which way  
,i conceived they would be of importance
 would now be useless2  since the       

commissioners1 or the ,bank1 have       
rejected every scheme 7so far  as ,i    
know7 that has been laid before them4   
,this to me has always  appeared        
strange2 as1 in my opinion1 there have  
been several proposals  laid before them
 very efficient for the purpose of      
preventing forgeries1  if not for       
setting that nefarious work at rest4    
,the beautiful specimens first produced 
by ,fairman1 ,perkins1 and ,heath1  from
 their steel plates or blocks1 were1 in 
my opinion1 inimitable1 and  quite      
sufficient to answer the end intended2  
and those afterwards  brought forward1  
under the auspices of ,sir ,william     
,congreve1 are nearly  of the same      
character and import4 ,if an engine     
turner cannot set his  lathe1 so as to  
trace or copy the delicate and truly    
exact curves1  lines1 c41 which are     
shown in both1 it is not likely that any
 forgery  would ever be attempted upon  
either of them4 ,if they had been less  
complex1 ,i should have liked them      

better2 but1 as they are1 the best      
engravers on either copper1 steel1 or   
wood1 will not attempt an  imitation4   
,they may1 indeed1 gaze at them--but    
that is all4    ,it was always          
surprising to me that none of the       
ingenious schemes1--so  long under the  
consideration of the                    
commissioners1--were adopted2 but1  when
 ,i read1 in a newspaper1 that ,mr4     
,pierce had stood up in the ,house  of  
,commons1 and in answer to a question   
put to him there1 had said1 in  reply1  
8that the commissioners were of opinion 
that nothing better than  the old bank  
note could be devised to prevent        
forgery60--then1 indeed1 ,i  could      
scarcely believe my own eyes1--my       
astonishment was complete1 and my       
opinion of the whole business of this   
8mountain in labour0 was fixed4         
,during the time that the business of   
the commissioners seemed to me to  be   
hanging in suspense1 ,i wrote a letter  
to ,sir ,joseph ,banks1 in which ,i     

endeavoured to press upon his attention1
 and that of his colleagues1 as  a means
 of preventing forgery1 the necessity of
 having the blank paper  for country    
bank notes printed with a new device in 
lieu of the little  duty stamp then     
used1 and which had simply in view the  
collection of the  government duty4     
,sometime after this1 a long account of 
the inventions  of ,sir ,william        
,congreve1 ,bart41 were published in the
 8,repository of  ,arts10 for ,march1   
#ahbb1 setting forth how much country   
banks1 and the  whole country was       
obliged to him1 as the inventor of1 or  
the person who  first suggested1 a      
scheme so essentially important as this 
for  preventing forgery4 ,as soon as ,i 
read this1 ,i answered it in the        
8,monthly ,magazine10 of ,may1 #ahbb1 in
 which ,i quoted my letters to the      
commissioners1 with the dates bearing   
upon this very subject1 and  claimed for
 myself the merit of having first       
suggested the scheme4 ,at  the same     

time1 ,i only requested ,sir ,william   
,congreve would1 on the word  of a      
gentleman1 say whether or not the scheme
 was his or mine4 ,of this  neither ,sir
 ,william nor any of the commissioners  
took any notice1  excepting1 indeed1    
something purporting to be an answer to 
what ,i had  said1 by a person in the   
employ of ,sir ,william1 as an artist1  
which1  though it begun very impudently1
 did not answer my letter at all4 ,this 
,i  could not help treating with        
contempt4 ,to enter into a paper war    
with  such a person1 ,i thought would be
 great folly4 ,sir ,william appears to  
be  going on prosperously1 by furnishing
 bankers with his stamped note  papers1 
and printing them in the way above      
described4    ,sir ,william ,congreve1  
as a commissioner1 had the advantage of 
seeing the  various devices1 and of     
knowing the opinions of the various     
artists upon  these devices1 which      
enabled him to cull and select such as  
appeared to  him best calculated to     

prevent forgery2 and1 ,i think1 as he   
was no  artist himself1 he should not   
have taken the credit either of inventor
  or executor of any of these devices1  
nor have turned the profit arising  from
 them to his own private account4       
,illustration                           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xv4      ,,during a severe  
illness with which ,i was visited in    
#ahab1--the  particulars of which ,i    
need not detail to you1 my dear ,jane1  
as the part  you and your mother and    
sisters took1 in nursing me night and   
day1 must  be fresh in all your         
memories1 and which ,i only here mention
 on account  of its association1--,i    
determined1 if ,i recovered1 to go on   
with a  publication of 8sop's ,fables40 
,while ,i lay helpless1 from weakness1  
and  pined to a skeleton1 without any   
hopes of recovery being entertained     
either by myself or any one else1 ,i    
became1 as it were1 all mind and        

memory4 ,i had presented to my          
recollection almost everything that had 
passed through life1 both what ,i had   
done and what ,i had left undone4       
,after much debating in my own mind     
where ,i should be buried1 ,i fixed     
upon ,ovingham2 and1 when this was      
settled1 ,i became quite resigned to    
the will of ,omnipotence1 and felt      
happy4 ,i could not1 however1 help      
regretting that ,i had not published a  
book similar to 8,croxall's sop's       
,fables10 as ,i had always intended to  
do4 ,i was extremely fond of that  book2
 and1 as it had afforded me much        
pleasure1 ,i thought1 with better       
executed designs1 it would impart the   
same kind of delight to others  that ,i 
had experienced from attentively reading
 it4 ,i was also of  opinion1 that it   
had 7while admiring the cuts7 led       
hundreds of young men  into the paths of
 wisdom and rectitude1 and in that way  
had materially  assisted the pulpit4    
,as soon as ,i was so far recovered as  

to be able to sit at the window at      
home1 ,i began to draw designs upon the 
wood of the fables and vignettes2  and  
to me this was a most delightful task4  
,in impatiently pushing  forward to get 
to press with the publication1 ,i       
availed myself of the  help of my       
pupils--my son1 ,william ,harvey1 and   
,william ,temple--who were  eager to do 
their utmost to forward me in the       
engraving business1 and in  my struggles
 to get the book ushered into the world4
 ,notwithstanding the  pleasurable      
business of bringing out this           
publication1 ,i felt it an  arduous     
undertaking4 ,the execution of the fine 
work of the cuts1 during  day-light1 was
 very trying to the eyes1 and the       
compiling or writing the  book by       
candle-light1 in my evenings at home1   
together injured the optic  nerve1 and  
that put all the rest of the nerves 8out
 of tune20 so that ,i  was obliged1 for 
a short time1 to leave off such intense 
application  until ,i somewhat recovered

 the proper tone of memory and of sight4
  ,indeed ,i found in this book more    
difficulties to conquer than ,i had     
experienced with either the             
8,quadrupeds0 or the 8,birds40 ,the work
 was  finished at press on the first of 
,october1 #ahah4 ,it was not so well    
printed as ,i expected and wished4      
,during the eventful period of the      
,french ,revolution1 and the            
wide-spreading war which followed in    
consequence of it1 and in which our     
government became deeply engaged1       
extending from #agic to #ahad--;a time  
of  blood and slaughter--,i frequently1 
by way of unbending the mind after the  
labours of the day1 spent my evenings in
 company with a set of staunch          
advocates for the liberties of mankind1 
who discussed the passing events  mostly
 with the cool1 sensible1 and deliberate
 attention which the  importance of the 
subject required4 ,in partaking in these
 debatings1 ,i  now find ,i spent rather
 too much time4 ,i fear it was useless2 

for it  requires little discernment to  
see that1 where a man's interest is at  
stake1 he is very unwilling to hear any 
argument that militates against  it2 and
 people who are well paid are always    
very loyal4 ,to argue on any  subject1  
unless a principle1 or what             
mathematicians would call a datum1  is  
first laid down to go upon1 is only     
gabble4 ,it begins and must end in      
nonsense2 and ,i suspect that many of   
the long1 wearisome speeches and        
debatings1 carried on for such a number 
of years in the ,houses of ,lords  and  
,commons1 as well as many of the        
innumerable weekly or daily essays1  and
 some of the pamphlets which the        
revolution and the war gave rise to1    
were devoid of a right principle--a     
principle of rectitude to guide them4   
,the causes of this ,revolution1 and the
 horrible war which ended it1 will  form
 a most interesting subject for the head
 and the pen of some future  historian  
of a bold and enlightened mind--truly to

 depicture it in all  its bearings1     
perhaps long after the animosity of     
party feelings and the  parties         
themselves have passed away4    ,from   
the best consideration ,i have been able
 to give to the question1 ,i  cannot    
help viewing it in this way4 ,in the    
year #aghi1 the ,french  ,revolution    
broke out1 first of all from the income 
of the government not  being sufficient 
to defray its expenditure1 or in other  
words1 from its  finances having become 
deranged for want of money1 and which   
the people1  having been taxed to the   
utmost and brought down to poverty1     
could no  longer supply4 ,the           
aristocracy and the priesthood 7the     
privileged  orders1 as they were called7
 contributed little or nothing to       
support  the state2 and1 instead of     
being the natural guardians or          
depositories  of the honour and virtue  
of the nation1 they were chiefly known  
as its  oppressors4 ,by exaction1       
cruelty1 and tyranny1 the people had    

long been  borne down to the lowest     
pitch of degradation4 ,they were        
considered1 not  as rational human      
beings1 equal in mind and intellect to  
their  oppressors1 but as beings made   
for the purpose only of continually     
labouring to support them in all their  
real and imaginary wants4 ,this is      
nearly the case in all countries where  
the aristocracy are kept up and  blinded
 by pride and guided by ignorance4 ,in  
this they are supported by  what may be 
called their satellites--a kind of      
bastard breed1 who1 in  aping the worst 
part of the character of those exalted  
above them1 show  themselves off as the 
opulent1 aspiring1 purse-proud gentry of
 a  country4                 8,if aught 
on earth th' immortal powers deride1    
',tis surely this1--the littleness of   
pride40    ,this kind of treatment1 so  
long shown to the people of ,france1    
could be  endured no longer4 ,they1     
indeed1 seemed heartily disposed to     
settle a  rational and just             

representative government quietly       
themselves2 but this  did not suit the  
views of the surrounding despots1 to    
whom the very word  liberty was         
offensive1 and it was determined1 at    
once1 that this attempt  of the people  
to resume their rights should instantly 
be overwhelmed4  ,for this purpose1     
immense armed and well-disciplined      
mercenaries were  gathered together1 and
 almost surrounded the country4 ,thus   
situated1 and  remembering the          
traditionary tales handed down to them  
of the cruelties  and oppressions under 
which their forefathers had groaned1 the
 ,french  people could not bear their   
condition any longer4 ,they were driven 
to  madness1 and instantly retaliated   
upon their oppressors1 who1 they        
conceived1 meant that they and their    
children's children should continue  to 
be doomed for ages to come4 ,in this    
state of the public mind1 the  ,french  
people rose simultaneously1 as one man1 
and with unconquerable  energy and      

bravery1 like a whirlwind1 swept the    
advocates and the armies  of despotism  
from off the face of the earth4 ,thus   
roused1 this  confederacy of            
,legitimates1 finding or fearing that   
they might be  baffled in their         
attempts1 looked to ,england for        
support2 and grieved1  indeed1 were the 
advocates of rational liberty to find   
that these  enemies to freedom had not  
looked in vain2 for the government of   
this  free country and free people--long
 veering1 indeed1 from the line of      
rectitude--had readily found pretexts   
for entering into a war in support  of  
despotism2 and war was begun1 in the    
year #agic1 against the  republican     
government of ,france4    ,it had long  
been the settled opinion of many        
profound politicians1 that  corruption  
had spread1 and was spreading1 its      
baneful influence among  the members of 
the government of this kingdom2 and that
 the majority  cared nothing about      
maintaining the constitution in its     

purity1 which to  them was become like  
an old song4 ,in this state of things1  
with ,mr4 ,pitt  at their head1 and the 
resources of the ,british ,isles in     
their hands1 it  was calculated upon as 
a certainty that his weight1 added to   
the already  powerful confederacy1 would
 soon put a stop to the march of        
intellect1  and1 if found necessary1 put
 an extinguisher upon the rights of man4
    ,it is horrible to contemplate the  
immense destruction of human beings1    
and the waste of treasure1 which        
followed and supported this             
superlatively wicked war4 ,under the    
mask of patriotism1 ,mr4 ,pitt had      
begun his career1 but he soon changed   
sides1 and1 blinded perhaps by          
ambition1 became the powerful advocate  
of an opposite and perverted  order of  
things4 ,thus situated1 nothing could to
 a certainty serve his  purpose so well 
as corruption2 and the ,house of        
,commons had long been  growing into a  
state befitting his purpose2 for its    

members had1 in a  great degree1 ceased 
to be the representatives of the people1
 and he had  now only to begin an       
invigorated1 new1 or more extended      
system of place  and patronage to have  
the majority at his nod2 and1 in aid of 
this1 to  add an extension of the       
peerage4 ,this demi-oligarchy1 cemented 
together  by feelings of rapacious      
interests1 in his hands was the best    
organised  system of extorting money    
that ever had appeared in the world4    
,they met  together to tax--tax--tax2   
and1 under various pretexts1 to rob the 
people  8according to law10 and to      
divide the spoil amongst themselves and 
their  friends4 ,arbitrary laws were    
enacted1 gagging bills were passed1 and 
a  system of espionage spread over the  
kingdom to keep the people down1  many  
of whom seemed to have forgotten the    
exertions of their  forefathers1 whose  
blood had been spilt to purchase a      
better order of  things4 ,i felt        
particularly hurt at the apathy of      

country gentlemen in  these 7politically
 considered7 worst of times4 ,their     
faculties seemed  benumbed2 but1 indeed1
 most of them fell into the vortex of   
corruption  themselves4 ,they appeared  
to me to have lost their former         
independent  character1 and to be now   
looking out to that evil source as a    
provision  for the younger branches of  
their own families1 unmindful of all    
other  ill consequences1 which this     
selfishness blindly supported and       
maintained4 ,the minions of power were  
countenanced and protected1 by  which   
they became insolent and impudent1 and  
walked in stately array1  hand in hand1 
in safety4 ,although the friends of     
liberty and the  constitution were both 
numerous and intrepid1 yet1 for want of 
what they  termed respectable heads1    
they were widely spread and divided1 and
 their  efforts proved in vain4 ,there  
was also an intermediate or neutral     
race1  consisting of those who had not  
laid down any principle to guide them4  

,they were mostly such as advocated the 
cause of corruption2 and1 in  listening 
to them1 ,i was disgusted at their      
senseless arguments4 ,they  were proof  
against reasoning1 and thoroughly       
convinced me that 8a wise  man changes  
his opinion1 but a fool never does40    
,they1 however1 kept on  the safe side2 
they were loyal2 and the gist of their  
arguments1 with  which they ended all   
their disputes1 were summed up in       
this--8,if you do  not like your        
country1 leave it4 ,what do you want8   
are not we very  well off80 ,their      
reflecting powers reached no further1   
and they could  not see by what slow    
degrees the arm of despotism had so     
often  circumspectly stretched its iron 
hand over the liberties of the people1  
and then crushed them4    ,while        
bickerings and debatings were going on  
amongst politicians at  home1 the       
,continent was deluged with the blood of
 many destructive  battles4 ,the sea was
 also crimsoned in the same way2 and it 

was on this  element that the tide of   
affairs was first turned in favour of   
,britain1  who now1 by the valour of her
 seamen1 reigned complete 8mistress of  
the  deep10 and the commerce of the     
world seemed to be poured into her lap4 
,estates rose in value to an            
extraordinary height1 and the price of  
grain1 c41 still more so4 ,the shipping 
interest wallowed in riches2 the  gentry
 whirled about in aristocratic          
pomposity2 they forgot what their       
demeanour and good1 kind1 behaviour used
 to be to those in inferior  stations of
 life2 and seemed now far too often to  
look upon them like  dirt4 ,the         
character of the richer class of farmers
 was also changed4  ,they acted the     
gentleman very awkwardly1 and many of   
them could not1 in  these times1 drink  
anything but wine1 and even that was    
called 8humble  port40 ,when these      
upstart gentlemen left the market1 they 
were ready to  ride over all they met or
 overtook on the way2 but this was as   

nothing  compared to the pride and folly
 which took possession of their empty or
  fume-charged heads1 when they got     
dressed in scarlet4 ,they were then     
fitted for any purpose1 and were called 
8yeomanry cavalry40 ,pride and  folly   
then became personified4 ,when peace    
came1 it brought with it a  sudden fall 
in the price of corn2 but the taxes     
continuing the same to  them1 and rents 
still keeping high1 they1 with few      
exceptions1 suddenly  experienced a     
woful change4 ,i cannot say1 after      
seeing so much of their  folly1 that ,i 
was sorry for them2 for they mostly     
deserved this reverse  of fortune4 ,not 
so with the industrious labourer4 ,his  
privations were  great1 and he was      
undeservedly doomed to suffer for want  
of employment1  and often to waste away 
and die of hunger and want4    ,during  
the greater portion of the war1 the     
landowners may be said to  have paid    
little or nothing to support it2 for the
 extra rents paid  almost all their     

taxes2 but at length the evils brought  
on by so long a  war fell also heavily  
upon numbers of them1 who1 on account of
 tithes  and taxes with which the land  
was loaded1 could hardly get any rent at
  all4    ,it will seem a wonder to     
future ages how the ,british people     
could so  long have supported the       
squandered expenditure of the           
government2 still  they were not like   
the long-worn-down subjects of          
continental despots2  for what the      
latter can get from their subjects is   
like clippings from  the back and sides 
of swine1 while the ingenuity1 the      
industry1 and the  energy of the        
,british people furnish the well-grown  
fleeces of sheep4  ,pity it is that they
 should have been so often wickedly     
shorn to the  bare skin4    ,this state 
of temporary prosperity1 to which ,i    
have alluded1 incited to  agricultural  
improvements2 and societies for the     
promotion1 and premiums  for the        
encouragement1 of various desiderata    

blazed forth over a great  part of the  
kingdom4 ,cattle1 sheep1 horses1 and    
swine1 all of which were  called 8live  
stock10 occupied a great deal of        
attention1 and in the  improvement of   
the various breeds agriculturalists     
succeeded to a  certain1 and in some    
cases1 perhaps1 to a great extent4 ,and 
yet ,i cannot  help thinking that they  
often suffered their whimsies to        
overshoot the  mark1 and in many        
instances to lead them on to the        
ridiculous4    ,after all1--these       
enquiries having opened the eyes of the 
landlords to  their own interests1--it  
is not unlikely that the man of         
industry1 the  plain1 plodding farmer   
will1 without receiving any reward1 have
 to pay  for these improvements4 ,my    
kind1 my intimate friend1 ,john ,bailey1
 ,esq41  of ,chillingham1 in conjunction
 with another friend of mine1 ,george   
,culley1 ,esq41 of ,fowberry1 were the  
active1 judicious1 and sensible  authors
 of many of the agricultural reports1 in

 which they did not lose  sight of the  
farmer4 ,they wished to inculcate the   
principle of 8to live  and let live0    
between landlord and tenant4    ,it will
 readily be supposed1 that1 where such  
exertions were made1 and  pains taken to
 breed the best kinds of all the        
domestic animals1  jealousy and envy    
would be excited1 and contentions arise 
as to which  were the best2 but for me  
to dilate upon this would only lead me  
out of  the way4 ,i shall1 however1     
notice an instance1 as it happened to   
occur  between my two friends1 ,mr4     
,smith1 of ,woodhall1 and ,mr4 ,bailey4 
,the  latter1 in connection with his    
report on ,cheviot sheep1 had given a   
bad  figure of a ram of that breed4     
,this was construed into a design to    
lessen the character of ,mr4 ,smith's   
,cheviot sheep1 on which1 in ,april1    
#agih1 the latter sent for me to draw   
and engrave a figure of one of his      
rams1 by way of contrasting it with the 
figure ,mr4 ,bailey had given4 ,the     

colour ,mr4 ,smith gave to the business 
was1 not to find fault with ,mr4        
,bailey's figure1 but to show how much  
he 7,mr4 ,smith7 had improved the  breed
 since ,mr4 ,bailey had written his     
report4    ,whilst ,i was at ,woodhall1 
,i was struck with the sagacity of a dog
  belonging to ,mr4 ,smith4 ,the        
character for sagacity of the           
,shepherd's ,dog  was well-known to me1 
but this instance of it was exemplified 
before my  own eyes4 ,mr4 ,smith wished 
to have a particular ram brought out    
from  amongst the flock1 for the purpose
 of my seeing it4 ,before we set out1   
he observed to the shepherd1 that he    
thought the old dog 7he was  grey-headed
 and almost blind7 would do well enough 
for what he wanted  with him4 ,before we
 reached the down1 where the flock was  
feeding1 ,i  observed that ,mr4 ,smith  
was talking to the dog before he ordered
 him off  on his errand2 and1 while we  
were conversing on some indifferent     
subject1 the dog brought a ram before   

us4 ,mr4 ,smith found a deal of  fault  
with the dog1 saying1 ,did ,i not order 
you so and so8 and he  scolded him for  
bringing a wrong sheep1 and then1 after 
fresh  directions1 set him off again to 
bring the one he wished me to see4 ,we  
then returned home1 and shortly after   
our arrival there1 the dog brought  the 
very ram wanted1 along with a few other 
sheep1 into the fold1 where  ,i took a  
drawing of him4    ,shortly after my    
return from ,woodhall1 ,i was sent for  
to ,darlington1 and  thence to          
,barmpton1 to make drawings of cattle   
and sheep1 to be engraved  for a ,durham
 report4 ,after ,i had made my drawings 
from the fat sheep1 ,i  soon saw that   
they were not approved1 but that they   
were to be made like  certain paintings 
shown to me4 ,i observed to my employer 
that the  paintings bore no resemblance 
to the animals whose figures ,i had made
 my  drawings from2 and that ,i would   
not alter mine to suit the paintings    
that were shown to me2 but1 if it were  

wished that ,i should make  engravings  
from these paintings1 ,i had not the    
slightest objection to do  so1 and ,i   
would also endeavour to make fac similes
 of them4 ,this  proposal would not do2 
and my journey1 as far as concerned     
these fat  cattle makers1 ended in      
nothing4 ,i objected to put lumps of fat
 here and  there where ,i could not see 
it1 at least not in so exaggerated a way
 as  on the painting before me2 so 8,i  
got my labour for my trouble40 ,many of 
the animals were1 during this rage for  
fat cattle1 fed up to as great  a weight
 and bulk as it was possible for feeding
 to make them2 but this  was not enough2
 they were to be figured monstrously fat
 before the  owners of them could be    
pleased4 ,painters were found who were  
quite  subservient to this guidance1 and
 nothing else would satisfy4 ,many of   
these paintings will mark the times1    
and1 by the exaggerated productions  of 
the artists1 serve to be laughed at when
 the folly and the  self-interested     

motives which gave birth to them are    
done away4    ,illustration             
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xvi4      ,,from this time  
till the peace was concluded1 the       
political debatings1  before noticed1   
continued1 and were almost the constant 
subject of all  companies4 ,i have often
 sat and listened with wonder to the    
jargon of  the protected fools1 and     
heard them argue1 if so it may be       
called1 in  defence of all the measures 
then pursued2 and ,i have seen with     
surprise  the impudence of those who    
lived upon the taxes4 ,knaves and their 
abettors appeared to predominate in the 
land2 and they carried their            
subserviency to such a length that ,i   
think1 if ,mr4 ,pitt had proposed to    
make a law to transport all men who had 
pug noses1 and to hang all men  above   
#fj years of age1 these persons 7those  
excepted who came within the  meaning of
 the act7 would have advocated it as a  

brilliant thought and a  wise measure4  
,if we examine the history of these     
times1 and look back to those of old1   
we shall find that the in-roads of      
ignorance have ever been the same4  ,the
 time was when the magistrates of       
,newcastle sent to ,scotland for a  man 
who was reputed clever in discovering   
witches4 ,he came1 and easily  convicted
 many a fine woman1 as well as those who
 were wrinkled by age  and wisdom1 and  
they were by his means tried and put to 
death4#cb    ,footnote #cb3      8,he   
was for such like villainie condemned in
 ,scotland1 and upon the    gallows he  
confessed he had been the death of two  
hundred and twenty    women1 in ,england
 and ,scotland1 for the gain of twenty  
shillings    a-peece1 and beseeched     
forgiveness and was                     
executed40--,england's    ,grievance1 by
 ,ralph ,gardner1 #affe4    ,i think1 if
 there be a plurality of devils1        
ignorance must be their  king4 ,the     
wretchedness which ignorance has1 from  

time to time1 spread  over the world is 
truly appaling4 ,this is a king that    
should be deposed  without loss of time2
 and that portion of mankind who are    
under the  guidance of his imps should  
have nothing to do with the affairs of  
society1 and should be carefully looked 
to and kept out of every kind of        
command4 ,even the poor1 innocent1      
unreasoning animals should1 in mercy1   
not be allowed to be goaded1 and to     
suffer under their ignorance1 in the    
shape of folly and cruelty4    ,to      
attempt giving anything like a detail of
 the history of this eventful  war      
would1 in this place1 be useless3 that  
must be left to the  historian4 ,it     
appears to me that ,mr4 ,pitt was urged 
into it chiefly by  ambition1 and that  
disappointment broke his heart4 ,general
 ,bonaparte1  from his unparalleled     
victories1 became in his turn blinded by
 ambition1  which ended in his being    
conquered and banished to ,st4 ,helena  
for life4  ,he had divided and conquered

 almost all his continental enemies1 one
  after another1 and then mostly        
reinstated them in their dominions4 ,but
  this generosity would not do4         
,despotism1 urged on and supported by   
this  country1 was rooted too deeply in 
the governments of ,europe to think of  
making any change to better the         
condition of the people4 ,it would      
appear  that that is a business they    
cannot think of2 and the old maxim1 that
  the many are made only to support the 
few1 seems continually uppermost  in    
their resolves4 ,if ,bonaparte had been 
as good a man as he was a great  one1 he
 had it in his power to settle all this1
 and to have established  the happiness 
of both the governors and the governed1 
over all the  civilised world1 for ages 
to come4 ,although he had the example of
 the  incomparable ,washington before   
him1 he did not copy it4 ,he ceased to  
be  first consul1 managed to assume the 
title of emperor1 married an  ,austrian 
arch-duchess1 and became one of the     

