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W.  BLAKE'S    MILTON 


TED    I3Y 

A. G.B.RUSSELL  and     E.R.D.  MACLAGAN 


J 


MILTON 


UNIFORM  WirH  THIS  BOOK 


The  Prophetic  Books  of  W.  Blake 

JERUSALEM 

Edited  by  E.  R.  D.  Maclagan  and 
A.  G.  B.  Russell 

6s.  net 


THE  PROPHETIC  BOOKS  OF  WILLIAM  BLAKE 

MILTON 

Edited  by  E.  R.  D.  MACLAGAN  and  A.  G.  B.  RUSSELL 


LONDON : 

A.  H.  BULLEN 

47,  GREAT  RUSSELL  STREET 

1907 


CHISWICK   PRESS  :  CHARLES  WHITTINGHAM   AND  CO. 
TOOKS  COURT,  CHANCERY  LANE,   LONDON. 


INTRODUCTION. 

WHEN,  in  a  letter  to  his  friend  George  Cumberland,  written 
just  a  year  before  his  departure  to  Felpham,  Blake  lightly 
mentions  that  he  had  passed  "  nearly  twenty  years  in  ups  and 
downs  "  since  his  first  embarkation  upon  "  the  ocean  of  business," 
he  is  simply  referring  to  the  anxiety  with  which  he  had  been 
continually  harassed  in  regard  to  the  means  of  life.  He  gives  no 
hint  of  the  terrible  mental  conflict  with  which  his  life  was  at  that 
time  darkened.  It  was  more  actually  then  a  question  of  the  exist- 
ence of  his  body  than  of  the  state  of  his  soul.  It  is  not  until 
several  years  later  that  he  permits  us  to  realize  the  full  significance 
of  this  sombre  period  in  the  process  of  his  spiritual  development. 
The  new  burst  of  intelle6tual  vision,  accompanying  his  visit  to  the 
Truchsessian  Pi6lure  Gallery  in  1804,  when  all  the  joy  and 
enthusiasm  which  had  inspired  the  creations  of  his  youth  once 
more  returned  to  him,  gave  him  courage  for  the  first  time  to  face 
the  past  and  to  refledl  upon  the  course  of  his  deadly  struggle  with 
"  that  spe6lrous  fiend "  who  had  formerly  waged  war  upon  his 
imagination.  "  Suddenly,"  he  wrote  to  Hayley  on  the  23rd 
0(5tober,  '*  I  was  again  enlightened  with  the  light  I  enjoyed  in  my 
youth,  and  which  has  for  exaftly  twenty  years  been  closed  from 
me  as  by  a  door  and  by  window-shutters.  .  .  .  He  is  become  my 
servant  who  domineered  over  me,  he  is  even  as  a  brother  who  was 
my  enemy."  The  nature  of  his  enemy  is  made  sufficiently  clear 
by  the  continuation  of  this  remarkable  letter,  where  under  some 
easily  discernible  symbols  the  whole  matter  is  briefly  and  dram- 
atically set  forth.  His  inmost  convictions  as  to  the  origin  and 
essence  of  his  inspiration  had  been  unceasingly  assailed  by  a  host 
of  those  secret  doubts  and  fears  (the  most  insidious  of  all  spiritual 
perils)  with  which  the  spedlre  or  reasoning  faculty,  that  "  abstract 
objecting  power  "  which  "  negatives  everything"  is  for  ever  seeking 
to  restrain  and  subdue  man's  creative  energies.  This  speClre  was 
the  spirit  of  his  own  time.  Religion  and  art  had  become  empty 
formalities.  Imagination  was  on  the  verge  of  extinftion.  The  age 
was  engrossed  upon  the  reconstruction  of  society  on  a  materialistic 
basis.    Many  of  Blake's  earlier  "  prophecies  "  are  intimately  con- 


