In 1784, Thomas Bewick (more information at Wikipedia) published a book of fables illustrated with his own engravings: Bewick's Select Fables of Aesop and Others. The fable texts come from Vernon Dodsley and other 18th-century authors. You can see a reprint of that book at the Internet Archive, along with a preface by Edwin Pearson which outlines Bewick's career as an engraver.
Here are five of the fables with Bewick's engravings:
The Fox and the Bramble
A Fox closely pursued by a pack of dogs took shelter under the covert of a Bramble. He rejoiced in this asylum and for a while was very happy but soon found that if he attempted to stir he was wounded by thorns and prickles on every side.
However, making a virtue of necessity, he forbore to complain and comforted himself with reflecting that no bliss is perfect; that good and evil are mixed and flow from the same fountain.These briars indeed, said he, will tear my skin a little, yet they keep off the dogs. For the sake of the good then let me bear the evil with patience: each bitter has its sweet, and these brambles, though they wound my flesh, preserve my life from danger.
A Tortoise weary of passing her days in the same obscure corner conceived a wonderful inclination to visit foreign countries. Two Crows whom the simple Tortoise acquainted with her intention undertook to oblige her upon the occasion.
Accordingly, they told her that if she would fasten her mouth to the middle of a pole, they would take the two ends and transport her whithersoever she chose to be conveyed. The Tortoise approved of the expedient and, everything being prepared, the Crows began their flight with her.
They had not travelled long in the air when they were met by a Magpie, who inquiring what they were bearing along, they replied, "The queen of the Tortoises."
The Tortoise, vain of the new and unmerited appellation, was going to confirm the title when, opening her mouth for that purpose, she let go her hold and was dashed to pieces by her fall.
A Country Maid was walking very deliberately with a pail of milk upon her head when she fell into the following train of reflections.
"The money for which I shall sell this milk will enable me to increase my stock of eggs to three hundred. These eggs, allowing for what may prove addle and what may be destroyed by vermin, will produce at least two hundred and fifty chickens. The chickens will be fit to carry to market about Christmas when poultry always bear a good price, so that by May day I cannot fail of having money enough to purchase a gown. Green! Let me consider, yes, green becomes my complexion best, and green it shall be. In this dress I will go to the fair where all the young fellows will strive to have me for a partner, but I shall perhaps refuse every one of them and with an air of disdain toss from them."
Transported with this triumphant thought, she could not forbear acting with her head what thus passed in her imagination, when down came the pail of milk, and with it all her imaginary happiness.
A spider busied in spreading his web from one side of a room to the other was asked by an industrious Silkworm to what end he spent so much time and labour in making such a number of lines and circles.
The Spider angrily replied, "Do not disturb me thou ignorant thing: I transmit my ingenuity to posterity, and fame is the object of my wishes."
Just as he had spoken, a chambermaid, coming into the room to feed her Silkworms, saw the Spider at his work, and with one stroke of her broom swept him away and destroyed at once his labours and his hope of fame.
An indolent young man being asked why he lay in bed so long, jocosely and carelessly answered, "Every morning of my life I am hearing causes: I have two fine girls, their names are Industry and Sloth, close at my bedside as soon as ever I awake, pressing their different suits. One intreats me to get up, the other persuades me to lie still, and then they alternately give me various reasons why I should rise and why I should not. This detains me so long as it is the duty of an impartial judge to hear all that can be said on either side that before the pleadings are over it is time to go to dinner."
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