IV.

TO THE CHRISTIANS.

GIVE you the end of a golden string
Only wind it into a ball,—

It will lead you in at Heaven's gate
Built in Jerusalem's wall.

I stood among my valleys of the south,
And saw a flame of fire, even as a wheel
Of fire surrounding all the heavens it went
From west to east against the current of

:

Creation, and devoured all things in its loud
Fury and thundering course round heaven and
earth.

By it the sun was rolled into an orb;
By it the moon faded into a globe

Travelling through the night: for, from its dire
And restless fury Man himself shrunk up

Into a little root a fathom long.

And I asked a Watcher and a Holy-one

Its name.

He answered: "It is the wheel of
Religion."

I wept and said: "Is this the law of Jesus,-
This terrible devouring sword turning every way?"
He answered: "Jesus died because he strove
Against the current of this wheel: its name
Is Caiaphas, the dark preacher of Death,

Of sin, of sorrow, and of punishment;
Opposing Nature: It is Natural Religion.
But Jesus is the bright preacher of Life,
Creating Nature from this fiery Law,
By self-denial and forgiveness of sin.
Go therefore, cast out devils in Christ's name,
Heal thou the sick of spiritual disease,

Pity the evil for thou art not sent

To smite with terror and with punishments
Those that are sick, like to the pharisees
Crucifying and encompassing sea and land
For proselytes to tyranny and wrath.
But to the publicans and harlots go:

Teach them true happiness, but let no curse
Go forth out of thy mouth to blight their peace:
For Hell is opened to Heaven: thine eyes behold
The dungeons burst, and the prisoners set free."

England! awake! awake! awake!
Jerusalem thy sister calls!

Why wilt thou sleep the sleep of death,
And close her from thy ancient walls?

Thy hills and valleys felt her feet
Gently upon their bosoms move:
Thy gates beheld sweet Zion's ways;
Then was a time of joy and love.

And now the time returns again :

Our souls exult; and London's towers Receive the Lamb of God to dwell

In England's green and pleasant bowers

And was the holy Lamb of God

On England's pleasant pastures seen?

And did the countenance divine

Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire !
Bring me my spear: O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!

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.

DEDICATION OF THE DESIGNS TO

BLAIR'S "GRAVE."

To QUEEN CHARLOTTE.

HE door of Death is made of gold, That mortal eyes cannot behold: But, when the mortal eyes are closed, And cold and pale the limbs reposed, The soul awakes, and, wondering, sees In her mild hand the golden keys. The grave is heaven's golden gate, And rich and poor around it wait: O Shepherdess of England's fold, Behold this gate of pearl and gold!

To dedicate to England's Queen
The visions that my soul has seen,
And by her kind permission bring
What I have borne on solemn wing
From the vast regions of the grave,
Before her throne my wings I wave,
Bowing before my sovereign's feet.
The Grave produced these blossoms sweet,
In mild repose from earthly strife;
'The blossoms of eternal life.

THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL.'

HE vision of Christ that thou dost see
Is my vision's greatest enemy.
Thine is the friend of all mankind;

Mine speaks in parables to the blind.

This wholly amazing and partly splendid poem is now published in full for the first time. The greater part of it, however, appears in Mr. Swinburne's book, William Blake, a Critical Essay, in detached extracts, with intermixed comment: one extract from it had also been given in Gilchrist's Life of Blake. The MS. of the poem is in the autograph volume belonging to D. G. Rossetti. It is scattered up and down over many pages; sometimes written neatly enough, and consecutively; at other times, barely legible. passage is scratched out or interpolated: there a passage already met with reappears with variations. I have done my best to arrange the verses into some sort of order and method; with what success, the reader must judge. The poem would appear to be completed by Blake in the evolution of some of its passages, but certainly not of the whole.

Here a

As regards the dates of the numerous compositions extracted from the same autograph volume, it may be observed that six items distinctly dated by Blake's own hand appear in that book, the earliest appertaining to the year 1793, and the latest to 1811. Even without these positive indications, it is evident, from the spacious range in Blake's life and work covered by the contents of the volume, that it was in use for many successive years. Beyond this intimation, I have not thought it requisite to try to arrange in order of date the poems contained in the autograph volume. They include the poem Lafayette, and extend from the present point down to the verses In a Myrtle Shade; and then from Mammon to The Will and the Way. They include also the Couplets and Fragments, and the Epigrams and Satirical Pieces on Art and Artists, with very few exceptions.