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THE  MARRIAGE  OF  HEAVEN 
AND  HELL 


THE   MARRIAGE  OF 
HEAVEN    AND    HELL 

BY 
WILLIAM   BLAKE 


r 


BOSTON 

JOHN  W.  LUCE  AND  COMPANY 

igo6 


•  MB 


Gift 

H.  L,  Mencken. 


■JAN   n  8 


192S 


THE  MARRIAGE  OF  HEAVEN 
AND  HELL 

THE  ARGUMENT 

RINTRAH    roars   and    shakes    his 
fires  in  the  burdenM  air, 
Hungry  clouds  swag  on  the  deep. 

Once  meek,  and  in  a  perilous  path 

The  just  man  kept  his  course  along 

The  Vale  of  Death. 

Roses  are  planted  where  thorns  grow, 

And  on  the  barren  heath 

Sing  the  honey  bees. 

Then  the  perilous  path  was  planted, 
And  a  river  and  a  spring 
On  every  cliff  and  tomb; 

5 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF 

And  on  the  bleached  bones 
Red  clay  brought  forth: 
Till  the  villain  left  the  paths  of  ease 
To  walk  in  perilous  paths,  and  drive 
The  just  man  into  barren  climes. 

Now  the  sneaking  serpent  walks 
In  mild  humility ; 

And  the  just  man  rages  in  the  wilds 
Where  Uons  roam. 

Rintrah  roars  and  shakes  his  fires  in 

the  burdened  air, 
Hungry  clouds  swag  on  the  deep. 

As  a  new  heaven  is  begun,  and  it  is 
now  thirty-three  years  since  its  advent, 
the  Eternal  Hell  revives.  And  lo! 
Swedenborg  is  the  angel  sitting  at 
the  tomb:  his  writings  are  the  Unen 
clothes  folded  up.  Now  is  the  domin- 
ion of  Edom,  and  the  return  of  Adam 
into  Paradise.  —  See  Isaiah  xxxiv.  and 
XXXV.  chap. 

6 


HEAVEN   AND   HELL 

Without  contraries  is  no  progres- 
sion. Attraction  and  repulsion,  rea- 
son and  energy,  love  and  hate,  are 
necessary  to  human  existence. 

From  these  contraries  spring  what 
the  religious  call  Good  and  Evil. 
Good  is  the  passive  that  obeys  reason; 
Evil  is  the  active  springing  from 
Energy. 

Good  is  heaven.    Evil  is  hell. 


THE  MARRIAGE  OF 


THE  VOICE   OF  THE  DEVIL 

All  Bibles  or  sacred  codes  have  been 
the  cause  of  the  following  errors :  — 

1.  That  man  has  two  real  existing 
principles,  viz.,  a  Body  and  a  Soul. 

2.  That  Energy,  called  Evil,  is  alone 
from  the  Body ;  and  that  Reason,  called 
Good,  is  alone  from  the  Soul. 

3.  That  God  will  torment  man  in 
Eternity  for  following  his  Energies. 

But  the  following  contraries  to 
these  are  true :  — 

1 .  Man  has  no  Body  distinct  from  his 
Soul.  For  that  called  Body  is  a  por- 
tion of  Soul  discerned  by  the  five  senses, 
the  chief  inlets  of  Soul  in  this  age. 

2 .  Energy  is  the  only  life ,  and  is  from 
the  Body;  and  Reason  is  the  bound 
or  outward  circumference  of  Energy. 

8 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 

3.   Energy  is  Eternal  Delight. 

Those  who  restrain  desire,  do  so 
because  theirs  is  weak  enough  to  be 
restrained;  and  the  restrainer  or 
reason  usurps  its  place  and  governs 
the  unwilling. 

And  being  restrained,  it  by  degrees 
becomes  passive,  till  it  is  only  the 
shadow  of  desire. 

The  history  of  this  is  written  in 
Paradise  Lost,  and  the  Governor  or 
Reason  is  called  Messiah. 

And  the  original  Archangel  or  pos- 
sessor of  the  command  of  the  heavenly 
host  is  called  the  Devil,  or  Satan,  and 
his  children  are  called  Sin  and  Death. 

But  in  the  book  of  Job,  Milton's 
Messiah  is  called  Satan. 

For  this  history  has  been  adopted  by 
both  parties. 

It  indeed  appeared  to  Reason  as  if 

9 


THE  MARRIAGE   OF 

desire  was  cast  out,  but  the  Devil's 
account  is,  that  the  Messiah  fell,  and 
formed  a  heaven  of  what  he  stole  from 
the  abyss. 

