# The Letters of William Blake

The Letters of
William Blake
together with His Life
by
F. Tatham
Edited by
A. G. B. Russell
THE LETTERS OF WILLIAM BLAKE
WILLIAM BLAKE
THE LETTERS OF
WILLIAM BLAKE
TOGETHER WITH A LIFE BY FREDERICK TATHAM
EDITED FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
BY
ARCHIBALD G. B. RUSSELL
WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1906
To M.
"LES DIEUX SONT CEUX QUI NE DOUTENT JAMAIS"
COMTE DE VILLIERS DE L'ISLE-ADAM
PREFACE
THE "Life of Blake," by Frederick Tatham, now for the first time published, has been printed verbatim and in full from the original manuscript, which was prefixed by its author to a coloured copy of Blake's Jerusalem and bound up with it. The volume is now the property of Captain Archibald Stirling, and it is by his most courteous permission that the editor has been able to avail himself, on the present occasion, of this valuable biography.
The series of Blake's letters has been made as complete as possible; and though the editor is indeed aware of several omissions, he has some knowledge, in almost every case, of the contents of those which he has been unable to trace, and is confident that, at anyrate of all those which have been known to exist, none of any serious moment are absent. The letters, too, have been edited, wherever it has been possible, from the originals, and especial attention has been given to the accuracy of the text. In both Life and Letters, however, the punctuation, the spelling, and the use of capitals ​have (except in the case of the poems which occur in the letters) been brought, as far as possible, into conformity with the modern practice, as it was felt that any attempt (even if it had been possible to make it throughout) to reproduce the originals in these respects would only be a source of irritation and confusion to the majority of readers.
A certain number of letters from Blake's friends and acquaintances have been added to the collection, wherever they have seemed to give it greater coherence, or to shed new light upon his life and character; and for this purpose extracts have often been sufficient.
The notes are intended partly to clear up any allusions to events or persons which might present difficulties to the reader, and partly to connect the letters with Blake's other writings, and to explain the ideas which they embody in reference to the whole of his work. They have been made as brief and serviceable as possible.
The illustrations have been carefully chosen in regard to the text.
The editor wishes to express his most grateful thanks to the owner of the Life, and all owners of unpublished letters, for courteously placing them at his disposal; and to Messrs. Macmillan & Co. for their very kind permission (given through his friend Mr. George A. Macmillan) to print the letters to ​Linnell and several of those to Hayley from the second edition of Gilchrist's Life of Blake, as well as to all those who have so generously contributed towards the illustrations of the book. His thanks also are especially due to his friend Mr. W. Graham Robertson for much kind help, and above all for his gift of the beautiful sketch of Blake's Cottage; and to his friend Mr. E. R. D. Maclagan for invaluable advice.
CONTENTS
| | PAGE |
| List of Illustrations | XV |
| Introduction | XVII |
| Life of Blake by Frederick Tatham | 1 |
| Letters | 51 |
| Index | 233 |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
| | PAGE |
| Portrait | Frontispiece |
| From a cast of Blake's head, made when he was about fifty years old, by Deville, the phrenologist. | |
| The Ancient of Days, with the Compasses, striking the first Circle of the Earth | 34 |
| From the example of this print (now in the Whitworth Institute, Manchester), which was coloured by Blake on his deathbed for Frederick Tatham. | |
| Catherine Blake, Wife of the Artist | 44 |
| From a pencil drawing by George Richmond, made after a drawing from life by Frederick Tatham. | |
| Facsimile of a Letter | 56 |
| From Blake to George Cumberland, dated 23rd December 1796. | |
| The Vision of Jacob's Ladder | 73 |
| From the original watercolour drawing by Blake, in the possession of W. Graham Robertson, Esq. | |
| Blake's Cottage at Felpham | 74 |
| From a pen-and-ink drawing by W. Graham Robertson. | |
| Little Tom the Sailor | 85 |
| From a broadside, designed and executed by Blake. | |
| Thomas Butts, Muster Master General, his Wife, and Son | 90 |
| From miniatures by Blake. | |
| ​The Horse | 184 |
| From a print, illustrating the seventh of Hayley's Ballads founded on Anecdotes relating to Animals (1805), designed and engraved by Blake. | |
| A Vision of the Last Judgment | 199 |
| From the original watercolour drawing by Blake, at Petworth. | |
| Paolo and Francesca, with the Whirlwind of Lovers | 219 |
| From an engraving by Blake, illustrating Dante's Inferno, c. v, l. 142. | |
| The Union of Jerusalem with God | 222 |
| From p. 99 of the coloured copy of Blake's Jerusalem, in the possession of Captain Archibald Stirling. | |