pedlers, packmen, and again
chepmen, these visited the villages and small towns from the large
printers of the supply towns, as London, Banbury, Newcastle, Edinburgh,
Glasgow, etc. The "History of John Cheap, the Chapman," "Parley the
Porter," "Stephen of Salisbury Plain," and other favourite tracts, with
John Bewick's and Lee's square woodcuts were written by the quaker lady,
Hannah More, about 1777, and were first published in broadsheet folio.
Some were done by Hazzard, of Bath, others by Marshall, of Bow Lane,
Aldermary Church Yard. A most curious collection of chap books did they
print, reviving the quaint old "Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green," "Guy,
Earl of Warwick," "Seven Champions," "Mother Shipton's Life and
Prophecies," "Wise Men of Gothan," "Adam Bell," "Robin Hood's Garland,"
"Jane Shore," "Joaks upon Joaks," "Strapho, or Roger the Clown,"
"Whetstone for dull Wits," "St. George and the Dragon," "Jack Horner:"
and hundreds of ballads, garlands, carols, broadsheets, songs, etc.,
were in the collection.

The "Great A and bouncing B Toy Book Factory," was somewhere near Little
Britain, the proprietor being John Marshall, who published the famous
"Life of a Fly."

[Illustration: 5_1

_Block by Thomas Bewick._]

The "Memoirs of a Peg Top," "Perambulations of a Mouse," 2 volumes with
cuts by John Bewick, and a number of other works, some by Mrs. Trimmer,
under various pseudonyms, were published in Bow Lane, also many quaint
broadsheets, the cuts of which are in this volume.

Hazzard, printer of Bath, who published many works for Dr. J. Trusler,
with woodcuts by John Bewick, Lee, and others, also published the cheap
repository tracts.

All the following little wood blocks were used in several toy books,
sometimes with Bewick's name on the titles, and done from 1787 to 1814,
in Dutch flowery and gingerbread gilt paper binding, just like Newbery
series.

Early John Bewick Cuts.

[Illustrations: 6_1 - 6_6

_Tommy Two Shoes._
_Robin Hood and Little John, pub. Wilson and Spence, York._
_York Story Books, by Wilson and Spence, circa 1797._
_Used in the Fables._
_Used in the Fables_]

[Illustrations: 7_1 - 7_5

_Cut by Lee, on the covers of Rusher's Penny "Banbury's."_
_Two Blocks from Valentine's Gift. 1797._
_Used by Wilson and Spence, York._
_Patty Primrose._]

[Illustrations: 8_1 - 8_6

_From Primrose Prettyface and her Scholars._
_Two Ballad Cuts, by Green, of Kna