This  is  shown  in  the  Gospel,  where 
he  prays  to  the  Father  to  send  the 
Comforter  or  desire  that  Reason  may 
have  ideas  to  build  on,  the  Jehovah 
of  the  Bible  being  no  other  than  he 
who  dwells  in  flaming  fire.  Know 
that  after  Christ's  death  he  became 
Jehovah. 

But  in  Milton,  the  Father  is  Destiny, 
the  Son  a  ratio  of  the  five  senses,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  vacuum ! 

Note.  —  The  reason  Milton  wrote 
in  fetters  when  he  wrote  of  Angels 
and  God,  and  at  Uberty  when  of 
Devils  and  Hell,  is  because  he  was 
a  true  poet,  and  of  the  Devil's  party 
without  knowing  it. 


10 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 


A  MEMORABLE  FANCY 

As  I  was  walking  among  the  fires 
of  Hell,  delighted  with  the  enjoyments 
of  Genius,  which  to  Angels  look  like 
torment  and  insanity,  I  collected  some 
of  their  proverbs,  thinking  that  as  the 
sayings  used  in  a  nation  mark  its 
character,  so  the  proverbs  of  Hell  show 
the  nature  of  infernal  wisdom  better 
than  any  description  of  buildings  or 
garments. 

When  I  came  home,  on  the  abyss 
of  the  five  senses,  where  a  flat-sided 
steep  frowns  over  the  present  world,  I 
saw  a  mighty  Devil  folded  in  black 
clouds  hovering  on  the  sides  of  the 
rock;  with  corroding  fires  he  wrote 
the  following  sentence  now  perceived 
by  the  minds  of  men,  and  read  by 
them  on  earth :  — 

II 


THE  MARRIAGE   OF 

"How  do  you  know  but  every  bird 
that  cuts  the  airy  way 
Is   an   immense    world    of   delight, 
closed  by  your  senses  five?" 


12 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 


PROVERBS  OF  HELL 

In  seed-time  learn,  in  harvest  teach, 
in  winter  enjoy. 

Drive  your  cart  and  your  plough 
over  the  bones  of  the  dead. 

The   road   of   excess   leads   to   the 
palace  of  wisdom. 

Prudence  is  a  rich  ugly  old  maid 
courted  by  Incapacity. 

He  who  desires,  but  acts  not,  breeds 
pestilence. 

The  cut  worm  forgives  the  plough. 

Dip   him   in   the   river  who   loves 
water. 

A  fool  sees  not  the  same  tree  that  a 
wise  man  sees. 

He  whose  face  gives  no  light  shall 
never  become  a  star. 

13 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF 

Eternity  is  in  love  with  the  produc- 
tions of  time. 

The  busy  bee  has  no  time  for  sor- 
row. 

The  hours  of  folly  are  measured  by 
the  clock,  but  of  wisdom  no  clock  can 
measure. 

All  wholesome  food  is  caught  with- 
out a  net  or  a  trap. 

Bring  out  number,  weight,  and 
measure  in  a  year  of  dearth. 

No  bird  soars  too  high  if  he  soars 
with  his  own  wings. 

A  dead  body  revenges  not  injuries. 

The  most  sublime  act  is  to  set  an- 
other before  you. 

If  the  fool  would  persist  in  his  folly 
he  would  become  wise. 

Folly  is  the  cloak  of  knavery. 

Shame  is  Pride's  cloak. 

14 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 

Prisons  are  built  with  stones  of  law, 
brothels  with  bricks  of  religion. 

The  pride  of  the  peacock  is  the 
glory  of  God. 

The  lust  of  the  goat  is  the  bounty 
of  God. 

The  wrath  of  the  lion  is  the  wisdom 
of  God. 

The  nakedness  of  woman  is  the 
work  of  God. 

Excess  of  sorrow  laughs,  excess  of 
joy  weeps. 

The  roaring  of  lions,  the  howling  of 
wolves,  the  raging  of  the  stormy  sea, 
and  the  destructive  sword,  are  por- 
tions of  Eternity  too  great  for  the  eye 
of  man. 

The  fox  condemns  the  trap,  not 
himself. 

Joys  impregnate,  sorrows  bring 
forth. 

15 


THE  MARRIAGE  OF 

Let  man  wear  the  fell  of  the  lion, 
woman  the  fleece  of  the  sheep. 

The  bird  a  nest,  the  spider  a  web, 
man  friendship. 

The  selfish  smiling  fool  and  the 
sullen  frowning  fool  shall  be  both 
thought  wise  that  they  may  be  a  rod. 

What  is  now  proved  was  once  only 
imagined. 

