Satiric verses and epigrams from Blake's Notebook

Motto to the Songs of Innocence & of Experience
The Good are attracted by Mens perceptions And Think not for themselves Till Experience teaches them to catch And to cage the Fairies & Elves

And then the Knave begins to snarl	5 And the Hypocrite to howl And all his good Friends shew their private ends And the Eagle is known from the Owl

"Let the Brothels of Paris be opened..."
Let the Brothels of Paris be opened With many an alluring dance To awake the Physicians thro the city Said the beautiful Queen of France

Then old Nobodaddy aloft	5 Farted & belchd & coughd And said I love hanging & drawing & quartering Every bit as well as war & slaughtering

Then he swore a great & solemn Oath To kill the people I am loth	10 But If they rebel they must go to hell They shall have a Priest & a passing bell

The King awoke on his couch of gold As soon as he heard these tidings told Arise & come both fife & drum	15 And the [Famine] shall eat both crust & crumb

The Queen of France just touchd this Globe And the Pestilence darted from her robe But our good Queen quite grows to the ground And a great many suckers grow all around	20

"Who will exchange his own fire side..."
Who will exchange his own fire side For the stone of anothers door Who will exchange his wheaten loaf For the links of a dungeon floor Fayette beheld the King & Queen	5 In curses & iron boundt But mute Fayette wept tear for tear And guarded them around

O who would smile on the wintry seas & Pity the stormy roar 	10 Or who will exchange his new born child For the dog at the wintry door

On the Virginity of the Virgin Mary & Johanna Southcott
Whateer is done to her she cannot know And if youll ask her she will swear it so Whether tis good or evil none's to blame No one can take the pride no one the shame

"You dont believe I wont attempt to make ye"
You dont believe I wont attempt to make ye You are asleep I wont attempt to wake ye Sleep on Sleep on while in your pleasant dreams Of Reason you may drink of Lifes clear streams Reason and Newton they are quite two things	5 For so the Swallow & the Sparrow sings Reason says Miracle. Newton says Doubt Aye thats the way to make all Nature out Doubt Doubt & dont believe without experiment That is the very thing that Jesus meant	10 When he said Only Believe Believe & try Try Try & never mind the Reason why

"If it is True What the Prophets write..."
If it is True What the Prophets write That the heathen Gods are all stocks & stones Shall we for the sake of being Polite Feed them with the juice of our marrow bones And if Bezaleel & Aholiab drew	5

What the Finger of God pointed to their View Shall we suffer the Roman & Grecian Rods To compell us to worship them as Gods They stole them from the Temple of the Lord And Worshippd them that they might make Inspired Art Abhorrd

The Wood & Stone were calld The Holy Things— And their Sublime Intent given to their Kings All the Atonements of Jehovah spurnd And Criminals to Sacrifices Turnd

"I am no Homers Hero you all know..."
I am no Homers Hero you all know I profess not Generosity to a Foe My Generosity is to my Friends That for their Friendship I may make amends The Generous to Enemies promotes their Ends	5 And becomes the Enemy & Betrayer of his Friends

"The Angel that presided oer my birth..."
The Angel that presided oer my birth Said Little creature formd of Joy & Mirth Go love without the help of any King on Earth

"Some Men created for destruction come..."
Some Men created for destruction come Into the World & make the World their home Be they as Vile & Base as Eer they can Theyll still be called 'The Worlds' honest man

"If I eer Grow to Mans Estate..."
If I eer Grow to Mans Estate O Give to me a Womans fate May I govern all both great & small Have the last word & take the wall

From Cratetos
Me Time has Crook'd. no good Workman Is he. Infirm is all that he does

"If Men will act like a maid smiling over a Churn..."
If Men will act like a maid smiling over a Churn They ought not when it comes to anothers turn

To grow sower at what a friend may utter Knowing & feeling that we all have need of Butter

False Friends fie fie our Friendship you shant sever In spite we will be greater friends than ever

"Anger & Wrath my bosom rends..."
Anger & Wrath my bosom rends I thought them the Errors of friends But all my limbs with warmth glow I find them the Errors of the foe

An Epitaph (Come knock your heads against this stone)
Come knock your heads against this stone For sorrow that poor John Thompsons gone

Another Epitaph (I was buried near this Dike)
I was buried near this Dike That my Friends may weep as much as they like

Another Epitaph (Here lies John Trot the Friend of all mankind)
Here lies John Trot the Friend of all mankind He has not left one Enemy behind Friends were quite hard to find old authors say But now they stand in every bodies way