,legitimates4 ,this added to  the stock 
of his ambition1 and from that time he  
began to decline4  ,fortune at length   
seemed to frown upon him1 and the frost 
and snow of  ,russia cut off and        
destroyed his immensely large and       
well-appointed  army4 ,he was baffled in
 his strenuous efforts to repair his    
loss1 and  his defeat at ,waterloo      
sealed his ruin4    ,one would think    
that the gaining of worlds would not    
compensate for the  misery and the      
horrid waste of human life which are the
 certain  attendants of war2 and one    
would wonder what kind of minds direct  
the  actions of the authors of it4 ,were
 they to reflect1 it may be fairly      
concluded that they could not bear their
 own thoughts1 and that1 after  taking a
 full survey of the wretchedness they   
had occasioned1 they would  go          
immediately and hang themselves4 ,they  
are perhaps not fitted for  reflection1 
or only for that kind of it which can   
look at nothing but  ambition or private

 gain4 ,it would be well for the        
abettors and  advocates of war to try to
 weigh the profit and loss 7setting     
aside the  inhumanity7 attendant upon   
it4 ,this we should do at home2 and1    
instead  of celebrating the birthday of 
the 8,heaven-born minister10 ask his    
admirers how he deserves such a title1  
and compare it with his actions4  ,might
 not the lives of1 say1 a million of men
 have been saved8 ,was it  necessary    
that they should have been sacrificed in
 such a way8 ,could he  have avoided it8
 ,with his consummate abilities1 ,i     
humbly think he could4  ,would not these
 men have been sufficient in number to  
colonize and to  civilize immense       
unoccupied territories8 ,the money      
wasted would have  accomplished almost  
anything4 ,the men and the money would  
have canaled  ,britain and ,ireland from
 end to end1 and intersected them from  
side to  side2 and also made piers1     
where wanted1 at the mouths of the      
rivers of  the two islands2 and1        

besides1 would have converted both      
countries into  gardens4 ,to point out  
more improvements would be a waste of   
words4 ,with  such means in hand1 they  
might have been almost endless4 ,then1  
per  contra3--,what has been done in    
exchange for the millions of lives and  
the  millions of money thus spent8 ,they
 have restored legitimacy2 they have    
restored 8,louis the ,desired10 and     
8,ferdinand the ,beloved10 and the      
,inquisition6 ,monarchs are still to be 
called 8,god's vicegerents here on      
earth60 ,when by their actions they shew
 themselves deserving of such  titles1  
mankind will not disturb them in these  
their dreams2 but1 till  then1 they will
 continue to smile at the conceit1 as   
well as the glitter  they keep up to    
dazzle the sight of their purblind      
8loving subjects40  ,all wars1 except   
defensive ones1 are detestable2 and1 if 
governments  admitted morality into     
their institutions1 and were guided by  
its  precepts1 war would1 in all        

probability1 grow into disuse1 and      
cease4  ,but hitherto that treasure of  
inestimable value1 ,i think1 has been   
discarded from their councils1 and ,i   
cannot discover much difference  between
 them and the lesser banditti of old2   
for each has been guided by  the strong 
disposition to rob1 7as soon as they    
thought themselves able  successfully to
 do so71 and to show that 8might is     
right40 ,from the  feuds of the nobility
 down to 8,rob-in-hood1 ,will ,scarlet1 
and ,little  ,john20 and from the       
ferocious combats of the ,percy and     
,douglas1 on the  ,borders--of ,johnny  
,armstrong and his eight score men1 down
 to 8,yeddy  7,adam7 ,bell10 8,clem of  
the ,clough10 and 8,william of          
,cloudsley0--and the                    
,mosstroopers1--the same wicked         
principle has guided them and their     
ferocious retainers to murder each other
 and to soak the earth with  blood4     
,illustration                           
----------------------------------------

--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xvii4      ,,without        
presuming to scan the intentions of     
,omnipotence1 in ,his gifts to  the     
human race1--or to probe into the nature
 of ,his endless works of  wisdom1--or  
to grope into matters intended to be out
 of our reach1 and  beyond our          
comprehension1--yet the reasoning power 
,he has given us1 we  cannot doubt1 was 
meant to guide us in our researches to  
the extent for  which it is capacitated1
 and to which its uses are fitted to be 
applied4  ,in viewing man as connected  
with this world1 and with his station in
  society1 ,i think it will appear      
clearly that the various degrees of his 
intellectual and reasoning powers are   
the gift of ,providence2 and1  however  
high this boon may be1 the possessor of 
it ought to be thankful1  but never     
vain4 ,it is this innate power drawn    
forth and acted upon by  observation and
 industry1 that enables the philosopher1
 the poet1 the  painter1 and the        

musician1 to arrive at excellence2 and  
the same remark  is more or less        
applicable to men bent upon any pursuit 
in the whole  round of the arts and     
sciences4 ,without using the means to   
cultivate  their powers1 they will      
remain inert1 and be of no use either to
 the  individual or to society2 and men 
with innate qualifications1 and men     
without them1 are brought down to a     
level of uselessness4 ,it is greatly    
owing to the want of effort that        
originates the inequalities of rank and 
fortune of which the community is       
composed4 ,the intelligent and          
industrious man1 guided by honour1 will 
ever be aiming to rise in the  scale of 
eminence2 while1 on the contrary1 the   
lazy1 the ignorant1 or  the wicked man1 
influenced by pride1 dissipation and    
negligence1 is  whirled into the vortex 
of disgrace1 and is attended by poverty 
and  misery2 and1 if he cannot redeem   
his character1 becomes abandoned4 ,he is
  then in his last stage2 his days will 

be full of sorrow2 and1 if it be  true  
that 8none are wretched but the wicked10
 he will have his fill of  it4    ,but  
to remedy these evils attendant upon    
ignorance1 as far as possible1  and to  
give every man a fair chance1 his       
reasoning powers ought to be  drawn     
forth by a rational and virtuous        
education1 and it is a first and        
imperative duty upon the community      
either to provide for1 or to see that   
it is given to1 every one as far as his 
capacity will permit2 for to the        
neglect or omission of this kind of     
instruction may be traced almost all    
the wickedness and misrule which        
disfigure the social compact and spread 
misery over the world4 ,to check the    
reasoning power is a public crime1      
which1 like individual crime1 follows   
the perpetrators like a shadow4 ,to     
argue against the exercise of this gift 
is to attempt to thwart the  intentions 
of ,omnipotence4 ,it is blasphemy4 ,it  
never will pollute the  tongues of good 

and wise men1 and could only1 like      
dregs1 be reserved to  defile those of  
tyrants and fools4 ,men who are not     
actuated by the  principle of 8doing as 
they would be done by0--governed by a   
twisted  imagination--would have their  
fellow men kept in ignorance1--to pass  
away  their lives like unreasoning      
animals1 lest they might not have       
sufficient homage paid to themselves1 or
 that they should forget their  duty as 
servants1 and cease to work for1 or to  
wait upon1 their  employers4 ,a sensible
 servant will never omit doing his duty1
 but an  ignorant one will2 and the     
reciprocal duties between master and    
servant  ought to be clearly defined4   
,the former ought not to act the tyrant2
 the  latter should be obedient2 and    
equal and just laws should guide and    
govern them4    ,all men of sound       
understanding1 and who are capable of   
reflection1 will  clearly see that there
 is not1 and cannot be1 any such thing  
as  equality4 ,there must1 and ever will

 be1 high and low1 rich and poor2 and   
this inequality of rank and fortune1 in 
civilized states1 is necessary  for the 
comfort and happiness of all4 ,a cement 
is thus formed1 which  binds together in
 union the strength1 the beauty1 and the
 symmetry of  the whole4 ,in the freest 
state1 man must not expect to have the  
unrestrained liberty of the savage1 but 
must give up a part of his own  freedom 
for the good of the whole2 for liberty  
consists in this1 that  every man may do
 whatever he pleases1 provided he does  
nothing to injure  his neighbour1 or the
 community of which he is a member2 and 
his  morality ought to be guided by the 
golden rule1 of 8doing unto all men  as 
he would they should do unto him40 ,were
 men made sensible of the  rectitude of 
this order of things2 were they to      
consider that1 in  whatever station in  
society fortune may have placed them1 it
 is the will  of ,providence that it    
should be so1 this reflection would     
greatly  contribute to their peace of   

mind and contentment2 for no man should 
think himself degraded by following an  
honest calling4                8,honour 
and shame from no condition rise2       
,act well your part3 there all the      
honour lies40    ,patriotism ought to   
direct every man to do honour to himself
 and to his  country2 and it is in this 
that great national power principally   
consists4 ,it is also by the good       
conduct1 and consequent character1 of   
the great mass of the people that a     
nation is exalted4 ,the crown--the      
richest diamond of our life--is the love
 of our country2 and the man who        
neglects this1 and ceases to reverence  
and adore his ,maker1 is good for       
nothing4 8,the country1 surrounded by   
the briny deep1 where all our  ancestors
 lie buried--in which from youth upwards
 we have felt the  benefit of equal     
laws1 first acted upon and handed down  
to us by the  ,great ,alfred1 and       
maintained from time to time amidst all 
the attempts  of despotism to overturn  

them1--by men famed for matchless wisdom
 and  virtue1--a country so renowned as 
,england1 so famous for all that most   
strongly attracts the admiration of     
men1--a country whose genius and  power 
have1 for ages1 been such as to make her
 views and intentions an  object of     
solicitude with every nation1 and with  
every enlightened  individual in the    
world1--a country famed for her laws1   
famed in arts and  arms1 famed for the  
struggles which1 age after age1 her sons
 have held  with tyranny in every form  
it has assumed1--and1 beyond all these1 
famed  for having given birth to1 and   
reared to manhood1 those men of         
matchless  wisdom and virtue whose      
memories will be held up to admiration1 
and  whose example will be followed in  
ages to come--who have rendered the     
very name of ,englishmen respected in   
every civilized country in the          
world0--7may this be eternal67--should  
this country ever sink into  despotism1 
its reputation will sink also1 and with 

it the high name of  its once           
enlightened sons2 for this renown and   
this exalted station  cannot be stable  
unless a pure representation of the     
people is kept up3  without that1       
justice will be perverted1 and          
corruption will creep in  and in time   
overturn the best and wisest plans4     
,government will become  omnipotent1    
instead of being the umpire and standing
 by1 like a strong  man1 to see that    
justice is done4 ,lord ,bacon           
says3--8,the ultimate object  which     
legislators ought to have in view1 and  
to which all their  enactments and      
sanctions ought to be subservient1 is1  
that the citizens  may live happy4 ,for 
this purpose it is necessary that they  
should  receive a religious and pious   
education2 that they should be trained  
to  good morals2 that they should be    
secured from foreign enemies by proper  
military arrangements2 that they should 
be guarded by an effectual  police      
against seditions and private injuries2 

that they should be loyal  to           
government1 and obedient to magistrates2
 and1 finally1 that they  should abound 
in wealth1 and other national           
resources40    ,well constituted        
governments1 if occasionally revised1   
and as often as  necessary scrupulously 
amended1 may be rendered as permanent as
 time4 ,if  wisely and virtuously       
administered1 they would be             
indestructible1 and  incalculably       
contribute1 by their vigour and         
uninterrupted duration1 to  the mental  
and moral aggrandisement of man4 ,it is 
a truth confirmed by  universal history1
 that the happiness or misery of a      
people almost  entirely depend upon the 
principles of their government1 and the 
conduct  of their rulers4 ,where just   
and honourable intentions exist1 there  
is  nothing to dread2 but1 when only the
 semblance of these are put on1 to      
cloak wicked and sinister ends1 delusion
 and artifice of every kind must  be    
resorted to for their accomplishment4   

,thence follows the degradation  of man1
 and the consequent decay of states and 
nations4 ,but it is not  for want of    
knowing better that governments get out 
of the path of  rectitude2 it is by the 
individuals who compose its parts       
becoming  dishonest4 ,to the sage advice
 of such men as ,bacon and ,locke they  
turn a  deaf ear2 they are lost in      
considerations about their own private1 
selfish concerns1 or are blinded by a   
false ambition1 regardless of  promoting
 the public good1 or the happiness of   
mankind2 and1 until they  are checked in
 this career1 by an enlightened people1 
it is in vain to  look for any amendment
 in them4 ,but the great bulk of the    
people must be  enlightened and amended1
 before liberty1 peace1 and happiness1  
can be  spread over the world4    ,the  
first step preparatory to this desirable
 order of things1 must be  that the     
people should learn to respect          
themselves1 as reasoning beings1  which 
is the noblest privilege bestowed upon  

them by the ,creator4 ,to  slight this  
gift is to act ungratefully to the      
,giver2 for it is only by  the free     
exercise of their understandings that   
men can see the face of  truth1 or can  
have the full use of all the means of   
advancing in  knowledge1 or are capable 
of religion1 science1 virtue1 and       
rational  happiness1 or can be enabled  
to look backward with comfort or forward
  with hope4 ,it is a sure sign that all
 is not right1 or as it should be1  in  
governments1 when they fear even the    
fullest investigation of any1  and of   
every1 subject4 ,truth and honesty fear 
no discussion1 and good  governments    
will freely encourage1 instead of       
checking1 them4 ,there  ought to be no  
libels1 but falsehoods4 ,can any man    
say1 in the face of  the world1 that    
truth ought not to prevail8 ,it is owing
 to inquisitorial  checks and           
restraints1 that two of the most        
important concerns to  mankind1         
,religion and ,politics1--on which their

 happiness1 and everything  of          
importance to them1 so much depends1--is
 by the community1 as a whole1  so      
imperfectly understood1 and so blindly  
acted upon at this day4 ,it is  only by 
seeing the conduct of public men in a   
clear light1 that a just  judgment can  
be formed of them and their measures1   
and of their fitness  or unfitness to   
conduct the important concerns entrusted
 to their  control4 ,it may1 indeed1 be 
feared that1 if tried in the balance1   
they  will be found very light4 ,wise   
and honest councils must be resorted to 
and adopted before ,religion1 ,morality1
 and ,politics1 ,arts and ,sciences1    
and a better knowledge of this world of 
wonders1 can be developed and           
appreciated4 ,till then no amendment    
need be expected3 religion will not  be 
freed from superstition and bigotry1 nor
 political institutions  purged from    
venality and corruption1 and conducted  
by honesty and good  sense4 ,those who  
have fixed themselves1 like a disease1  

upon the body  politic should have      
warning to depart4    ,in glancing back 
upon the transactions of the world1 as  
they have  recently passed in review    
before us1 how can it afford any matter 
of  wonder that the advocates of liberty
 should have entertained fears for  its 
safety1 and have wished1 as a check1 the
 re-establishment of the  ,british      
constitution in its purity4 ,there was1 
indeed1 little hope of  this being acted
 upon1 when foreign despots were leagued
 to enslave  their peoples2 and our own 
government1 supported by a              
demi-oligarchy1  was so deeply connected
 with them4 ,loan after loan was wrung  
from the  ,british people under various 
pretexts1 but in reality to support     
despotism under the disguise of         
legitimacy4 ,granted1 that an honest    
,house of ,commons might have supported 
legitimacy1 they should have  openly    
expressed disapprobation at the lost    
liberties of nations of  enslaved       
people4 ,protests of this kind1 however1

 did not fit with the  notions of the   
representatives of boroughmongers1 who  
composed the  majority of the honourable
 ,house1 and who had long been used to  
treat  the people and their petitions   
with unblushing neglect or contempt4    
,in this state of things1 politics ran  
high2 an unpleasant ferment soured  the 
minds of a great majority of the people2
 and it cannot be wondered  that they   
were1 with difficulty1 kept within      
bounds4 ,those who had been  used to    
batten on the wages of corruption became
 excessively alarmed1  and1 under the   
pretence of preserving the constitution1
 resorted to a  system of espionage1 and
 of gaols and bastilles1 and left no    
stone  unturned to throw odium upon     
their opponents1 the advocates of       
liberty1  who were branded with the     
nicknames of ,jacobins1 ,levellers1     
,radicals1  c41 c4 ,the pen of          
literature was prostituted to overshade 
the actions  of good men1 and to        
gloss-over the enormities of the base4  

,the energies  of many members of both  
,houses of ,parliament were unavailing  
against  this compact confederacy of    
undeserving placemen and pensioners1 who
  were bound together by fellow feelings
 of self-interest1 in which all  ideas  
of public trust were lost in private    
considerations4 ,they had  sinned       
themselves out of all shame4 ,this      
phalanx have kept their ground1  and    
will do so till1 it is to be feared1    
violence from an enraged people  breaks 
them up1 or1 perhaps1 till the growing  
opinions against such a  crooked order  
of conducting the affairs of this great 
nation becomes  quite apparent to an    
immense majority1 whose frowns may have 
the power  of bringing the agents of    
government to pause upon the brink of   
the  precipice on which they stand1 and 
to provide in time1 by wise and  honest 
measures1 to avert the coming storm4 ,it
 is appalling to think of  matters of   
this import being brought to            
extremities1 especially when the  whole 

might so easily be settled without any  
convulsion at all4 ,the king  7whose    
interests are the same as the people's71
 if freed from the advice  of evil      
counsellors1 and from the unfitting     
trammels by which they have  him bound1 
might insist upon having the            
constitution restored to its  purity4   
,this would at once settle the business1
 and would cause him to  be adored by   
his whole people1 and his name to be    
revered1 by the  enlightened in every   
civilised country1 to the latest        
posterity4    ,illustration             
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xviii4      ,i ,,never could
 agree in opinion with the              
philanthropic1 and  well-intentioned1   
and honest1 ,major ,cartwright1#cc in   
his unqualified  scheme of universal    
suffrage2 because ,i conceive that the  
ignorant and  the wicked ought to be    
debarred from voting for anything2 they 
should  neither be honoured with        

privileges nor employed in any office of
 public  trust2 a virtual representation
 is all-sufficient for them4 ,could     
matters be so managed that none but     
sensible1 honest men should be  allowed 
to vote1 either for members of          
,parliament1 or for any other  public   
functionary1 the country would1 in a    
short time1 put on a very  improved     
appearance4 ,it is quite natural to     
suppose that1 were elections  entrusted 
to this description of men1 they would  
elect none but those of  similar        
character to their own4 ,but1 should it 
be found impracticable  thus to order   
public affairs1 then the next best      
plan1--and which might  easily be       
accomplished1--would be to confer the   
additional elective  franchise upon     
householders of probity and             
honour1--that is1 upon those  who1 in   
their own spheres1 by industry and      
intelligence1 maintain  themselves      
respectably2 for it must be admitted    
that the poor are  frequently as wise as

 the rich1 and as remarkable for        
integrity4    ,footnote #cc3      ,major
 ,cartwright1 died #bcrd ,sep41 #ahbd1  
aged #hd1--;an honour to his    country 
and to human nature--an upright and     
inflexible patriot4    ,if an           
overwhelming mass of selfism did not    
paralyze every improvement1  how easily 
and how soon all this might be done4 ,by
 making elections  simple1 candidates   
would be spared the expense of a        
canvass1 and  drunkenness and the base1 
wicked effects consequent thereon might 
be  avoided4 ,this business through the 
whole kingdom might be done in a few    
days1 by summoning the electors 7as soon
 as the candidates were  nominated7 to  
attend at the several polling places1 to
 vote by ballot or  otherwise as might  
be determined4 ,the public should only  
be addressed  through the medium of the 
newspapers4 ,what a real honour would it
 be to  be thus elected6 ,what a saving 
of expense6 ,what can any gentleman1    
after  spending thousands in the present

 mode1 say for himself8 ,does he expect 
to be repaid1 somehow or other1 by the  
nation8 or1 has he lavished away  such  
sums for the 8honour of the thing10 and 
thus robbed his own family  by wasteful 
expenditure8    ,while sentiments of    
patriotism were entertained in our      
country1--clouded1  indeed1 by fears of 
an opposite tendency1 as noticed        
before1--the  attention of all was drawn
 aside to view the confederacy of       
despots  directed to shackle the        
understandings of mankind1 and to keep  
them in  slavery and degradation4 ,would
 any man in his senses1 in the present  
enlightened state of the civilized      
world1 have thought this possible8  ,and
 yet1 as a finish1 they have called it  
the 8,holy ,alliance40 ,my most  fervent
 prayer is1 that no king of the ,british
 ,isles will ever keep such  company2   
but that our sovereigns will ever stand 
firm1 uncontaminated by  the infectious 
effluvia of arbitrary power1 upon this  
proud ground--this  soil fitly tilled1  

but only wanting some weeding to render 
it perfectly  ready to produce a rich   
crop of liberty4    ,most men were      
beginning to hope that emperors and     
kings had discovered  that1 if the      
people were not enlightened1 it was high
 time for them to  use their kingly     
influence to make them so2 and that it  
is far safer and  better1 as well as    
more honourable1 to preside over an     
intelligent  people1 than to govern men 
brought down to the level of unreasoning
  brutes4 ,the wretchedly bigoted1 and  
consequently oppressed1 people of       
,spain will1 no doubt1 see things in    
their true light at some future day1    
and free their fine country from        
misrule4 ,the times in which ,galileo   
lived have passed away1 but we still see
 the same kind of despotism and         
superstition ready as ever to burn such 
men alive1 and to strew their  ashes in 
the wind4 ,the affairs of mankind1      
managed in this way1 will be  likely at 
no distant period to put such kings and 

their priests out of  fashion4          
,superstition makes despots and tyrants 
of all the sovereigns  whom it          
influences3 they become the confirmed   
enemies of knowledge4 ,the  die is then 
cast4 ,superstition never did1 nor ever 
will1 listen to  reason2 for credulity  
is the offspring of ignorance1 and      
superstition is  the child of credulity2
 and this breed is nursed and kept up by
  despotism1 as its mainstay and        
darling4 ,the sun of reason may be      
clouded  for a time4 ,as long as        
falsehood in the garb of truth continues
 to lead  the great mass of mankind1 so 
long will they struggle in vain to      
attain  the paths which lead to         
perfection and happiness4    8,we should
 always repute it as our business in the
 world--the end and  purpose of our     
being--our duty to our kind--the natural
 use of the powers  we enjoy--and the   
suitable testimony of gratitude to our  
,maker1 to  contribute something to the 
general good--to the common fund of     

happiness  to our species40#cd          
,benevolent and patriotic sentiments of 
this kind  ought always to be kept up1  
and the mite of the humblest individual 
ought to be received and acknowledged3  
the reveries of such ought not to  pass 
without being coolly examined by men of 
experience4 ,i well remember  my name   
having been set down as that of a person
 who would1 without  hesitation1 become 
a member of a society in ,newcastle1    
8for the  suppression of vice40 ,to this
 ,i decidedly objected1 and told my     
well-meaning neighbour1#ce who named the
 matter to me1 that ,i thought  the     
magistrates were quite competent to     
manage that business2 but that ,i  would
 have no hesitation in joining their    
society if they would change  their     
plan1 and make it 8a society for        
promoting and rewarding virtue40  ,i    
have often thought since that1 if such a
 society as the latter--to be  called   
8,the ,society of ,honour0--were        
established in every parish1 it  might1 

if well managed1 do great good4 ,the    
society ought not to annoy  any one1 by 
being over officious1 nor to meddle     
otherwise than by  quietly1 and yet     
publicly1 rewarding1 or expressing the  
good opinion  they entertain of the     
conduct of the person honoured4         
,footnote #cd3      ,dr4 ,f4            
,hutchinson4    ,footnote #ce3      ,mr4
 ,benjamin ,brunton4 ,he was a popular  
man1 and was often chairman at          
patriotic and charitable meetings1 and  
had been one of the committee    who    
sued the magistrate of ,newcastle on the
 ,town ,moor business before            
mentioned4    ,another society of a very
 different character to the last-named  
is at  this time winked at in this land 
of liberty4 ,i mean the present great   
and mighty ,inquisition1 held under the 
denomination of 8the  ,constitutional   
,association40 ,these men--the secret   
admirers of 8,the ,holy  ,alliance0--may
 more properly be called the suppressors
 and dreaders of  truth4 ,acting1       

indeed1 under the mask of advocating the
 cause of  religion and liberty1 but in 
reality in lurking enmity to the latter1
  and to all free enquiry and           
investigation1 they have arrogated to   
themselves the power of punishing a man 
for his unbiased opinions1 even  on     
subjects which do not militate against  
good morals1 or against the  happiness  
of society2 thus taking the power out of
 the hands of the  national authorities1
 as if they were unfit and insufficient 
to do their  duty4 ,a ,house of ,commons
 ought to see this with indignation1 and
 this  self-erected ,inquisition1       
instead of ruining parties by their     
prosecutions1 should be invited to      
answer truth with truth1 as well as     
they can2 leaving the world to judge how
 it stands between them and  their      
opponents4    ,when men break through   
laws1 made with care for the good       
government of  the community1 they      
ought1 as at present1 to forfeit their  
liberty1 and  in some cases their lives4