cerned  with  the  religious  and  political  upheaval  of  his  day.  The 
Marriage  of  Heaven  and  Hell^  America,  as  well  as  the  lost  poem 
entitled  The  French  Revolution,  are  almost  exclusively  devoted  to 
this  subje6t.  He  was  never  tired  of  inveighing  against  the  dis- 
astrous tyranny  of  those  laws  and  moralities  which  had  been 
framed  by  abstract  philosophy  and  false  religion  for  the  suppression 
of  the  "  interior  vision,"  and  urging  the  people  to  shake  off,  before 
it  is  too  late,  "  the  heavy  iron  chain  "  which  is  "  descending  link 
by  link  "  to  enslave  them.  The  dominion  of  this  malignant  speftre 
was  daily  increasing,  and  even  Blake  himself,  who  was  in  so  little 
the  child  of  his  own  age,  was  not  able  to  escape  entirely  from  its 
pernicious  influence.  For  every  man  is  born  with  the  instinfts  of 
his  time,  which  are  ineradicable  from  his  natural  state,  and  if 
these  instinfts  are  altogether  corrupt  and  worldly,  it  is  only  in  the 
power  of  a  supreme  imaginative  intelligence  to  eliminate  their 
tendency.  It  was  a  time  when  the  emanative  portion  of  the 
universal  manhood  had  fallen  into  a  deep  sleep,  and  before  it 
could  be  awakened  and  resume  its  place  in  the  fourfold  harmony 
of  human  existence,  it  was  necessary  that  the  "  selfish  "  spedlre 
should  be  compelled  to  resign  the  power  which  it  had  usurped. 
This  earth-born  antagonist,  hitherto  vi6lorious  in  the  strength  of 
the  prevailing  rationalism  and  materialism  from  which  it  had 
issued,  if  it  was  to  be  overcome,  must,  Antaeus-like,  be  uprooted 
from  all  terrestial  conta6l  and  grappled  with  in  the  pure  region 
of  imagination.  It  was  many  years  before  Blake  learnt  this  sovereign 
secret  and  many  "  times  "  of  almost  overwhelming  despair  "  passed 
over  him  "  before  the  conflict  was  at  an  end.  In  the  same  letter, 
which  has  been  already  quoted,  he  likens  his  state  during  these 
anxious  years  to  that  which  transformed  King  Nebuchadnezzar 
into  a  beast  of  the  field:  using  the  wild  insanity  of  the  outcast 
monarch  as  a  symbol  of  the  bestial  existence  of  man  under  the 
domination  of  Reason.  "  I  was  a  slave,"  he  writes,  "  bound  in  a 
mill  among  beasts  and  devils.  These  beasts  and  these  devils  are 
now,  together  with  myself,  become  children  of  light  and  liberty, 
and  my  feet  and  my  wife's  feet  are  free  from  fetters."  He  had 
begun  by  attempting  to  face  the  world  on  its  own  ground.  He 
believed  that  by  entering  the  servitude  of  the  mill  he  would  be 


vi 


able  to  transfigure  its  empty  routine  with  the  joy  and  exuberance 
of  his  own  intelledual  freedom.  But  the  process  of  the  mill  is  the 
annihilation  of  the  spirit.  It  is  the  logic  which  abhors  and  con- 
temns everything  it  cannot  explain.  It  is,  in  art,  the  method 
pursued  by  those  who  believe  that  genius  can  be  acquired  by 
taking  pains,  who  "  turn  that  which  is  soul  and  life  into  a  mill  or 
machine." 