"He is a Cock would..."
He is a Cock would And would be a Cock if he could

"And his legs carried it like a long fork..."
And his legs carried it like a long fork Reachd all the way from Chichester to York From York all across Scotland to the Sea This was a Man of Men as seems to me Not only in his Mouth his own Soul lay 	5 But my Soul also would he bear away Like as a Pedlar bears his weary Pack So Stewhards Soul he buckld to his Back But once alas committing a Mistake He bore the wr[et]ched Soul of William Blake	10 That he might turn it into Eggs of Gold But neither Back nor mouth those Eggs could hold His underjaw dropd as those Eggs he laid And Stewhards Eggs are addled & decayd The Examiner whose very name is Huntt	15 Calld Death a Madman trembling for the affront Like trembling Hare sits on his weakly paper On which he usd to dance & sport & caper Yorkshire Jack Hemp & gentle blushing Daw Clapd Death into the corner of their jaw	20 And Felpham Billy rode out every morn Horseback with Death over the fields of corn Who with iron hand cuffd in the afternoon The Ears of Billys Lawyer & Dragoon And Cur my Lawyer & Dady Jack Hemps Parson 	25 Both went to Law with Death to keep our Ears on For how to starve Death we had laid a plot Against his Price but Death was in the Pot He made them pay his Price alack a day He knew both Law & Gospel better than they	30 O that I neer ha[d] seen that William Blake Or could from death Assassinetti wake We thought Alas that such a thought should be That Blake would Etch for him & draw for me For twas a kind of Bargain Screwmuch made	35 That Blakes Designs should be by us displayed Because he makes designs so very cheap Then Screwmuch at Blakes soul took a long leap Twas not a Mouse twas Death in a disguise And I alas live to weep out mine Eyes	40 And Death sits laughing on their Monuments On which hes written Recievd the Contents But I have writ so sorrowful my thought is His Epitaph for my tears are aqua fortis Come Artists knock your heads against This stone 	45 For Sorrow that our friend Bob Screwmuchs gone And now the Men upon me smile & Laugh Ill also write my own dear Epitaph And Ill be buried near a Dike That my friends may weep as much as they like	50 Here lies Stewhard the Friend of All &c

"Was I angry with Hayley who usd me so ill"
Was I angry with Hayley who usd me so ill Or can I be angry with Felphams old Mill Or angry with Flaxman or Cromek or Stothard Or poor Schiavonetti whom they to death botherd Or angry with Macklin or Boydel or Bowyer 	5 Because they did not say O what a Beau ye are At a Friends Errors Anger shew Mirth at the Errors of a Foe

Blakes apology for his Catalogue
Having given great offence by writing in Prose Ill write in Verse as Soft as Bartolloze Some blush at what others can see no crime in But nobody sees any harm in Rhyming Dryden in Rhyme cries Milton only plannd	5 Every Fool shook his bells throughout the land Tom Cooke cut Hogarth down with his clean graving Thousands of Connoisseurs with joy ran raving Thus Hayley on his Toilette seeing the Sope Cries Homer is very much improvd by Pope 	10 Some say Ive given great Provision to my foes And that now I lead my false friends by the nose Flaxman & Stothard smelling a sweet savour Cry Blakified drawing spoils painter & Engraver While I looking up to my Umbrella	15 Resolvd to be a very contrary fellow Cry looking quite from Skumference to Center No one can finish so high as the original Inventor Thus Poor Schiavonetti died of the Cromek A thing thats tied around the Examiners neck 	20 This is my sweet apology to my friends That I may put them in mind of their latter Ends

"Cosway Frazer & Baldwin of Egypts Lake..."
Cosway Frazer & Baldwin of Egypts Lake Fear to Associate with Blake This Life is a Warfare against Evils They heal the sick he casts out Devils Hayley Flaxman & Stothard are also in doubt Lest their Virtue should be put to the rout One grins tother spits & in corners hides And all the Virtuous have shewn their backsides

"My title as a Genius thus is provd..."
My title as [a] Genius thus is provd Not Praisd by Hayley nor by Flaxman lovd

To H (You think Fuseli is not a Great Painter)
You think Fuseli is not a Great Painter Im Glad This is one of the best compliments he ever had

"P—— loved me, not as he lovd his Friends..."
P——loved me, not as he lovd his Friends For he lovd them for gain to serve his Ends He loved me and for no Gain at all But to rejoice & triumph in my fall To forgive Enemies H. does pretend	5 Who never in his Life forgave a friend

"The Sussex Men are Noted Fools..."
The Sussex Men are Noted Fools And weak is their brain pan I wonder if H——the painter Is not a Sussex Man

"Of H s birth this was the happy lot..."
Of H s birth this was the happy lot His Mother on his Father him begot

On H——ys Friendship
When H——y finds out what you cannot do That is the Very thing hell set you to If you break not your Neck tis not his fault But pecks of poison are not pecks of salt And when he could not act upon my wife Hired a Villain to bereave my Life

To H—— (Thy Friendship oft has made my heart to ake)
Thy Friendship oft has made my heart to ake Do be my Enemy for Friendships sake

On H—— the Pick thank
I write the Rascal Thanks till he & I	With Thanks & Compliments are quite drawn dry

Imitation of Pope A Compliment to the Ladies
Wondrous the Gods more wondrous are the Men More Wondrous Wondrous still the Cock & Hen More wondrous still the Table Stool & Chair But Ah More wondrous still the Charming Fair