 ,it is a pity that those who have      
betrayed the  innocent1 and robbed the  
fatherless children and widows1 cannot  
be sent  to live with savages1 and to   
have their backs tattooed with          
hieroglyphics1 expressive of their      
crimes4    ,it has often been a matter  
of surprise1 in the circle of my        
friends1  that criminals are not        
transported to the ,west ,indies1 there 
to undergo  a purgation till they have  
redeemed their characters1 in which case
 they  should be allowed to return home4
 ,it has also appeared to us that the   
law is defective1 in not1 somehow or    
other1 protecting such men after  being 
released from prison4 ,some association 
should be formed--some  friends to them 
and to humanity might be invited forth  
to pass their  word1 for a time1 for    
their good behaviour1 to prevent their  
being thus  cast friendless upon an     
unforgiving and censorious world2 for it
 matters  not how fervently a man may   
wish to redeem his character1 no one    

will  employ him1 and he is thereby     
driven to the necessity of flying to    
some  villainous scheme to enable him to
 live4    ,it is painful to speak about 
punishments to be inflicted upon one's  
unfortunate fellow men3 it is equally so
 to contemplate their  self-degradation4
 ,but1 when it is considered what a     
voluminous mass of  laws we have1       
neither understood nor explained1 we    
cannot wonder that  they are broken2    
they are so multifarious and complex1   
that1 as to the  illiterate description 
of persons they are meant to keep in    
order1 they  are almost useless4 ,an    
abridgement of the laws of ,england     
would perhaps  fill fifty folio volumes4
 ,these laws1 at the time they were     
made1 might  be good and proper1 but    
most of them are now inapplicable and   
obsolete4  ,to amend them seems         
impossible1 and an act to amend or      
explain an act1  by adding confusion to 
confusion1 is truly farcical4 ,it is a  
pity that  the whole of them cannot be  

abolished at once1 and short and clear  
new  ones substituted in their stead4   
,as they stand at present1 few men can  
understand them1 and to men of plain1   
good sense1 or of ordinary  capacities1 
they appear altogether a great mass of  
unintelligible  matter1 or a complete   
8riddle-me-ree40 ,this may1 indeed1 be  
intended or  winked at2 for it gives    
employment to a great number of men of  
the law1  of all kinds of character1    
from the basest up to others who are    
ornaments to their country4 ,indeed1    
were it not for the latter  description1
 the rest would not be endurable4 ,they 
are more to be  dreaded than highwaymen 
and housebreakers1 and as such are      
viewed by the  thinking part of the     
community2 but the former find          
employment from  clients of their own   
character1 who trust to them for their  
ability in  twisting1 evading1 and      
explaining the law away4    ,in passing 
through life1 it has fortunately been my
 lot to have been  intimate with both   

military and naval gentlemen1 as well as
 with those  of the learned professions2
 and1 though several of each class have 
stood  high in the estimation of the    
world1 for their gentlemanly manners and
  unsullied worth--to which ,i may be   
allowed to add my testimony1 as well  as
 to acknowledge the debt of gratitude ,i
 owe some of them for their  kindness   
and attention--yet1 on taking a         
comparative survey of the whole1  ,i    
cannot help giving a preference to      
medical men2 for1 besides their         
learning and attainments in common with 
other professions1 they appear  to me1  
generally1 to be further removed from   
prejudice1 more  enlightened1 and more  
liberal in their sentiments than the    
other  labourers in the vineyards of    
science and literature4    ,illustration
                                        
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xix4      ,,it is of the    
utmost importance to individuals and to 

society that  attention should be       
watchfully bestowed upon children1 both 
with respect  to their health and their 
morals4 ,their future welfare in life   
depends  upon this1 and the important   
charge falls greatly upon the mother4   
,her  first lesson--their talent being  
only imitation--should be that of       
obedience1 mildly enforced2 for1 reason 
being the faculty of comparing  ideas   
already presented to the mind1 it cannot
 exist in a child1 to whom  few or no   
ideas have been presented4 ,then follow 
lessons of truth1  sincerity1 industry1 
honesty4 ,it ought to be impressed upon 
their minds  that1 though they are      
young1 yet the longest life is only like
 a dream2  and1 short as it is1 it is   
rendered shorter by all the time lost in
  wickedness1 contention1 and strife4   
,they ought to be taught that all  they 
can do1 while they sojourn in this      
world1 is to live honourably1  and to   
take every care that the soul shall     
return to the ,being who gave  it as    

pure1 unpolluted1 and spotless as       
possible2 and that there can be  no     
happiness in this life1 unless they hold
 converse with ,god4    ,with respect to
 the health of children1 ,i fear the    
present management is  not right4 ,the  
mistaken indulgence of parents1 in      
pampering and spoiling  the appetites of
 children1 lays the foundation of a     
permanent train of  diseases1 which an  
endless supply of medicines and nostrums
 will never  restore to its pristine    
vigour4 ,skilful medical aid may1       
indeed1 be of  use1 but nothing is so   
sure as a recurrence to a plain diet1   
temperance1  and exercise4 ,the next    
obstacle to remedy1 ,i fear1 will not be
 easily  removed2 for it is built upon  
the prejudices of mothers themselves1   
dictated by notions of fashion and      
gentility which have taken a deep  root4
 ,when folly has given the fashion1 she 
is a persevering dame1 and  8folly ever 
dotes upon her darling40 ,instead of    
impressing upon the  minds of girls the 

importance of knowing household affairs1
 and other  useful knowledge1 and       
cultivating cheerfulness and affability 
along with  the courtesies of life1 they
 must undergo a training to befit them  
for  appearing in frivolous company4 ,to
 insure this1 the mother1 or some       
boarding school mistress1 insists that  
these delicate young creatures be       
tightened up in a shape-destroying      
dress1 and sit and move in graceful     
stiffness4 ,they must not spring about  
or make use of their limbs1 lest  it    
might be called romping1 and might give 
them so vulgar1 so robust1  and so      
red-cheeked a look that they would not  
appear like ladies4 ,the  consequence of
 this is1 that they become like         
hot-house plants2--the air  must not    
blow upon them2--and1 in this state1    
they must attend routs and  balls1 and  
midnight assemblies1 which send numbers 
of them to an  untimely grave4#cf ,if   
they survive these trials1 still they   
leave  behind a want of health and      

vigour1 which hangs upon them through   
life1  and they become the nerveless    
outcasts of nature4 ,they are then unfit
 to  become the mothers of ,englishmen2 
they twine out a life of ennui1 and     
their generation dies out4 ,i have all  
my life been grieved to find this       
description too often realized4 ,it is  
paying too dear for female              
accomplishments4 ,it is surely desirable
 that a change should take place1  by   
which fashionable follies may be        
narrowed in their boundaries1 and a     
better line drawn out2 prescribed by    
propriety1 affability1 modesty1 and     
good sense1 on which the courtesies of  
life1 and the invaluable  embellishments
 of civilisation1 and everything        
graceful and charming in  society1 is   
founded4 ,i wish the ladies of the      
,british ,isles may set the  example1   
and take the lead in this1 so that      
ignorant rudeness and  vulgarity may be 
banished from the face of the earth4    
,footnote #cf3      ,if these assemblies

 must be kept up--by the gentry who can 
afford    it--they ought to be held in  
the day time1 that those who attend them
    may get their natural rest at night4
    ,if ,i could influence the fair sex1
 there is one thing to which ,i would   
draw their attention2 and that is       
,horticulture2 and1 connected with      
this1 ,i would recommend them1 as far as
 convenient1 to become ,florists1  as   
this delightful and healthy             
employment1--which has been long enough 
in  the rude hands of men--would entice 
them into the open air1 stimulate  them 
to exertion1 and draw them away from    
their sedentary mode of life1  mewed up 
in close rooms1 where they are confined 
like nuns4 ,this would  contribute      
greatly to their amusement1 and         
exhilarate their spirits4  ,every       
sensible man should encourage the fair  
sex to follow this pursuit4  ,what would
 this world be without their help1 to   
alleviate its burdens8  ,it would appear
 a barren waste4 ,it would no longer be 

a wide-spread  garden of ,eden1 nor an  
earthly paradise within the reach of our
  enjoyments4 ,may the fruits and       
flowers of it1 reared and presented by  
their fair hands1 ever operate as a     
charm in ensuring the attentions and    
unabating regard of all men6 ,and of all
 good men it will4 ,in thus  dictating  
to them1 no embarrassment can follow2   
and1 if they ever know  of the liberty  
,i thus have taken1 it will probably be 
when all  embarrassments are1 with me1  
at an end4 ,and ,i can only further     
leave  behind me a wish that health may 
eternally blush their cheeks1 and       
virtue their minds4    ,next in         
consideration to the ladies1--who they  
must in courtesy  follow1--are the      
freeholders of this favoured land4 ,such
 of these as1 by  their attainments1    
arrive at the degree of gentlemen1 are1 
or ought to  be1 the pride and glory of 
every civilised country in the world4   
,placed  in opulence and independence1  
they are1 and must be looked up to as1  

the  patrons of every virtue in the     
people1 who1 in their station of life1  
may need such help to encourage them4   
,may gentlemen never lose sight of  this
 important duty1 and ever be able to    
stem the torrent of gambling  and       
dissipation2 so that their ancient      
mansions may remain in their  names for 
ever1 as pledges of their worth1 and as 
ornaments to the  country4 ,without     
their countenance1 arts and sciences1   
and artisans1  would languish1 industry 
would be paralyzed1 and barbarism again 
rear  its benumbed hands and stupid     
head4 ,it is to be hoped that the       
business  of their wine vaults1 their   
horses1 and their dogs1 may cease to be 
the  main business of their lives1 and  
only be looked to as matters of         
amusement wherewith to unbend their     
minds4 ,and1 as no man can1 while he  is
 in possession of his faculties1 rest in
 happiness unless he is  exercising     
them1 and some hobby-horse must engage  
his attention1 it  therefore becomes a  

question for their consideration in what
 way they  can best employ themselves4  
,i would earnestly recommend that       
gentlemen  should endeavour to improve  
their lands1 and lay the foundation of  
fertilising them3 and instead of        
spending--perhaps squandering--their    
money in follies abroad1 as far as      
possible1 spend it at home4 ,the late   
good and wise first ,lord ,ravensworth  
used to say1 there was nothing  grateful
 but the earth4 8,you cannot10 said he1 
8do too much for it2 it  will continue  
to pay tenfold the pains and labour     
bestowed upon it40  ,estates so managed 
would then exhibit the appearance of    
clean-weeded  nurseries4 ,as an act of  
justice due to the industrious farmer1  
he ought1  on entering upon his lease1  
to have his farm valued1 and1 when his  
lease  is out1 valued again2 and1       
whatever improvements he may have made1 
ought  to be paid for on his leaving4 ,i
 am well aware that these remarks may   
not be relished by those whose pride1   

dictated by the wish to domineer1  will 
not give in to this fair proposal1 for  
fear of the independent  spirit it might
 rear2 but it must be allowed that the  
landlord could  come to no loss by it1  
and that the community would be greatly 
benefited  by the adoption of such a    
plan4 ,those gentlemen who have moor    
lands1  however exposed and bleak they  
may be1 may yet do something to make    
them  more productive1 by enclosing them
 with dry stone dykes1 beset and bound  
with ivy1 and intersected with whin     
hedges2#cg and this shelter would  form 
a bield for sheep and cattle1 and       
besides would produce grass both  in    
quantity and quality such as never grew 
there before4    ,footnote #cg3         
,the very clippings of which 7as noticed
 before7 would be healthful    fodder   
for both sheep and cattle4    ,the chief
 offices which gentlemen and freeholders
 are called upon to  fulfil are1 member 
of ,parliament1 magistrate1 and juryman4
 ,the first is  the most important2 but1

 indeed1 in that as well as the others1 
the  requisite ingredients are honesty  
and intelligence4 ,if we look at the    
wretched tools which boroughmongers     
obtrude upon the nation1 we may         
anxiously look to the importance of     
electing gentlemen who will  unceasingly
 and boldly oppose such men ever being  
allowed to sit as  representatives4 ,but
 these have already gone far on the road
 towards  paralysing the ,british       
constitution1 and establishing on its   
ruins an  oligarchy1 which is the worst 
and most odious of all governments4     
,in the troublesome and gratuitous      
office of magistrate1 great sagacity    
and penetration are requisite to enable 
the holders1 in their political         
capacity1 to discriminate between       
stretching too far the1 perhaps1        
ill-defined1 and often arbitrary laws1  
beyond the due bounds prescribed  by    
justice and mercy4 ,they ought to detest
 being made the tools of  despotic acts 
of corruption1 and being like ,turkish  

,bashaws spread over  the provinces4 ,in
 their civil capacities1 matters come   
more nearly home  to them2 and in this  
they have much need of cool             
deliberation1 as well  as extreme       
vigilence1 for without these there would
 be no such thing as  living in peace   
while such numbers of the dregs of the  
people remain in  ignorance and         
depravity4 ,these latter do not know the
 meaning of either  religion or         
morality1 and it is only the strong arm 
of the law that can  keep people of this
 description in order4 ,their evidence  
ought always to  be suspected4 ,oaths   
have little weight3 they are so used to 
them4 ,one of  our poets says1--        
8,of all the nauseous complicated crimes
             8,which both infest and    
stigmatise the times1                   
8,there's none which can with impious   
oaths compare1             8,where vice 
and folly have an equal share40    ,but1
 bad as these reprobate oaths are1 there
 are others which ,i think  are still   

worse2 and these are the numerous oaths 
used1 and indeed  imposed1 on so many   
and on such improper occasions1 where   
,omnipotence is  impiously appealed to  
in all the little dirty transactions    
between man  and man4 ,it would be well 
to remember that an honest man's word is
 as  good as his oath1--and so is a     
rogue's too4 ,surely some remedy might  
be  fallen upon to check these swearing 
vices2 especially perjury1 bearing      
false witness1 as well as when a man is 
proved to have broken his word  and his 
honour4    ,there is another vice1 of an
 odious complexion1 advancing with rapid
  strides to enormity1 which cries aloud
 to be checked4 ,bad men1 with  hardened
 effrontery1 only laugh at their        
breaking down every barrier to  modesty 
and virtue1 and thus disrobing          
innocence1 and rendering deformed  that 
which ought to be the brightest feature 
of civilisation4 ,the crime  to which ,i
 allude needs only to be examined to    
convince any one of its  cruelty to the 

fair sex1 and its extensively           
demoralising influence on  society4 ,let
 any man ask himself how he would feel  
were his daughter or  his sister to be  
betrayed4 ,this question ought to be    
fairly canvassed4  ,although it will be 
allowed that men1 devoid of honour and  
modesty1 who  have let loose their      
unbridled1 bad passions1 will not be    
easily stopped  in their career1 yet1   
notwithstanding1 this evil may be1 by   
the strong  arm of the law1 greatly     
banished from the land1 and innate      
modesty  planted in its stead4    ,all  
men and women in health1 and of good    
character1 ought to be  countenanced in 
marrying2 and it is for them to consider
 whether they  can properly rear and    
educate a family2 and1 should there be  
an  over-abundant population1 then      
colonisation might be resorted to at the
  public expense2 and this globe will be
 found large enough to hold  additional 
millions upon millions of people4 ,there
 are few contracts  between human beings

 which should be more delicate than that
 of  marriage4 ,it is an engagement of  
the utmost importance to individuals    
and to society1 and which of all others 
ought to be the most unbiased2  for it  
cannot be attended with honour1 nor     
blessed with happiness1 if it  has not  
its origin in mutual affection4 ,the    
rules to be observed in thus  selecting 
and fixing the choice are few1 simple1  
and easily understood4  ,both males and 
females1 if of unsound constitution1    
ought to forbear  matrimony4 ,it is the 
duty of every man to endeavour to get a 
healthy  woman for the sake of his      
children1 and an amiable one for his own
  domestic comfort4 ,the fair sex should
 observe the like rules4 ,if a woman    
marries a man who has broken down his   
constitution by his own  dissipation1 or
 has imbibed a tainted one from his     
parents1 she must not  be surprised at  
becoming a nurse to him and his         
nerveless1 puny1  offspring4 ,one cannot
 help wondering at the uncommon pains a 

gentleman  will take in buying a horse1 
to see that the animal is perfectly     
sound1  and without blemish1 and that he
 should not take the same pains in      
choosing a wife1 which is of infinitely 
more importance to him4 ,he1  perhaps to
 repair his shattered fortune1 will     
marry any woman if she has  plenty of   
money4 ,she may1 indeed1 be the innocent
 heir to the  full-charged hereditary   
diseases of a pair of voluptuous        
citizens1 just  as that may happen to   
be4 ,no gentleman need to look far from 
his home1  to be enabled to meet with an
 helpmate1 possessing every requisite to
  make him happy2 but1 if he cannot meet
 with such a one1 or cannot please      
himself in his own neighbourhood1 he had
 better travel in search of one  from   
,land's ,end to ,john o' ,groat's       
,house1 than not get a proper partner   
as the mother of his children4    ,i    
have often thought that the children of 
gentlemen--boys  particularly--are too  
soon put to school under improper       

restraints1 and  harassed with education
 before their minds are fit for it4     
,were they  sent to the edge of some    
moor1 to scamper about amongst whins and
  heather1 under the care of some good  
old man--some mentor--who would teach   
them a little every day1 without        
embarrassing them--they would there1 in 
this kind of preparatory school1 lay in 
a foundation of health1 as well  as     
education4 ,if they were thus allowed to
 run wild by the sides of  burns--to    
fish1 to wade1 and to splash in--they   
would soon find their  minds intently   
employed in sports and pleasures of     
their own choosing4  ,it would be found 
that youth so brought up1 besides thus  
working out any  little hereditary      
ailments1 would never forget the charms 
of the  country1 which would impart to  
them a flow of spirits through life such
  as very few1 or none1 brought up in a 
town ever know1 and1 besides this1  lay 
in a strong frame work on which to build
 a nervous constitution1  befitting the 

habitation of an energetic mind and a   
great soul4 ,let any  one look at the   
contrast between men thus brought up1   
and the generality  of early-matured    
,lilliputian plants1 and he will soon   
see1 with very few  exceptions1 the     
difference1 both in body and mind1      
between them4                           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xx4      ,,the game laws    
have for ages past been a miserable     
source of contention  between those     
rendered unqualified by severe and even 
cruel game laws1  and parties who had   
influence to get these laws enacted for 
their own  exclusive privilege of       
killing the game4 ,to convince the      
intelligent  poor man that the fowls of 
the air were created only for the rich  
is  impossible1 and will for ever remain
 so4 ,if it be pleaded that1 because    
the game are fed on the lands of the    
latter1 they have the exclusive  right  
to them1 this would appear to be        

carrying the notions of the  sacredness 
of property too far2 for even this ought
 to have its bounds2  but were this     
conceded1 as property is enjoyed by a   
rental1 and as the  farmers feed the    
game1 they would appear to belong to    
them more properly  than to any one     
else4 ,i own ,i feel great repugnance in
 saying anything  that might have a     
tendency to curtail the healthy         
enjoyments of the  country gentleman1 in
 his field sports1 which his fortune and
 his  leisure enable him so             
appropriately to pursue2 at the same    
time it is  greatly to be regretted that
 anything--any over-stretched           
distinctions--should ever happen to make
 a breach between the poor and  the     
rich4 ,it is1 however1 to be wished that
 the unqualified man may find  his      
attention engaged1 and his mind excited 
in some other way 7or by his  business7 
than that of becoming a poacher4 ,the   
strange propensity1  however            
unaccountable1 in almost all men ,,to   