The  rat,  the  mouse,  the  fox,  the 
rabbit  watch  the  roots;  the  Hon,  the 
tiger,  the  horse,  the  elephant  watch 
the  fruits. 

The  cistern  contains,  the  fountain 
overflows. 

One  thought  fills  immensity. 

Always  be  ready  to  speak  your 
mind,  and  a  base  man  will  avoid  you. 

Everything  possible  to  be  believed 
is  an  image  of  truth. 

The  eagle  never  lost  so  much  time 

z6 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 

as  when  he  submitted  to  learn  of  the 
crow. 

The  fox  provides  for  himself,  but 
God  provides  for  the  lion. 

Think  in  the  morning,  act  in  the 
noon,  eat  in  the  evening,  sleep  in  the 
night. 

He  who  has  suffered  you  to  impose 
on  him  knows  you. 

As  the  plough  follows  words,  so 
God  rewards  prayers. 

The  tigers  of  wrath  are  wiser  than 
the  horses  of  instruction. 

Expect  poison  from  the  standing 
water. 

You  never  know  what  is  enough 
unless  you  know  what  is  more  than 
enough. 

Listen  to  the  fool's  reproach;  it  is  a 
kingly  title. 

The  eyes  of  fire,  the  nostrils  of  air, 

17 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF 

the    mouth    of    water,  the    beard    of 
earth. 

The  weak  in  courage  is  strong  in 
cunning. 

The  apple  tree  never  asks  the  beech 
how  he  shall  grow,  nor  the  lion  the 
horse  how  he  shall  take  his  prey. 

The  thankful  receiver  bears  a  plenti- 
ful harvest. 

If  others  had  not  been  foolish  we 
should  have  been  so. 

The  soul  of  sweet  delight  can  never 
be  defiled. 

When  thou  seest  an  eagle,  thou 
seest  a  portion  of  Genius.  Lift  up  thy 
head! 

As  the  caterpillar  chooses  the  fairest 
leaves  to  lay  her  eggs  on,  so  the  priest 
lays  his  curse  on  the  fairest  joys. 

To  create  a  little  flower  is  the  labour 
of  ages. 

i8 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 

Damn  braces;  bless  relaxes. 

The  best  wine  is  the  oldest,  the  best 
water  the  newest. 

Prayers  plough  not;  praises  reap 
not;  joys  laugh  not;  sorrows  weep 
not. 

The  head  Sublime,  the  heart  Pathos, 
the  genitals  Beauty,  the  hands  and 
feet  Proportion. 

As  the  air  to  a  bird,  or  the  sea 
to  a  fish,  so  is  contempt  to  the  con- 
temptible. 

The  crow  wished  everything  was 
black;  the  owl  that  everything  was 
white. 

Exuberance  is  Beauty. 

If  the  lion  was  advised  by  the  fox, 
he  would  be  cunning. 

Improvement  makes  straight  roads, 
but  the  crooked  roads  without  Improve- 
ment are  roads  of  Genius. 

19 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF 

Sooner  murder  an  infant  in  its 
cradle  than  nurse  unacted  desires. 

Where  man  is  not,  nature  is  barren. 

Truth  can  never  be  told  so  as  to  be 
understood  and  not  to  be  believed. 

Enough!  or  Too  much. 

The  ancient  poets  animated  all  sen- 
sible objects  with  Gods  or  Geniuses, 
calling  them  by  the  names  and  adorn- 
ing them  with  properties  of  woods, 
rivers,  mountains,  lakes,  cities,  na- 
tions, and  whatever  their  enlarged 
and  numerous  senses  could  perceive. 
And  particularly  they  studied  the 
Genius  of  each  city  and  country, 
placing  it  under  its  mental  deity.  Till 
a  system  was  formed,  which  some 
took  advantage  of  and  enslaved  the 
vulgar  by  attempting  to  realize  or 
abstract  the  mental  deities  from  their 
objects.      Thus     began     Priesthood. 

20 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 

Choosing  forms  of  worship  from 
poetic  tales.  And  at  length  they  pro- 
nounced that  the  Gods  had  ordered 
such  things.  Thus  men  forgot  that 
all  deities  reside  in  the  human  breast. 


21 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF 


A  MEMORABLE   FANCY 

The  Prophets  Isaiah  and  Ezekiel 
dined  with  me,  and  I  asked  them  how 
they  dared  so  roundly  to  assert  that 
God  spoke  to  them,  and  whether  they 
did  not  think  at  the  time  that  they 
would  be  misunderstood,  and  so  be 
the  cause  of  imposition. 