William Cowper Esqre
For this is being a Friend just in the nick Not when hes well but waiting till hes sick He calls you to his help be you not movd Untill by being Sick his wants are provd You see him spend his Soul in Prophecy Do you believe it a Confounded lie Till some Bookseller & the Public Fame Proves there is truth in his extravagant claim For tis atrocious in a Friend you love To tell you any thing that he cant prove And tis most wicked in a Christian Nation For any Man to pretend to Inspiration

"The only Man that eer I knew..."
The only Man that eer I knew Who did not make me almost spew Was Fuseli he was both Turk & Jew And so dear Christian Friends how do you do

"Madman I have been calld Fool they Call thee..."
Madman I have been calld Fool they Call thee I wonder which they Envy Thee or Me

To F—— (I mock thee not)
I mock thee not tho I by thee am Mocked Thou callst me Madman but I call thee Blockhead

"Hes a Blockhead who wants a proof of what he Can't Percieve..."
Hes a Blockhead who wants a proof of what he Can't Percieve And he's a Fool who tries to make such a Blockhead believe

To Nancy F——
How can I help thy Husbands copying Me Should that make difference twixt me & Thee

To F—— (You call me Mad tis Folly to do so)
You call me Mad tis Folly to do so To seek to turn a Madman to a Foe If you think as you speak you are an Ass If you do not you are but what you was

"S—— in Childhood on the Nursery floor..."
S—— in Childhood on the Nursery floor Was extreme Old & most extremely poor He is grown old & rich & what he will He is extreme old & extreme poor still

"He has observd the Golden Rule..."
He has observd the Golden Rule Till hes become the Golden Fool

To S——d (You all your youth observed the Golden Rule)
You all your Youth observed the Golden Rule Till youre at last become the golden Fool I sport with Fortune Merry Blithe & Gay Like to the Lion Sporting with his Prey Take you the hide & horns which you may wear 	5 Mine is the flesh the bones may be your Share

On S—— (You say reserve & modesty he has)
You say reserve & modesty he has Whose heart is iron his head wood & his face brass The Fox the Owl the Beetle & the Bat By sweet reserve & modesty get Fat

"Old acquaintance well renew..."
old acquaintance well renewt Prospero had One Caliban & I have Two

On F—— & S——
I found them blind I taught them how to seet And now they know neither themselves nor met Tis Excellent to turn a thorn to a pin A Fool to a bolt a knave to a glass of gin

Mr Stothard to Mr Cromek
For Fortunes favours you your riches bring But Fortune says she gave you no such thing Why should you be ungrateful to your friends Sneaking & Backbiting & Odds & Ends

Mr Cromek to Mr Stothard
Fortune favours the Brave old Proverbs say But not with Money. that is not the way Turn back turn back you travel all in vain Turn thro the iron gate down Sneaking Lane

"Cr—— loves artists as he loves his Meat..."
Cr—— loves artists as he loves his Meat He loves the Art but tis the Art to Cheat

"A Petty sneaking Knave I knew..."
A Petty sneaking Knave I knew O Mr Cr—— how do ye do

Cromek Speaks
I always take my judgment from a Fool Because his judgment is so very Cool Not prejudicd by feelings great or small Amiable state he cannot feel at all

English Encouragement of Art
[First reading]

If you mean to Please Every body you will Set to work both Ignorance & skill For a great multitude are Ignorantt And skill to them seems raving & rant Like putting oil & water into a lamp	5 Twill make a great splutter with smoke & damp For there is no use as it seems to me Of lighting a Lamp when you dont wish to see

English Encouragement of Art [Final reading]

English Encouragement of Art

Cromeks opinions put into Rhyme

If you mean to Please Every body you will Menny wouver both Bunglishness & skill For a great Conquest are Bunglery And Jenous looks to ham like mad Rantery Like displaying oil & water into a lamp	5 Twill hold forth a huge splutter with smoke & damp For its all sheer loss as it seems to me Of displaying up a light when we want not to see

"When you look at a picture you always can see..."
When you look at a picture you always can see If a Man of Sense has Painted he Then never flinch but keep up a Jaw About freedom & jenny suck awa' And when it smells of the Lamp we can Say all was owing to the Skilful Man For the smell of water is but small So een let Ignorance do it all

"The Cunning sures & the Aim at yours..."
The Cunning sures & the Aim at yours

"All Pictures thats Panted with Sense & with Thought..."
All Pictures thats Panted with Sense & with Thought Are Painted by Madmen as sure as a Groat For the Greater the Fool in the Pencil more blest And when they are drunk they always pant best Thy never can Rafael it Fuseli it nor Blake it	5 If they cant see an outline pray how can they make it When Men will draw outlines begin you to jaw them Madmen see outlines & therefore they draw them

"You say their Pictures well Painted be..."
You say their Pictures well Painted be And yet they are Blockheads you all agree Thank God I never was sent to school To be Flogd into following the Style of a Fool

"The Errors of a Wise Man make your Rule..."
The Errors of a Wise Man make your Rule Rather than the Perfections of a Fool

