192 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF BINDERS, &C.

therein discovered: but a subdued orange, or buff,harmonizing with russia ; a slate or French grey,harmonizing with morocco; or an antique or deepcrimson tint, harmonizing with sprightly calf: theseare the surfaces, or ground colours, to accord pictu-resquely, with which Charles Lewis brings his leatherand tooling into play! To particularize would he end-less ; but I cannot help just noticing, that, in hisorange and Venetian moroccos, from the sturdy folioto the pliant duodecimo—to say nothing of his ma-nagement of what he is pleased facetiously to callbinding & la mode Francaise, he has struck out aline, or fashion, or style, not only exclusively hisown, as an English artist, but, modelled upon theornaments of the Grolier and De Thou volumes, infi-nitely beyond what has yet been achieved in the samebibliopegist department. It is due to state, that in hisbook restorations he equals even the union of skill inRoger Payne and Mrs. Weir. We may say—

‘ And what was Roger once, is Lewis now.' ” e

After a very successful career, and in the enjoy-ment of an extended business, he was seized withapoplexy in the month of December, 1835, fromwhich he never recovered, expiring on the eighthday of January, 1836. His eldest son now carrieson the business.

Dibdin’s Bib. Dec . ii.