When,  in  the  autumn  of  the  year  1800,  Blake  withdrew 
from  London  into  the  country,  he  seemed  to  see  the  dawn  of 
another  life,  in  which  he  was  to  emerge  at  last  from  the  confusion 
and  unrest  of  his  past  existence  into  a  state  of  freedom  and  spiritual 
felicity.  He  believed  that  the  generosity  of  his  new  patron  would 
for  ever  redeem  him  from  that  servile  necessity  of  soul-destroying 
drudgery  which  had  hitherto  been  imposed  upon  him  by  the  fear 
of  starvation,  and  that  he  would  be  able  to  pursue  the  arts  of 
imagination,  unfettered  and  uninterrupted.  The  atmosphere  of 
Felpham  appeared  to  his  liberated  perceptions  to  be  a  "  more 
spiritual  "  one  than  that  of  London.  "  Heaven,"  he  wrote,  on 
arriving,  to  Flaxman,  "  opens  here  on  all  sides  her  golden  gates; 
.  .  .  voices  of  celestial  inhabitants  are  more  distinctly  heard,  and 
their  forms  more  distinftly  seen."  He  dreamed  of  becoming  the 
prophet  of  a  new  era  of  visionary  creation  when  men  should  again 
"  converse  in  heaven  and  walk  with  angels,"  upon  earth.  But  he 
was  quickly  to  be  disillusioned.  It  was  soon  clear  that  his  patron 
was  not  at  all  disposed  to  bestow,  with  his  benevolence,  a  free  hand. 
Besides  this,  he  was  wholly  out  of  sympathy  with  the  visionary 
charader  of  Blake's  inventions,  both  in  poetry  and  painting,  and 
irritated  him  beyond  measure  by  the  "  genteel  ignorance  and  polite 
disapprobation,"  with  which  he  was  content  to  receive  them. 
"  He  is  as  much  averse,"  Blake  bitterly  complained  in  a  letter  to 
Butts,  "  to  my  poetry  as  he  is  to  a  chapter  in  the  Bible,"  and 
"  approves  of  my  designs  as  little  as  he  does  of  my  poems." 
Miniature  painting,  engraving  of  a  despicable  sort  and  the  decora- 
tion of  Hayley's  library  with  a  frieze  of  poets'  heads  were  by  no 
means  the  most  grievous  of  the  tasks  set;  and  the  worst  of  them 
was  far  more  tolerable  than  the  habit  of  reading  Klopstock  aloud 
with  which    his    patron   sought   to   improve   the   brief  hours   of 


Vll 


recreation.  No  wonder  at  the  expressions  of  unconcealed  dis- 
appointment which  we  find  in  some  of  Blake's  letters.  He  dis- 
covered immediately  and  to  his  cost  that  in  the  country  there  is  no 
peace  at  all  and  that  it  is  only  in  the  midst  of  a  great  city  that  the 
artist  can  be  truly  alone  with  his  own  soul.  "  I  do  assure  you," 
he  wrote  afterwards  to  Butts,  "  that,  if  I  could  have  returned  to 
London  a  month  after  my  arrival  here,  I  should  have  done  so"; 
and  in  another  letter,  "  I  can  alone  carry  on  my  visionary  studies 
in  London  unannoyed,  and  converse  with  my  friends  in  eternity, 
see  visions,  dream  dreams,  and  prophesy  and  speak  parables 
unobserved,  and  at  liberty  from  the  doubts  of  other  mortals." 

But  in  spite  of  the  truly  "  Herculean  labours  "  which,  he  tells 
us,  were  imposed  upon  him  at  Felpham,  Blake  was  at  the  same 
time  fully  conscious  of  a  considerable  debt  of  gratitude.  He  also 
speaks  of  his  "  three  years  slumber  on  the  banks  of  Ocean."  "  O 
lovely  Felpham,"  he  affeftionately  exclaims,  writing  to  Hayley, 
"  parent  of  immortal  friendship,  to  thee  I  am  eternally  indebted 
for  my  three  years'  rest  from  perturbation  and  the  strength  I  now 
enjoy."  The  mere  fa6l  of  the  entire  change  of  environment  and 
the  respite  which  he  obtained  from  all  the  cares  and  worries  which 
his  life  in  London  had  accumulated,  gave  him  a  sense  of  rest  and 
freedom,  and  he  found  in  "  the  sweet  air  and  the  voices  of  winds, 
trees  and  birds,  and  the  odours  of  the  happy  ground  "  an  influence 
soothing  and  refreshing  to  the  brain.  The  three  years  at  Felpham 
were  in  this  way  years  of  retreat,  during  which  he  was  enabled  to 
devote  hinself  to  bringing  to  an  end  the  period  of  mental  war; 
and  the  conflid:  was  there  fiercest  because  it  had  passed  into  the 
ultimate  world  of  vision.  It  became  possible  for  him  to  effedl  the 
clarification  of  his  ideas  both  upon  religion  and  art.  "  One  thing 
of  real  consequence,"  he  himself  observes,  in  one  of  his  letters, 
"  I  have  accomplished  by  coming  into  the  country,  which  is  to  me 
consolation  enough  :  namely,  I  have  recolledled  all  my  scattered 
thoughts  on  art  .  .  .  which  in  the  confusion  of  London  I  had 
very  much  obliterated  from  my  mind."  It  was  a  time  of  personal 
introspedion  and  analysis,  and  of  the  final  purging  away  from  his 
imagination  of  all  that  was  not  pure  vision;  and,  with  the  passing 
of  this  period  of  trial  and  probation,  came  the  return  of  all  his 