,,kill1 and the pleasurable  excitement 
to do so1 is equally strong in the      
poacher as in the  gentleman sportsman4 
,this excitement1 or an extreme desire  
to exhilarate  the spirits1 and to give 
them energy1 as well as pleasure1       
pervades more  or less1 the minds of all
 mankind1 and shows itself in every     
species of  gambling1 from              
cock-fighting1 dog and man fighting1    
hunting1  horse-racing1 and even up to  
the acme of excitement--or excitement   
run  mad--that of horrid war4 ,i wish   
something more rational and better could
  be contrived to whet the mind and to  
rouse its energies2 for certain it  is  
that 8the heart that never tastes       
pleasure shuts up1 grows stiff1 and     
incapable of enjoyment40 ,the minds of  
men ought therefore1 to be unbent  at   
certain times1--especially in some      
constitutions1--to prevent their        
becoming nerveless and hypochondriacal1 
the worst of all diseases1 in  which the
 mind sees everything with an obliquity 

of intellect1 and  creates numberless   
cruel and imaginary evils which         
continually surround  and embarrass it4 
,only let a man who cannot employ       
himself with some  hobby or other know  
that he is provided for1 and has nothing
 to do1 and  it will soon be seen how   
ennui1 with benumbing steps1 will thrust
  itself upon him1 and what a stupid and
 unhappy being he is4    ,if ,i have    
reasoned correctly in the foregoing     
observations1 it is1 then1  desirable   
that sports and pastimes should be      
resorted to that might1 in  many cases1 
turn out to public good4 ,for this      
purpose1 ,i have often  thought that    
small sums might be subscribed and      
collected to be given as  a prize to the
 best shot at a mark4 ,the utility and  
national purpose of  this scheme may at 
some time be felt2 for1 so long as      
surrounding  despots can gather together
 immense mercenary armies1 they ought to
 be  effectually guarded against1 and   
they certainly might be as effectually  

checked by hundreds of thousands of     
riflemen1 7including the militia71  thus
 trained for the defence of the kingdom1
 at a comparatively small  expense4     
,they might have their bullets made of  
baked clay1 which would  probably be as 
efficient as those made of lead1 and    
cost almost nothing4    ,the last       
subject ,i shall notice1 as being kept  
up by unequal and unjust  laws1 is the  
fisheries1 throughout the kingdom4 ,the 
laws made respecting  them originated in
 the times of feudal tyranny1 when      
8might was right10  and everything was  
carried with a high hand4 ,it was then  
easy for an  overbearing aristocracy1 by
 their influence1 to get grants and     
charters  made entirely on their own    
behalf4 ,the rights of the community    
were set  at nought1 or were treated    
with contempt4 ,but those days are      
passed  away2 the march of intellect is 
spreading over the world2 and all public
  matters are now viewed with feelings  
of a very different kind than when  such

 laws were made1 and which ought to have
 been repealed long since2  but they are
 still in force1 and will continue so as
 long as the potent  feelings of        
over-stretched self-interest are allowed
 to guide those who  have the power to  
keep the grasp of this their antiquated 
hold3 for such  can hear no reason      
against their private interest1 however 
unanswerable  it may be4 ,no reasonable 
plea can ever be set up1 to show that   
the fish  of rivers ought to be the     
private property of any one4 ,can it be 
pretended that because a river or a     
rivulet1 passes through an estate1      
whether the owner of it will or not1    
that the fish which breed in it1 or     
which live in it1 ought to be his8 ,they
 are not like the game1 which are  all  
fed by the farmer1 for fish cost nobody 
anything2 therefore1 in  common justice1
 they ought to belong to the public1 and
 ought to be  preserved for the public  
good1 in every county through which the 
rivers  pass1 and be let at a rental    

from the clerk of the peace1 and the    
money  arising therefrom applied to     
making bridges and roads1 or for county 
or  other rates4 ,stewards ought to be  
appointed to receive the rents1 and a   
committee of auditors elected annually1 
by ballot1 as a check upon the          
management of the whole4 ,if the        
fisheries were not thus rented1 the     
public would derive little benefit from 
such an immense supply of food2  for    
without they were thus disposed of each 
county would soon be  over-run with such
 numbers of poachers as would become    
intolerable4 ,all  this1 however1 ought 
to be well considered2 for1             
notwithstanding the  selfish principle  
which dictated the original grants of   
the  fisheries1--long since             
obtained1--the present possessors are   
not to blame1  and suddenly to deprive  
any man of what he has been accustomed  
to  receive may be deemed a harsh       
measure1 and in some cases a cruel one2 
therefore some equitable sum should be  

paid to the owners at once1 as a        
remuneration in lieu of all future      
claims2 as fish ought not to be         
considered as an inheritance to descend 
to the heirs of any one4    ,from about 
the year #agfj to '#fg1 when a boy1 ,i  
was frequently sent by my  parents to   
purchase a salmon from the fishers of   
the 8strike0 at  ,eltringham ford4 ,at  
that time1 ,i never paid more1 and often
 less1 than  three halfpence per pound  
7mostly a heavy1 guessed weight1 about  
which  they were not exact74 ,before1 or
 perhaps about this time1 there had     
always been an article inserted in every
 indenture in ,newcastle1 that  the     
apprentice was not to be obliged to eat 
salmon above twice a week1  and the like
 bargain was made upon hiring ordinary  
servants4 ,it need not  be added that   
the salmo tribe then teemed in abundance
 in the ,tyne1  and there can be little 
doubt that the same immense numbers     
would return  to it again were proper   
measures pursued to facilitate their    

passage  from the sea to breed4 ,all    
animals1 excepting fish1 only increase1 
but  they multiply1 and that in so      
extraordinary a degree as to set all    
calculation at defiance4 ,it is well    
known that they ascend every river1     
rivulet1 and burn1 in search of proper  
places to deposit their spawn2  and this
 is the case both with those kinds which
 quit the sea1 and those  which never   
leave the fresh water4 ,in their thus   
instinctively searching  for proper     
spawning places1 they make their way up 
to such shallows as  one would think it 
impossible for any animal wanting legs  
and feet ever  to crawl up to2 therefore
 every improper weir or dam that        
obstructs  their free passage ought to  
be thrown down1 as they are one great   
cause  of the salmon quitting the proper
 spawning places in the river1 to       
return to spawn in the sea as well as   
they can2 where1 it is fair to          
conclude1 their fry1 or their roe1 are  
swallowed up by other fish1 as  soon as 

they1 or it1 are spread abroad along the
 shores4    ,it will readily be         
perceived1 that the fishers' weirs are  
made chiefly  with a view of preventing 
their neighbour fishers from coming in  
for  their due share2 but1 were the     
fisheries let1 as before named1 the     
different fishing places would then be  
planned out by the stewards1 as  well as
 remedying other faults with an         
impartial hand4 ,there are1  besides    
weirs and dams1 other causes which      
occasion the falling off of  the breed  
of salmon1 by greatly preventing them   
from entering and making  their way up  
rivers for the purpose of spawning4     
,they have a great  aversion to passing 
through impure water1 and even          
snow-water stops  them2 for they will   
lie still1 and wait until it runs off4  
,the filth of  manufactories is also    
very injurious1 as well as the refuse   
which is  washed off the uncleaned      
streets of large towns by heavy rains4  
,were  this filth in all cases led away 

and laid on the land1 it would be of    
great value to the farmer1 and persons  
should be appointed to do that  duty1   
not in a slovenly or lazy manner1 but   
with punctuality and  despatch4 ,in this
 the health and comfort of the          
inhabitants of towns  ought to be       
considered as of great importance to    
them1 as well as that  of keeping the   
river as pure as possible on account of 
the fish4    ,should the evils attendant
 upon weirs and dams1 and other matters1
 be  rectified1 then the next necessary 
step to be taken should be the          
appointment of river conservators and   
vigilant guards to protect the  kipper1 
or spawning fish1 from being killed     
while they are in this  sickly and      
imbecile state4 ,they are then so easily
 caught1 that1  notwithstanding they are
 very unwholesome as food1 very great   
numbers  are taken in the night1 which  
are eaten by poor people1 who do not    
know  how pernicious they are4 ,but1    
should all these measures be found not  

fully to answer public expectation1 the 
time now allowed for fishing  might be  
shortened1 and in some years1 if ever   
found necessary1 the  fishing might be  
laid in for a season4    ,the next      
important question for consideration1 is
 respecting what can be  done to prevent
 the destruction of salmon on their     
first entering a  river1 and while they 
are in full perfection1 by their most   
powerful and  most conspicuously        
destructive enemy1 the porpoise4    ,i  
have seen a shoal of porpoises1 off     
,tynemouth1 swimming abreast of  each   
other1 and thus occupying a space of    
apparently more than a hundred  yards   
from the shore1 seawards1 and crossing  
the mouth of the river1 so  that no     
salmon could enter it4 ,they went       
backward and forward for more  than a   
mile1 along shore1 and with such        
surprising rapidity that1 in  their     
course1 they caused a foam to arise1    
like the breakers of the sea  in a      
storm4 ,might not a couple of steam     

packets1 with strong nets1 sweep  on    
shore hundreds of these at a time8      
,perhaps by giving premiums for         
catching them they might be greatly     
thinned1 and their tough skins be       
tanned1 or otherwise prepared1 so as to 
be applied to some use4 ,oil  might be  
obtained partly to pay for the trouble  
of taking this kind of  fish2 and1      
lastly1 they might be used as an article
 of food4 ,they were  eaten formerly    
even by the gentry3 and why not make the
 attempt to apply  them to that purpose 
again8 ,perhaps1 by pickling or drying  
them1 and by  other aids of cookery1    
they might prove good and wholesome2 for
 every  animal in season is so1 which1  
when out of season1 is quite the        
reverse4    ,if the parent fishes of the
 salmo tribe were protected1 the fry    
would  soon be seen to swarm in         
incredible numbers1 and perhaps a pair  
of them  would spawn more than all the  
anglers from the source to the mouth of 
any river could fairly catch in one     

season4 ,having from a boy been an      
angler1 it is with feelings painfully   
rankling in my mind that ,i live in     
dread 7from hints already given7 of this
 recreation being abridged or  stopped4 
,angling has from time immemorial been  
followed1 and ought to be  indulged in  
unchecked by arbitrary laws1 as the     
birthright of everyone1  but            
particularly of the sedentary and the   
studious4 ,it is cruel to think  of     
debarring the fair angler1 by any checks
 whatever2 the salmon fishers  may1     
indeed1 begrudge to see such fill his   
creel with a few scores of  the fry2    
because what is taken might in a short  
time return to them as  full-grown      
salmon 7for all fish1 as well as birds1 
return to the same  places where they   
were bred72 but1 for reasons before     
named1 this  selfishness should not be  
attended to for a moment1 and the       
fisheries  ought to be taken subject to 
this kind of toll or imaginary          
grievance4    ,i have always felt       

extremely disgusted at what is called   
preserved  waters 7except fish ponds72  
that is1 where the fish in these waters 
are  claimed exclusively as private     
property4 ,the disposition which sets up
  claims of this kind is the same as    
would--if it could--sell the sea1 and   
the use of the sun and the rain4 ,here  
the angler is debarred by the  surly1   
selfish owner of the adjoining land1 the
 pleasure of enjoying the  most         
healthful and comparatively the most    
innocent of all diversions4 ,it  unbends
 the minds of the sedentary and the     
studious1 whether it may be  those      
employed at their desks1 or 8the pale   
artist plying his sickly  trade10 and   
enables such to return to their         
avocations1 or their  studies1 with     
renovated energy1 to labour for their   
own or for the  public good4 ,but as any
 thing1 however good in itself1 may be  
abused1  therefore some regulations     
should be laid down as a guide to the   
fair  angler in this his legitimate     

right1 and some check imposed upon the  
poacher1 who might be inclined to stop  
at nothing1 however unfair4 ,i  think   
,waltonian societies would be           
all-sufficient to manage these  matters1
 if composed of men of good character   
and good sense4 ,there  ought to be one 
of these societies established in the   
principal town in  each district1 and to
 have its honorary members branched out 
into the  more distant parts4 ,perhaps a
 fine imposed1 or even the frowns of the
  society1 might be sufficient to deter 
poachers4 ,the object ought to be1  to  
regulate the times for angling1 and to  
discountenance1 or send to  ,coventry1  
such as spend almost the whole of their 
time in 8beating the  streams40 ,they   
ought also to keep a watchful eye over  
such as care not  how or in what manner 
they take fish1 so as they may only get 
plenty of  them4 ,the 8,honourable      
,society of ,waltonians0 ought to use   
every means in  their power to protect  
the 8glittering inhabitants of the      

waters0 from  being unfairly taken or   
destroyed4 ,pought nets ought to be     
prohibited1  as well as all catching of 
the salmon fry in mill races1 by putting
  thorn bushes into them1 to stop their 
passing through1 and then letting  off  
the water4 ,in this way1 a cart load of 
these have often been known  to be taken
 at once4 ,another method1 still more   
destructive than this1  is far too often
 put in practice2 that is1 what is      
called liming the  burns4 ,this ought to
 be utterly put a stop to by severe     
punishments4 ,a  clown1 from            
ignorance1--but1 perhaps1 from something
 worse1--puts a few  clots of unslaked1 
or quick1 lime into a pool1 or hole1 in 
a burn1 for  the sake of killing a few  
trouts that he sees in it2 and thus     
poisons  the water running down to the  
rivulet1 or the river1 destroying every 
living creature to such a distance as   
may seem incredible4 ,the attentive     
angler must sometimes have observed the 
almost invisible1 incipient1  living    

spawn in thousands1 appearing only like 
floating mud1 sunning  themselves on a  
shallow sand-bank1 which1 as soon as the
 water thus  poisoned reaches them1 they
 drop down like mud indeed1 and are no  
more  seen4    ,how vividly do          
recollections of the enjoyment angling  
has afforded me  return to the mind1 now
 when those days have passed away1 never
 more to  return4 ,like the pleasing    
volume of the patriarch of              
anglers--,izaac  ,walton--volumes might 
yet be written to point out and to      
depicture the  beautiful scenery of     
woods and water sides1 in the midst of  
which the  pleasures attendant upon this
 exhilarating and health-restoring1     
hungry1  exercise is pursued4 ,how many 
narratives of the exploits of the days  
thus spent might be raked up to dwell   
upon1 when they are all over1 like  a   
pleasing dream6    ,well do ,i remember 
mounting the stile which gave the first 
peep of the  curling or rapid stream1   
over the intervening1 dewy1             

daisy-covered  holme--boundered by the  
early sloe1 and the hawthorn-blossomed  
hedge--and  hung in succession with     
festoons of the wild rose1 the tangling 
woodbine1 and the bramble1 with their   
bewitching foliage--and the fairy       
ground--and the enchanting music of the 
lark1 the blackbird1 the  throstle1 and 
the blackcap1 rendered soothing and     
plaintive by the  cooings of the        
ringdove1 which altogether charmed1 but 
perhaps retarded1  the march to the     
brink of the scene of action1 with its  
willows1 its  alders1 or its            
sallows--where early ,i commenced the   
days' patient  campaign4 ,the pleasing  
excitements of the angler still follow  
him1  whether he is engaged in his      
pursuits amidst scenery such as ,i have 
attempted to describe1 or on the        
heathery moor1 or by burns guttered out 
by mountain torrents1 and boundered by  
rocks or grey moss-covered  stones1     
which form the rapids and the pools in  
which is concealed his  beautiful yellow

 and spotted prey4 ,here1 when tired and
 alone1 ,i used to  open my wallet and  
dine on cold meat and coarse rye bread1 
with an  appetite that made me smile at 
the trouble people put themselves to in 
preparing the sumptuous feast2 the only 
music in attendance was perhaps  the    
murmuring burn1 the whistling cry of the
 curlew1 the solitary water  ouzel1 or  
the whirring wing of the moor game4 ,i  
would1 however1  recommend to anglers   
not to go alone2 a trio of them is      
better1 and  mutual assistance is often 
necessary4    ,it is foreign to my      
purpose to give any history1 in this    
place1 of the  various kinds of fishes  
which anglers pursue2 of this there is  
no need1  for1 ,i think1 more treatises 
on this subject than on any other have  
been  printed1 to direct the angler to  
perfection in his art4 ,but ,i cannot   
help noticing1 as matter of regret1 that
 more pains have not been taken  to     
multiply fish1 and to increase the breed
 of eels1 as every permanent  pool might

 so easily be fully stocked with them2  
and the latter are1  when properly      
cooked1 the most delicious of all fish  
kind4 ,walton has  been particular in   
describing his mode of cooking them2    
but1 unless he  killed them beforehand1 
his method is a very cruel one4    ,in  
thus dwelling on subjects which         
stimulate man eagerly to pursue the     
work of destruction1 and to extend his  
power over those animals of which  he   
considers himself as the lord and       
master1 and that they are destined  to  
contribute to his pleasures or to his   
support1 yet he ought not  totally to   
forget that what is sport to him is     
death to them1 and that  the less of    
cruelty the better4    ,i think1 had ,i 
not begun so early to be an angler1 and 
before feelings  of tenderness had      
entered the mind1 my eagerness for      
angling might have  been1 on this score1
 somewhat abated2 but ,i argued myself  
into a belief  that fish had little     
sense1 and scarcely any feeling1 and    

they certainly  have very much less of  
either than any of the land animals2 but
 we see  through all nature that one    
kind of animal seems destined to prey   
upon  another1 and fishes are the most  
voracious of all4    ,illustration      
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xxi4      ,,not having seen 
,edinburgh since ,august1 #aggf1 ,i     
longed to see it again1  and set out on 
this journey on the #aath ,august1      
#ahbc1 and went through  by coach on    
that day4 ,i always thought highly of   
,edinburgh and its bold  and commanding 
situation2 but the new town1 or city of 
palaces1 as it is  sometimes called1 had
 been added to it since ,i had seen it4 
,but all  these splendid buildings are  
of trivial import compared with the mass
 of  intellect and science which had    
taken root and had been nurtured and    
grown up to such a height as to rival1  
and perhaps to outstrip1 every  other   
city in the world4 ,my stay was only a  

fortnight2 and this was a  busy time1   
both as to its being taken up with the  
kindness and  hospitality met with      
everywhere as well as in visiting its   
various  scientific and other           
establishments4 ,it being at a vacation 
season1 when  most of the learned       
professors were out of town1 ,i saw only
 ,professors  ,jameson and ,wallace1 and
 was often at the table of the former1  
which was  surrounded by men of learning
 and science who visited him from all   
parts  of the world4 ,the attentions of 
,professor ,wallace were most friendly4 
,he  shewed me the use of the           
,eidograph1 an instrument which he had  
invented  for the purpose of either     
reducing or enlarging a drawing or      
design most  accurately to any size that
 might be required4 ,i visited ,patrick 
,neil1  ,esq41 and was much pleased with
 seeing the tamed birds and other       
curiosities which embellished his little
 paradise4 ,his uncommon kindness  will 
ever remain impressed upon my memory4 ,i

 also often called upon my  friend1 ,mr4
 ,archibald ,constable1 accounted the   
first bookseller in  ,scotland2 and1    
although he was unwell at the time1 ,i  
partook of his kind  attentions4 ,i     
visited the splendid exhibition of      
paintings of the late  ,sir ,henry      
,raeburn1 ,bart41 the rooms of ,mr4     
,william ,allan1 historical  painter1   
,mr4 ,stewart1 engraver1 and those of   
several others who were  absent4 ,with  
other artists1 who were known to me1 ,i 
spent some time in  several calls4      
,these calls were upon my old friend1   
,mr4 ,nasmyth1  landscape painter2 my   
townsman1 ,mr4 ,wm4 ,nicholson2 ,mr4    
,james ,kirkwood1  now up in years1 but 
who had in his prime led the way to     
excellence in  engraving4 ,i also paid  
my respects to the son and successor of 
my kind  friend of former days1 the late
 ,mr4 ,hector ,gavin2 and the same to   
the  sons and successors of the late    
,mr4 ,d4 ,lizars4 ,all these had        
attained to  that degree of excellence  

which did honour to ,edinburgh1 now the 
seat of  learning1 and rendered         
brilliant by the gems of art1 and by the
 science  with which it is adorned4 ,i  
have almost forgotten to name my being  
introduced to ,messrs4 ,ballantyne and  
,robertson1 lithographic printers4      
,whilst ,i was in their office1 the     
latter pressed me to make a sketch on   
the stone for him4 ,i was then preparing
 to leave ,edinburgh1 and the only  time
 left me was so short that ,i was       
obliged to draw this sketch before      
breakfast the next morning1 and the     
proofs were taken from it on the  same  
day4 ,in doing this1 though very slight1
 ,i could see what that  manner of      
making prints was capable of4 ,i left   
,edinburgh on the #bcrd  ,august1 #ahbc1
 and ,i think ,i shall see ,scotland no 
more4    ,after my journeys 7long ago7  
to ,cherryburn were ended1 ,i used1 as  
formerly1 seldom to miss going in the   
mornings to ,elswick ,lane1 to drink    
whey1 or buttermilk1 and commonly fell  

in with a party who went there  for the 
same purpose2 and this kind of social   
intercourse continued for  many years4  
,i also1 at that time1 on the ,sunday   
afternoons1 went to  visit and          
contemplate in the church-yards1 and    
there give vent to my  mind1 in feelings
 of regret1 and in repeating a kind of  
soliloquy over  the graves of those with
 whom ,i had been intimate4             
8,and then ,i lov'd to haunt lone burial
 places1               ,pacing the      
church-yard path with noiseless tread1  
,to pore on new-made graves for ghastly 
traces1--               ,brown crumbling
 bones of the forgotten dead40    ,i    
recounted in my memory the numbers of my
 friends thus put by to be  forgotten1  
amongst the millions of others who had  
been for longer or  shorter periods also
 in this world1 and who have passed away
 into  ,eternity4 ,even the 8frail      
memorial0--erected to 8perpetuate the   
memory0 of those who had been           
esteemed--seemed to be of little avail1 

and their mementos1 as well as those    
decked out with ornamented  flatteries1 
would1 in time1 all go to decay1 and be 
no longer remembered  than until all who
 once knew them were also dead2 and the 
numbers of  both the one and the other  
appeared to me to be so immense that to 
estimate them seemed impossible1 and    
like attempting to count the grains  of 
sand on the sea beach4 ,it is thus that 
the grave swallows all up  without      
distinction4 ,the true estimate of their
 various merits can only  be known to   
the ,creator of all4 ,it appears clear  
to those whose souls  habitually adore  
and commune with ,him1 while they remain
 in this state  of probation1 that ,he  
will1 in ,his infinite goodness1 wisdom1
 truth1  justice1 and mercy--place      
everyone1 on quitting this mortal abode1
 in the  unknowable worlds befitting    
their reception4    ,besides the        
temporary mementos dedicated to private 
worth1 others of a  different character 
may have their use4 ,monuments might    

therefore be  erected to those who have1
 by their virtues and patriotism1       
promoted the  happiness of mankind4 ,it 
is a debt of gratitude due to the       
,author of our  being for the loan of   
departed worth1 and may stimulate others
 8to do so  likewise40 ,the posthumous  
praise or blame of the world is to them 
of no  avail2 they are done with all    
things on this side of ,time1 and are   
out  of the reach of both the one and   
the other4    ,while ,i was pursuing my 
ramblings in the ,highlands1 and beheld 
with  admiration the great projecting   
rocks so often to be seen holding up    
their bare heads to the winds1 it struck
 me that it was a great pity  they could
 not be converted to some use3 and the  
best ,i could think of  was1 that the   
illustrious names of ,wallace and       
,bruce--as well as those of  their other
 worthies--should be inscribed upon     
them1 to hold up their  heads with these
 names to the sun for ever4 ,i have     
often thought since1  that the bare     

rocks in other parts of our islands     
might with good effect  be filled up in 
the same way4 ,the first name to be     
fixed upon ought to  be that of ,alfred 
the ,great1 followed by many            
others--statesmen1  patriots1           
philosophers1 poets1 c4--who have shone 
out like polished  diamonds1 and who    
have embellished and illumined this     
country1 and  civilized the world4      
,their venerated names1 with their      
maxims1 or  quotations from their works1
 would fill up many of these rocks1     
which  are waiting for them1 and might  
make all who beheld them inclined to    
profit by1 or to imitate1 their virtues4
 ,how many incomparably good1  wise1 and
 beautiful texts from the ,bible might  
also with great propriety  be added to  
fill up every vacant spot4 ,i often     
lamented that ,i had not  the means to  
enable me to be at the expense of       
getting such quotations  inscribed in   
this way4 ,often1 while angling on a    
hot1 sunny day1 which  slackened my     

sport1 ,i have sat down by the water    
side1 and thought over  some of the     
beautiful lines of our poets1 fit to be 
applied in this way2  and remember my   
having thought of those lines of        
,cunningham1 which ,i  would1 if ,i     
could have afforded it1 have committed  
to the care of a  rock4 ,he says3--     
8,how smooth that rapid river glides    
,progressive to the deep6               
,the poppies pendent o'er its sides     
,have lull'd the waves to sleep4        
8,pleasure's intoxicated sons6          
,ye indolent6 ye gay6                   
,reflect1--for as the river runs        
,time wings his trackless way40    ,how 
easy would it be for gentlemen to get   
the names of the illustrious  dead thus 
inscribed upon rocks2 or1 where that    
could not be done1 to  erect pillars1 or
 small obelisks1 over copious springs   
7like the holy  wells of old71 to       
contain such inscriptions as those ,i   
have hinted at1  and thus leave these   
their marks behind them2 and which would

