6 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 



between my leaving school and the old master's 

 death. As soon as another schoolmaster (James 

 Burn) was appointed, I was sent to him; and he 

 happened to be of a directly opposite character to 

 the late one. With him I was quite happy, and 

 learned as fast as any other of the boys, and with 

 as great pleasure. After the death of this much 

 respected young man, who lived only a very few 

 years after his appointment, my learning any 

 more at Mickley School was at an end. 



Some time after this, my father put me to school 

 under the care of the Rev. C. Gregson, of Oving- 

 ham ; and well do I remember the conversation that 

 passed between them on the occasion. It was little 

 to my credit; for my father began by telling him 

 that I was so very unguidable that he could not 

 manage me, and he begged of my new master that 

 he would undertake that task, and they both agreed 

 that "to spare the rod was to spoil the child/' 

 This precept was, I think, too severely acted upon, 

 sometimes upon trivial occasions and sometimes 

 otherwise. 



I was for some time kept at reading, writing, and 

 figures how long, I know not, but I know that as 

 soon as my question was done upon my slate, I 

 spent as much time as I could find in filling with 

 my pencil all the unoccupied spaces, with represen- 

 tations of such objects as struck my fancy; and 

 these were rubbed out, for fear of a beating, before 

 my question was given in. As soon as I reached 

 Fractions, Decimals, &c., I was put to learn Latin, 

 and in this I was for some time complimented by 

 my master for the great progress I was making; 

 but, as I never knew for what purpose I had 

 to learn it, and was wearied out with getting 