viu 


youthful  enthusiasm.  "  I  am  drunk,"  he  wrote  to  Hayley  from 
London,  "  with  intellectual  vision  whenever  I  take  a  pencil  or 
graver  into  my  hand,  even  as  I  used  to  be  in  my  youth,  and  as  I 
have  not  been  for  twenty  dark,  but  very  profitable  years.  I  thank 
God  that  I  courageously  pursued  my  course  through  darkness"; 
and  again,  six  weeks  later,  *'  I  have  indeed  fought  through  a  hill 
of  terrors  and  horrors  (which  none  could  know  but  myself)  in  a 
divided  existence;  now,  no  longer  divided  nor  at  war  with  myself, 
I  shall  travel  on  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God,  as  poor  Pilgrim 
says." 

The  events  of  this  final  struggle  at  Felpham,  together  with 
its  triumphant  issue,  are  recorded  by  Blake  in  the  book  of  Milton. 
The  poet  had  from  his  earliest  days  made  a  strong  appeal  to  his 
imagination.  In  the  lines  (enclosed  with  a  letter  to  Flaxman 
dated  12th  September,  1800)  where  he  gives  a  brief  summary  of 
the  various  influences  which  had  entered  into  his  life,  he  places 
Milton  first  in  the  list  of  his  spiritual  instructors:  "Now  my  lot 
in  the  heavens  is  this,  Milton  lov'd  me  in  childhood  and  shew'd 
me  his  face."  In  The  Marriage  of  Heave fi  and  Hell  Blake  criticizes, 
it  is  true.  Paradise  Lost^  because  in  it  the  restrainer  of  reason, 
(Urizen-Jehovah)  who  is  by  Milton  called  Messiah,  is  made  to  cast 
out  desire  or  energy  (Satan),  which  "is  the  only  life";  for,  as  he 
contemptuously  observes,  "  those  who  restrain  desire,  do  so  because 
theirs  is  weak  enough  to  be  restrained,"  and,  as  he  further  explains, 
in  A  Vision  of  the  Last  Judgment^  "  Men  are  admitted  into  heaven, 
not  because  they  have  curbed  and  governed  their  passions,  or  have 
no  passions,  but  because  they  have  cultivated  their  understandings. 
The  treasures  of  heaven  are  not  negations  of  passion,  but  realities 
of  intelled;,  from  which  all  the  passions  emanate,  uncurbed  in  their 
eternal  glory.  .  .  .  Those  who  are  cast  out  are  all  those  who, 
having  no  passions  of  their  own,  because  no  intellect,  have  spent 
their  lives  in  curbing  and  governing  other  people's  by  .  .  .  cruelty 
of  all  kinds."  But  at  the  same  time  he  points  out  that  Milton  was 
none  the  less  "  a  true  poet  and  of  the  Devil's  party  without  know- 
ing it";  for,  in  spite  of  himself,  Satan  became  the  hero  of  his 
poem  and  he  found  himself  writing  "  in  fetters  when  he  wrote  of 
Angels  and  of  God,  and  at  liberty  when  of  Devils  and  Hell." 


IX 


The  substance  of  the  poem  is  almost  entirely  autobiographical. 
Blake  himself  tells  us,  in  one  of  his  letters,  that  it  is  descriptive  of 
"  the  spiritual  afts  "  of  his  "  three  years'  slumber  on  the  banks  of 
ocean."  Both  the  chara6lers  and  the  aftion  have  their  counterparts 
in  the  drama  which  had  been  ena(5ted  at  Felpham.  The  disguise 
is  often  a  close  one:  but  we  are  told  that  it  is  a  "  sublime  allegory," 
and  "allegory  addressed  to  the  intellectual  powers,  while  it  is 
altogether  hidden  from  the  corporeal  understanding,"  is  Blake's 
"  definition  of  the  most  sublime  poetry."  The  writing  was  "from 
immediate  dictation,  twelve  or  sometimes  twenty  or  thirty  lines  at 
a  time,  without  premeditation,  and  even  against "  his  "  will." 
"  Thus,"  he  writes,  "  the  time  it  has  taken  in  writing  was  rendered 
non-existent,  and  an  immense  poem  exists  ...  all  produced  with- 
out labour  or  study."  The  purpose  of  the  book  is  clearly  stated 
on  p.  36,  11.  21-25: 