Isaiah  answered:  "I  saw  no  God, 
nor  heard  any,  in  a  finite  organical 
perception:  but  my  senses  discovered 
the  infinite  in  everything;  and  as  I 
was  then  persuaded,  and  remained 
confirmed,  that  the  voice  of  honest 
indignation  is  the  voice  of  God,  I  cared 
not  for  consequences,  but  wrote.'* 

Then  I  asked:  "Does  a  firm  per- 
suasion that  a  thing  is  so,  make  it 
so?" 

He  replied:  "All  poets  believe  that 

22 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 

it  does,  and  in  ages  of  imagination 
this  firm  persuasion  removed  moun- 
tains; but  many  are  not  capable  of  a 
firm  persuasion  of  anything." 

Then  Ezekiel  said :  "  The  philosophy 
of  the  East  taught  the  first  principles 
of  human  perception;  some  nations 
held  one  principle  for  the  origin,  and 
some  another.  We  of  Israel  taught 
that  the  Poetic  Genius  (as  you  now 
call  it)  was  the  first  principle,  and  all 
the  others  merely  derivative,  which 
was  the  cause  of  our  despising  the 
Priests  and  Philosophers  of  other 
countries,  and  prophesying  that  all 
Gods  would  at  last  be  proved  to  origi- 
nate in  ours,  and  to  be  the  tributaries 
of  the  Poetic  Genius.  It  was  this  that 
our  great  poet  King  David  desired  so 
fervently,  and  invokes  so  pathetically, 
saying  by  this  he  conquers  enemies 
and  governs  kingdoms;  and  we  so 
loved  our  Ggd  that  we  cursed  in  His 

i3 


THE  MARRIAGE  OF 

name  all  the  deities  of  surrounding 
nations,  and  asserted  that  they  had 
rebelled.  From  these  opinions  the 
vulgar  came  to  think  that  all  nations 
would  at  last  be  subject  to  the  Jews. 

"This,"  said  he,  "like  all  firm  per- 
suasions, is  come  to  pass,  for  all 
nations  believe  the  Jews'  code,  and 
worship  the  Jews'  God;  and  what 
greater  subjection  can  be?" 

I  heard  this  with  some  wonder,  and 
must  confess  my  own  conviction. 
After  dinner  I  asked  Isaiah  to  favour 
the  world  with  his  lost  works;  he  said 
none  of  equal  value  was  lost.  Ezekiel 
said  the  same  of  his. 

I  also  asked  Isaiah  what  made  him 
go  naked  and  barefoot  three  years. 
He  answered:  "The  same  that  made 
our  friend  Diogenes  the  Grecian." 

I  then  asked  Ezekiel  why  he  ate 
dung,  and  lay  so  long  on  his  right  and 

24 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 

left  side.  He  answered:  "The  desire 
of  raising  other  men  into  a  perception 
of  the  infinite.  This  the  North  Ameri- 
can tribes  practise.  And  is  he  honest 
who  resists  his  genius  or  conscience, 
only  for  the  sake  of  present  ease  or 
gratification?" 

The  ancient  tradition  that  the  world 
will  be  consumed  in  fire  at  the  end  of 
six  thousand  years  is  true,  as  I  have 
heard  from  Hell. 

For  the  cherub  with  his  flaming 
sword  is  hereby  commanded  to  leave 
his  guard  at  [the]  tree  of  life,  and 
when  he  does,  the  whole  creation  will 
be  consumed  and  appear  infinite  and 
holy,  whereas  it  now  appears  finite 
and  corrupt. 

This  will  come  to  pass  by  an  im- 
provement of  sensual  enjoyment. 

But  first  the  notion  that  man  has 

25 


THE  MARRIAGE   OF 

a  body  distinct  from  his  soul  is  to  be 
expunged;  this  I  shall  do  by  printing 
in  the  infernal  method  by  corrosives, 
which  in  Hell  are  salutary  and  medici- 
nal, melting  apparent  surfaces  away, 
and  displaying  the  infinite  which  was 
hid. 

If  the  doors  of  perception  were 
cleansed  everything  would  appear  to 
man  as  it  is,  infinite. 

For  man  has  closed  himself  up,  till 
he  sees  all  things  through  narrow 
chinks  of  his  cavern. 


26 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 


A  MEMORABLE  FANCY 

I  was  in  a  printing-house  in  Hell, 
and  saw  the  method  in  which  knowl- 
edge is  transmitted  from  generation 
to  generation. 

In  the  first  chamber  was  a  dragon- 
man,  clearing  away  the  rubbish  from 
a  cave's  mouth;  within,  a  number  of 
dragons  were  hollowing  the  cave. 

In  the  second  chamber  was  a  viper 
folding  round  the  rock  and  the  cave, 
and  others  adorning  it  with  gold,  silver, 
and  precious  stones. 

