24 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 



which were early rooted were not easily removed. 

 Among the worst, was that of a belief in ghosts, 

 boggles, apparitions, &c. These wrought power- 

 fully upon the fears of the great bulk of the 

 people at that time, and, with many, these fears 

 are not rooted out even at this day. The stories 

 so circumstantially told respecting these phan- 

 toms and supernatural things, I listened to with 

 the dread they inspired, and it took many an 

 effort, and I suffered much, before it could be 

 removed. What helped me greatly to conquer 

 fears of that kind was my knowing that my 

 father constantly scouted such idle, or, indeed, 

 such pernicious tales. He would not allow me to 

 plead fear as any excuse, when he had to send 

 me an errand at night; and, perhaps, my being 

 frequently alone in the dark might have the effect 

 of enabling me greatly to rise superior to such 

 weakness. 



I have known men, both old and young, who 

 dared to encounter almost any danger, yet were 

 afraid of their own shadows ; and I remember well 

 of trying the experiment, one night, upon a servant 

 man of my father's, who was a kind of village 

 Caesar, and feared riot to stand the most desperate 

 battles with others of the same cast, upon any oc- 

 casion. I began by sneering at his courage, and 

 then bet him a penny that I durst do what he 

 dared not. All I intended to do I set about rather 

 deliberately, and then rose to perform my feat, 

 which was to walk along the dark passage to the 

 back door, and to repeat something (rather omin- 

 ous, indeed) about " Silkey" and " Hedley Kow." 

 After performing my task, I returned with appar- 

 ent agitation and fear, and sat down in silence 



