Page:William Blake in his relation to Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1911).djvu/14

— 14 — everything he produced. There is, however, a great difference between the mysticism of Blake and Rossetti. This difference lies in the fact, that the religious side of mysticism never affected Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Always the artistic side of Blake's mysticism appealed to him; in later life he accepted some of its moral-philosophical doctrines; as a religious system it never was of the slightest value to him.

William Blake was a fervent Christian and a man of great faith throughout his life. Never once he despaired of his mission, never he doubted of the heavenly origin of his visions, or of his writings. "I may praise them, since I dare not pretend to be other than the secretary, the authors are in Eternity", Blake writes in a letter to Thomas Butts 1802 about the Prophetic books. And though poverty and want are at his door, he never makes concessions in order to see his books printed and earn a little money. With infinite patience and care he continues writing down his weird fancies and illuminating them with his fantastic drawings. Quite pathetic is the way in which he gives himself some poor bits of consolation for his worldly failure. "I am more famed in Heaven" he writes to Flaxman from his cottage in Felpham, "for my works than I could well conceive. In my brain are studies and chambers filled with books and pictures of old which I wrote and painted in ages of eternity before my mortal life; these are the delight of the archangels. Why then should I be anxious about the riches and fame of mortality?" Valiantly Blake fought on until the end of his life full of faith: "I will not cease from mental fight, Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand. Till we have built Jerusalem In England's green and pleasant land." (Milton. Preface.)