LIFE OF WILSON. 
clxv 
due equanimity; his mind being daily ruffled by the negligence 
of his assistants, who too often, through a deplorable want of 
skill and taste, made disgusting caricatures of what were in- 
tended to be modest imitations of simple nature. * Hence much 
of his precious time was spent in the irksome employment of 
inspecting and correcting the imperfections of others. This 
waste of his stated periods of labour, he felt himself constrain- 
ed to compensate, by encroachments on those hours which 
Nature, tenacious of her rights, claims as her own: hours which 
she consecrates to rest — which she will not forego without 
a struggle; and which all those, who would preserve unimpair- 
ed the vigour of their mind and body, must respect. Of this 
intense and destructive application his friends failed not to ad- 
monish him; but to their kind remonstrances he would reply, 
that “ life is short, and without exertion nothing can be per- 
formed. ” But the true cause of this extraordinary toil was his 
poverty. By the terms of agreement with his publisher, he 
was to furnish, at his own cost, all the drawings and literary 
matter for the work; and to have the whole under his control 
and superintendence. The publisher stipulated to find funds 
for the completion of the volumes. To support the heavy ex- 
* In the preface to the tliird volume, Wilson states the anxiety which he 
had suffered on account of the colouring' of the plates; and of his having 
made an arrangement, whereby liis difficulties on that score had been sur- 
mounted. Tliis an-angement proved in the end of greater injury than benefit. 
The art of printing in colours is but little known in our country, and sel- 
dom practised; and the few attempts that have been made have only partial- 
ly succeeded. An experiment of this nature was undertaken upon several 
plates of this work, but with a success by no means satisfactory. When 
Wilson commenced Ins labours, every thing relating to them was new to 
lum; and tlie difficulty of fixing the proper tints, upon an uniform black 
ground, was the greater, inasmuch as he had to experiment himself, unaided 
by the counsel or example of those to whom the process was familiar. 
The writer of tliis narrative has thought it liis duty to state some of the 
embarrassments under wliich Wilson laboured, in the department of colour- 
ing the plates, in order to obviate criticisms, wliich too many are disposed to 
make, on supposed faidts; but if all the difficulties were made known, there 
would be no fear for the result, among readers of candour and understanding. 
