6 



THOMAS BEWICK. 



stories, so long as he had company at the colliery." He was a man not 

 unlike in personal appearance what his son afterwards became. " He was 

 a stout, square-made, strong and active man, and through life was a pattern 

 of health," relates Bewick in his Memoir. " He never would prosecute 

 any one for theft ; he hated going to law, but he took it in his own hand, and 

 now and then gave thieves a severe beating." But he "could not be 

 troubled to harbour ill-will in his mind, and if he were passionate he was 

 equally compassionate." 



He was always rather severe with his son, but the boy knew how to evade 

 any punishment his father thought necessary to inflict. In one instance 

 young Bewick had given some trouble, and he relates how he did not dare 

 go to his usual sleeping-place until his father's passion had subsided. He 

 cautiously remained hidden for a time, knowing that if he kept out of sight 

 his father's displeasure would evaporate, and he would altogether escape 

 chastisement. 



From what is related it is evident that the miners had occasionally no 

 easy time with their employer's eldest son. All sorts of tricks were played 

 by the scarcely controllable boy on the pitmen, who, ignorant and super- 

 stitious, were easily frightened at ghosts and unaccountable occurrences, of 

 which young Bewick was often the origin. But though the boy sometimes 

 played on their fears, he was also capable of appreciating their readiness 

 to assist each other in moments of danger. 



As will be seen in the appendix, in an extract from an unpublished 

 manuscript, it is said that Bewick worked in the pit with his father's men; 

 and though this is a statement unsupported by other evidence except 

 Dovaston's, it is not at all unlikely that he did sometimes go down the pit. 

 It may safely be presumed that he was constantly about the mine, and 

 familiar with the methods of labour, and it is certainly no disparagement to 

 the greatness of the artist that he was able to free himself from the debasing 

 associations of the miner's life. Granting that he put his hand to the pick- 