"Great things are done when Men & Mountains meet..."
Great things are done when Men & Mountains meet This is not Done by jostling in the Street

"If you play a Game of Chance know before you begin..."
If you play a Game of Chance know before you begin If you are benevolent you will never win

"No real Style of Colouring ever appears"
No real Style of Colouring ever appears But advertising in the News Papers Look there youll see Sr Joshuas Colouring Look at his Pictures All has taken Wing

"Can there be any thing more mean..."
Can there be any thing more mean More Malice in disguise Than Praise a Man for doing whatt That Man does most despise Reynolds Lectures Exactly sot	5 When he praises Michael Angelo

"Sir Joshua Praises Michael Angelo..."
Sir Joshua Praises Michael Angelot Tis Christian Mildness when Knaves Praise a Foe But Twould be Madness all the World would say Should Michael Angelo praise Sir Joshuat Christ usd the Pharisees in a rougher way	5

"Sir Joshua praised Rubens with a Smile..."
Sir Jo[s]hua praised Rubens with a Smile By Calling his the ornamental Style And yet his praise of Flaxman was the smartest When he calld him the Ornamental Artist But sure such ornaments we well may spare	5 As Crooked limbs & louzy heads of hair

Florentine Ingratitude
Sir Joshua sent his own Portrait to The birth Place of Michael Angelo And in the hand of the simpering fool He put a Dirty paper scroll And on the paper to be polite Did Sketches by Michel Angelo write The Florentines said Tis a Dutch English bore Michael Angelos Name writ on Rembrandts door The Florentines call it an English Fetch For Michael Angelo did never Sketch Every line of his has Meaning And needs neither Suckling nor Weaning Tis the trading English Venetian Cant To speak Michael Angelo & Act Rembrandt It will set his Dutch friends all in a roar To write Mch Ang on Rembrandts Door But You must not bring in your hand a Lie If you mean that the Florentines should buy Ghiottos Circle or Apelles Line Were not the Work of Sketchers drunk with Wine Nor of the City Clarks merry hearted Fashion Nor of Sir Isaac Newtons Calculation Nor of the City Clarks Idle Facilities Which sprang from Sir Isaac Newtons great Abilities These Verses were written by a very Envious Man Who whatever likeness he may have to Michael Angelo Never can have any to Sir Jehoshuan

A Pitiful Case
The Villain at the Gallows tree When he is doomd to die To assuage his misery In Virtues praise does cry So Reynolds when he came to die	5 To assuage his bitter woe: Thus aloud did howl & cry Michael Angelo Michael Angelo

To the Royal Academy
A strange Erratum in all the Editions Of Sir Joshua Reynoldss Lectures Shou[l]d be corrected by the Young Gentlemen And the Royal Academys Directors Instead of Michael Angelo	5 Read Rembrandt for it is fit To make meer common honesty In all that he has writ

"The Cripple every Step Drudges & labours..."
The Cripple every Step Drudges & labours And says come learn to walk of me Good Neighbours Sir Joshua in astonishment cries out See what Great Labour Pain him & Modest Doubt Newton & Bacon cry being badly Nurst. He is all Experiments from last to first He walks & stumbles as if he crep And how high labourd is every step

"I Rubens am a Statesman & a Saint..."
I Rubens am a Statesman & a Saint Deceptions? O no—so I'll learn to Paint

To English Connoisseurs
You must agree that Rubens was a Fool And yet you make him master of Your School And give more money for his Slobberings Than you will give for Rafaels finest Things I understood Christ was a Carpenter	5 And not a Brewers Servant my good Sir

"Swelld limbs with no outline that you can descry..."
Swelld limbs with no outline that you can descry That Stink in the Nose of a Stander by But all the Pulp washd painted finishd with labour Of an hundred journeymens how dye do Neighbour

A Pretty Epigram
A Pretty Epigram for the Entertainment of those who have Paid Great Sums in the Venetian & Flemish Ooze

Nature & Art in this together Suit What is Most Grand is always most Minute Rubens thinks Tables Chairs & Stools are Grand But Rafael thinks A Head a foot a hand

"These are the Idiots chiefest arts..."
These are the Idiots chiefest artst To blend & not define the Parts The Swallow sings in Courts of Kings That Fools have their high finishings And this the Princes golden rule	5 The Laborious stumble of a Fool To make out the parts is the wise mans aim But to lose them the Fool makes his foolish Game

"Rafael Sublime Majestic Graceful Wise..."
Rafael Sublime Majestic Graceful Wise His Executive Power must I despise Rubens Low Vulgar Stupid Ignorant His power of Execution I must grant Learn the Laborious stumble of a Fool	5 And from an Idiots Actions form my rule Go send your Children to the Slobbering School

On the Great Encouragement
On the Great Encouragement Given by English Nobility & Gentry to Correggio Rubens Rembrandt Reynolds Gainsborough Catalani  DuCrowe & Dilberry Doodle