.  .  When  Los  join'd  with  me  he  took  me  in  his  fiery  whirlwind: 
My  vegetated  portion  was  hurried  from  Lambeth's  shades: 
He  set  me  down  in  Felpham's  vale  and  prepar'd  a  beautiful 
Cottage  for  me,  that  in  three  years  I  might  write  all  these  visions, 
To  display  Nature's  cruel  holiness:  the  deceits  of  natural  religion. 

Blake  had  already  issued,  some  years  earlier,  two  little  trad:s 
containing  aphorisms  on  the  subjed:  of  natural  religion.  They  had 
doubtless  been  called  forth  by  Hume's  Dialogues  concerning  Natural 
Religion,  written  175 1  but  not  published  until  1779,  three  years 
after  the  author's  death.  In  The  Song  of  Los  again  he  speaks  of 
the  laws  and  religions  which  had  bound  men  more  and  more  to 
earth,  "  Till  a  philosophy  of  five  senses  was  complete,"  which 
Urizen,  weeping,  had  given  "  into  the  hands  of  Newton  and 
Locke."  In  Milton  the  subje6t  is  more  comprehensively  dealt 
with.  The  author's  intention  "  to  justify  the  ways  of  God  to  man  " 
is  stated^'on  the  title-page.  The  Muses  whom  he  invokes  in  the 
Preface  are  not  the  classical  "Daughters  of  Memory";  they  are 
the  daughters  of  "  Imagination  "  or  "  Inspiration  ";  for  his  appeal 
is  for  the  restoration  of  purely  imaginative  art,  based  upon  biblical 
and  not  upon  classical  models.  The  Bible  he  held  to  be  directly 
and  consciously  derived  from  the  source  of  all  inspiration,  while 
the  art  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  he  believed  to  be  a  mere  per- 


verted  copy,  derived  from  ancient  originals.  He  has  another  charge 
against  Milton  here,  that  he  also  was  corrupted  by  the  general 
infection  and  submitted  to  learn  of  the  classics,  when  he  should 
have  resorted  to  the  Bible  alone.  Blake  wished  to  restore  the 
authority  of  imagination,  and  to  substitute  an  intellectual  war  for 
that  which  arises  from  the  corporeal  understanding.  He  adjures 
us,  instead  of  disputing  over  science  and  religion  and  morality,  to 
fight  for  an  eternal  kingdom  and  to  engage  ourselves  in  the 
rebuilding  of  Jerusalem  in  our  own  land,  where  now  she  lies  in 
ruins.  He  would  have  us  beware  also  of  "  the  False  Tongue," 
which  is  the  origin  of  all  the  error  and  ignorance  by  which  our 
eternal  portion  is  fettered.  It  is  elsewhere  connected  with  **  the 
Western  Gate"  and  we  learn  that  it  denotes  the  sense  of  touch; 
that  is  to  say,  it  is  the  sense  by  which  we  become  conscious  of  the 
phenomenal  world  and  are  deceived  by  its  apparent  solidity  into 
endowing  it  with  a  material  existence.  It  is  the  cause  of  natural 
religion,  empirical  philosophy,  evolutionary  ethics  and  the  hundred 
other  follies  by  which  our  vision  is  obscured.  The  earlier  pages 
of  the  book  are  occupied  with  the  story  of  the  interference  and 
oppression  to  which  Blake  (Palamabron)  had  to  submit  from  Hayley 
(Satan).  The  news  of  his  sufferings  had  reached  the  dwellers  in 
eternity,  with  the  result  that  the  poet  Milton  received  a  heavenly 
command  to  return  to  earth  to  deliver  him  from  the  tyranny  of 
his  oppressors.  This  was  the  fulfilment  of  an  ancient  prophecy  "  in 
Eden  recorded  that  Milton  of  the  land  of  Albion  should  up 
ascend,  forwards  from  Ulro,  from  the  Vale  of  Felpham,  and  set 
free  Ore  from  his  chain  of  jealousy."  The  person  of  Ore  is  used 
by  Blake  to  represent  "  the  fires  of  youth,"  which  were  by  nature 
free  and  untamed,  until  they  were  riveted  to  a  rock  by  Los  and 
Enitharmon,  a(fling  under  the  influence  of  the  "jealous  "  God.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  throughout  his  writings  Blake  adopts 
the  Gnostic  view  of  Jehovah;  as  Irenaeus  says  of  Marcion,  "  blas- 
phemans  eum,  qui  a  lege  et  Prophetis  annunciatus  est  deus: 
malorum  fad:orem,  et  bellorum  concupiscentem,  et  inconstantem 
quoque  sententia,  et  contrarium  sibi  ipsum  dicens."  He  is  Blake's 
Urizen,  who  had  separated  himself  from  the  fourfold  *'  Divine 
Family  "  and  exalting  his  own  self-hood,  and  usurping  sovereignty, 


