34 MEMIOR OP THOMAS BEWICK. 



titled, " The Fables of jEsop and others, with De- 

 signs by T. Bewick." This work has not, how- 

 ever, been received by the public with so much fa- 

 vour. 



In 1820, Mr Emerson Charnley, bookseller in 

 Newcastle, having purchased of Messrs Wilson o. 

 York a large collection of wood-cuts, which had been 

 engraved by the Bewicks in early life, for various 

 works printed by Saint, conceived the design of em- 

 ploying them in the illustration of a volume of Select 

 Fables (already referred to). Though aware that 

 Mr Bewick wished it to be fully understood that he 

 had no wish to " feed the whimsies of bibliomanists," 

 as he himself expressed it, and perhaps was a little 

 jealous of all the imperfections of his youth being set 

 before the public, yet the Editor conceived that he 

 was rendering to the curious in wood-engraving a 

 very acceptable service, by thus rescuing from obli- 

 vion so many valuable specimens of the early talents 

 of the revivors of this elegant art. They were thus 

 enabled to study the gradual advance towards excel- 

 lence of these ingenious artists, from their very ear- 

 liest beginnings, and to trace the promise of talents 

 at length so conspicuously developed. 



Mr Bewick, however, was also engaged from time 

 to time, by himself and his pupils, in furnishing em- 