As the Ignorant Savage will sell his own Wife For a Sword or a Cutlass a dagger or Knife So the Taught Savage Englishman spends his whole Fortune On a smear or a squall to destroy Picture or Tune And I call upon Colonel Wardle	5 To give these Rascals a dose of Cawdle

"Give pensions to the Learned Pig..."
Give pensions to the Learned Pig Or the Hare playing on a Tabor Anglus can never see Perfection But in the Journeymans Labour

"When I see a Rubens Rembrant Correggio..."
When I see a Rubens Rembrant Correggio I think of the Crippled Harry & Slobbering Joe And then I question thus are artists rules To be drawn from the works of two manifest fools Then God defend us from the Arts I say Send Battle Murder Sudden Death O pray Rather than be such a blind Human Fool Id be an Ass a Hog a Worm a Chair a Stool

"Delicate Hands & Heads will never appear..."
Delicate Hands & Heads will never appear While Titians &c as in the Book of Moonlight p 5

"I askd my Dear Friend Orator Prigg..."
I askd my Dear Friend Orator Prigg Whats the first part of Oratory he said a great wig And what is the second then dancing a jig And bowing profoundly he said a great wig And what is the third then he snord like a pig And puffing his cheeks he replied a Great wig So if a Great Panter with Questions you push Whats the first Part of Panting hell say a Pant Brush And what is the second with most modest blush Hell smile like a Cherub & say a pant Brush And what is the third hell bow like a rush With a lear in his Eye hell reply a Pant Brush Perhaps this is all a Painter can want But look yonder that house is the house of Rembrant

"O dear Mother outline of knowledge most sage"
O dear Mother outline of knowledge most sage Whats the First Part of Painting she said Patronage And what is the second to Please & Engage She frownd like a Fury & said Patronage And what is the Third she put off Old Age And smild like a Syren & said Patronage

To Venetian Artists
That God is Colouring Newton does shew And the devil is a Black outline all of us know Perhaps this little Fable may make us merry A dog went over the water without a wherry A bone which he had stolen he had in his mouth He cared not whether the wind was north or south As he swam he saw the reflection of the bone This is quite Perfection, one Generalizing Tone Outline Theres no outline Theres no such thing All is Chiaro Scuro Poco Piu its all Colouring Snap. Snap! he has lost shadow & substance too He had them both before now how do ye do A great deal better than I was before Those who taste colouring love it more & more

"Great Men & Fools do often me Inspire..."
Great Men & Fools do often me Inspire But the Greater Fool the Greater Liar

"Some people admire the work of a Fool..."
Some people admire the work of a Fool For its sure to keep your judgment cool It does not reproach you with want of wit It is not like a lawyer serving a writ

"Her whole Life is an Epigram smack smooth & nobly pend..."
Her whole Life is an Epigram smack smooth & nobly pend Platted quite neat to catch applause with a sliding noose at the end

"When a Man has Married a Wife..."
When a Man has Married a Wife he finds out whether Her knees & elbows are only glued together

"Grown old in Love from Seven till Seven times Seven..."
Grown old in Love from Seven till Seven times Seven I oft have wishd for Hell for Ease from Heaven

"[The Hebrew Nation did not write it]]..."
The Hebrew Nation did not write it Avarice & Chastity did shite it

To God (Blake)
If you have formd a Circle to go into Go into it yourself & see how you would do

"Since all the Riches of this World..."
Since all the Riches of this World May be gifts from the Devil & Earthly Kings I should suspect that I worshipd the Devil If I thankd my God for Worldly things

"To Chloes breast young Cupid slily stole..."
To Chloes breast young Cupid slily stole But he crept in at Myras pocket hole

"Nail his neck to the Cross nail it with a nail..."
Nail his neck to the Cross nail it with a nail Nail his neck to the Cross ye all have power over his tail

"A Woman Scaly & a Man all Hairy..."
A Woman Scaly & a Man all Hairy Is such a Match as he who dares Will find the Womans Scales Scrape off the Mans Hairs

The Washer Womans Song
I washd them out & washd them in And they told me it was a great Sin

The Phoenix to Mrs Butts
I saw a Bird rise from the East As a Bird rises from its Nest With sweetest Songs I ever heard It sang I am Mrs Butts's Bird And then I saw a Fairy gay	5 That with this beauteous Bird would play From a golden cloud she came She calld the sweet Bird by its name She call'd it Phoenix! Heavens Dove! She call'd it all the names of Love	10 But the Bird flew fast away Where little Children sport & play And they strok'd it with their hands All their cooe's it understands The Fairy to my bosom flew	15 Weeping tears of morning dew I said: Thou foolish whimpring thing Is not that thy Fairy Ring Where those Children sport & play In Fairy fancies light & gay	20 Seem a Child & be a Child And the Phoenix is beguild But if thou seem'st a Fairy thing Then it flies on glancing Wing
 * WILLIAM BLAKE

_____________________________

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On the Virginity of the Virgin Mary & Johanna Southcott N 2

2 swear it so] tell you so 1st rdg

“You dont believe. . .”N 21

1 wont] mended from would

8 Nature] first written with lower-case n

11 After “said” Blake first wrote “Beli”, a start for “Believe”; my previous reading “Rich” has been corrected by G. E. Bentley, Jr.