 long  continue to put the passing      
stranger in mind of some religious1     
moral1  or patriotic sentiment2 and1    
while he was refreshing himself by      
quenching his thirst1 he might be put in
 mind that--                            
8,man wants but little here below1      
,nor wants that little long40           
,illustration                           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xxii4      ,,having already 
noticed my beginnings1 or first efforts1
 in engraving on  wood2 and as at that  
time this department of the arts was at 
the very  lowest ebb in this country1   
and1 ,i believe1 also in every other    
country  in ,europe1 it may perhaps be  
of some use1 or at least may excite some
  curiosity1 to know the part ,i took in
 renewing1 or bringing into use1  this  
to me new art1 as far as ,i was able1   
with the slender means in my  hands1 and
 the many difficulties ,i had to contend
 with and surmount1  before anything    

like an approach towards perfection     
could be arrived at4  ,i ought first    
distinctly to state that1 at that time1 
it never entered  into my head that it  
was a branch of art that would stand    
pre-eminent  for utility1 or that it    
could ever in the least compete with    
engraving  on copper4 ,i ought also to  
observe that no vain notions of my      
arriving  at any eminence ever passed   
through my mind1 and that the sole      
stimulant  with me was the pleasure ,i  
derived from imitating natural objects  
7and ,i  had no other patterns to go    
by71 and the opportunity it afforded me 
of  making and drawing my designs on the
 wood1 as the only way ,i had in my     
power of giving vent to a strong        
propensity to gratify my feelings in    
this way4 ,in process of time1 however1 
as ,i began to improve1 and seeing  the 
practical use printers were making of   
wood cuts1 the utility and  importance  
of them began to be unfolded to my view2
 and the more ,i have  since thought    

upon the subject1 the more ,i am        
confirmed in the opinions  ,i have      
entertained1 that the use of wood cuts  
will know no end1 or1 so  long as the   
importance of printing is duly          
appreciated and the liberty  of the     
press held sacred4    ,the first        
difficulty ,i felt1 as ,i proceeded1 was
 in getting the cuts ,i  had executed   
printed so as to look anything like my  
drawings on the  blocks of wood1 nor    
corresponding to the labour ,i had      
bestowed upon the  cutting of the       
designs4 ,at that time pressmen were    
utterly ignorant as  to any proper      
effect that was to be produced2 or even1
 if one of them  possessed any notions  
of excellence beyond the common run of  
workmen1  his materials for working were
 so defective that he could not execute 
even what he himself wished to          
accomplish4 ,the common pelt balls then 
in  use1 so daubed the cut1 and blurred 
and overlapped its edges1 that the      
impression looked disgusting4 ,to remedy

 this defect1 ,i was obliged  carefully 
to shave down the edges round about2 and
 this answered the end  ,i had in view4 
,the next difficulty was worse to       
surmount1 and required a  long time to  
get over it2 and that was1 to lower down
 the surface on all  the parts ,i wished
 to appear pale1 so as to give the      
appearance of the  required distance2   
and this process will always continue to
 call forth  and to exercise the        
judgment of every wood engraver1 even   
after he knows  what effect his careful 
pressman maybe enabled to produce1 from 
this  his manner of cutting4 ,on this   
all artists must form their own ideas4  
,i  think no exact description can be   
laid down as a rule for others to go    
by3 they will by practice have to find  
out this themselves4 ,while ,i was      
patiently labouring and contending with 
difficulties which ,i could not         
overcome1 ,i was shown some impressions 
from wood cuts done long ago1  with     
cross-hatching1 such as ,i thought ,i   

should never be able to  execute4 ,these
 were from wood cuts by ,albert ,durer1 
and perhaps some  others of his day1 in 
the collection of the ,rev4 ,john       
,brand1 the  ,newcastle ,historian2 and 
from these ,i concluded that ,albert    
,durer must  have had some very easy way
 of loading his blocks with such an     
useless  profusion of cross-hatching1 or
 he would not have done them so1 unless1
  indeed1 he had found out some easy    
means of etching the wood 7or perhaps   
metal plates71 quite unknown to me2 but1
 if otherwise1 ,i then1 in  changing my 
opinion1 could think of no other way    
than that he must have  cut his blocks  
on the plank or side way of the wood1 on
 which it would  be more easy to pick   
out the interstices between the squares1
 or the  lozenge-shaped lines1 than as  
,i 7at that time7 thought it possible to
 do  on the end way of the wood4 ,one of
 these plank blocks1 said to have been  
drawn by ,albert ,durer1 was shown to me
 by my kind friend ,george ,allan1      

,esq41 of the ,grange1 ,darlington4 ,the
 drawing1 which was done with great     
accuracy1 seemed to me to have been done
 by a crow-quill1 with a kind of        
varnish ink1 the strokes of which1 from 
their regularity1 looked as if  they had
 been printed from a well-executed      
copper plate1 and transferred  to the   
block4 ,after labouring for some time1  
endeavouring to produce the  like effect
 on my blocks1 on the end way of the    
wood1 not indeed to my  satisfaction1 ,i
 felt mortified in not succeeding to my 
wish2 and ,i then  began to think the   
impressions must have been printed from 
two blocks4  ,this1 indeed1 ,i soon     
found to be quite easy to do1 as well as
 being  beautifully correct2 and any    
artist may see this in a few minutes1 by
  cutting parallel lines on a piece of  
wood1 and from it taking1 by his  hand1 
an impression on a piece of paper1 and  
then again inking the same  cut1 and    
printing it in the same way1 either     
directly in a cross or in  an oblique   

direction1 upon the first impression4   
,this can also easily be  done1 from two
 cuts1 at a printing press1 and is much 
easier to do1 and  better than the      
labour necessarily bestowed upon one    
cross-hatched  block4 ,when ,i had      
accomplished this1 and satisfied myself 
that the  process was both simple and   
perfect1 as to obtaining the object ,i  
so  much wanted1 my curiosity on this   
score ceased1 and ,i then concluded     
that in this way the cross-hatching     
might be set aside as a thing of no  use
 at all4 ,the artists indeed of the     
present day have brought it to  such a  
pitch of perfection that ,i do not know 
that it can be carried any  further2 and
 in this they have also been so         
marvellously aided by the  improved     
methods now used in printing their cuts1
 that one would be led  to conclude that
 this department has also attained to   
perfection2 and1  had this not been the 
case1 the masterly execution of wood    
cuts1 either  by crossed lines1 or      

otherwise1 would have continued to be   
beheld with  disgust or contempt4 ,i    
have long been of opinion that the      
cross-hatching  of wood cuts1 for book  
work1 is a waste of time2 as every      
desired effect  can be much easier      
obtained by plain parallel lines4 ,the  
other way is  not the legitimate object 
of wood engraving4 ,instead of imitating
 the  manner of copper etchings1 at a   
great cost of labour and time1 on the   
wood1 such drawings might have been as  
soon etched on the copper at  once2 and1
 where a large impression of any        
publication was not required1  the      
copper plate would have cost less1 and  
lasted long enough for the  purpose     
intended4 ,i never could discover any   
additional beauty or colour  that the   
crossed strokes gave to the impression1 
beyond the effect  produced by plain    
parallel lines4 ,this is very apparent  
when to a  certainty the plain surface  
of the wood will print as black as ink  
and  balls can make it1 without any     

further labour at all2 and it may easily
  be seen that the thinnest strokes cut 
upon the plain surface will throw  some 
light on the subject or design3 and1 if 
these strokes are made  wider and       
deeper1 it will receive more light2 and 
if these strokes1  again1 are made still
 wider1 or of equal thickness to the    
black lines1  the colour these produce  
will be a grey2 and the more the white  
strokes  are thickened1 the nearer will 
they1 in their varied shadings1 approach
  to white1 and1 if quite taken away1   
then a perfect white is obtained4  ,the 
methods ,i have pursued appear to me to 
be the simple and easy  perfection of   
wood engraving for book printing1 and1  
no doubt1 will  appear better or worse  
according to the ability of the artist  
who  executes them4 ,the first time ,i  
ever heard anything about colour being  
produced by plain engraving was in the  
compliments paid me by ,dr4 ,thos4      
,stout1 for my engraving on his large   
silver box4 ,the device1 or design1  ,i 

have now forgotten1 but never what he   
said on the occasion2 and from  that    
time ,i attempted colour upon the wood2 
and1 though ,i felt much  difficulty in 
my attempts at producing it1 yet the    
principle is there1  and will shine out 
under the skill and management of any   
eminent  engraver on wood who is gifted 
with a painter's eye2 and his work will 
be complete if seconded by a pressman of
 ability1 who may happen to have  a     
talent and fellow-feeling for the art4  
,i have before noticed my lowering down 
the surface of the wood1 in order  to   
produce the effect of distance1 and the 
same thing holds good with  every figure
 where different shades of colour is    
desired4 ,leaving the  surface of the   
block without being pared down at all1  
and relying only  on the lines being    
left thicker or smaller for producing   
the requisite  depth of shade1 this     
surface thus left acts as a support to  
the more  delicate lines1 which have    
been engraved on the lowered part of the

 cut4  ,after all the parts are thus    
lowered1 a further paring down of the   
edges  of the various figures which the 
cut contains may be necessary to        
prevent their appearing as if surrounded
 by a white line4 ,the delicate  lines  
thus lowered1 go as to print pale or    
distant parts1 and thus  protected by   
the stronger lines left on the          
surface--a wood cut1 with  care1 will   
print an incredible number3 how many it 
may be difficult  exactly to say2 but it
 once happened that ,i had the          
opportunity given me  of guessing pretty
 nearly at this1 from the calculation of
 the late ,mr4  ,s4 ,hodgson1 when he   
called upon me with a gentleman 7a      
stranger to me7  who seemed extremely   
curious to know everything respecting   
engraving on  wood4 ,one of his queries 
was made with a view of ascertaining how
 many  impressions a wood cut would     
print4 ,not having anything in mind at  
the  moment1 to enable me to satisfy    
him1 ,i began to consider1 and it then  

struck me that a little delicate cut--a 
view of ,newcastle--was done for  ,mr4  
,h4 many years before1 as a fac for his 
newspaper4 ,i then turned to  the date  
in my ledger1 when he calculated        
exactly1 and found it had  printed above
 #ijj1jjj4 ,this cut was continued in   
the newspaper several  years afterwards4
 ,it was protected in the manner before 
noticed by a  strong black line1 or     
border1 surrounding it1 within which the
 surface  was lowered previous to       
cutting the view4 ,this cut is still    
kept2 and1  except being somewhat       
damaged by being tossed about amongst   
other  castaway cuts1 might1 by being a 
little repaired1 yet print many         
thousands4 ,this is mentioned with a    
view to show the great length of  time  
that cuts done in this way will last1 if
 they are carefully  adjusted to the    
height of the type1 and kept out of the 
hands of  ignorant1 rude pressmen4    ,i
 am of opinion that cuts done in the    
manner called surface-cutting  cannot   

stand anything like so large an         
impression as when they are  lowered    
thus2 for the delicate lines1 when left 
on the surface1 must  soon break down   
from the heavy pressure to which they   
are exposed4    ,illustration           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xxiii4      ,,it is foreign 
to my purpose to criticize the works of 
brother artists of  the present day4 ,i 
behold their excellent productions with 
pleasure2 in  them there is no falling  
off3 they surpass those of the artists  
of the  olden times4 ,i cannot1 however1
 help lamenting that1 in all the        
vicissitudes which the art of wood      
engraving has undergone1 some species   
of it is lost and done away3 ,i mean the
 large blocks with the prints  from     
them1 so common to be seen when ,i was a
 boy in every cottage and  farm house   
throughout the country4 ,these blocks1  
,i suppose1 from their  size1 must have 
been cut on the plank way on beach1 or  

some other kind  of close-grained wood2 
and from the immense number of          
impressions from  them1 so cheaply and  
extensively spread over the whole       
country1 must  have given employment to 
a great number of artists1 in this      
inferior  department of wood cutting2   
and must also have formed to them an    
important article of traffic4 ,these    
prints1 which were sold at a very  low  
price1 were commonly illustrative of    
some memorable exploits1 or  were1      
perhaps1 the portraits of eminent men1  
who had distinguished  themselves in the
 service of their country1 or in their  
patriotic  exertions to serve mankind4  
,besides these1 there were a great      
variety of  other designs1 often with   
songs added to them of a moral1 a       
patriotic1  or a rural tendency1 which  
served to enliven the circle in which   
they  were admired4 ,to enumerate the   
great variety of these pictures would   
be a task4 ,a constant one in every     
house1 was 8,king ,charles' ,twelve     

,good  ,rules40 ,amongst others were    
representations of remarkable victories 
at  sea1 and battles on land1 often     
accompanied with portraits of those who 
commanded1 and others who had borne a   
conspicuous part in these contests  with
 the enemy4 ,the house at ,ovingham1    
where our dinner poke was taken  care of
 when at school1 was hung round with    
views or representations of  the battles
 of ,zondorf1 and several others2 also  
the portraits of ,tom  ,brown1 the      
valiant grenadier1 of ,admiral ,haddock1
 ,admiral ,benbow1 and  other portraits 
of admirals4 ,there was also a          
representation of the  8,victory0       
man-of-war1 of #ajj guns1 commanded by  
,admiral ,sir ,john  ,balchen1 and fully
 manned with #a1ajj picked seamen and   
volunteers1 all  of whom1 with this     
uncommonly fine ship1 were lost--sunk to
 the bottom  of the sea4 ,this was      
accompanied by a poetical lament of the 
catastrophe1 part of which was--        
8,ah6 hapless ,victory1 what avails     

,thy towering masts1 thy spreading      
sails40    ,some of the portraits1 ,i   
recollect1 now and then to be met with1 
were  very well done in this way1 on    
wood4 ,in ,mr4 ,gregson's kitchen1 one  
of  this character hung against the wall
 many years4 ,it was a remarkably  good 
likeness of ,captain ,coram4 ,in        
cottages everywhere were to be seen  the
 8,sailor's ,farewell0 and his 8,happy  
,return10 8,youthful ,sports10 and  the 
8,feats of ,manhood10 8,the ,bold       
,archers ,shooting at a ,mark10 8,the   
,four  ,seasons10 c4 ,some subjects were
 of a funny--others of a grave          
character4  ,i think the last portraits 
,i remember were of some of the rebel   
lords  and 8,duke ,willy40 ,these kind  
of wood cut pictures are long since     
quite  gone out of fashion1 which ,i    
feel very sorry for1 and most heartily  
wish  they could be revived4 ,it is     
desirable1 indeed1 that the subjects    
should  be well chosen2 for it must be  
of great importance that such should be 

the case2 as1 whatever can serve to     
instil morality and patriotism into  the
 minds of the whole people must tend    
greatly to promote their own  happiness 
and the good of the community4 ,all men1
 however poor they may  be1 ought to    
feel that this is their country1 as well
 as it is that of  the first nobleman of
 the land2 and1 if so1 they will be     
equally as  interested in its happiness 
and prosperity4    ,there is another    
way1 not yet indeed entered upon1 of    
similar import to  the foregoing1 in    
which prints might with good effect be  
made of  subjects fit to embellish      
almost every house throughout our       
country3 and  that is from wood blocks  
printed in colours1 like paper-hangings4
 ,having  seen some such done by        
paper-stainers1 so as almost to equal   
good  paintings1 leads me to wish that  
this method could be pursued--for the   
same ends as those already noticed4 ,the
 most remarkable productions of  art of 
this kind from blocks done to print in  

colours1 like beautiful  little         
paintings1 were sent to me by ,gubitz1  
of ,berlin2 they might  indeed be said  
to be perfection4 ,several impressions  
from duplicate or  triplicate blocks1   
printed in this way1 of a very large    
size1 were also  given to me1 as well as
 a drawing of the press from which they 
were  printed1 many years ago1 by ,jean 
,baptiste ,jackson1 who had been        
patronized by the king of ,france2 but1 
whether these prints had been  done with
 the design of embellishing the walls of
 houses in that  country1 ,i know not4  
,they had been taken from paintings of  
eminent old  masters1 and were mostly   
,scripture pieces4 ,they were well      
drawn1 and  perhaps correctly copied    
from the originals1 yet in my opinion   
none of  them looked well4 ,jackson left
 ,newcastle quite enfeebled with age1   
and1  it was said1 ended his days in an 
asylum1 under the protecting care of    
,sir ,gilbert ,elliot1 bart41 at some   
place on the border near the ,teviot1   

or on ,tweedside4    ,whether the       
speculations here noticed may be thought
 worthy of being  acted upon1 ,i know   
not1 but it is not to any of the above  
noticed ways  of wood cutting that my   
attention is directed3 it is1 in my     
ardent  desire to see the stroke        
engraving on wood carried to the utmost 
perfection1 that ,i hope the world will 
be gratified2 and ,i trust the  time is 
not distant when its superior excellence
 will be seen1  particularly in         
landscape scenery1 so as to surpass bank
 notes  engravings4 ,the effect to be   
produced by wood engraving has not1 in  
that  way1 yet been tried1 nor its      
powers made apparent4 ,this is1 ,i      
think1 to  be attained by two1 or even  
more1 blocks being employed1 on one     
print1  so that a greater and more      
natural effect--as to colour and        
softness--may  be produced4 ,i am well  
aware that some difficulty may arise1 as
 to  bringing off a clear impression of 
fine strokes from so large a surface1   

but in this age of mechanical           
improvement and invention1 ,i think this
  apparent difficulty will readily be   
got over4 ,perhaps printing from a      
roller1 instead of an even down pull1   
may easily accomplish this  business4 ,i
 have often thought1 had ,william       
,woollett been a wood  engraver1 he     
would have shown its excellence long    
ago3 his prints from  copper have not   
been equalled2 but1 from the nature of  
the wood1 and the  effect it produces1  
he would have advanced a step further1  
and on it  have outdone his excellence  
on copper4 ,if ,i live1 health and sight
  continued1 ,i will make the attempt to
 show that all this is not a  visionary 
theory4 ,should ,i not live to get this 
,memoir printed under my  own           
inspection1--or whether it will ever be 
printed at all1 ,i know  not1--but at   
any rate the manuscript itself will     
show1 were that  necessary1 how ardently
 ,i have ever wished well to arts and   
artists2 and  though1 in my endeavours  

to show this1 ,i have often been        
thwarted and  disappointed1 yet ,i never
 lost sight of my object1 nor became    
disheartened in my struggles to fight   
through1 and surmount numberless        
difficulties and bars thrown in my way4 
,i have already noticed my brother      
,john1 as my first pupil1 and therefore 
have little further to say respecting   
him1 only1 that ,nature seemed to  have 
befitted him for becoming a first-rate  
artist2 but1 at the time he  was with   
me1 the thoughts of arriving at         
excellence did not enter into  our      
heads1 and he left the world at the time
 when wood engraving was  only beginning
 to be looked upon as a matter of any   
interest4 ,and1 now  when the time is   
fast approaching for my winding up all  
my labours1 ,i  may be allowed to name  
my own son and partner1 whose time has  
been taken  up with attending to all the
 branches of our business3 and who1 ,i  
trust1  will not let wood engraving go  
down2 and1 though he has not shown any  

partiality towards it1 yet the talent is
 there1 and ,i hope he will call  it    
forth4    ,illustration                 
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xxiv4      ,,how far ,i may 
venture further to obtrude my opinions1 
or advice1 on the  notice of artists1   
particularly engravers on wood1 ,i know 
not1 but they  may readily imagine that 
,i cannot help feeling a deep interest1 
and an  ardent desire1 that the art may 
long flourish1 and that those who follow
  it may feel happy in the pursuit4     
,perhaps what ,i have already said may  
not be uninteresting to some of them1   
and1 if ,i knew how ,i could go         
further1 in any way that might urge or  
stimulate them to feel enthusiasm  for  
this art1 it should not be wanting2 for 
the wish1 though tottering  on the      
down-hill of life1 is extended beyond   
the grave4    ,the sedentary artist     
ought1 if possible1 to have his dwelling
 in the  country1 where he can follow   

his business undisturbed1 surrounded by 
pleasing rural scenery1 and the fresh   
air4 ,he ought not to sit at work  too  
long at a time1 but to unbend his mind  
with some variety of  employment2 for   
which purpose it is desirable that      
artists1 with their  little cots1 shall 
also have each a garden attached1 in    
which they may  find both exercise and  
amusement1 and only occasionally visit  
the city  or the smoky town2 and that   
chiefly for the purpose of meetings with
  their brother artists1 in which they  
may make an interchange of their        
sentiments1 and commune with each other 
as to whatever regards the arts4  ,were 
,i allowed to become their ,m4,d41 my   
prescription should cost them  nothing1 
and be easily taken--it being only      
attentively to observe two or  three    
rules1 the first of which is1 that they 
will contrive to be very  hungry once a 
day1 never to overload the stomach1 nor 
indulge to satiety  in eating anything4 
,by persisting in this1 they will find  

their reward  in great good health1 and 
a vigorous1 unclouded mind3 by a little 
observation they may clearly see that a 
great portion of mankind 8live  to      
eat0--not eat to live4#ch ,to say more  
to men of sense and  artists1--which a  
desire to contribute everything in my   
power towards  their peace of mind and  
happiness prompts me to do1--,i may be  
allowed to  add1 that those of them who 
have attained to eminence will find     
themselves pursued by envy2 for 8,there 
is no species of hatred greater  than   
that which a man of mediocrity bears to 
a man of genius2 his reach  of thought1 
his successful combinations1 and his    
sudden felicities are  never forgiven by
 those whom nature has fashioned in a   
less perfect  mould40    ,footnote #ch3 
,all youths1 but especially those who   
follow sedentary employments1    ought  
to exercise with dumb-bells half-an-hour
 or so before going to    bed1 and at   
other times when convenient4 ,were this 
more practised1 we    should hear of few

 dying of consumption4    ,it is the    
duty of parents and guardians to        
endeavour1 with the utmost  care1 to    
discover the capacities and fitness of  
youth for any business  before they     
engage in it2 for1 without they are     
innately gifted with the  power of      
becoming artists1 the want of that power
 will cause the pursuit  to be felt by  
them as up-hill work1 and be productive 
of unhappiness to  them through life4   
,but the fondness of parents for their  
offspring is  mostly such as to blind   
them in forming a judgment1 and         
disappointment  is sure to follow4 ,it  
would be well for such parents to read  
,gay's fable  of 8,the ,owl1 the ,swan1 
the ,cock1 the ,spider1 the ,ass1 and   
the ,farmer40  ,it may indeed be        
conceded that there are some rare       
exceptions to this  general rule2 for a 
man may be so formed in body and        
mind--with such  symmetry and health in 
the one1 and such energy in the         
other--that he may  advance a great way 

towards perfection in anything he       
ardently pursues4  ,but an 8,admirable  
,chrichton10 or a ,sir ,joshua          
,reynolds1 does not often  appear4 ,men 
so gifted by nature1 whether as artists1
 or in any other way  where intellectual
 powers are to be drawn forth1 ought    
never to despair  of rising to eminence1
 or to imagine that they can never equal
 such men  as have excelled all others  
in their day4 ,it ought to be kept in   
mind  that the same superintending      
,providence which gifted those men with 
talents to excite wonder and to improve 
society from time to time1 in  all ages1
 still rules the world and the affairs  
of mankind1 and will  continue to do so 
for ever1 as often as the services of   
such men are  wanted2 and this          
consideration ought to act as a         
stimulant to their  successors1 to      
endeavour to surpass in excellence the  
brilliant  luminaries who have only gone
 before them to pave the way and to     
enlighten their paths4 ,all artists--and

