WILLIAM BLAKE, POET, PAINTER, & MYSTIC.

BY T. P. BARKAS, F.G.S.

EW remarkable men who have lived in the present century are less known to the general reading public than William Blake, and yet in the departments of poetry, painting, and mysticism, probably a more remarkable man never lived.

Until the last edition of the "Encyclopædia Britannica" the life of William Blake was excluded from nearly all Cyclopædias and Biographies of remarkable men; the last issue of the "Encyclopædia Britannica," however, has done him ample if tardy justice.

General attention was first directed to William Blake by Allan Cunningham, in vol. II. of his interesting "Lives of the Most Eminent British Painters, Sculptors, and Architects," published in 1830, which contains an admirable sketch of his career, and a very appreciative notice of his marvellous powers as a poet and painter.

This notice was followed by Dr. Garth Wilkinson, who in 1839 published an edition of Blake's lyrics, entitled "Songs of Innocence and Experience." Gilchrist's life of William Blake, in two vols., was published in 1863, and was, because of the sudden death of Mr. Gilchrist whilst the work was passing through the press, revised and edited by Mr. D. G. Rossetti. A volume of Songs of Innocence and Experience, and another of Poetical Sketches, by William Blake, were edited by Richard Herne Shepherd, and published by Basil Montague Pickering in 1868, a second combined and extended edition of which was published in 1874. Finally, an admirable essay on William Blake, by Algernon Swinburne, was published in 1868, by John Hamden Hotton, Piccadilly.

With the exception of occasional articles in "Scribner," and other magazines, the list just given embraces the recent literature of the English language in relation to one of England's most memorable sons, William Blake.

William was the second son, in a family of five children, of James and Catherine Blake, his father being a respectable hosier, who resided at 28, Broad Street, Carnaby Market, London. William Blake was born on the 20th November, 1757, and departed this life on Sunday, August 12th, 1827, a few weeks before the completion of his seventieth birthday.

Blake's father was in moderate circumstances, and he does not appear to have afforded his son more than a very ordinary education, confined probably to reading and writing, and his subsequent information beyond the rudiments appears to have been self-acquired.

After a few years of childhood, a singular, dreamy, romantic boy wandered observantly yet dreamily about in the vicinity of Broad Street, but many of his leisure hours were spent in the green fields, which at that time were within a short walk of his home, but which are now wildernesses of brick and mortar.

Many a ramble the lad of ten years took into the then country, and it was when a boy of that age, whilst roaming about Peckham Rye, he saw his first recorded vision. He saw, objectively or subjectively, a tree filled with angels, and bright with angelic wings.

When he returned to his prosaic, commonplace home, the ingenuous youth related to his father the vision of the tree and angels, and, like many another clairvoyant youth of ancient and modern times, whose spiritual eyes are opened, he only, by the interposition of his mother, escaped a thrashing from his honest, purblind, uninquiring father, who charged the truthful boy with telling a lie, when the lad was merely relating what he had seen by objective or subjective vision-though, for the matter of that, all vision is subjective. In spite, however, of his father's sternness, the boy continued in constant real or imaginary intercourse with his spiritual visitants.

About this time young Blake utilised all the scraps of paper he could obtain, and filled them with rough sketches of man and beast, and made copies, more or less correct, of the prints to which he had access.

The National Gallery was not then established, and the British Museum, although then founded, contained little that was of value to the boy artist.

Blake's chief places of study were London Sale Rooms, and in those rooms he saw and occasionally bought, at low prices, some of the best works, as kindly auctioneers, observing the eagerness of the boy, knocked lots down to him at nominal prices.

At ten years of age Blake entered as a pupil the drawing school of Mr. Pars, in the Strand, where he learned drawing from antique models, but no drawing from the living figure.

The artists and sculptors who won the admiration of the boy were Raffaelle, Michael Angelo, Giulio Romano, Durer, and others.

Blake subsequently wrote "I cannot say that Raffaelle ever was, from my earliest childhood, hidden from me. I saw and I knew immediately the difference between Raffaelle and Rubens.'