In  the  third  chamber  was  an  eagle 
with  wings  and  feathers  of  air;  he 
caused  the  inside  of  the  cave  to  be 
infinite;  around  were  numbers  of 
eagle-like  men,  who  built  palaces  in 
the  immense  cliffs. 

In  the  fourth  chamber  were  lions 

27 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF 

of   flaming   fire    raging    around    and 
melting  the  metals  into  living  fluids. 

In  the  fifth  chamber  were  unnamed 
forms,  which  cast  the  metals  into  the 
expanse. 

There  they  were  received  by  men 
who  occupied  the  sixth  chamber,  and 
took  the  forms  of  books,  and  were 
arranged  in  libraries. 

The  Giants  who  formed  this  world 
into  its  sensual  existence  and  now 
seem  to  live  in  it  in  chains  are  in 
truth  the  causes  of  its  life  and  the 
sources  of  all  activity,  but  the  chains 
are  the  cunning  of  weak  and  tame 
minds,  which  have  power  to  resist 
energy,  according  to  the  proverb, 
"The  weak  in  courage  is  strong  in 
cunning." 

Thus  one  portion  of  being  is  the 

28 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 

Prolific,  the  other  the  Devouring.  To 
the  devourer  it  seems  as  if  the  pro- 
ducer was  in  his  chains;  but  it  is  not 
so,  he  only  takes  portions  of  existence, 
and  fancies  that  the  whole. 

But  the  Prolific  would  cease  to  be 
prolific  unless  the  Devourer  as  a  sea 
received  the  excess  of  his  delights. 

Some  will  say,  "Is  not  God  alone 
the  Prolific?"  I  answer:  "God  only 
acts  and  is  in  existing  beings  or 
men." 

These  two  classes  of  men  are  always 
upon  earth,  and  they  should  be  ene- 
mies: whoever  tries  to  reconcile  them 
seeks  to  destroy  existence. 

Religion  is  an  endeavour  to  recon- 
cile the  two. 

Note. —  Jesus  Christ  did  not  wish 
to  unite  but  to  separate  them,  as  in 
the  parable  of  sheep  and  goats;  and 

29 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF 

He  says :  "  I  came  not  to  send  peace, 
but  a  sword." 

Messiah,  or  Satan,  or  Tempter,  was 
formerly  thought  to  be  one  of  the 
antediluvians  who  are  our  Energies. 


30 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 


A  MEMORABLE   FANCY 

An  Angel  came  to  me  and  said:  "0 
pitiable  foolish  young  man!  0  hor- 
rible, 0  dreadful  state!  Consider  the 
hot  burning  dungeon  thou  art  prepar- 
ing for  thyself  to  all  Eternity,  to  which 
thou  art  going  in  such  career." 

I  said :  "  Perhaps  you  will  be  willing 
to  show  me  my  eternal  lot,  and  we 
will  contemplate  together  upon  it,  and 
see  whether  your  lot  or  mine  is  most 
desirable.'* 

So  he  took  me  through  a  stable,  and 
through  a  church,  and  down  into  the 
church  vault,  at  the  end  of  v/hich  was 
a  mill;  through  the  mill  we  went,  and 
came  to  a  cave;  down  the  winding 
cavern  we  groped  our  tedious  way, 
till  a  void  boundless  as  a  nether  sky 
appeared  beneath  us,  and  we  held  by 

31 


THE  MARRIAGE   OF 

the  roots  of  trees,  and  hung  over  this 
immensity;  but  I  said:  "If  you  please, 
we  will  commit  ourselves  to  this  void, 
and  see  whether  Providence  is  here 
also;  if  you  will  not,  I  will."  But  he 
answered :  "  Do  not  presume,  0  young 
man;  but  as  we  here  remain,  behold 
thy  lot,  which  will  soon  appear  when 
the  darkness  passes  away." 

So  I  remained  with  him  sitting  in 
the  twisted  root  of  an  oak;  he  was 
suspended  in  a  fungus,  which  hung 
with  the  head  downward  into  the 
deep. 

By  degrees  we  beheld  the  infinite 
abyss,  fiery  as  the  smoke  of  a  burning 
city;  beneath  us  at  an  immense  dis- 
tance was  the  sun,  black  but  shining; 
round  it  were  fiery  tracks  on  which 
revolved  vast  spiders,  crawling  after 
their  prey,  which  flew,  or  rather 
swum,  in  the  infinite  deep,  in  the  most 

32 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 

terrific  shapes  of  animals  sprung  from 
corruption;  and  the  air  was  full  of 
them,  and  seemed  composed  of  them. 
These  are  Devils,  and  are  called  powers 
of  the  air.  I  now  asked  my  com- 
panion which  was  my  eternal  lot. 
He  said:  "Between  the  black  and 
white  spiders.'' 

