dare to dismount. Nothing can help him but a Deus ex machina,--of
whom there is no sign.

Besides his humour, Bewick has a delightfully rustic side, of which
Hogarth gives but little indication. From the starved ewe in the
snow nibbling forlornly at a worn-out broom, to the cow which has
broken through the rail to reach the running water, there are
numberless designs which reveal that faithful lover of the field and
hillside, who, as he said, "would rather be herding sheep on Mickle
bank top" than remain in London to be made premier of England. He
loved the country and the country-life; and he drew them as one who
loved them. It is this rural quality which helps to give such a
lasting freshness to his quaint and picturesque fancies; and it is
this which will continue to preserve their popularity, even if they
should cease to be valued for their wealth of whimsical invention.

In referring to these masterpieces of Bewick's, it must not be
forgotten that he had the aid of some clever assistants. His
younger brother John was not without talent, as is clear from his
work for Somervile's "Chace," 1796, and that highly edifying book,
the "Blossoms of Morality." Many of the tail-pieces to the "Water
Birds" were designed by Robert Johnson, who also did most of the
illustrations to Bewick's "Fables" of 1818, which were engraved by
Temple and Harvey, two other pupils. Another pupil was Charlton
Nesbit, an excellent engraver, who was employed upon the "Birds,"
and did good work in Ackermann's "Religious Emblems" of 1808, and
the second series of Northcote's "Fables." But by far the largest
portion of the tail-pieces in the second volume of the "Birds" was
engraved by Luke Clennell, a very skilful but unfortunate artist,
who ultimately became insane. To him we owe the woodcuts, after