[Begin Page 864] “If it is True. . .” N 33

10 that they might make] to make 1st rdg (Blake evidently preferred to avoid a hexameter. Two extra feet in the line seemed better than one.)

“I am no Homers Hero you all know”N 31

“The Angel that presided. . .”N 32

2 formd of Joy & Mirth] thou art formd for Mirth 1st rdg

3 King] mended from Thing (but not very clear)

“Some Men created for destruction come”N 36

3 Be they as Vile. . . can] Friend Caiaphas is one do what he can 1st rdg del

4 Theyll] He'll 1st rdg del

“If I eer Grow to Mans Estate”N 39

From Cratetos N 64

“If Men will act like a maid. . .”N 65

“Anger & Wrath my bosom rends”N 23

An Epitaph N 37

Another N 37

“He is a Cock would” N 29

1-2 1st rdg:

He is a Cock wont And would be a Crow if he could “And his legs carried it ”N 22

[Begin Page 865] These lines seem to begin in medias res, and the poem may well have begun and (originally) continued on leaves now missing, (There is some evidence for this; see Notebook pp 5-6, 71-72.) In the lines inscribed on p 22 in fair copy (1-14, 31-37) Stothard (Stewhard), Blake's former associate who joined Cromek (Screwmuch] in preferring Schiavonetti (Assassinetti), is lamenting the latter's death (June 1810). In lines added in the left and top margins (15-30) he recalls that Blake survived his sedition trial of 1804 while others associated with it did not, then alludes to the weekly Examiner's attack on Blake as mad (17 Sept 1809) and the presumably ominous fate of the “weakly paper” of “trembling Hare” (Prince Hoare's Artist, which failed to support Blake and ceased publication in December 1809).

Lines 38-51, added in the right margin, declare Cromek himself dead and gone, “Recievd” by Death and lamented by his surviving fellow conspirator; they must have been added after Cromek's death in March 1812. Stothard's anticipated demise did not come until 1834.

5 in his Mouth] For a monster bearing souls in his mouth, see Notebook 15-16—suggested by Bentley, Blake Books 325n.

8 So Stewhards Soul] He would bear my soul 1 st rdg del

14 Stewhards] all my 1st rdg del

15-30 marginal addition

16 trembling for the affront] Deadly the affront 1st rdg del

25 Jack Hemps Parson] my Parson 1st rdg Who was the parson of Jack Hemp (Flaxman) and of Stothard—or of either in some sense?

41 laughing] mocking 1st rdg del

42 Recievd the Contents] what one writes on the back of a note when it is paid, i.e. a promissory note.

43-44 1st rdg:

But I have writ with tears of aqua fortis His Epitaph so sorrowful my thought is 45 Come] Ye 1st rdg del

46 our friend] your friend 1st rdg

51 Here lies Stewhard the Friend of All &c] Here Blake is putting into Stewhard's mouth the three “Epitaphs” just above, which perhaps should be considered part of the present poem, changing “John Thompson” and “John Trot” to Tom Stewhard. Friend] Fnd of 1st rdg del

“Was I angry with Hayley who usd me so ill”N 23

2 followed by deleted line, the last word unfinished: Or angry with Boydell or Bowyer or Ba[sire]

5 Macklin or Boydel or Bowyer] Boydell or Bowyer or Basire 1st rdg del

6 written over erased line:

Mirths all your sufferings convey sir

“My title as [a] Genius ....”N 38

To H N 25

Apparently to Robert Hunt, who criticized Fuseli in The Examiner.

“P---loved me, not. . .”N 34

Plausibly identified in Keynes as “Phillips”, the publisher.

3 He] But 1st rdg del and] but 1st rdg del

“The Sussex Men are Noted Fools”N 24

3 H-- the painter] interpreted as “Haines” by Keynes, only a plausible guess

“Of H s birth ....” N 27

The biographical evidence is clear that H and H——y in this and the following verses stand for Hayley.

On H——ys Friendship N 35

4 A peck of poisons not a peck of salt 1 st rdg

To H——- N 37

On H——- the Pick thank N 41

Imitation of Pope. . . N 37

[Begin Page 867] William Cowper Esqre N 50

This poem, now truncated, began as an “Epitaph for William Cowper Esqre”. “Epitaph for” was deleted, as were the first four lines beginning “Here lies the Man”. The second line appears to end “Hayley & History” or “Hayley & Victory”. The whole passage seems to have named Hayley as a callous friend of Cowper, confounded by Cowper's death and by the bookseller Johnson's commission to write his biography.

Blake's thorough erasure of these four lines does not necessarily indicate a change of heart toward Hayley, for what Blake wrote in with a heavy pen to cover the erasure was the four-line outburst (next following) which names Fuseli as the only humane man “that eer I knew”.