 indeed till men--ought to divide  their
 time by regularly appropriating one    
portion of it to one purpose1  and      
another part of it to the varied        
business that may be set apart for      
another4 ,in this way a deal of work may
 be got through2 and the artist1  after 
leaving off his too intense application1
 would see1 as it were1  what he had    
been doing with new eyes1 and would thus
 be enabled to  criticize the almost    
endless variety of lights1 shades1 and  
effects1  which await his pencil to     
produce4    ,had ,i been a painter1 ,i  
never would have copied the works of    
8old  masters10 or others1 however      
highly they might be esteemed4 ,i would 
have  gone to nature for all my         
patterns2 for she exhibits an endless   
variety  not possible to be surpassed1  
and scarcely ever to be truly imitated4 
,i  would1 indeed1 have endeavoured to  
discover how those artists of old  made 
or compounded their excellent colours1  
as well as the disposition  of their    

lights and shades1 by which they were   
enabled to accomplish so  much and so   
well4    ,the work of the painter may be
 said to be as endless as the objects   
which nature continually presents to his
 view2 and it is his judgment  that must
 direct him in the choice of such as may
 be interesting4 ,in  this he will see  
what others have done before him1 and   
the shoals and  quicksands that have    
retarded their progress1 as well as the 
rocks they  have at last entirely split 
upon4 ,on his taking a proper survey of 
all  this1 he will see the 8labour in   
vain0 that has been bestowed upon       
useless designs1 which have found1 and  
will continue to find1 their way  to a  
garret1 while those of an opposite      
character will1 from their  excellence1 
be preserved with perhaps increasing    
value for ages to come4  ,in performing 
all this1 great industry will be        
required1 and it ought  ever to be kept 
in mind1 that1 as in morals1 nothing is 
worth listening  to but truth1 so in    

arts nothing is worth looking at but    
such  productions as have been          
faithfully copied from nature4 ,poetry1 
indeed1  may launch out or take further 
liberties to charm the intellect of its 
votaries4 ,it is only such youths as    
,providence has gifted with strong      
intellectual1 innate powers that are    
perfectly fit to embark in the fine     
arts1 and the power and propensity is   
often found early to bud out and  show  
itself4 ,this is seen in the young      
musician1 who1 without having  even     
learned his ,a ,b ,c's1 breaks out1 with
 a random kind of unrestrained  freedom1
 to whistle and sing4 ,how often have ,i
 been amused at the first  essays of the
 ploughboy1 and how charmed to find him 
so soon attempt to  equal his whistling 
and singing master1 at the plough       
stilts1 and who1  with avidity          
unceasing1 never stopped till he thought
 he excelled him4  ,the future painter  
is shown by his strong propensity to    
sketch whatever  objects in nature      

attract his attention1 and excite him to
 imitate them4  ,the poet1 indeed1 has  
more difficulties to contend with at    
first than  the others1 because he must 
know language1 or be furnished with     
words  wherewith to enable him to       
express himself even in his first essays
 in  doggrel metre and sing-song rhymes4
 ,in all the varied ways by which men   
of talent are befitted to enlighten1 to 
charm1 and to embellish society1  as    
they advance through life1--if they     
entertain the true feeling that  every  
production they behold is created1 not  
by chance1 but by  design1--they will   
find an increasing and endless pleasure 
in the  exhaustless stores which nature 
has provided to attract the attention   
and promote the happiness of her        
votaries during the time of their       
sojourning here4    ,the painter need   
not roam very far from his home1 in any 
part of our  beautiful isles1 to meet   
with plenty of charming scenes from     
which to  copy nature--either on an     

extended or a limited scale--and in     
which he may  give full scope to his    
genius and to his pencil1 either in     
animate or  inanimate subjects4 ,his    
search will be crowned with success in  
the  romantic ravine--the placid        
holme--the hollow dell--or amongst the  
pendant  foliage of the richly          
ornamented dean2 or by the sides of     
burns which  roar or dash along1 or run 
murmuring from pool to pool through     
their  pebbly beds3 all this bordered   
perhaps by a back-ground of ivy-covered1
  hollow oaks 7thus clothed as if to    
hide their age71--of elms1 willows1  and
 birch1 which seem kindly to offer      
shelter to an under-growth of  hazel1   
whins1 broom1 juniper1 and heather1 with
 the wild rose1 the  woodbine1 and the  
bramble1 and beset with clumps of fern  
and foxglove2  while the edges of the   
mossy braes are covered with a profusion
 of wild  flowers1 8born to blush       
unseen10 which peep out amongst the     
creeping  groundlings--the bleaberry1   

the wild strawberry1 the harebell1 and  
the  violet2 but ,i feel a want of words
 to enable the pen to give an adequate  
description of the beauty and simplicity
 of these neglected spots1 which  nature
 has planted as if to invite the        
admiration of such as have hearts  and  
eyes to appreciate and enjoy these her  
exquisite treats1 while she  may perhaps
 smile at the formal1 pruning efforts of
 the gardener1 as  well as doubt whether
 the pencil of the artist will ever     
accomplish a  correct imitation4 ,but1  
be all this as it may1 she has spread   
out her  beauties to feast the eyes1 and
 to invite the admiration of all        
mankind1  and to whet them up to an     
ardent love of all her works4 ,how often
 have  ,i1 in my angling excursions1    
loitered upon such sunny braes1 lost in 
extacy1 and wishing ,i could impart to  
others the pleasures ,i felt on  such   
occasions3 but they must see with their 
own eyes to feel as ,i felt1  and to    
form an opinion how far the scenes      

depictured by poets fall short  of the  
reality4 ,the naturalist's              
poet--,thompson--has done much3 so have 
others4 ,allan ,ramsay's                
8,habbies ,howe1               ,where a'
 the sweets of spring and summer grow10 
may have exhibited such as ,i have      
noticed1 but the man endued with a fit  
turn of mind1 and inclined to search out
 such 8beauty-spots10 will not  need the
 aid of poets to help him on in his     
enthusiastic ardour4    ,illustration   
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xxv4      ,,when very young 
,i read the ,bible through and through1 
but ,i1 at that  time1 minded it no more
 than other histories with which my     
scanty  library was furnished4 ,i could 
not then judge of it1 nor properly      
estimate the sublime precepts it        
contains4 ,i felt1 indeed1 much pleased 
and excited by the numerous battles     
therein described4 ,sober reflection1   
however1 respecting them quite altered  

the bent of my inclination that  way1   
and ,i began and continued to consider  
the political history of the            
,israelites as very wicked2 for they are
 so described as under the  direction of
 ,moses1 who1 it is said1 always        
obtained the command or  sanction of the
 ,lord to set the people at work in the 
business of war1  at which they appear  
to have been very ready and very expert4
 ,it is1  however1 evident that in the  
nation of the ,israelites there were men
 of  great intellectual powers1 and     
inspired with an ardent desire to trace 
the ,author of ,nature through ,his     
works1 as well as having a foresight of 
their future destiny4 ,it being clear to
 them that it was the intention  of     
,omnipotence that men should live in a  
state of civilized society1  under this 
impression they set to work1 as well as 
they could with an  uncivilized people1 
to bring about such a desirable order of
 things1 but  in which they must have   
felt great difficulties2 the first of   

which was  to abolish ,paganism1 and to 
establish the pure religion of          
worshipping  one ,god only2 thus1 8,thou
 shalt have none other gods but me10 was
 the  first commandment1 and which was  
most strenuously urged upon the         
,israelites in every way1 and in every  
transaction of their lives1 while  they 
were kept together as a nation4         
,science1 and a knowledge of nature1  on
 which science is founded1 could not in 
those early times be expected  to be    
known1 either by ,moses or their other  
governers and teachers1 who  could not  
explain such important matters to the   
people otherwise than  they did4 ,the   
wonders of this world and the magnitude 
of the universe  were not then          
contemplated upon2 neither was it       
perhaps necessary to  attempt any       
explanation of them in those dark ages3 
and1 besides1 it  appears it was not a  
leading object3 civilization seems to   
have been the  first and perhaps the    
only important business they had at that

 time in  view4 ,they therefore1 in     
their endeavours to accomplish this1 and
 to  govern and keep the people in awe1 
attempted to personify the ,deity1 and  
to prescribe the boundary of time and   
space1 as the theatre on which ,he      
acted1 that they1 the people1 might thus
 understand something of the  meaning of
 the commands so strenuously laid upon  
them2 not a little of  which was        
delivered to them in allegory and fable4
 ,moses began by  telling them of the   
beginning of the world1 and the length  
of time it  took to make it1 and the    
manner in which ,god created ,adam and  
,eve as the  parents of the whole human 
race2 of ,paradise1 or the ,garden of   
,eden2 of  the disobedience of our first
 parents in eating forbidden fruit1 and 
that this transgression entailed misery1
 sin1 and death upon the whole  human   
race4 ,this 8,original ,sin10 however   
strange it may appear to  thinking men1 
has been kept up in terrorem1 with      
uncommon pains1 for  hundreds of years  

past1 and is continued with unabating   
fervency to the  present time4 ,that    
mankind should suffer under this        
condemnation1 for  the fault of these   
our first parents1 seems impiously to   
set aside the  justice of an ,all-wise  
and ,benevolent ,god4    ,as to the time
 it took to create this world1 and the  
whirling1 floating1  universe of which  
it is comparatively a speck or          
mote--that is beyond  human             
comprehension2 and ,time1 ,eternity--a  
,beginning and an ,end--are still  much 
more beyond the reach of thought2 for   
the powers of the mind would  soon      
become bewildered and lost in attempting
 to form any conception1 by  figures1 of
 what is meant by innumerable millions  
of centuries3 and here  on this subject 
we must rest6 ,this sublime--this       
amazing--this mighty work  of suns and  
worlds innumerable is too much for the  
vision of a finite1  purblind1 proud1   
little atom of the ,creation1 strutting 
or crawling  about in the shape of man4 

,it is sufficient for the soul of man in
 this  life to reverence and adore the  
,omnipresent1 and1 except through his   
works1 the unknowable ,god1 whose       
wisdom1 and power1 and goodness1 has no 
bounds1 and who has been pleased to     
enable his reasoning creatures so  far  
to see that everything is made by       
design1 and nothing by chance2  and1    
from the display of ,his infinite power1
 that everything in the  universe is    
systematic2 all is connection1 adhesion1
 affinity3 hence we  may infer some     
principle of order1 some moving power1  
some mighty  agent--but all this still  
ends in the name of ,deity1 and dwells  
awfully  retired beyond the reach of    
mortal eye4    ,what ,moses has said    
about the deluge1 and the destruction it
 occasioned  to every living creature1  
we are led to conclude must have been   
handed  down to him in ancient ,eastern 
traditions1 and it requires no          
over-stretched credulity to believe that
 a deluge happened which  destroyed     

every living creature on that part of   
the earth over which its  devastations  
were spread2 for it cannot be doubted   
that this globe has  undergone many such
 deluges1 convulsions1 and changes1     
equally difficult  to account for2 and  
geologists at this day feel convinced of
 this1 from  the changes which they see 
matter has undergone1 but of which they 
are  still left greatly to conjecture as
 to the cause4 ,they cannot1 however1   
doubt the power of a comet 7if it be the
 will of the ,mighty ,director7 to  melt
 the ices from the poles1 and to throw  
the sea out of its place1 or  to reduce 
this globe instantly to a cinder--a     
vitrifaction--to ashes1 or  to dust2 and
 that1 in its near approach to this our 
world1 it may have  occasioned the      
various changes and phenomena which have
 happened1 and  may happen again4 ,the  
marine productions found imbedded in the
 earth so  many fathoms below its       
surface1 supplies another source of     
wonder1 and  seems either to confirm the

 foregoing hypothesis1 or to lead men to
  conclude that a great portion of the  
earth has once been covered by the  sea2
 and it may1 perhaps1 not be carrying   
conjecture too far to suppose  that     
nations have been overflowed and sunk to
 its bottom1 while others  have arisen  
out of it2 and that1 in the apparently  
slow changes which  are continually     
operating upon all matter1 new nations  
may yet arise1  and be now in progress  
to take their turn on this globe4#ci    
,every  mountain and hill is becoming   
less and less1 and is by little and     
little  apparently slowly sliding away  
into the ocean2 and the same waste may  
be  seen in the many tons of earthy mud 
which every flooded river carries  off1 
and deposits in the sea4 ,the lakes are 
also continually operated  upon1 by the 
wasting or wearing away of the outlets  
that form the  barriers by which their  
waters were and are at present stayed1  
and it is  not unlikely that every      
valley was once a lake1 till they were  

operated  upon like those still left1   
preparatory to their change to dry land4
    ,footnote #ci3      ,in my brother's
 colliery at ,mickley ,bank1 about #cj  
fathoms below the    surface1 perfect   
muscles have been found imbedded in     
ironstone4 ,in    appearance they       
differed not from those newly taken from
 the muscle    scarp4 ,the shells       
effervesced with acid1 but the insides  
were    ironstone1 the same as that with
 which they were surrounded4    ,but the
 early history of mankind1 nor the      
changes1 the wonders1 nor the  mighty   
events which have happened to this      
globe1 cannot be known2 and we  may     
reasonably suppose men must have long   
remained in darkness and  ignorance till
 rescued from such a state first by     
hieroglyphics and then  by letters4     
,what they were before these enabled    
them to interchange  their thoughts1    
preparatory to a social intercourse1 is 
involved in  darkness1 on which         
conjecture may invent and exhaust itself

 in vain4  ,nation after nation1 in     
unknown ages past1 may have glided away1
 or have  been by the accumulation of   
their own wickedness1 more suddenly     
hurled  into oblivion1 before the       
reasoning powers were drawn forth or men
  bestowed the least thought upon the   
duties they had to perform1 or the      
business they had to fulfil1 as the will
 of the ,creator while they  sojourned  
here4 ,but the providence of ,god is    
over all ,his creatures1 and  it pleased
 ,him that the reasoning powers should  
not remain longer  dormant1 and the     
provision made for the change1 in the   
natural order of  things1 was placed in 
the latent intellectual powers gifted to
 man1 and  drawn forth from his inspired
 mind1 which thus put in action1 as it  
may  be presumed1 was the first effort  
of cause and effect that produced the   
,bible1 which1 as far as we know1 seems 
to have been the first instrument  of   
knowledge that shed its rays over and   
revealed to mankind the  accountable    

station they were destined to hold on   
this globe4 ,before the  religious and  
moral precepts of the venerable old     
,book made their way  over a more       
civilized world1 and taught rational    
beings to worship one  ,god1 the ,father
 of ,all1 and to consider each other as 
brethren1 it does  not appear that the  
great mass of mankind had bestowed a    
thought upon  the astonishing miracles  
of creation by which they were          
surrounded1 and  which were presented to
 their understanding and sight in so    
visible and  tangible a shape that it   
required no faith to believe in them1   
nor any  thing to raise doubts in their 
minds as to their reality4 ,the         
brilliantly studded canopy of suns and  
worlds above their heads1 and1 as  a    
part of these1 the equally wonderful    
globe of this earth and sea1  which is  
allotted to them1 they could not1 with  
their clouded intellects  and want of   
science see nor appreciate1 till the    
mind by research became  illumined by   

degrees1 in the varied blaze of light   
spread abroad--which  will in some      
degree enable men to see the perfection 
of the ,omnipotent  ,author of the      
whole4 ,viewing the ,bible as to it     
moral and religious  contents1 in this  
way1 the good old ,book ought to be held
 in veneration  and esteem1 as          
containing the most unequivocal marks of
 the most exalted  piety and the purest 
benevolence4 ,give it therefore1 my dear
 children1 a  place in your regards1 to 
which it is entitled2 and1 amidst the   
necessary cares of life1 never lose     
sight of your destination for  another4 
,an infinitely more important state     
awaits us beyond the grave4  ,it may be 
presumed that this original and sacred  
document will continue  to arrest the   
attention of reasoning beings as long as
 men continue to  reason1 and be an     
eternal stimulant--together with other  
stimulants so  abundantly presented by  
the wonders of the universe--to lead the
 soul to  rest its hopes on the source  

from whence it derived its existence4   
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xxvi4      ,i ,,have before 
ventured my opinion on the political    
history of the  ,israelites and their   
wars1 and ,i wish ,i could not believe  
in them2 but ,i  fear that portion of   
their history is too true4 ,the example 
thus set has  been followed since by    
other nations1 to wage the horrid wars  
in which  they have embarked on the most
 trivial pretences1 whenever their      
rulers  found it convenient to give vent
 to their bad passions1 wantonly to     
engage in them4 ,there are many other   
matters related in the ,bible which     
operate as stumbling-blocks to those who
 otherwise revere it for the  clear     
truths set forth in its texts4 ,these   
consist in one part  contradicting1 or  
apparently contradicting1 another part1 
and1 in some  cases1 of making          
assertions which appear to be derogatory
 to the ,majesty  of ,omnipotence4      

,there may1 indeed1 be two causes       
assigned as reasons for  these4 ,the    
first is1 in reading many portions of   
the ,scriptures  literally which must   
have been intended to be understood     
allegorically4  ,it surely could never  
be meant to be literally understood that
 the sun  and moon stood still by the   
command of ,joshua1 till he was 8avenged
 of  his enemies10 and that the regular 
order of nature and the universe was    
set aside to please ,joshua in his      
man-killing pursuits4 ,that this was    
the way by which ,omnipotence willed the
 destruction of whole nations of        
people1 does not seem to accord with the
 reverence with which man ought  to view
 his ,maker1 when1 had it been ,his will
 that such nations should  no longer    
inhabit the earth1 the whole of such a  
people thus devoted  might have been    
annihilated by a puff of pestilential   
wind1 if  ,omnipotence had pleased to do
 so4 ,although it does not become us to 
scan  what was1 or what was not1 ,his   

will1 as we can only judge of all such  
matters according to our crude and weak 
conceptions4    ,the next cause for     
suspecting the accuracy of several parts
 of the  ,sacred ,book arises from the  
supposition that these may not have been
  correctly translated4#dj ,all these   
seemingly contradictory passages1  not  
being clearly understood1 have been a   
most fertile source of  employment for  
self-interested and bigoted men1 who    
have attempted  giving their            
explanations and contradictory comments 
and annotations  upon them1 and twisted 
them into meanings1 often to bewilder   
the common  sense of mankind1 to suit   
certain selfish purposes subservient to 
their  own ends4 ,it would1 ,i think1   
have been much better to have left      
people  to judge upon these texts as    
well as they could themselves1 rather   
than  trust to such explanations1 or to 
pin their faith on the sleeve of such   
men4 ,i fear they have done more harm   
than good4    ,footnote #dj3      ,the  

,rev4 ,james ,murray 7before mentioned7 
showed me a chapter of the    ,book of  
,job which he had translated4 ,it was in
 poetry as near the    original as he   
was able to make it4 ,the sense and     
meaning was clear    and easily to be   
understood1 but not so that of the      
chapter from which    he took it4       
,but all these and such like doubts seem
 trivial and light in the balance  when 
weighed against the solid1 sublime      
truths and valuable instructions        
contained in the ancient1 venerable     
book4 ,the mind of man thus prepared  by
 the sacred texts laid open to him by   
the ,bible1 as well as by the  help of  
other systems of morality1 which all    
lend their help to lead him  in the     
paths of rectitude--in this state he    
sees himself surrounded by  the wonders 
of creation1 and furnished with passions
 given him for the  wisest purposes1 to 
spur him on to exertions without which  
the affairs  of this beautiful world    
would soon be at a stand-still1 and he  

would  then soon revert to              
unintellectual apathy or savage         
barbarity1 and would  cease to adore    
,god1 and seek ,his providential care   
and protection4 ,but1  when the passions
 are not fully kept under by the        
reasoning guide1 man  feels himself to  
be a strange compound--a heterogeneous  
mixture of pure  metal and base alloy1  
and placed in the infancy of an endless1
 and  therefore an infinitely important 
and mysterious1 but conscious           
existence4 8,wonderfully and fearfully  
made10 he views with amazement  8this   
pleasing1 anxious being0--this spirit   
confined in mortality with  ,heaven's   
own pilot placed within as its guide1   
and a soul1 fed like the  flame of a    
lamp1 to enlighten his path to eternity4
 ,thus prepared by the  hand of         
,omnipotence1 his reasoning powers      
commence their operations2 his  mind is 
then his kingdom1 and his will his law  
as to his deeds in this  life1 but for  
which he must render an account before  

the justice of his  ,maker1 in another  
state of existence--in another world2   
otherwise he has  lived in vain in this4
 ,if he avails himself of the reasoning 
power1--the  choicest gift of his       
,maker1 and by which ,he has revealed   
himself to  man1--then will he feel     
something of a foretaste of the future  
happiness  he is preparing for himself  
in eternity4 ,but if he will perversely 
cease  to commune with his own soul1 or 
reject its admonitions1 and turn away   
from them1 he thus puts himself under   
another guide1 and must then  become    
debased1 degraded1 and associated with  
sin2 for he then suffers  his bad       
passions and gross appetites to         
overpower his reason1 and thus  creates 
for himself an evil spirit1 or a devil  
and a hell in his own  breast1 that     
consumes or annihilates his good        
spiritual guide1 and  disfigures the    
image of ,god within him1 before it     
returns to whence it  came4 ,thus to    
appear before his ,maker must be a hell 

of itself of  fearful import--not to be 
endured--and the greatest possible      
punishment  the debased and polluted    
soul can undergo2 and it may be well for
 us all  to keep in remembrance that a  
year of pleasure can be outbalanced by a
  day of pain4 ,to judge simply of all  
this1 it may be concluded that those    
who1 from pure motives1 have shed abroad
 the greatest quantum of  happiness to  
mankind1 and to all ,god's creatures1   
while they sojourned  here1 will1       
according to our notions of justice     
7beside the pleasure  derived from      
self-approbation in this life71 be      
rewarded1 and entitled  to such like but
 more exalted happiness to all eternity4
    ,whatever weight these opinions of  
mine may have upon others1 ,i know not2 
they are given with the best intentions1
 and they concern all men4 ,they  are on
 a subject which1 in its own nature1    
forms a more sublime and  important     
object of enquiry than any to which our 
intellectual powers  can be applied4 ,it

 is on them that religion1 the life of  
the soul1 is  built4 ,religion is both  
natural and necessary to man4 ,those who
 reject  this primary sentiment of      
veneration for the ,supreme ,being1 only
 show  their inferiority to other men3  
like those born blind1 they cannot      
perfectly understand the nature of      
vision1 and thence conclude there is  no
 such thing as light in existence4      
,religion is of a pure and spotless     
nature2 it is uniform1 consistent1  and 
of the same complexion and character in 
all nations4 ,languages and  customs may
 greatly differ1 but the language of the
 pure devotion of the  heart to its     
,maker is the same over the face of the 
whole earth4  ,religion1 therefore1     
demands our utmost reverence2 and1 as   
such1 that  which was taught by ,jesus  
of ,nazareth4 ,i revere the sublime1 and
 yet  simple1 plain doctrines and truly 
charitable principles which ,christ     
laid down1 and enforced by his own      
example4 ,his life was a continued      

scene of active benevolence3 no fatigue 
was too hard to be borne1 no            
inconvenience too great to be submitted 
to1 provided he could instruct  the     
ignorant1 reclaim the vicious1 relieve  
the destitute1 and comfort  the         
mournful4 ,such was the religion of     
,jesus ,christ1 8who went about  doing  
good60 ,he spoke only of one ,god1 and  
of ,him with the utmost  reverence1 as  
his ,heavenly ,father and the ,father of
 all mankind4  ,christianity1 in its    
purity1 is the most liberal and best    
religion in  the world4 ,its inspired   
,author preached up the cheerful        
doctrine of  man's reviving again after 
death1 and of the certainty of his      
afterwards  living to eternity1 and did 
his utmost to persuade all mankind to   
live  godly lives1 that their souls     
might thereby be prepared to return to  
,god1 the ,author and the ,giver of all 
,good1 as unblemished as possible2  and 
thus1 so far as his influence reached1  
and his commands were acted  upon1 he   

may truly be said to be the ,saviour of 
,mankind4 ,but1 there are  questions    
connected with this subject which none  
but the ,almighty ,god  can solve4 ,it  
was by the divine will1 and by the      
providence of ,god1 that  he appeared on
 earth4 ,gifted with inspired powers1   
his immaculate mind  thus made him the  
instrument befitting the mission he     
held1 to teach  mankind1 then lost and  
grovelling in wickedness and corruption1
 the  important lessons of religion and 
morality1 and to reclaim such of the    
lost flock1 high and low1 as had grown  
up and established themselves in        
iniquity4    ,illustration              
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xxvii4      ,i ,,never read 
,hume on miracles2 ,i did not need to do
 so2 but ,i have  always thought that   
the man must be very difficult to please
 who could  not be thoroughly satisfied 
with the one--the unutterably great     
one--the  miracle of the universe3 made 

up1 indeed1 of millions of other        
miracles  of its component parts1 which 
will for ever excite the astonishment of
  reasoning creatures1 and draw forth   
their adoration to the ,great ,author   
of the whole1 as long as it shall please
 ,him to gift them with the power  to do
 so4    ,those who think for themselves1
 and can believe in one ,god1 and       
reverence1 adore1 and worship ,him1 must
 ever feel disgusted to dwell on  the   
endless modes of faith with which       
mankind have been pestered and          
stultified for ages past1 and also feel 
grieved to think upon the  evils--the   
persecutions--the wars--and the         
miseries1 these have from time  to time 
inflicted upon the half-civilized world4
 ,brother has been set in  enmity       
against brother1 neighbour against      
neighbour1 and nation against  nation1  
fully charged with vengeance to destroy 
each other1 and by which  rivers of     
blood have been spilt4 ,jesus ,christ1  
,i believe1 never said one  word that   

could be construed into any such        
meaning1 or to countenance  any such    
doings2 neither did any man possessed of
 the spirit of the  ,christian religion 
and its attendant humanity ever view all
 this  otherwise than with horror4      
,it would be a tedious and an irksome   
task to give even a list of all the     
religions1 as they are called1 from the 
days of ,paganism1 down to the  present 
time4 ,truth long struggled with error1 
before system after  system passed away4
 ,notwithstanding the exertions of power
 to keep them  up1 they exist now only  
in story4 ,but do the laws of nature    
ever alter8  ,do the sun1 moon1 and     
stars shine in any other way than they  
did to the  votaries of ,jupiter8 ,do   
the human passions operate in any other 
manner  than they did thousands of years
 ago8 ,no1 indeed6 ,let us1 then1       
rejoice  that true religion is          
independent of human caprice2 it is     
founded upon  the immutable principles  
of truth1 reason1 and common sense1 and 

therefore must be durable as nature     
itself4 ,it is not vague and mutable3   
it is acquired by experience1 not merely
 the creature of chance1 habit1  and    
prejudice3 it is capable of             
demonstration like the principles of    
mathematics1 and its necessity is       
evinced by the very nature of man in    
society4 ,there is a rational and an    
irrational belief1 and how can we       
distinguish the one from the other      
without reference to the reason of  the 
thing8 ,if reason be abandoned1 then    
sense and nonsense are just the  same3  
religion becomes a chaos1 and faith has 
no merit4 ,i therefore  believe that no 
faith can be acceptable to ,god which is
 not grounded on  reason2 nothing but   
truth brings us lasting and solid       
advantage4    ,but it would appear that 
the teachers of mankind1 in this        
important  concern1 have too seldom been
 actuated by these pure principles1 and 
the  8caring for men's souls0 has been  
made only a secondary consideration4    