But  now,  from  between  the  black 
and  white  spiders,  a  cloud  and  fire 
burst  and  rolled  through  the  deep, 
blackening  all  beneath  so  that  the 
nether  deep  grew  black  as  a  sea,  and 
rolled  with  a  terrible  noise.  Beneath 
us  was  nothing  now  to  be  seen  but  a 
black  tempest,  till  looking  East  be- 
tween the  clouds  and  the  waves,  we 
saw  a  cataract  of  blood  mixed  with 
fire,  and  not  many  stones'  throw  from 
us  appeared  and  sunk  again  the  scaly 
fold  of  a  monstrous  serpent.  At  last 
to  the  East,  distant  about  three  degrees, 
appeared  a  fiery  crest  above  the  waves ; 

33 


THE  MARRIAGE   OF 

slowly  it  reared  like  a  ridge  of  golden 
rocks,  till  we  discovered  two  globes 
of  crimson  fire,  from  which  the  sea 
fled  away  in  clouds  of  smoke;  and 
now  we  saw  it  was  the  head  of  Le- 
viathan. His  forehead  was  divided 
into  streaks  of  green  and  purple,  like 
those  on  a  tiger's  forehead;  soon  we 
saw  his  mouth  and  red  gills  hang  just 
above  the  raging  foam,  tinging  the 
black  deeps  with  beams  of  blood,  ad- 
vancing toward  us  with  all  the  fury 
of  a  spiritual  existence. 

My  friend  the  Angel  climbed  up 
from  his  station  into  the  mill.  I 
remained  alone,  and  then  this  ap- 
pearance was  no  more;  but  I  found 
myself  sitting  on  a  pleasant  bank  beside 
a  river  by  moonlight,  hearing  a  harper 
who  sung  to  the  harp;  and  his  theme 
was:  "The  man  who  never  alters  his 
opinion  is  like  standing  water,  and 
breeds  reptiles  of  the  mind." 

34 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 

But  I  arose,  and  sought  for  the 
mill,  and  there  I  found  my  Angel, 
who,  surprised,  asked  me  how  I 
escaped. 

I  answered:  "All  that  we  saw  was 
owing  to  your  metaphysics;  for  when 
you  ran  away,  I  found  myself  on  a 
bank  by  moonlight,  hearing  a  harper. 
But  now  we  have  seen  my  eternal 
lot,  shall  I  show  you  yours?"  He 
laughed  at  my  proposal;  but  I  by 
force  suddenly  caught  him  in  my 
arms,  and  flew  Westerly  through  the 
night,  till  we  were  elevated  above  the 
earth's  shadow;  then  I  flung  myself 
with  him  directly  into  the  body  of  the 
sun;  here  I  clothed  myself  in  white, 
and  taking  in  my  hand  Swedenborg*s 
volumes,  sunk  from  the  glorious  clime, 
and  passed  all  the  planets  till  we  came 
to  Saturn.  Here  I  stayed  to  rest,  and 
then  leaped  into  the  void  between 
Saturn  and  the  fixed  stars. 

35 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF 

"Here,"  said  I,  "is  your  lot;  in  this 
space,  if  space  it  may  be  called." 
Soon  we  saw  the  stable  and  the  church, 
and  I  took  him  to  the  altar  and  opened 
the  Bible,  and  lo!  it  was  a  deep  pit, 
into  which  I  descended,  driving  the 
Angel  before  me.  Soon  we  saw  seven 
houses  of  brick.  One  we  entered.  In 
it  were  a  number  of  monkeys,  baboons, 
and  all  of  that  species,  chained  by  the 
middle,  grinning  and  snatching  at  one 
another,  but  withheld  by  the  shortness 
of  their  chains.  However,  I  saw  that 
they  sometimes  grew  numerous,  and 
then  the  weak  were  caught  by  the 
strong,  and  with  a  grinning  aspect, 
first  coupled  with  and  then  devoured 
by  plucking  off  first  one  Umb  and  then 
another  till  the  body  was  left  a  help- 
less trunk;  this,  after  grinning  and 
kissing  it  with  seeming  fondness,  they 
devoured  too.  And  here  and  there  I 
saw  one  savourily  picking  the  fiesh  off 

36 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 

his  own  tail.  As  the  stench  terribly 
annoyed  us  both,  we  went  into  the 
mill;  and  I  in  my  hand  brought  the 
skeleton  of  a  body,  which  in  the  mill 
was  Aristotle's  Analytics. 