Between the years of eleven and twelve, Blake began to write original irregular verse. The poems that were written in his twelfth year are included in a volume published through the kindness and by the aid of his friend Flaxman, in blake's twenty-sixth year. These poems or

lyrical pieces, were never properly published, but fell into the hands of Blake's private friends, and are now so rare that it is said the British Museum does not possess an original copy. It is very difficult, nay impossible, to ascertain the times, between Blake's ages of twelve and twenty-six years, when these poetical pieces were written; but, thanks to Malkin, one may be indentfied as having been written before the boy was fourteen, and is entitled by Blake himself, "Song." It is as follows:

"How sweet I roamed from field to field,
And tasted all the summer's pride,
Till I the prince of love beheld,
Who in the sunny beams did glide!

He shewed me lilies for my hair,
And blushing roses for my brow;
He led me through his gardens fair,
Where all his golden pleasures grow.
With sweet May-dews my wings are wet,
And Phoebus fired my vocal rage;
He caught me in his silken net,
And shut me in his golden cage.

He loves to sit and hear me sing,
Then, laughing, sports and plays with me;
Then stretches out my golden wing,
And mocks my loss of liberty."

:

At the age of fourteen, Blake left the drawing school of Mr. Pars, for the purpose of being apprenticed to an engraver. Two engravers, Rylands and Basire, either of whom appeared eligible as master for Blake, were consulted. Father and son visited Ryland's studio, and after an interview with the engraver, when they were left alone, the strange boy, with his exceptional faculty for reading character, said, "Father, I do not like the man's face, he looks as though he would live to be hanged." Ryland was then at the height of his popularity, and hanging appeared a very improbable event, but within twelve years he was hanged for forgery. Ultimately, Blake was apprenticed to James Basire, who was born in London in 1730, and was then forty-one years of age; he was the engraver of excellent illustrations in many celebrated works. Blake's seven years of apprenticeship commenced in 1771; he rapidly became proficient in the details of his art, and in 1773 was sent to Westminster Abbey, to sketch tombs, and to keep him from the society of two fast youths, who were fellow apprentices. Blake for two years made careful drawings of the Abbey tombs. Having finished his labours in connection with the Abbey, the remaining years of his apprenticeship were devoted to designing and engraving original illustrations for various works then in course of publication.

Blake's early poetical sketches have already been referred to; they were written between

the years of eleven and twenty-six in Blake's life, and were, by the aid of a few friends, published in 1783 for private sale to personal friends. This work is now so rare that probably not a dozen copies are extant.

At the conclusion of his apprenticeship, Blake studied in the newly founded Royal Academy, and continued his original writing and designing, at the same time contributing illustrations to works and magazines then in course of publication.

In 1784 Blake married Catharine Sophia Boucher, and their courtship was characteristic of the unsophisticated unworldly manner of the

man.

Blake had a previous lover who rejected his overtures of marriage. He was relating his love trials to Catharine, who frankly remarked that she "pitied him." "Do you pity me," said Blake? "Yes," she replied, "I pity you most sincerely." "Then," said Blake, "I love you," and after a brief courtship they were married. Catharine proved herself a loving, selfsacrificing and appreciative wife, who turned his small resources to the best domestic account, and not only bore with, but had a real pleasure in, and appreciation of his eccentricities.

For the next few years their married life proceeded with great quietness, he engraving during the day for a livelihood, and in the evenings writing his poems and producing his designs; while she, in addition to her household labours, aided him in the mechanical details of his unceasing work.

During the summer of 1784, Blake's father died, and in the year 1787 he was followed to the tomb by Blake's beloved younger brother Robert, whom Blake affectionately tended during his last illness. Blake at this time quitted Broad Street, and went to reside in the neighbouring Poland Street.