3 movd] mended from moved

4 provd] mended from proved

9 atrocious] most wicked

“The only Man that eer I knew”N 50

4 dear Christian Friends] sweet Christians 1 st rdg del

“Madman I have been calld. . .”N 25

To F——— N 26

Flaxman, of course, to whom the following Poem must initially be addressed.

“Hes a Blockhead....” N 28

2 tries] seeks 1st rdg del

To Nancy F-- N 27

Mrs Anna Flaxman, wife of John Flaxman.

To F——— N 35

4 but] just 1st rdg del

“S- in Childhood ....”N 27

Thomas Stothard; see “Stewhard” lines above.

“He has observd the Golden Rule”N 30

Written over portions of four erased lines which consist of two variants of the couplet which becomes the center of the six lines “To S--d” that follow at the bottom of the page, but here given a title later absorbed into the poem:

[Begin Page 868] The Golden Rule. ?Sporting with ?golden ?Fortune ?Blithe & gay Like to the Lion sporting with his prey With Fortune sporting Merry Blithe & gay Like to the Lion sporting with his prey a Sparrow The first erased words may have been “He sports”; the second erased couplet is in the form of a prepositional phrase which might modify “He” in the Golden Rule couplet; but in the final version, below, the blithe and the golden persons take opposite voices in a dialogue.

To S-d N 30

To Stothard, Combining the erased and unerased couplets at the top of the page. First written in the third person, about Stothard.

1 You all your Youth] He all his Youth 1 st rdg

2 youre] hes 1st rdg del golden] old golden 1st rdg

5 Take you] He has 1st rdg del; Make thou 2nd rdg del you may wear] wear 1 st rdg del; thou maist wear 2nd rdg

6 your Share] his share 1st rdg; thy share 2nd rdg

On S-- N 36

On Stothard.

2 Whose] His 1st rdg del

4 By. . . get Fat] On. . . feed Fat 1 st rdg del In his Descriptive Catalogue, p 33, Blake adapted the second couplet to a proverb suitable for prose quotation, by removing the rhyme:

The fox, the owl, the spider, and the mole By sweet reserve and modesty get fat. “old acquaintance. . .”N 24

1 old acquaintance well renew] ?Look xxx xxxxx Flaxman & Stothard do 1st rdg del The first three words are badly erased, but the meaning may be guessed: Look bow scurvily my Calibans behave. And possibly Blake meant to retain the first two words in his new line: “Look how (or what) old acquaintance we'll renew”.

On F--- & S N 34

Flaxman & Stothard. First written “To F-- & S-”.

1 them. . . them] mended from thee. . . thee

2 they know neither themselves] thou knowst neither thyself 1st rdg

4 Fool. . . Knave] mended from knave. . . Fool In his Descriptive Catalogue, p 34, Blake adapted the first couplet to a proverb suitable for prose quotation, by removing the rhyme:

I found them blind: I taught them how to see; And, now, they know me not, nor yet themselves. [Begin Page 869] Mr Stothard to M r Cromek N 31

First written “Mr Cromek to Mr Stothard”, but it can hardly have worked that way.

4 Backbiting] Calumny 1st rdg del

Mr Cromek to M r Stothard N 31

“Cro- loves artists as. . .”N 29

2 He loves the Art] Cr- loves Art 1 st rdg

“A Petty sneaking Knave I knew”N 29

Cromek Speaks N 41

The second couplet is an afterthought.

2 his judgment is so very Cool] I know he always judges Cool 1st rdg

4 Amiable state] Because we know 1st rdg del

English Encouragement of Art N 41

Blake first wrote a “straight” version of his interpretation of Cromek's ideas. He then inserted the subtitle “Cromeks opinions put into Rhyme” and tampered with the words in a punning burlesque of the speaker's pronunciation and thoughts, I follow Keynes in separating the two versions; but Keynes adds as part of the first reading the four lines I treat as the second stanza of the following poem. That poem uses some of the same ideas and images but within a different frame. (Yet the whole second poem is still Cromekian and a kind of postscript to the first.)

It is too bad to lose from either reading the second and intermediate reading of “great multitude”, namely “great Madjority”.

[First reading]

3 multitude] Madjority 2nd rdg del (Deleted because the final reading makes a different statement)

[Final reading]

2 Menny wouver] Cromekian for maneuver

4 Jenous] Cromekian for Genius (and “Je nous”?) ham] Cromekian for them [Compare “Pant” and “Panted” in the third item following.]

“When you look at a picture. . .”N 41

4 Jenny suck awa'] for Je ne sais quois

5 can] will 1st rdg del

“The Cunning sures & the Aim at yours”N 40

Punning on “Connoiseurs” and “Amateurs”.

[Begin Page 870] “All Pictures thats Panted. . .”N 40

Blake is inconsistent in his burlesque, mixing “Panted”, “Painted”, and “Pant”, but we are hardly faced by mere misspellings. Note the rhyme “Thought/Groat”.

