68 



THOMAS BEWICK. 



and the galloping horses display appropriate action. In the same year, imme- 

 diately after his return from London, he engraved a copper-plate of the Theban 

 Harp for a publication called the Pismire Journal. The plate measures 6^ by 

 4j inches : it represents an ordinary harp, with Egyptian figures as ornaments, 

 and it was taken from a drawing executed from ruins found in Upper Egypt. 



In 1778 Bewick and Beilby were engaged to furnish a large series of 

 diagrams for Dr. Horsley's edition of Sir Isaac Newton's works. They 

 were recommended to Dr. Horsley by Dr. Hutton, for whom the Mensura- 

 tion cuts were completed in 1770; and, as in that case, the preparation of 

 the blocks devolved on Bewick. Like those in the Mensuration, the cuts 

 are by no means interesting, and might be by any engraver, good or bad, 

 there being no scope in the subjects for artistic labour. The work was 

 issued in five quarto volumes, partly in Latin and French, and the 

 rest English : the first and second containing woodcut diagrams only ; 

 the third volume also a few diagrams on copper, several signed J. Basire ; 

 the fourth many cuts, and some unsigned as well as some signed 

 plates by Basire ; the fifth volume containing no woodcuts, and with only 

 two on copper, both signed Basire. 



For the "Newcastle Directory" of 1778 Bewick made an engraving of 

 the arms of the town for the title-page. This is a charming engraving, and 

 was the first block Bewick cut of the arms with St. Nicholas' steeple in the 

 background. This design was in after- years very frequently repeated. In 

 1 781 the same cut was used by the State Lottery Office to embellish their 

 prospectuses. 



In the year 1779 Saint published two small books, both of which 

 have since become famous: they were the "Fables by Mr. Gay," described 

 at p. 43 (though the cuts were done at the time there mentioned, the 

 work was not published until this date) ; and " The Pretty Book of 

 Pictures for Little Masters and Misses ; or, Tommy Trip's History of 

 Beasts and Birds." The latter contained a series of nearly sixty tiny 