Although Robert Blake was now absent from his brother in body, William recognised him as visibly present in spirit. By the end of 1788, Blake had composed his "Songs of Innocence," and designed uniquely appropriate borders to accompany the Sonnets; but being without money or credit, he knew not how to obtain a publisher for his new work. During this crisis, the form of his brother appeared before him, and explained to him a mode of producing the work without the aid of publisher or printer. Mr. Gilchrist, in his admirable Life of Blake, vol. I. p. 69, thus describes the occurrence: "The form of Robert stood before him and revealed the wished-for secret, directing him to the technical mode by which could be produced a fac-simile of the songs and designs. This method, to which Blake henceforth consistently adhered for multiplying his works, was quite an original

one. It consisted of a species of engraving in relief both words and designs. The verse was written and the designs and marginal developments outlined on the copper with an impervious liquid, probably the ordinary stopping out varnish of engravers. Then all the white parts or lights, the remainder of the plate that is, were eaten away with aquafortis, or other acid, so that the outline of letter or design was left prominent, as in stereotype. From these plates he printed off in any tint, yellow, brown, blue, required to be the prevailing, or ground color in his fac-similes; red he used for the letterpress."

In Blake's opinion, Joseph, the sacred Carpenter, revealed to him the secret of mixing his colours. Blake taught his wife how to take off and tint impressions.

The number of engraved pages in the "Songs of Innocence" was twenty-seven, and they were done up in boards by Mrs. Blake, the pages being stabbed for binding, not cut as now. The poet and his wife did everything in making the book-writing, designing, engraving, printing, and binding--and Blake was literally the author of his own book, which bears on its illustrated title, "Songs of Innocence, the author and printer, W. Blake, 1789." Copies of this work rarely are seen, but one has recently come into the possession of the writer. There being no index to the original work, the poems appear to have been bound together in any order, as the three arrangements of pages known to the writer materially differ. The introductory song may be accepted as typical of the contents of the book :

INTRODUCTION.

Piping down the valleys wild, Piping songs of pleasant glee, On a cloud I saw a child,

And he, laughing, said to me :-
Pipe a song about a lamb,

So I piped with merry cheer.
Piper, pipe that song again,

So I piped: he wept to hear.
Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe,

Sing thy songs of happy cheer.
So I sang the same again,

While he wept with joy to hear.
Piper, sit thee down and write
In a book that all may read-
So he vanished from my sight;
And I plucked a hollow reed.

And I made a rural pen,

And I stained the water clear,
And I wrote my happy songs

Every child may joy to hear. The Songs of Innocence are perhaps the most interesting, and are certainly the most easily understood of all Blake's voluminous writings, and the illustrations are singularly appropriate to the words.

The following quaint and melodious stanzas from the Songs of Innocence are enclosed by

an exquisitely beautiful and appropriate decorative border formed of a child with a group of sheep and lambs surrounded by climbing plants.

THE LAMB.

Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee,
Gave thee life and bid thee feed
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice;
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Little lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little lamb, I'll tell thee.
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild,
He became a little child.
I a child and thou a lamb,
We are called by his name.
Little lamb, God bless thee,
Little lamb, God bless thee.

The Songs of Innocence, the first work published in Blake's unique style of combining poems with illustrative designs, printed from his new mode of Stereotypic engraving on copper, was succeeded by the following, all of which, except those marked by a star,* were designed, prepared, and printed by Blake's own hands.

WRITINGS BY BLAKE.

* Poetical Sketches, 8vo., 1783. Songs of Innocence, 8vo., 1789. Book of Thel, 4to., 1789.

Marriage of Heaven and Hell, 4to., 1790. *The French Revolution, 8vo., 1791.

The Gates of Paradise, 12mo., 1793.

Visions of the Daughters of Albion, folio, 1793.

America: A Prophecy, folio, 1793.

Songs of Experience, 8vo., 1794, generally published

in association with Songs of Innocence.

Europe: A Prophecy, folio, 1794.

The Book of Urizen, 4to., 1794.

The Song of Los, 4to, 1795.

The Book of Ahania, 4to., 1795.
Jerusalem, 4to., 1804.

*

Descriptive Catalogue, 8vo,, 1809.

In addition to the above illustrated works, Blake produced about 444 drawings in colours, 184 uncoloured drawings, besides several hundreds of original engravings for works published between 1779 and 1817; there can be no doubt therefore that Blake was a man of unflagging industry and of almost limitless fertility of design.