“You say their Pictures. . .”N 42

4 To be Flogd. . . Fool] To learn to admire the works of a Fool 1st rdg del

“The Errors of a Wise Man. . .”N 42

“Great things are done. . .”N 43

“If you play a Game of Chance. . .”N 47

“No real Style of Colouring. . .”N 21

4 All has taken Wing] tis quite another Thing 1st rdg del

“Can there be any thing more mean”N 26

3-4 what / That Man] that / Which he 1 st rdg del

5 Reynolds Lectures Exactly so] This Reynoldss Lectures plainly shew 1st rdg

“Sir Joshua Praises Michael Angelo”N 28

2 1st rdg revised and del: [And counts it courage]<[ Tis but] Politeness> thus to praise his foe

Knaves] fools 2nd rdg del

Line 3 began with a reference to Reynolds' printing his Discourses,- “Printing his praises of”, and then was redrafted:

It would be Christian Mildness [ to maintain] say 2nd rdg del; Twould be Madness [that we all must] say final rdg

4 Should] Act 1st rdg del; As 2nd rdg del; If 3rd rdg del praise] praising 1st rdg del; praisd 2nd rdg del

Line 5 was added during final revision of line 2.

“Sir Jo[s]hua praised Rubens. . .”N 29

3 And yet] Because 1st rdg del

6 As Crooked limbs & louzy heads of hair] Like a filthy infectious head of hair 1st rdg del; A Crooked Stick & louzy head of hair 2nd rdg del

[Begin Page 871] Florentine Ingratitude N 32

6 Followed by four lines several times revised and finally deleted:

They said Thus Learning <& Politeness> from England [<& Politeness>was sent]

[ [I] thought Michael Angelo did never][Paint] Sketch

[Isnt it] English Politeness as fair as [your] Aunt

To [say] speak [write ][Michael Angelo] & [mean] Rembrandt

13 Is This Politeness or is it Cant 1st rdg del

23-24 may have been intended to replace 21-22, but these are not deleted.

25-27 were added in a different ink, as a comment that might be considered a separate poem.

A Pitiful Case N 33

Pitiful] mended from Pitiable

7 did howl &] was heard to 1st rdg del

To the Royal Academy N 33

6 for it is fit] & you will know 1 st rdg del

7-8 1st rdg del:

That Sir Joshua never wishd to speak Of Michael Angelo 7 meer common] either sense or 1st rdg del

“The Cripple every step. . .”N 39

“I Rubens am a Statesman & a Saint”N 38

To English Connoisseurs N 38

“Swelld limbs. . .”N 38

A Pretty Epigram. . . N 38

[Begin Page 872] Title revised in ms thus: A [Pretty Epigram for those who have Given high Prices for Bad Pictures And ?have] Pretty Epigram for [those] the Entertainment of those Who pay]  Great Sums in the Venetian & Flemish Ooze

“These are the Idiots chiefest arts”N 38

Lines 1-2 were written as 5-6 and then numbered to come first. An original first line, “Let it be told”, was deleted.

“Rafael Sublime Majestic. . .”N 39

Executive Power] Execution 1st rdg del

Laborious] wobly pretentious 1st rdg; high labourd pretentious 2nd rdg del

On the Great Encouragement. . . N 40

Given] mended from ?giving

2 Sword or] Button 1st rdg del Cutlass] Bauble 1st rdg del; Buckle 2nd rdg del a dagger or] a Bead or a 1st rdg del

3 Taught] wise 1st rdg del ; Learned 2nd rdg del; spends] gives 1st rdg del

4 1st rdg: For a Smear or a Squall that is not Picture nor Tune

“Give pensions to the Learned Pig”N 40

“When I see a Rubens. . .”N 43

1 Rubens Rembrant] Rembrant or 1st rdg

3 question thus] say to myself 1st rdg del

6 O pray] we pray 1st rdg

7 than be] than let 1st rdg

“Delicate Hands & Heads. . .”N 46

Blake's “Book of Moonlight” has never been found.

“I askd my Dear Friend Orator Prigg”N 60

At the end the ms reads “&c / to come in Barry a Poem”, an indication that these verses are but a patch made for a poem (now lost, or never finished) on the rebellious Academician James Barry.

6 puffing his cheeks he replied] smild like a Cherub & said 1st rdg

10 smile like a Cherub & say] nod wink & smile & reply 1st rdg

“O dear Mother outline. . .”N 61

“Great Men & Fools. . .”N 63 rev

“Some people admire. . .”N 70

“When a Man has Married. . .”N 14

4 glued] mended from glewed

“Grown old in Love. . .”N 54

“The Hebrew Nation. . .”N 39

To God N 73 rev

“Since all the Riches. . ”. N 73

1 World] Earth 1st rdg del

4 Worldly) Worldly 1st rdg del; Earthly 2nd rdg del

“To Chloes breast young Cupid. . ”N 78

[Begin Page 874] “Nail his neck to the Cross. . .”N 79

“A Woman Scaly. . .”N 93

The Washer Womans Song N 42

The Phoenix to Mrs Butts, first published in TLS Sept. 14, 1984, pp 1021-22

Blake's apology for his Catalogue The Errors of a Wise Man make your Rule