Print collector's quarterly (12.1925)

BEWICK THE WOOD ENGRAVER

By SELWYN IMAGE

towards the end of William Cobbett’s
| | “Rural Rides” under date “Sunderland,
October 4th, 1832,” occurs the following
memorable passage, which, as it is so entirely
to the purpose of this present article, I will begin by
quoting : “ As a sort of reward for having thus con-
tributed to this very rational source of his pleasure, Mr.
Donkin was good enough to give me an elegant copy of
the fables of the celebrated Bewick, who was once a
native of Newcastle and an honour to the town, and
whose books I had had from the time that my children
began to look at books. ... At Mr. Donkin’s I saw
a portrait of Bewick, which is said to be a great like-
ness, and which, though imagination goes a great way
in such a case, really bespeaks that simplicity, accom-
panied with that genius, which distinguished the man.
Mr. Wm. Armstrong was kind enough to make me a
present of a copy of the last performance of this so
justly celebrated man. It is entitled Waits for Death,
exhibiting a poor old horse just about to die, and pre-
ceded by an explanatory writing which does as much
honour to the heart of Bewick as the whole of his
designs put together do to his genius. The sight of the
picture, the reading of the preface to it, and the fact
that it was the last effort of the man, altogether make

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