Against these shortcomings, which are a sufficient answer to those who would give him credit for possessing the faculty of designing "Annunciations, Beatifications, Apotheoses," and the like, we must set his excellencies, the power and brilliancy of his imaginative faculties, his extraordinary talents of conception and realization, the delicacy of his manipulation and execution: in a word, the strong original "genius" with which Lockhart credited him from the moment he had seen his "Points of Humour." Examples of this "genius" might be cited by the thousand. Look only at the famous "Sketch Book;" its recent republication has placed it within the reach of every one of our readers. Look at the _Sprig of Shelalegh_, the rollicking, whiskey drinking, fighting, devil-may-care _expression_ he has thrown into that _piece of wood_; turn to the sheet wherein he has recorded his _Recollections of the Court of Common Pleas_, and study the group of lawyers' and witnesses' faces therein contained. There is "genius" for you, if you will. If you are overworked, turn to them; they will do you good, for they will not only make you merry, but force upon you the conviction that the conception which created them was essentially original. It is this delightful originality of George Cruikshank which constitutes his _genius_. [Illustration: GEORGE CRUIKSHANK. "_Three Courses and a Dessert._" THE DEAF POSTILION. (_See p. 169._)] [Illustration: GEORGE CRUIKSHANK. "_Three Courses and a Dessert._" THE BRAINTREES. "I doan't want to hurt thee, zo I leaves thee wi' un, but, mind--he'll hold thy droat a little tighter than I did, if thee wags a hair." _Face p. 171._] "No plan!" "no ambition!" "not much industry!" so at least said Lockhart. We may doubt whether even at the time it was spoken this charge had any foundation of truth to rest upon; an answer to it at least will be found in the fact that, before the mysterious spell had fallen upon him we shall presently have to describe, this sterling and indefatigable genius had already produced thousands upon thousands of miraculous little drawings. From the mass of these wonderful creations we propose now to select a few examples, choosing them in the first instance from a graver type than some we shall presently have to consider.