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ED; E729| 27
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[To Thomas Butts]
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Felpham July 6. 1803
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Dear Sir
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I send you the Riposo which I hope you will think my best
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Picture in many respects. It represents the Holy Family in Egypt
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Guarded in their Repose from those Fiends the Egypian Gods. and
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tho' not directly taken from a Poem of Miltons (for till I had
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designd it Miltons Poem did not come into my Thoughts) Yet it is
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very similar to his Hymn on the Nativity which you will find
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among his smaller Poems & will read with great delight. I have
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given in the background a building which may be supposed the ruin
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of a Part of Nimrods tower which I conjecture to have spread over
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many Countries for he ought to be reckond of the Giant brood
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I have now on the Stocks the following Drawings for you
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1. Jephthah sacrificing his Daughter--2. Ruth & her mother in
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Law & Sister 3. The three Maries at the Sepulcher. 4. The Death
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of Joseph. 5. The Death of the Virgin Mary [5]<6>St Paul
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Preaching. & [6]<7> The Angel of the Divine Presence clothing
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Adam & Eve with Coats of Skins
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These are all in great forwardness & I am satisfied that I
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improve very much & shall continue to do so while I live which
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[if]<is> a blessing I can never be too thankful for both
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to God & Man
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We look forward every day with pleasure toward our meeting
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again in London
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with those whom we have learnd to value by absence no less
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perhaps than we did by presence for recollection often surpasses
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every thing. indeed the prospect of returning to our friends is
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supremely delightful--Then I am determind that Mrs Butts shall
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have a good likeness of You if I have hands & eyes left. for I am
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become a likeness taker & succeed admirably well. but this is not
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to be atchievd without the original sitting before you for Every
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touch. all likenesses from memory being necessarily very very
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defective but Nature & Fancy are Two Things & can Never be joined
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neither ought any one to attempt it for it is Idolatry & destroys
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the Soul
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I ought to tell you that Mr H. is quite agreeable to our
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return & that there is all the appearance in the world of our
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being fully employd in Engraving for his projected Works
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Particularly Cowpers Milton. a Work now on foot by Subscription &
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I understand that the Subscription goes on briskly. This work is
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to be a very Elegant one & to consist of All Miltons Poems with
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Cowpers Notes and translations by Cowper from Miltons Latin &
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Italian Poems. These works will be ornamented with Engravings
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from Designs from Romney. Flaxman & Yr hble Servt
& to be
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Engravd also by the last mentiond. The Profits of the work are
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intended to be appropriated to Erect a Monument to the Memory of
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Cowper in St Pauls or Westminster Abbey. Such is the Project--&
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Mr Addington & Mr Pitt are both among the Subscribers
which are
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already numerous & of the first rank. the price of the Work is
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Six Guineas--Thus I hope that all our three years trouble Ends in
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Good Luck at last & shall be forgot by my affections & only
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rememberd by my Understanding to be a Memento in time to come &
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to speak to future generations by a Sublime Allegory which is now
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perfectly completed into a Grand Poem[.] I may praise it since I
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dare not pretend to be any other than the Secretary the Authors
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are in Eternity I consider it as the Grandest Poem that This
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World Contains. Allegory addressd to the Intellectual powers
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while it is altogether hidden from the Corporeal Understanding is
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My Definition of the Most Sublime Poetry. it is also somewhat in
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the same manner defind by Plato. This Poem shall by Divine
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Assistance be progressively Printed & Ornamented with Prints &
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given to the Public--But of this work I take care to say little
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to Mr H. since he is as much averse to my poetry as he is to
a
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Chapter in the Bible He knows that I have writ it for I have
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shewn it to him & he had read Part by his own desire & has lookd
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with sufficient contempt to enhance my opinion of it. But I do
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not wish to irritate by seeming too obstinate in Poetic pursuits
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But if all the World should set their faces against This. I
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have Orders to set my face like a flint. Ezekiel iii C 9 v.
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against their faces & my forehead against their foreheads
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As to Mr H I feel myself at liberty to say as follows upon
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this ticklish subject. I regard Fashion in Poetry as little as I
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do in Painting. so if both Poets & Painters should alternately
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dislike (but I know the majority of them will not) I am not to
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regard it at all but Mr H approves of My Designs as little as
he
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does of my Poems and I have been forced to insist on his leaving
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me in both to my Own Self Will. for I am determind to be no
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longer Pesterd with his Genteel Ignorance & Polite
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Disapprobation. I know myself both Poet &
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Painter & it is not his affected Contempt that can move me to any
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thing but a more assiduous pursuit of both Arts. Indeed by my
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late Firmness I have brought down his affected Loftiness & he
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begins to think I have some Genius. as if Genius & Assurance were
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the same thing. but his imbecile attempts to depress Me only
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deserve laughter--I say thus much to you knowing that you will
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not make a bad use of it But it is a Fact too true That if I
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had only depended on Mortal Things both myself & my Wife must
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have been Lost--I shall leave every one in This Country astonishd
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at my Patience & Forbearance of Injuries upon Injuries & I do
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assure you that if I could have returnd to London a Month after
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my arrival here I should have done so, but I was commanded by my
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Spiritual friends to bear all to be silent & to go thro all
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without murmuring & in firm hope till my three years should be
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almost accomplishd at which time I was set at liberty to
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remonstrate against former conduct & to demand Justice & Truth
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which I have done in so effectual a manner that my antagonist is
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silencd completely. & I have compelld. what should have been of
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freedom My Just Right as an Artist & as a Man. & if any attempt
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should be made to refuse me this I am inflexible & will
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relinquish Any engagement of Designing at all unless altogether
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left to my own Judgment. As you My dear Friend have always left
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me for which I shall never cease to honour & respect you
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When we meet I will perfectly describe to you my Conduct &
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the Conduct of others toward me & you will see that I have
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labourd hard indeed & have been borne on angels wings. Till we
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meet I beg of God our Saviou to be with you & me & yours &
mine
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Pray give My & My wifes love to Mrs Butts & Family &
believe me
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to remain
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Yours in truth & sincerity
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WILL BLAKE
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