,their leading objects have been the    
establishment of a system of revenue    
and aggrandisement2 and1 to ensure the  
accomplishment of these ends1  they     
began with children1 well knowing that1 
when creeds and catechisms  were once   
instilled into the infant mind1 they    
would grow with their  growth1 and would
 acquire a firm-rooted footing2 for1    
when early  impressions and prejudices  
are once fixed in the mind by ignorance1
 they  can seldom or ever be eradicated4
 ,in this state1 these victims to       
deception might have been made ,pagans  
in ,india1 ,mahometans in ,turkey1 or   
disciples of ,confucius in ,china3 or1  
have been moulded into any of the       
various sects of misled ,christians     
which have1 like wens and carbuncles1   
often disfigured the comely face of     
religion1 and the pure and plain        
doctrines of ,christianity4    ,the next
 important step taken by these teachers1
 was to get this their  religion1 of    
whatever kind it might be1 interwoven   

deeply into all the  various governments
 of the different countries under their 
influence2  but1 preparatory to their   
religion becoming firmly established1   
the  heads of it1 who were called       
8saints0 and 8fathers of the ,church10  
were  gathered together to judge and    
determine upon the creeds and doctrines 
which were to be obeyed4 ,some of them  
might1 indeed1 be actuated by good  and 
others of them by impure motives1 but it
 always appeared to me like  their own  
8act of parliament0 to oblige people to 
offer to ,omnipotence  that kind of     
worship only which they had been pleased
 to dictate1 and  which by many is      
considered as arrogant presumption4     
,but1 when these  doctrines were thus   
interwoven into all the different       
governments1 they  then became 8part and
 parcel of the law of the land20 and1   
thus fenced1  barricaded1 and fortified1
 few ever dared to say that anything    
these  laws promulgated was wrong2 and1 
if any man whose mind happened to rise  

superior to superstition1 ventured to   
publish his opinions of any of  them1 to
 show that they were absurd1 then racks1
 tortures1 inquisitions1  and death1 or 
fine and imprisonment1 with attendant   
ruin1 stared him in  the face in this   
world and threatenings of eternal misery
 in the next4  ,it is thus that the free
 exercise of the understanding1 and the 
full use  of all the means of advancing 
in religion1 virtue1 and knowledge1 is  
checked and debarred2 for1 unless the   
free use of writing and publishing  the 
well-digested opinions and plans of the 
lovers of mankind is allowed  to go on  
without risk1 all public improvement1   
which is or ought to be  the chief end  
of every government to promote1 is for  
want of this  liberty1 taken away4 ,but 
in this business1 government itself     
being  entangled and bound by oaths to  
support present establishments1 may     
perhaps be afraid to meddle or          
countenance any writing tending to a    
reform1 or that may have the appearance 

of militating against this order  of    
things4    ,but to dwell on this1 the   
gloomy side of the picture1 without     
noticing  the other side1 may be unfair2
 for the framers of unaccountable creeds
  set mankind a-thinking generally upon 
these and many other matters1  which    
perhaps they would not otherwise have   
done2 and1 besides this1 it  is on all  
hands allowed that the monks and friars 
of old1 amidst all  their superstitions1
 preserved in their monasteries many    
records and  much valuable knowledge1   
which1 without their care1 would have   
been lost  to the world4 ,add to these1 
their charities to the destitute and    
their  constant best endeavours to teach
 the grossly ignorant1 and to reclaim   
the equally grossly wicked1 part of the 
community1 and in examining  impartially
 into the change effected by the        
,reformation1--it amounts only  to a    
lessening or setting aside a portion of 
the bigotry and  superstition by which  
the old doctrines were enforced4        

,although one may  lament that a more   
rational view of religion1 and its very 
important  concerns1 had not been fully 
contemplated upon1 yet even under its   
guidance1 and with all its defects      
before the mighty change of the         
,reformation was effected1 it would     
appear that the moral conduct of the    
common people was generally good1 and   
they were in some respects happier  and 
better off than they have ever been     
since4 ,the ,romish clergy1 or  priests1
 in those times1 though they took the   
tithes 7according to an  old ,jewish    
custom71 yet these were more usefully   
and justly divided than  they are in the
 present time2 for they in their day    
took only a third  part of these to     
themselves1 and the other two-thirds    
were expended in  building and repairing
 their churches and supporting all the  
poor4 ,there  was then no church cesses1
 nor poor laws1 nor the sickening1      
harassing1  and continual gathering of  
the enormous sums of the poor-rate4     

,the established clergy are also bound1 
in a similar way1 by old laws and  oaths
 which have been imposed upon them1 to  
swear to their belief in a  certain     
string of creeds before they are allowed
 to enter upon the  clerical office2 and
 all this1 backed and encouraged by the 
lures of  enormous stipends or livings  
attached to their church1 which is      
furthermore made sure of by these       
livings being1 as it were1 held out as  
a provision for the unprovided part of  
the younger branches of the  families of
 all the poor gentry of the land4 ,thus 
situated1 any  alteration or improvement
 may be looked for in vain1 while       
self-interest  and pride continue so    
powerfully to guide the actions of      
mankind4    ,time1 indeed1 may bring    
about wonders1 and the example and      
influence of  ,north ,america can       
perhaps alone be looked up to to lead   
the way as the  regenerator of the ,old 
,world4 ,there they have none of the old
 protecting  laws1 nor the old          

prejudices of ,europe1 ,asia1 and ,south
 ,america1 to  contend against1 and must
 see the errors these have fallen into1 
and may  move forward upon clear ground4
 8,the ,rites and ,ceremonies of all    
,nations0 will serve them as a kind of  
text1 and also as a beacon and a        
guide-post1 to show them the way they   
ought to pursue1 so as to steer  clear  
of the absurdities--to say no worse of  
them--by which mankind have  been so    
long led1 hoodwinked1 into so many      
egregious follies4    ,it must1         
furthermore1 be observed and conceded on
 behalf of the present  religious       
establishment of this enlightened and   
comparatively happy  land1              
notwithstanding the spots and blemishes 
which bar the approach to  rationality  
and perfection1 that the regular clergy1
 with few  exceptions1 and taken as a   
whole--from their learning1 their       
acquirements1 and their piety--are real 
and valuable ornaments to our  country1 
without whose help and the example they 

set1 it is to be feared  the people     
would soon retrograde into barbarism1   
or1 into what is nearly  as             
bad--fanaticism4 ,to keep down or       
prevent this latter growing evil from   
rising to a height will require the     
utmost exertions of the regular  clergy1
 as well as the united wisdom and       
prudence of the legislature to          
discountenance it4 ,to attempt using    
force would only serve to unite its     
votaries and increase their numbers2 for
 as long as ignorance is  stalking      
abroad1 multitudes will be found in     
every country who see  things with an   
obliquity of intellect1 and are thus    
ready prepared to  adopt anything new1  
however stupid2 and the reveries of     
,johanna  ,southcote1 and the ravings of
 ,ranters1 do not appear to them        
sufficiently absurd4    ,illustration   
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,chapter ,,xxviii4      ,i ,,have1 with
 all the consideration ,i have been able

 coolly to bestow  upon the subject1    
become clearly of opinion1 that the     
highest character  a man can hope to    
attain to in this life is that of being 
a religious  philosopher2 and he cannot 
be the latter without religion being    
deeply  impressed upon his mind2 and1   
without the aid of religion and         
philosophy  conjointly1 he need not hope
 to feel all the happiness in this world
  attendant upon his approach towards   
perfection4 ,the happiness derived  from
 ignorance is like that of unreasoning  
animals2 and1 in carrying  this a little
 further1 or to the extreme1 it is1     
comparatively1 like the  happiness      
enjoyed by a gate-post4    ,it is from  
amongst men of this enlightened         
character only that all and  every      
clergyman ought to be selected1 without 
permitting the least  interference of   
private patronage2 for that has been1   
and will continue  to be1 an evil of the
 most benumbing magnitude1 which        
will--if not  stopped--upset the best   

laid plans1 and render such nugatory1 or
 null and  void4 ,could such a stride as
 this towards purity ever be            
accomplished1  then every village ought 
to have its church1 and would thus      
become a  religious1 a moral1 and a     
patriotic little community1 in which its
  preceptors ought to teach youth the   
usual routine of their education  five  
days in the week1 and those of all ages 
on the ,sunday4 ,this clergy  ought not 
to be sworn to any belief1 nor trammeled
 with any creeds1 but  only to promise1 
with the help of ,god1 to instil into   
the minds of their  hearers the purest  
religious adoration of the ,omnipotent1 
and the best  maxims of morality4 ,in   
this the ,scriptures would supply them  
with its  pure and sublime precepts1    
and1 above all1 the still more sublime  
and  amazing works contained in the     
great ,book of the ,creation is amply   
spread out before them1 and made up of  
the living1 the visible1 words of  ,god1
 so plainly to be seen1 read1 and felt1 

that howsoever miraculous  and          
astonishing they are1 it would require  
no stretch of faith to  believe in them 
all4 ,from these1 such a clergy1 one    
after another in  succession for ages1  
might take their texts1 ever new1 and   
preach from  them to all eternity2 for1 
as to the number of subjects to preach  
from  and explain1 they would be found  
to be endless even on this globe we     
dwell upon1 without soaring to those in 
the regions of immensity2 and1  if its  
wonders were productive of disease1     
enlightened men would die of  wondering6
    ,were a clergy of this description  
established1 there could be no fears    
entertained of their teaching anything  
wrong2 they would1 on the  contrary1    
from their knowledge and virtue1 be the 
pillars of the state  and the mainstays 
and ornaments of civilization4 ,every   
church ought to  have its library of    
good books1 and its philosophical       
apparatus1 to  illustrate or explain the
 various phenomena of nature1 and the   

amazing  magnitude and distances of the 
8,heavenly bodies20 or1 rather1 the     
incalculable number of suns and worlds  
floating about with the velocity  of    
light1 in immeasurable1 endless space4  
,it is from these  contemplations that  
something like the truest conception of 
the ,adorable  ,author of the whole can 
be formed2 and it would soon be found   
that men  of common capacities1 and     
without having even been taught to read 
and  write1 would be at no loss to      
understand the clear lectures delivered 
on  this latter subject4 ,i think it    
would be folly1 or worse than folly1 to 
entertain any suspicion that poor men1  
thus enlightened1 would forget  the     
station in which they are placed1 and   
cease to work honestly to  maintain     
themselves1 or to become bad members of 
society4 ,on the  contrary1 it is       
reasonable to conclude that such a      
universal spread of  knowledge as would 
follow this system of education1 and    
this kind of  religious worship1 would  

stamp the character of a whole people as
  intelligent1 good1 subjects2 and it   
appears to me certain that1 until  such 
a mode of enlightened ,christianity is  
adopted and acted upon1  mankind will   
continue to be torn asunder1 as they    
have too long been1  and that1 if it    
could quickly be spread over the partly 
civilized world1  there would never more
 be any religious bickerings or         
animosities on  that score1 and that    
then1 but not till then1 all mankind    
would become  as brethren4    ,i am well
 aware that the pride and the fears of  
what are called the  dignified clergy1  
might operate powerfully against the    
purity and  simplicity of such a change4
 ,if so1 they will then thus clearly and
  decisively show that it is a system of
 revenue only1 and not religion1  that  
they can be fearful of upsetting2 but1  
if none of these are  deprived of their 
present livings 7or an equivalent to    
their value71  which they hold only     
during their lives1 what have they to be

 afraid of8  ,to sell their present     
enormous revenues1 and fund the amount1 
and then  divide the interest equally   
amongst the newly-established clergy1   
would  be only fair and just2 and they1 
above all other men1 ought to be        
perfectly independent1--amply provided  
for1 without being obliged to  collect  
any other revenue1--and made as happy as
 men can be in this  world2 and1        
whatever might be deemed sufficient1 a  
certain sum taken  from this income     
ought also to be funded as a provision  
to support them  in their declining     
years4 ,such a body of men as this      
clergy could not  fail of being revered 
and held in the greatest respect and    
estimation by  all good and wise men2   
and what more any good and wise man can 
wish for  in this world1 ,i am at a loss
 to know4    ,it is from government1    
with the aid of our own enlightened and 
liberal-minded clergy1 and other such   
like men1 that this important  business1
 in my opinion1 ought to be openly and  

boldly taken up4 ,they  ought to have   
the honour to show the way1 and not     
leave any other nation  to take the lead
 of them in such a mighty and momentous 
concern1 in  which the happiness of the 
whole human race would become most      
deeply  interested2 and1 from the change
 in men's minds which is now taking     
place1 and widely spreading1 this       
change1 by its own weight1 will most    
assuredly happen1 perhaps at no very    
distant day4    ,were our own government
 inclined to make this improvement in   
religion  and politics1 they would      
assuredly see the happiest results from 
it3 it  would soon be found that there  
would then be no need to keep ,ireland  
in  subjection1 like a conquered        
country1 by an expensive military force4
  ,the ,irish1 naturally acute1 lively1 
generous1 and brave1 would soon feel    
themselves1 under our excellent         
constitution1 as happy and loyal a      
people as any in the world1 and as much 
attached to their country1  which1 for  

its healthy climate and fertile soil1   
may match with any  other on this globe4
 ,one would hope that the native gentry 
would at  length see the very           
reprehensible injustice of becoming     
absentees4  ,landowners in all          
countries1 as well as in ,ireland1 ought
 as far as  possible to spend their     
rents where they receive them4 ,where   
they do not  do so1 any country is      
certain to become poor4#da ,ireland     
ought  instantly to be put upon a par1  
in every respect1 with their fellow     
subjects of the ,british ,isles4 ,to    
withhold ,catholic emancipation from    
,ireland appears to me to be invidious  
and unjust2 and1 if emancipated1  it    
would be found at no very distant period
 that they would1 under the  foregoing  
tuition1 individually become            
enlightened1 think for  themselves1     
adopt a rational religious belief1 and  
throw off the bigotry  and superstition 
taught them with such sedulous care from
 their infancy1  and by which they have 

so long been led blindfold4 ,if they    
could be  brought to think1 and to      
muster up so much of the reasoning power
 as to  do all this1 they would soon    
emancipate themselves4 ,but even on this
  business it must be observed that the 
,protestant ,establishment does not     
interfere with the ,catholic modes of   
faith2 they may preach up and  believe  
in what they please4 ,in this they are  
not only fully tolerated1  but are also 
protected in their worship1 so that on  
this score they can  have nothing to    
complain of4 ,but beyond this the       
,protestant ascendancy1  having all the 
rich church livings secured to          
themselves1 are fearful  that the       
,catholics1 ever watchful1 and never    
ceasing in their struggles  to be at the
 head of all church affairs--they1 the  
,protestants1 have  become extremely    
jealous lest the emancipation now so    
eagerly wished for  may1 if granted1 be 
a prelude to further future strides1 and
 that the  latent objects the ,catholics

 have in view is to partake in these    
rich  livings1 or to get them wholly to 
themselves4 ,to dwell longer on these   
matters seems to me useless2 for1 so    
long as rich livings are set apart  as a
 provision for those whose creeds       
continue in fashion1 all the  various   
numerous sects who dissent will always  
be barking at them1 until  the purity   
and simplicity of worshipping one ,god  
only can be  established1 and which to a
 certainty will one day happen4 ,till   
then1  all arguments on this subject may
 seem to be in vain4    ,footnote #da3  
,in my ardent wish for the perfect      
happiness and union of the sister       
,isles1 ,i have suffered my sanguine    
imagination to wish and hope that       
some great convulsion of nature might   
some day happen to throw up the    bed  
of the sea between them1 so as to unite 
them both in one2 and    present a      
south-western rocky front to the ocean4 
,i see no harm in    indulging in such  
reveries2 they may1 indeed1 be          

visionary1 but they    are innocent     
ones4    ,having given my opinion on    
religious matters freely and sincerely1 
and  with the best intentions1 in which 
,i do not wish to dictate1 but only     
wish mankind to think for themselves on 
such a momentous and important  affair  
as that of their present and their      
future eternal happiness1 ,i  leave them
 to their own reflections1 and shall    
only furthermore attempt  to show some  
of the salutary effects which ,i suppose
 would follow from  mine4 ,i first      
picture to myself that ,i see such a    
body of learned1  rationally religious1 
moral1 and patriotic men as this clergy 
spread  over our already matchless      
country3 and that the effects of their  
tuition and example1 founded on honour  
and virtue1 would very soon be  seen and
 felt amongst all ranks of society1 and 
would further exalt the  character of   
our countrymen over the whole globe1 as 
patterns for  imitation to the rest of  
mankind4 ,it is only by an education    

like this1  that any country can hope   
that its institutions can remain        
unbroken up1  and endure as a nation for
 ever2 but so it will be1 if the        
government is  founded on wisdom and    
virtue1 and backed by a whole people of 
the same  character4 ,to rear up and    
establish such a renovated order of     
things as  ,i have with diffidence      
recommended1 and coolly and deliberately
 to do  away with old errors1 will not1 
perhaps1 be soon or easily done2 for    
there are so many interests to consult1 
and so many men of the character  to    
doubt and despair of accomplishing      
anything1 however good1 that1 if  they  
have influence over weak minds to help  
them out in this disposition  to        
despondency1 it will have the direct    
tendency to realize such doubts1  and to
 throw a cold damp over the best and    
wisest plans4 ,but we ought  never to   
despair of accomplishing anything where 
our objects in view are  good ones4 ,to 
minds thus gifted1 and such as this     

clergy it is hoped  would possess1 there
 could be little need to dictate4 ,their
 own good  sense1 aided by the gentry of
 the land1 would constantly enable them 
to  see when anything was going wrong in
 each little community1 and speedily  to
 rectify it4 ,such a number of little   
colleges spread over the land  would    
excellently prepare such youths as might
 be intended to finish  their education 
in colleges of a higher character1 so as
 to fit them to  fulfil the various     
offices of the state1 in any of its     
several  departments1 as well as the    
many other employments they might be    
destined to pursue2 and in this the     
teachers would have it greatly in  their
 power to discover the talents or innate
 powers of mind of their  pupils1 as    
well as the bent of their inclinations1 
so as to be enabled  to advise or direct
 inexperienced youths as to what might  
best suit  their several capacities2 and
 to point out to them the proper course 
of  education that might lead to the    

calling or occupation in which they     
might make the most respectable figure  
when they were launched into the  world4
 ,this duty of every teacher is an      
important one1 and would require  the   
keenest observation to make the true    
discovery2 for1 after all1 we  may be   
assured of this1 that it is impossible  
to set bounds to the  improvement of the
 human mind1 and it is also equally so  
to limit the  capabilities of the human 
frame when duly cultivated4444          
,november #ast1 #ahbh4                  
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,final4      ,,in offering these my    
sentiments and opinions1 derived from   
the  observations ,i have made in my    
passage through life1 ,i have never     
intended to give offence to good men4   
,with these sentiments some may be      
pleased and others displeased1 but1     
conscious of the rectitude of my        
intentions1 ,i do not covet the praises 
of the one nor fear the censures  of the

 other4 ,it is at another tribunal that 
,i1 as well as all other  men1 are to   
account for their conduct4              
,illustration                           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,thomas ,,bewick                       
,,gently ,,sighed ,,away ,,his ,,last   
,,breath                                
,,at ,,half-,,past ,,one                
,,on ,,the ,,morning ,,of ,,the         
#h,,th ,,november1 #ahbh4               
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,appendix4      ,,after ,thomas ,bewick
 retired from business in favour of his 
son1 he  continued1 till his death1 to  
employ himself closely1 at home1 in     
filling-up gaps in his ,history of      
,british ,birds2 and1 in conjunction    
with his son1 he also commenced a       
,history of ,british ,fishes4 ,the      
finished specimens of these1 on the     
wood1 are now for the first time        
published in this ,memoir4 ,a portion of

 a series of appropriate  ,vignettes1   
also executed by him for the work on    
,fishes1 are now employed  as           
embellishments in the preceding pages4  
,about twenty of the set1  together with
 six new birds1 were printed in the last
 edition of the  ,history of ,birds4 ,it
 may be proper to add1 that the late    
,robert ,elliot  ,bewick left about     
fifty highly-finished and               
accurately-coloured drawings  of fishes 
from nature1 together with a portion of 
the descriptive matter  relating to the 
work4                                   
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,british ,,fishes4    ,illustration3   
,,basse4    7,perca                     
,labrax4--,,linn,,us47                  
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,fifteen-,,spined  
,,stickleback4    7,gasterosteus        
spinachia4--,,linn,,us47                
----------------------------------------

--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,bream4    7,sparus
 ,raii4--,,bloch47                      
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,john ,,dory4      
7,zeus faber4--,,linn,,us47             
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,black ,,goby4     
7,gobius niger4--,,linn,,us47           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,ballan ,,wrasse4  
7,ballan ,wrasse4--,,pennant47          
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,barbel4           
7,cyprinus barbus4--,,linn,,us47        
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,gudgeon4          
7,cyprinus gobio4--,,linn,,us47         
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        

