Page:The poetical works of William Blake; a new and verbatim text from the manuscript engraved and letterpress originals (1905).djvu/170

128 A Little Boy Lost ' Nought loves another as itself, i Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to Thought A greater than itself to know: ' And, Father, how can I love you 5 Or any of my brothers more ? I love you like the little bird That picks up crumbs around the door.' The Priest sat by and heard the child, 9 In trembling zeal he siez'd his hair : He led him by his little coat, And all admir'd the Priestly care. And standing on the altar high, 13 ' Lo ! what a fiend is here,' said he, ' One who sets reason up for judge Of our most holy Mystery.' Engraved on a single plate from the rough draft on p. io6 (reversed) of the MS. Book. And] Then MS. Bk. st rdg. del. how. . . you] I cannot love you MS. Book st rdg. del. 6 Or] Nor MS. Book st rdg. del. 7 I. . . bird] I love myself: so does the bird MS. Book 15/ rdg. del. 11, 12 The first reading of these two lines in the MS. Book was — ' The mother follow'd, weeping loud, "O, that I such a fiend should bear!"' These are deleted and replaced by — 'Then led him by his little coat, To shew his zealous priestly care.' The last line is again cancelled and rewritten — the word 'Then' in the preceding line being deleted and replaced by ' &.' 12 the] his Wnnz facsimile. 13-16 This stanza appears to have followed the fifth in order of composition.
 * And all admir'd his priestly care,'