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THOMAS BEWICK. 



that Bewick should be sent on trial to Ralph Beilby, who, together with his 

 business of engraver and enameller, undertook other work of a very miscel- 

 laneous kind. He engraved the faces of brazen clocks, door-plates, and all 

 kinds of seals ; on steel, silver, and gold ; mourning rings, coffin plates, 

 invoice heads, and bank-notes, with only an occasional job in what they were 

 afterwards to become famous — the execution of woodcuts for printers. In 

 fact, Ralph Beilby, with his brothers, became the "common resort in several 

 useful arts and accomplishments; " they declined nothing which came under 

 the headings of engraving, chasing, or enamelling ; they were hard-working, 

 honest men, with a desire to do good work when they were paid for it, but 

 when an order came for cheap labour they never refused it, but did the best 

 they could for their customers. 



Bewick spent some time with Beilby, and gave sufficient satisfaction for 

 the time to be finally decided when the contracting documents were to be 

 signed. It was a woeful day for the boy, who had hitherto spent his 

 life in the country. At school he had had some liberty, and when he felt 

 he wanted more he took a holiday and bore the punishment. But now he was 

 to be chained to a room all day long. Even when night approached and 

 work was over, his master's eye would still be upon him, ready to note 

 any trifling misadventure or censure any wrong ; and the position was 

 dreadful to contemplate. He had been sufficient time in Newcastle both 

 to like the business and esteem his master ; but, as he says, " to part 

 from the country, and to leave all its beauties behind me, with which I 

 had been all my life charmed in an extreme degree, I can only say my 

 heart was like to break." The day approached, and half willing and half 

 reluctant, a little happy that he was to prosecute the drawing he had ever 

 been thinking about, but very sorrowful to exchange his country freedom for 

 town bondage, he was taken by his father on the ist of October, 1767, to be 

 apprenticed to the Newcastle engraver. 



While the father and son rode on horseback to the town, the elder dis- 