So  the  Angel  said;  "Thy  phantasy 
has  imposed  upon  me,  and  thou  ought- 
est  to  be  ashamed." 

I  answered:  "We  impose  on  one 
another,  and  it  is  but  lost  time  to  con- 
verse with  you  whose  works  are  only 
Analytics.'* 

"I  have  always  found  that  Angels 
have  the  vanity  to  speak  of  them- 
selves as  the  only  wise;  this  they  do 
with  a  confident  insolence  sprouting 
from  systematic  reasoning. 

"Thus  Swedenborg  boasts  that  what 
he  writes  is  new ;  though  it  is  only  the 
contents  or  index  of  already  published 
books. 

37 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF 

"A  man  carried  a  monkey  about 
for  a  show,  and  because  he  was  a  Uttle 
wiser  than  the  monkey,  grew  vain, 
and  conceived  himself  as  much  wiser 
than  seven  men.  It  is  so  with 
Swedenborg;  he  shows  the  folly  of 
churches,  and  exposes  hypocrites,  till 
he  imagines  that  all  are  religious,  and 
himself  the  single  one  on  earth  that 
ever  broke  a  net. 

"Now  hear  a  plain  fact:  Sweden- 
borg has  not  written  one  new  truth. 
Now  hear  another:  he  has  written  all 
the  old  falsehoods. 

"And  now  hear  the  reason:  he  con- 
versed with  Angels  who  are  all  re- 
ligious, and  conversed  not  with  Devils 
who  all  hate  reUgion,  for  he  was 
incapable  through  his  conceited  no- 
tions. 

"Thus  Swedenborg's  writings  are 
a    recapitulation    of    all    superficial 

38 


HEAVEN  AND   HELL 

opinions,  and  an  analysis  of  the  more 
sublime,  but  no  further. 

"Have  now  another  plain  fact:  any 
man  of  mechanical  talents  may  from 
the  writings  of  Paracelsus  or  Jacob 
Behmen  produce  ten  thousand  volumes 
of  equal  value  with  Swedenborg's,  and 
from  those  of  Dante  or  Shakespeare  an 
infinite  number. 

"But  when  he  has  done  this,  let 
him  not  say  that  he  knows  better  than 
his  master,  for  he  only  holds  a  candle 
in  sunshine." 


39 


THE  MARRIAGE  OF 


A  MEMORABLE   FANCY 

Once  I  saw  a  Devil  in  a  flame  of 
fire,  who  arose  before  an  Angel  that 
sat  on  a  cloud,  and  the  Devil  uttered 
these  words:  "The  worship  of  God  is, 
honouring  His  gifts  in  other  men  each 
according  to  his  genius,  and  loving 
the  greatest  men  best.  Those  who 
envy  or  calumniate  great  men  hate 
God,  for  there  is  no  other  God." 

The  Angel  hearing  this  became 
almost  blue,  but  mastering  himself  he 
grew  yellow,  and  at  last  white-pink 
and  smiling,  and  then  replied:  "Thou 
idolater,  is  not  God  One?  and  is  not 
He  visible  in  Jesus  Christ?  and  has 
not  Jesus  Christ  given  His  sanction  to 
the  law  of  ten  commandments?  and 
are  not  all  other  men  fools,  sinners, 
and  nothings?" 

40 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 

The  Devil  answered:  "Bray  a  fool 
in  a  mortar  with  wheat,  yet  shall  not 
his  folly  be  beaten  out  of  him.  If 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  greatest  man,  you 
ought  to  love  Him  in  the  greatest 
degree.  Now  hear  how  He  has  given 
His  sanction  to  the  law  of  ten  com- 
mandments. Did  He  not  mock  at  the 
Sabbath,  and  so  mock  the  Sabbath's 
God?  murder  those  who  were  mur- 
dered because  of  Him?  turn  away  the 
law  from  the  woman  taken  in  adultery, 
steal  the  labour  of  others  to  support 
Him?  bear  false  witness  when  He 
omitted  making  a  defence  before 
Pilate?  covet  when  He  prayed  for  His 
disciples,  and  when  He  bid  them 
shake  off  the  dust  of  their  feet  against 
such  as  refused  to  lodge  them?  I  tell 
you,  no  virtue  can  exist  without  break- 
ing these  ten  commandments.  Jesus 
was  all  virtue,  and  acted  from  im- 
pulse, not  from  rules." 

41 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF 

When  he  had  so  spoken,  I  beheld 
the  Angel,  who  stretched  out  his  arms 
embracing  the  flame  of  fire,  and  he 
was  consumed,  and  arose  as  Elijah. 