,illustration3      ,,tench4            
7,cyprinus ,tinca4--,,bloch47           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,dace ,,or ,,dare4 
7,cyprinus leuciscus4--,,bloch47        
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,saury4    7,esox  
,saurus4--,,pennant47                   
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,gar ,,fish4       
7,esox ,belone4--,,linn,,us47           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,samlet ,,or       
,,brandling4    7,salmo                 
,fario4--,,linn,,us47                   
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,lump ,,sucker4    
7,cyclopterus lumpus4--,,linn,,us47     
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        

,illustration3      ,,dog ,,fish4       
7,squalus ,acanthias4--,,linn,,us47     
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,the ,,maigre4     
7,,sci,,na ,,aquila4--,,cuvier47        
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration3      ,,weever4           
7,trachinus draco4--,,pennant47         
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration                           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,illustration                           
,,the ,,alarm4#db    ,footnote #db3     
,this fable was written and illustrated 
by ,t4 ,bewick1 for his 8,fables    of  
sop10 and is now published for the first
 time4    ,,the hollow grumblings of the
 devils on earth having reached the     
infernal  regions1 ,satan ordered an    
enquiry immediately to be made into the 
cause  of their outcry1 and commanded a 

trio of his choicest associates         
forthwith to fly with the velocity of   
light to see1 and to report to  him1    
what was the matter4 ,on their arrival  
on earth1 they were met1  during the    
night1 when men were asleep1 by a       
deputation selected from  innumerable   
hosts of imps from every kingdom and    
state of the  uncivilized as well as the
 civilized world4 ,they soon were given 
to  understand1 that an outrageous      
mutiny1 amounting to rebellion1 had been
  going on for some time against their  
old king1 ,ignorance1 who was  accused  
of having become very remiss and        
negligent of his duty4 ,for this  they  
resolved to have him hurled from his    
high station1 and to have  another ruler
 appointed in his stead4 ,it was alleged
 that1 owing to his  neglect1 mankind   
had lately begun to use their           
intellectual faculties to  such a       
degree1 that it was feared1 if they were
 suffered to go on1 ,satan  would       
7though very unjustly7 lay the blame on 

them for the loss of his  subjects4 ,old
 ,ignorance was immediately brought to  
judgment1 and at the  same time other   
candidates for his office offered their 
services to  succeed him4 ,the voting   
instantly took place1 and was decided in
 the  twinkling of an eye1 when it was  
found that old ,ignorance was re-elected
  by a great majority2 for1 on casting  
up the votes1 they stood thus3--        
,,principals4    ,,satellites4          
,,imps4                                 
,vanity4                                
,ignorance4                             
#cjj1jjj1jjj4                           
,superstition4                          
,sensuality4                            
,arrogance4                             
,pride4            ,envy4               
#ajj1jjj1jjj4                           
,obstinacy4                             
,blasphemy4                             
,revenge4                               
,malice4         ,injustice4            
#ajj1jjj1jjj4                           

,cruelty4                               
,majority for    #bjj1jjj1jjj           
old ,ignorance      ,the candidates who 
had lately contended with him in        
aspiring to supreme  command1 having    
been appointed his chief ministers1 he  
was sworn to  redouble his vigilence3 in
 return for which it was finally decreed
 that  he should1 in future1 have seven 
links added to his tail1 and his head   
adorned with six horns1 instead of two4 
,his infernal honour being thus         
pledged1 the work of mischief was       
instantly begun1 by his commanding his  
ministers and their satellites to       
redouble their vigilence1 by throwing   
the mists of ignorance over the minds of
 the rulers and teachers of  mankind1   
and to fill their minds with            
superstition1 bigotry1 pride1 and       
arrogant zeal4 ,all the imps of minor   
consideration were also ordered to      
direct the unreasoning1 lazy1 envious1  
wicked1 gross1 vulgar herd of  mankind1 
high and low1 into the paths which lead 

to misery4 ,having thus  concluded their
 mission1 the innumerable host set off1 
like a whirlwind1  amidst the glare of  
lightning and the roar of thunder1 to   
take up their  abode in the minds of    
men1 where they had been nursed before2 
but  millions of their number1 who had  
been dismissed from the minds of good   
men1 dropped behind1 and1 in their fall 
through endless space1 by the  violence 
of their motion1 ignited1 were whirled  
into balls of fire1 and  gravitated to  
the sun4 ,the rest proceeded2 their     
numbers eclipsed the  moon1 and the     
effluvia which exhaled from them in     
their flight caused  plague1 pestilence1
 and famine in the countries they passed
 over1 and  the concussion they made in 
the air is said to have shaken the ices 
from  the poles4                        
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,application4    ,,if there be a       
plurality of devils1 ,ignorance must be 
their king2 and  through his influence  

only men are wicked2 and1 under him and 
his  satellites1 the wretchedness they  
have dealt out to mankind ever since    
their chequered reign began has         
disfigured the fair face of nature2 and 
they have too often succeeded1 in the   
struggles between virtue and vice1  in  
obscuring the reasoning powers of man1  
and bringing him down to the  level of  
the brute4 ,for no sooner was it decreed
 by ,omnipotence that his  reasoning    
creatures should live in a state of     
civilized society1  suitable to their   
natures and befitting so high a behest1 
than these  enemies to this good order  
of things obtruded themselves upon it1  
and  have too long and too often        
succeeded in baffling the efforts of    
good  men in their aims at approaching  
towards perfection1 and in thwarting    
the progress of mental improvement1 and 
the consequent happiness of the  human  
race4 ,they have1 with the glimmering   
light of their ignis  fatuus1 led their 
devotees in zig-zag1 backward and       

forward paths1  through misty bogs and  
quagmires1 into the midnight glooms and 
chaotic  darkness which envelope their  
wretched dens4 ,the bloody pages of     
history  have in part recorded some of  
the many miseries which have from time  
to  time been inflicted upon their      
victims2 but to enumerate only a portion
  would be an irksome as well as an     
endless task4                           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,prints ,,by ,,means ,,of ,a ,,series  
,,of ,,wood ,,blocks4    ,,the ,author1 
at page #bdi of this ,memoir1 in stating
 what he believes may  be done by the   
printing of large wood cuts from two or 
more blocks1 so  as to rival the        
landscapes of ,william ,woollett on     
copper1 intimates his  intention of     
making the attempt1 to show that it is  
not a visionary  theory4 ,with this     
view1 he executed a large wood cut1 the 
subject being  an old horse 8waiting for
 death40 ,a first proof was taken a few 

days  before his death4 ,an impression  
at the same time was transferred to a   
second block1 the exact size of the     
first1 and was intended to have been    
engraved to heighten and improve the    
effect of the print2 and a third  was   
prepared to be used if necessary4 ,a few
 impressions of the first of  the series
 were printed in ,london in #ahcb1 and  
were accompanied by a  descriptive      
history of the horse1 written so far    
back as #aghe4 ,the print  7in a        
finished state7 was intended to have    
been dedicated to the  8,society for the
 ,prevention of ,cruelty to ,animals10  
and was also meant  to serve as one of a
 set of cheap embellishments for the    
walls of  cottages4 ,the history of the 
old horse 8waiting for death0 is        
subjoined4#dc    ,footnote #dc3         
,the vignette at page #ec1 vol4 i1 last 
edition of the 8,history of    ,british 
,birds10 will be found printed with two 
additional blocks as a    title page to 
the second edition of the 8,quadrupeds10

 quarto1 without    letterpress1 #ahbd4 
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,waiting ,,for ,,death4    ,in the     
morning of his days he was handsome1    
sleek as a raven1 sprightly  and        
spirited1 and was then much caressed and
 happy4 ,when he grew to  perfection1 in
 his performances1 even on the turf1 and
 afterwards in the  chase1 and in the   
field1 he was equalled by few of his    
kind4 ,at one time  of his life he saved
 that of his master1 whom he bore1 in   
safety1 across  the rapid flood2 but    
having1 in climbing the opposite rocky  
shore1  received a blemish1 it was      
thought prudent to dispose of him2 after
  which he fell into the hands of       
different masters1 but from none of them
  did he ever eat the bread of idleness2
 and1 as he grew in years1 his cup  of  
misery was still augmented with         
bitterness4    ,it was once his hard lot
 to fall into the hands of ,skinflint1 a
  horse-keeper1 an authorised wholesale 

and retail dealer in cruelty1 who       
employed him alternately1 but closely1  
as a hack1 both in the chaise and  for  
the saddle2 for when the traces and     
trappings1 used in the former1  had     
peeled the skin from off his breast1    
shoulders1 and sides1 he was  then1 as  
his back was whole1 thought fit for the 
latter2 indeed1 his  exertions1 in this 
service of unfeeling avarice and folly1 
were  great beyond belief4 ,he was      
always1 late and early1 made ready for  
action2 he was never allowed to rest1   
even on the ,sabbath day1 because  he   
could trot well1 had a good bottom1 and 
was the best hack in town2  and1 it     
being a day of pleasure and pastime1 he 
was much sought after by  beings1 in    
appearance1 something like gentlemen2 in
 whose hands his  sufferings were       
greater than his nature could bear4 ,has
 not the  compassionate eye beheld him  
whipped1 spurred1 and galloped beyond   
his  strength1 in order to accomplish   
double the length of the journey that   

he was engaged to perform1 till1 by the 
inward grief expressed in his           
countenance1 he seemed to plead for     
mercy1 one would have thought most      
powerfully1 but1 alas1 in vain6 ,in the 
whole load which he bore 7as was  often 
the case71 not an ounce of humanity     
could be found2 and1 his rider  being   
determined to have pennyworths for his  
money1 the ribs of this  silent slave1  
where not a hair had for long been      
suffered to grow1 were  still ripped up4
 ,he was pushed forward through a stony 
rivulet1 then on  hard road against the 
hill1 and having lost a shoe1 split his 
hoof1 and  being quite spent with hunger
 and fatigue1 he fell1 broke his nose   
and  his knees1 and was unable to       
proceed2--and becoming greased1         
spavined1  ringboned1 blind of an eye1  
and the skin1 by repeated friction1     
being  worn off all the large           
prominences of his body1 he was judged  
to be only  fit for the dogs3--however1 
one shilling and sixpence beyond the    

dog-horse price saved his life1 and he  
became the property of a poor  dealer   
and horse doctor4    ,it is amazing to  
think upon the vicissitudes of his life3
 he had often  been burnished up1 his   
teeth defaced by art1 peppered under his
 tail2  having been the property of a   
general1 a gentleman1 a farmer1 a       
miller1  a butcher1 a higgler1 and a    
maker of brooms4 ,a hard winter coming  
on1 a  want of money1 and a want of     
meat1 obliged his poor owner to turn him
  out to shift for himself4 ,his former 
fame and great value are now1 to  him1  
not worth a handful of oats4 ,but his   
days and nights of misery are  now      
drawing to an end2 so that1 after having
 faithfully dedicated the  whole of his 
powers and his time to the service of   
unfeeling man1 he is  at last turned    
out1 unsheltered and unprotected1 to    
starve of hunger and  of cold4    #aghe4
    ,illustration                       
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        

,,john ,,bewick4    ,,that rare old     
book1 8,a ,collection of all the        
,ancient ,poems1 ,songs1 and  ,ballads1 
relative to ,robin ,hood10 published by 
,ritson1 #agie1 was  embellished by     
,john ,bewick4 ,three of the cuts are   
introduced in the  following pages4 ,a  
comparison of them with the book itself1
 will show  the great improvement which 
has taken place in the printing of wood 
cuts  since that day4 ,it may not1      
perhaps1 be out of place to insert an   
extract from a letter1 on the subject of
 these cuts1 written by the  antiquary  
to the artist1 more than half a century 
ago4                                    
8,gray's ,inn4        8,j4 ,ritson is   
sorry he was gone out when ,mr4 ,bewick 
called2 but      hopes he will proceed  
with the other cuts1 which shall be left
      entirely to his own fancy1 and in 
which he will undoubtedly      consult  
his own reputation40'''    ,amongst the 
many books illustrated by ,john ,bewick1
 now very scarce1 a  few may be         

enumerated3--8,the ,looking ,glass for  
the ,mind10 8,proverbs                  
,exemplified10#dd 8,the ,progress of    
,man in ,society10 8,blossoms of        
,morality40 ,the last-named was         
published by ,mr4 ,newberry1 to whom1   
for  his charming little books1 the     
rising generation of that day was under 
great obligation4 ,in his preface1 dated
 ,october #fth1 #agif1 ,mr4 ,n4 says3-- 
,footnote #dd3      ,the publisher1 ,dr4
 ,trussler1 quaintly observes1 8,it is a
 very proper    book to amuse and       
instruct youth1 and the price1 viz4     
#cs41    half-bound1 will hurt no one40 
8,much time has elapsed since the       
commencement of this edition1      owing
 to a severe indisposition with which   
the artist was long      afflicted1 and 
which unfortunately terminated in his   
death4 ,and      sorry1 very sorry1 are 
we to be compelled to state1 that this  
is      the last effort of his          
incomparable genius40    ,illustration  
----------------------------------------

--------------------------------        
,illustration    ,illustration          
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,correspondence4      ,,the following  
letters are selected from a large       
correspondence1  extending over many    
years1 and1 from the matter they        
contain1 may not be  thought            
uninteresting4 ,the first is addressed  
to ,t4 ,bewick1 on the  occasion of his 
brother's death1 by ,mr4 ,wm4 ,bulmer1 a
 native of  ,newcastle1 and who is      
mentioned at page #gj as the first      
typographer of  his day4 ,a portrait of 
this gentleman is given in ,dr4         
,dibdin's  8,bibliomania0 787 in        
connection with the 8,bodoni ,hum40 ,mr4
 ,bulmer died  at his villa1 ,clapham   
,rise1 ,surrey1 at the close of the year
 #ahbh4                                 
,,william ,,bulmer ,,to ,,thomas        
,,bewick4                               
,cleveland ,row1 ,december #aj1 #agie4  
,,dear ,,bewick1        ,the death of   

your brother has hurt me much1 ,i assure
 you4 ,he was      a young man whose    
private virtues and professional talents
 ,i      equally admired2 so much so1   
indeed1 that as a grateful tribute      
to his memory1 ,i have this day clothed 
myself in mourning4 ,his      death has 
affected me in a manner that has much   
depressed my      spirits4 ,if my       
opinion or assistance in your intended  
record of      his worth1 on the        
melancholy tombstone that is intended to
 mark      the place of his interment1  
can be of any use1 ,i beg you will      
command me4 ,the blocks for ,mr4 ,way's 
work#de have come safe to      hand1 but
 he informs me that you have omitted to 
send the      head-piece to ,tale       
,seventh1 8,the ,mantle ,made ,amiss10  
which ,i      must beg you will send    
along with the first parcel of blocks   
for      the ,chase2 and1 in cutting the
 remainder of ,mr4 ,way's work1 you     
will cut head and tail-piece in the     
regular succession1      agreeable to   

the numbers on the different sketches1  
as any      omission on this head causes
 an interruption in the printing4 ,as   
to the blocks for 8,the ,chase10 ,i have
 already told you my      situation4 ,i 
must1 therefore1 entirely rely on your  
making a      bold effort to finish them
 in the specified time4 ,the whole      
number is only twelve blocks1 besides   
the vignette for the      title4 ,many  
of the tail-pieces are small4 ,i wish   
fine execution      in them1 ,i confess1
 but yet there must be that happy       
mixture of      engraving in them that  
will at the same time produce a boldness
      of effect4 ,mr4 ,way particularly 
requests that ,i will inform you        
that the blocks last sent are perfectly 
to his wishes4 ,agreeably      to your  
desire1 ,i have sent the death of your  
brother to the      ,london prints4 ,and
 believe me1             ,yours1 very   
sincerely1                  ,,william   
,,bulmer4    ,footnote #de3             
8,fabliaux1 or ,tales abridged from     

,french ,manuscripts of the #abth and   
#acth ,centuries4 ,by ,m4 ,le ,grand4   
,translated into ,english verse1 by ,g4 
,l4 ,way1 ,esq40 #agif4                 
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,thomas ,,bewick ,,to --4              
,newcastle1 #dth ,october1 #agid4       
,,dear ,,sir1#df        ,i received     
yours of the #agth ult41 and thank you  
for the opinion      you have given me  
of ,america4 ,before ,i get the ,birds  
done1 ,i      have no doubt of matters  
being brought to such a crisis as will  
enable me to see clearly what course to 
steer4 ,my fears are not      at what   
you think will happen in ,america3 it is
 my own      much-loved country that ,i 
fear will be involved in the anarchy    
you speak of2 for ,i think there is not 
virtue enough left in the      country  
gentlemen to prevent it4 ,i cannot hope 
for anything good      from the violent 
on either side2 that can only be        
expected from      7,i hope7 the great  

majority of moderate men stepping       
manfully      forward to check the      
despotism of the one party and the      
licentiousness of the other4 ,a reform  
of abuses1 in my opinion1      is       
wanted1 and ,i wish that could be done  
with justice and      moderation2 but it
 is because ,i do not hope or expect    
that will      take place in the way ,i 
wish it that makes me bend my mind      
towards ,america4444    ,footnote #df3  
,it appears from the autograph letter   
here copied1 that ,thomas ,bewick    at 
one time contemplated emigrating to     
,america4 ,the name of his              
correspondent is not known4             
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,mrs4 ,m--#dg ,,to ,,thomas ,,bewick4  
,april #d1 #ahje4        ,i cannot      
resist the pleasure of thanking ,mr4    
,bewick for the      entertainment ,i   
have just experienced in looking over   
the second      volume of the 8,british 
,birds40 ,the vignettes are             

incomparable4      ,the one with the    
string of the kite over the poor man's  
hat1--who      cannot extricate himself1
 having to conduct his horse through    
the water1--and that of the man clinging
 to the arm of the tree1      and1 still
 more1 the four little boys riding      
triumphant on the      tombstones1      
without a moment's reflection on the    
mementos of      death around them1 are1
 ,i think1 excellently done4 ,the little
      drawing ,captain ,m-- presented me
 with1 from ,mr4 ,bewick1 will be       
placed in a book with the others ,i had 
given me at ,newcastle1      which ,i   
have the greatest value for1 and shall  
be very happy1 if      either business  
or pleasure brought ,mr4 ,bewick to     
,london1 to      show them to him1 in   
the highest preservation1 and also to be
      introduced to his ingenious son1  
to whom ,i beg my compliments2      and 
remain ,mr4 ,bewick's very great admirer
 and obliged                            
,s4 ,m--4    ,footnote #dg3      ,the   

lady here indicated was the wife of an  
officer4 ,she was an amateur    artist1 
and was a frequent visitor when at      
,newcastle4                             
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,thomas ,,bewick ,,to ,,mrs4 ,m--4     
,newcastle1 ,may #bj1 #ahje4            
,,madam1        ,your very kind and     
flattering letter of the #dth ult4 has  
reached      me1 and ,i am happy to find
 that the second volume of the ,birds   
meets with your approbation1 and that   
some of my little whimsies      put into
 vignettes have afforded you any        
entertainment4 ,could ,i      have      
forseen that the sketches1 which your   
partiality makes you      value1 would  
ever have been thought worthy of your   
notice1 ,i      certainly would have    
saved more of them for you1 and not have
      put so many of them into the fire4
 ,and now1 if my time and      attention
 were not so fully taken up with        
conducting other parts      of my       

business1 ,i could easily furnish such  
without end2 but1      when the fancies 
pop into my head1 ,i have not time even 
to      commit them to paper1 and ,i am 
often obliged to sketch them at         
once upon the wood4 ,a second edition of
 both volumes of the      ,birds is now 
at press2 and1 as ,i believe you wish me
 success1 ,i      cannot help informing 
you1 that1 in my opinion1 ,mr4 ,walker1 
the      printer1 is doing the work to  
look better than either of the          
volumes now before the public4 ,he has  
seen some defects in his      former    
mode of printing which he is remedying  
in this4 ,i have      just seen ,aikin's
 8,annual ,review10 in which he dwells  
at large1      in his criticism1 upon   
the ,history of the ,quadrupeds and the 
,birds4 ,there are many misstatements1  
and some mistakes of the      printer1  
but1 otherwise1 he has gone the utmost  
lengths in      praise of the whole2    
and1 if his praise be just1 it is highly
      flattering to me4 ,i never hoped  

to have any compliments paid to      me 
as an author4 ,i furnished all the      
original remarks1 c41 for      the      
,quadrupeds1 and the first volume of the
 ,birds2 but1 if ,i      could have got 
any person to write a book for me1 ,i   
would never      have thought upon      
writing the second volume myself4       
,necessity--not choice--set me to work  
in this way4 ,it was the work      of   
the winter evenings1 at my happy        
fireside1 surrounded by my      wife and
 girls at work1 and cheered at intervals
 by many a wild      tune on the        
,northumberland pipes1 played by my now 
stout1      healthy boy4                
,i am1 ,madam1              ,with best  
wishes for your health and happiness1   
,your much obliged servant1             
,,thomas ,,bewick4                      
,p4,s4--,should business take me to     
,london1 ,i will certainly take      the
 liberty to give you a call4 ,my boy    
thinks himself much      obliged to you 
for your attention and great kindness to

 him4 ,i      would fain indulge him    
with a visit to ,london1 but ,i think he
 is      too young yet1 and ,i have some
 fears that ,i shall feel awkward       
at parting with him even for a short    
time4                                   
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,thomas ,,bewick ,,to --#dh            
,newcastle1 #aeth ,nov41 #ahjh4         
,,dear ,,sir1        ,your letter of the
 fourth inst41 enclosing your promissory
 note      at six months1 came safe to  
hand4 ,having calculated upon being     
sooner paid1 ,i was1 ,i confess         
disappointed2 but1 however1 on          
thinking all matters over respecting    
your present expenses in1      as yet1  
an unproductive publication1 and        
remembering your      continual good    
wishes towards me1 ,i now see that ,i   
have to thank      you for the above    
remittance4 ,you make me smile when you 
talk of      my 8accumulated wealth40 ,i
 might1 indeed1 have been1 by this      

time1 as rich as ,i ever wished to be1  
if my publications had      been4444 but
 that not being the case1 that day must 
be longer      put off4 ,it may1 indeed1
 happen all in good time1 viz41 when ,i 
am unable in the line of my business to 
be longer useful to the      world4 ,i  
may then1 indeed1 in the down hill of   
life1 have it in      my power to attain
 to the summit of my wishes1 in retiring
 to a      cottage1 by a burn side1     
surrounded with woods and wilds1 such   
as ,i was dragged from when young to    
exhibit myself upon the      stage of   
the busy world4 ,to such a place as this
 ,i hope to      retire2 and1 if ,i am  
enabled to show kindness to old friends1
      and to be a good neighbour to     
those around me1 and at the same        
time to fill up my leisure time in      
contemplation1 and in the               
amusements of fishing and gardening1    
then ,i shall think that                
,providence has been pleased to single  
me out to be one of the      happiest of

 men4 ,i intend to go to press in the   
spring with a      new edition of the   
,birds1 printed with the same kind of   
small      type as the ,quadrupeds3 the 
two volumes in one volume demy4 ,i      
wish much to have one of your books1 but
 ,i cannot engage in the      sale of   
them1 being sufficiently embarrassed    
with my own      publications4          
,t4 ,b4    ,footnote #dh3          ,an  
eminent publisher by whom he had been   
employed to embellish        an         
extensive work4          ,illustration3 
,thomas ,bewick    his mark             
,,newcastle-,,on-,,tyne3--              
,,robert ,,ward1 ,,printer1 ,,foot ,,of 
,,dean ,,street4                        
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,transcriber's ,notes3          ,missing
 or obscured punctuation was silently   
corrected4          ,typographical      
errors were silently corrected4         
,inconsistent spelling and hyphenation  
were made consistent           only when

 a predominant form was found in this   
book4          ,text that was in italics
 is enclosed by underscores             
7italics74