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ED; E758| 53
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[To William Hayley]
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[18 December 1804]
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Dear Sir,
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I send, with some confidence, proofs of my two plates,
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having had the assistance and approbation of our good friend
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Flaxman. He approves much (I cannot help telling you so much) of
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the Shipwreck. Mrs. Flaxman also, who is a good
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connoisseur in engraving, has given her warm approbation, and to
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the plate of the Portrait, though not yet in so high
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finished a state. I am sure (mark my confidence), with Flaxman's
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advice, which he gives with all the warmth of friendship both to
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you and me, it must be soon a highly finished and properly
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finished print; but yet I must solicit for a supply of money, and
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hope you will be convinced that the labour I have used on the two
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plates has left me without any resource but that of applying to
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you. I am again in want
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of ten Pounds; hope that the size and neatness of my plate of the
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Shipwreck will plead for me the excuse for troubling you
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before it can be properly called finished, though Flaxman has
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already pronounced it so. I beg your remarks also on both my
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performances, as in their present state they will be capable of
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very much improvement from a few lucky or well advised touches.
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I cannot omit observing that the price Mr. Johnson gives for the
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plates of Fuselis Shakespeare (the concluding numbers
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of which I now send) is twenty-five guineas each. On comparing
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them with mine of the Shipwreck, you will perceive that
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I have done my duty, and put forth my whole strength.
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Your beautiful and elegant daughter Venusea grows
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in our estimation on a second and third perusal. I have not yet
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received the History of Chichester. I mention this not
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because I would hasten its arrival before it is convenient, but
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fancy it may have miscarried. My wife joins me in wishing you a
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merry Christmas. Remembering our happy Christmas at lovely
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Felpham, our spirits seem still to hover round our sweet cottage
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and round the beautiful Turret. I have said seem, but
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am persuaded that distance is nothing but a phantasy. We are
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often sitting by our cottage fire, and often we think we hear
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your voice calling at the gate. Surely these things are real and
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eternal in our eternal mind and can never pass away. My wife
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continues well, thanks to Mr. Birch's Electrical Magic, which she
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has discontinued these three months.
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I remain your sincere and obliged,
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WILLIAM BLAKE
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[From the Gilchrist Life]
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