Page:Life of William Blake, Gilchrist.djvu/314

 circumstances at the time; is an example of the spurns he from the unworthy took; and throws a flood of light on the character of the writer. It subsequently fell into Allan Cunningham's hands, thence into his son, Mr. Peter Cunningham's, and has been printed in the Gentleman's Magazine (Feb. 1852):—

'64,, May, 1807.

',

I rec'd, not witht great surprise, your letter demanding four guineas for the sketched vignette dedd to the Queen. I have returned the drawing with this note, and I will briefly state my reasons for so doing. In the first place, I do not think it merits the price you affix to it, under any circumstances. In the next place, I never had the remotest suspicion that youd for a moment entertain the idea of writing me to supply money to create an honour in wh I cannot possibly participate. The Queen allowed you, not me, to dedicate the work to her! The honour wd have been yours exclusy; but that you might not be deprived of any advantage likely to contribute to your reputation, I was willing to pay Mr. Schiavonetti ten guineas for etching a plate from the drawing in question.

Another reason for returning the sketch is, that I can do without it, having already engaged to give a greater number of etchings than the price of the book will warrant; and I neither have, nor ever had, any encouragement from you to place you before the public in a more favourable point of view than that which I have already chosen. You charge me wh imposing upon you. Upon my honour I have no recollection of anything of the kind. If the world and I were to settle accounts to-morrow, I do assure you the balance w d be considerably in my favour. In this respect I am more sinned against than sinning but if I cannot recollect any instances wherein I have imposed upon you, several present themselves in wh I have imposed upon myself. Take two or three that press upon me

When I first called on you, I found you without reputation; I imposed on myself the labour, and an herculean one it has been, to create and establish a reputation for you. I say the labour was herculean, because I had not only to contend with, but I had to battle with a man who had predetermined not to be served. What public reputation you have, the reputation of eccentricity excepted, I have acquired for you; and I can honestly and conscientiously assert, that if you had laboured through life for yourself as zealously and as