Note.  —  This  Angel,  who  is  now 
become  a  Devil,  is  my  particular 
friend;  we  often  read  the  Bible  to- 
gether in  its  infernal  or  diabolical 
sense,  which  the  world  shall  have  if 
they  behave  well. 

I  have  also  the  Bible  of  Hell,  which 
the  world  shall  have  whether  they 
will  or  no. 

One  law  for  the  lion  and  ox  is  Op- 
pression. 


42 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 


A  SONG   OF  LIBERTY 

1.  The  Eternal  Female  groan'd;  it 
was  heard  over  all  the  earth: 

2.  Albion's  coast  is  sick  silent;  the 
American  meadows  faint. 

3.  Shadows  of  prophecy  shiver 
along  by  the  lakes  and  the  rivers,  and 
mutter  across  the  ocean.  France, 
rend  down  thy  dungeon! 

4.  Golden  Spain,  burst  the  barriers 
of  old  Rome ! 

5.  Cast  thy  keys,  0  Rome,  into 
the  deep  — down  falling,  even  to 
eternity  down  falling; 

6.  And  weep! 

7.  In  her  trembling  hands  she  took 
the  new-born  terror,  howling. 

8.  On  those  infinite  mountains 
of  light  now  barr'd  out  by  the  Atlantic 

43 


THE  MARRIAGE   OF 

sea,  the  new-born  fire  stood  before  the 
starry  king. 

9.  Flagg'd  with  grey-browM  snows 
and  thunderous  visages,  the  jealous 
wings  wavM  over  the  deep. 

10.  The  speary  hand  burn'd  aloft; 
unbuckled  was  the  shield;  forth  went 
the  hand  of  jealousy  among  the  flam- 
ing hair,  and  hurl'd  the  new-born 
wonder  through  the  starry  night. 

11.  The  fire,  the  fire  is  falling ! 

12.  Look  up!  look  up!  0  citizen 
of  London,  enlarge  thy  countenance! 
O  Jew,  leave  counting  gold;  return  to 
thy  oil  and  wine!  0  African,  black 
African!  (Go,  winged  thought,  widen 
his  forehead.) 

13.  The  fiery  limbs,  the  flaming  hair 
shot  like  the  sinking  sun  into  the 
Western  sea. 

14.  WakM  from  his  eternal  sleep, 
the  hoary  element  roaring  fled  away. 

44 


HEAVEN   AND   HELL 

15.  Down  rush'd,  beating  his  wings 
in  vain,  the  jealous  king,  his  grey- 
brow'd  councillors,  thunderous  war- 
riors, curl'd  veterans,  among  helms 
and  shields,  and  chariots,  horses,  ele- 
phants, banners,  castles,  slings,  and 
rocks. 

16.  Falling,  rushing,  ruining; 
buried  in  the  ruins,  on  Urthona's 
dens. 

17.  All  night  beneath  the  ruins; 
then  their  sullen  flames,  faded,  emerge 
round  the  gloomy  king. 

18.  With  thunder  and  fire,  leading 
his  starry  hosts  through  the  waste 
wilderness,  he  promulgates  his  ten 
commandments,  glancing  his  beamy 
eyelids  over  the  deep  in  dark  dismay. 

19.  Where  the  Son  of  Fire  in  his 
Eastern  cloud,  while  the  Morning 
plumes  her  golden  breast, 

20.  Spuming    the    clouds    written 

45 


THE   MARRIAGE   OF 

with  curses,  stamps  the  stony  law  to 
dust,  loosing  the  eternal  horses  from 
the  dens  of  night,  crying:  "Empire  is 
no  more!  and  now  the  lion  and  wolf 
shall  cease." 


46 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 


CHORUS 

Let  the  Priests  of  the  Raven  of 
Dawn,  no  longer  in  deadly  black,  with 
hoarse  note  curse  the  Sons  of  Joy. 
Nor  his  accepted  brethren  whom, 
tyrant,  he  calls  free,  lay  the  bound  or 
build  the  roof.  Nor  pale  religious 
lechery  call  that  virginity  that  wishes, 
but  acts  not ! 

For  everything  that  lives  is  holy. 


47 


W2 


4 


■»• 


•.»*  ^^ 


Deacidified  using  the  Bookkeeper  proces 
Neutralizing  agent:  Magnesium  Oxide 
Treatment  Date:  March  2009 

PreservationTechnologiej 

\^^      *0  •   »        A  WORLD  LEADER  IN  COLLECTIONS  PRESER VATIC 

"*■  111  Thomson  Park  Drive 


Cranberry  Township,  PA  16066 
(724)779-2111 


A«\.Oil 


/^i;^%'^^?""v< 


■^0