Ziife,^ Genius, and Pet'sonal Habits ofBewicJc, 3 



not, ungentle reader, think thyself wise, look foolish, and cry 

 baa ! 



His table I found, as usual, familiarly frequented by gentle- 

 men of learning, wit, and worth; abundance of whose con- 

 versation I could readily record, were it not extraneous to 

 my limited purpose. Mr. Billington, however, I cannot omit, 

 as he forms one of the hourly instances that verify the libe- 

 rality of him I am slightly delineating. This gentleman, the 

 author of a very useful and well-written book on planting, was 

 persecuted by some state vermin, because he would not con- 

 nive at their depredations on the country, and turned out of 

 his office, with a heavy family. He was instantly encouraged by 

 the generous Bewick to persist in his integrity ; for " truth, " 

 he said, '* would ultimately come down like a sledge hammer." 

 It did so, indeed ; their roguery was detected, and the poor 

 gentleman, after fighting eight hard years with pen and penury, 

 not only triumphed over his opponents, but was selected for 

 promotion to a higher and more lucrative situation. This, he 

 has often since told me, he should never have had patience 

 or courage to have achieved, but for his hourly thoughts of 

 honest Bewick's " sledge hammer." 



I found that the good people of Newcastle had erected a 

 magnificent edifice of great elegance, for the purposes of 

 philosophy, collections, and a library, in which they intended 

 the first piece of statuary to be a figure of their honoured 

 townsman, then under sculpture by Baily, at a subscription of 

 only IZ. each, so as to admit the greater number. To this list 

 I was permitted to add my name, with those of several of my 

 Salopian friends, who have since repaid me with cordial satis- 

 faction. Frequently, as I walked with him along the streets, 

 it was gratifying to witness how much and how generally his 

 character and talents were respected ; particularly when many 

 who bowed to him differed totally from him in opinions, on a 

 subject that ought to conciliate, but far too often sets little 

 minds at inveterate hostility with great ones. An amiable 

 touch of character showed itself in th^ mahy ragged children 

 who followed him for halfpence, and would not leave him till 

 he had imparted the customary largess. He turned to them 

 several times, while he was talking to me, saying, "Get awa', 

 bairns, get awa' ; I hae none for ye the day." As they still 

 kept dogging him, and pulling at his coat, he turned into a 

 shop, and throwing down a tester, said, in his broad dialect 

 (which he neither affected to conceal, nor pretended to affect), 

 " Gie me sax penn'orth o' bawbees; " and throwing the copper 

 among the children, said kindly, and with a merry flourish of 

 his cudgel, " There, chields, fit yoursels wi' ballats, and gae 



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