During the greater portion of Blake's life he lived in obscure residences in London, but for four years, between 1800 and 1804, he lived in a secluded cottage at Felphain, Sussex, near to the sea coast, and under the patronage of Hayley, an eccentric literary landed proprietor.

The four years passed at Felpham were on the whole pleasant and full of artistic work ; but in 1804, Blake, for various reasons, returned to his seclusion in the great city of London.

Blake was familiarly acquainted with Fuseli, Flaxman, Linnell, Varley, and other artistic celebrities of the period, and as a poet he was highly esteemed by the amiable Charles Lamb. From 1804 to the year of his decease, 1827, he was constantly engaged in the threefold work of engraving for a livelihood, writing the various poems with which his fame is associated, and designing and engraving illustrations for his various singular works.

strong arm. The same is he who hath engaged to provide the far reaching gun for the Son of Heaven, that he may prevail over his enemies. Passing up the river, we beheld the islanders busy in divers occupations, but chiefly in the building of ships and the making of iron. At a place named Walker we cast anchor, and some of our people went on shore. The natives of this place have a saying of great antiquity -if anything which belongeth to an island which arose out of the sea but yesterday can be called ancient-which affirms that throughout the kingdoms of the world "there is no place like Walker." For their great beneficence the gods be praised. From Walker, proceed

William Blake departed this life on Sunday, August 12, 1827. On the day of his departure, he composed and uttered songs to his Maker, so sweetly to the ear of his Catherine, that when she stood to hear him, he, looking upon her most affectionately, said, "My beloved! they are not mine. No! they are not mine." He told her they would not be parted, he should always be about her to take care of her! To the pious songs followed, about six in the summer evening, a calm and painless withdrawal of breath, and there departed for the spiritual world one of the purest and most unselfish souls whose temporary home was on earth.

HOU trusted and trustworthy friend!

Thou adviser and guide of my youth; who never didst reprove without cause, nor having cause, didst ever fail to reprove. On sailing from the flowery land thou gavest to me advice, saying:-Observe well what thou seest in foreign climes, and even the darkness of the outward world will be turned into light in the crucible of thine understanding, to illumine thine own mind, and to shed reflective rays on the path of thy devoted tutor.

Three moons ago we were wafted by the winds of heaven, and washed by the waters of the deep, to the outskirts of the world-yea, to the island of the setting sun, and made for the mouth of a river called the Tyne, which lieth northward towards the gelid regions. On the banks of this river dwelleth the mighty artificer in iron, even Sir William of the

of Newcastle-passing on our way a wonderful bridge made of iron, which, turning on a middle point, forms two water ways that the ships of the sea may go up or down as the captains list. And, anon, we came to an anchor before the busy hive where Sir William maketh honey for England and her friends, and stings for their enemies.

How can I describe to thee these wonderful works of Sir William in their vast extent; the intricate machinery; the rotatory wheels and running belts; or the city of Newcastle itself, with its factories and tall chimneys-over which ever hang dense clouds of smoke. These things testify that the barbarians of this land only want the refinement of the favoured sons of the heaven-canopied Empire to become great. Kung-tze, the master, tells us to travel slowly and mark well by the way, that every journey may expand the understanding, and every hour tend to the honour and profit of man. aim, therefore, to observe this strange people, who, living so far from the fountain of all knowledge and truth, and whose history began so recently, have yet done something to add to the sum of human knowledge. I will note the purposes of their belts and wheels; mark their manners and ways; fly a kite over their tall chimneys. High and low I will search for knowledge of these distant barbarians, that the bright sun of truth may gladden the hearttruth which is as wine which the soul drinketh.

Be it my

In my last conversation with you, O, Kenguseful rules. In order to know a strange people, jin-chou, thou didst instil into my mind many thou didst say, measure them not with the line of thine own land, nor in the blaze of its light, lest their shortcomings and deformities shock thy sensitiveness, and the eyes of thy judgment become dim. Thy words, O, Keng-jin-chou, have been of great advantage to my understanding. For at first I thought the English people a race of rude savages, and my heart revolted against them; the treatment with which they treated us disturbed my mind.