XI 


had  endeavoured  to  Impose  upon  man  his  iron  laws  which  "  no 
flesh  nor  spirit  could  keep  one  moment."  Before  Milton  could 
enter  upon  his  work  of  emancipation,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to 
wrestle  with  this  "  darkened  "  Urizen  in  his  own  person.  He  is 
described  by  Blake  standing  before  him  "  as  the  sculptor  silent 
stands  before  his  forming  image,"  giving  life  to  him  who  would 
give  death  and  preparing  him  for  his  reunion  with  the  Divine 
Body.  Thus  the  return  of  Milton  was  not  only  to  effedl  the 
deliverance  of  Blake  but  the  redemption  of  his  own  imagination 
from  the  state  of  bondage  into  which  it  had  fallen  during  his  life- 
time owing  to  the  detestable  nature  of  his  religion.  He  was  to  put 
off  the  *'  hypocritic  holiness "  and  to  embrace  the  forgiveness  of 
sins;  for  "every  religion  that  preaches  vengeance  for  sin  is  the 
religion  of  the  enemy  or  avenger."  The  do<5trine  of  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins  and  of  "the  mutual  annihilation  of  each  for  another's 
good  "  is  one  of  the  principal  themes  of  the  poem.  Evil  must  only 
be  imputed  to  the  various  states  into  which  the  individual  may 
enter.  Those  states  were  especially  created  by  Divine  mercy  for 
"  the  deliverance  of  individuals."  We  are  told  that  Milton 
descended  to  redeem  his  emanation,  as  it  is  only  through  our 
emanative  or  imaginative  portion  that  it  is  possible  for  us  to  learn 
both  to  refrain  from  judging  other  people  and  ourselves  to  steer  a 
right  course  among  the  states  which  environ  us.  Imagination  and 
love  are  the  two  central  fafts  of  Blake's  teaching.  "  The  Imagina- 
tion "  he  tells  us,  "is  not  a  state:  it  is  the  human  existence  itself. 
.   .  .   Love  becomes  a  state  when  divided  from  imagination." 

It  is  certain  that  the  year  1804,  which  appears  upon»the  title- 
page  of  Milton^  cannot  be  taken  to  mark  the  date  of  publication,  as 
it  is  clear  from  a  passage  in  the  Public  Address  that  the  poem  was 
still  unissued  in  August  1808.  It  seems  to  have  been  Blake's  habit, 
as  soon  as  the  composition  of  a  book  was  completed,  to  begin  the 
work  of  engraving  it  with  the  title  page:  and,  as  his  method  was 
an  extremely  laborious  one  and  he  was  at  this  time  much  occupied 
with  other  business,  it  is  not  surprising  that  a  period  of  several  years 
should  have  elasped  between  the  designing  of  his  title-page  and  the 
end  of  his  task.  In  the  case  of  'Jerusalem  the  interval  was  a  far 
longer  one.    We  gather  from  his  own  words  that  he  was  engaged 


xu 


upon  the  manuscript  throughout  the  period  of  his  sojourn  at  Fel- 
pham :  but  internal  evidence,  arising  from  the  substance  of  the 
allegory,  compels  us  to  assign  the  greater  part  of  it  to  the  closing 
days  of  that  episode.  The  earliest  reference  to  the  poem  occurs 
in  a  letter  to  Thomas  Butts,  written  at  Felpham  and  dated  25th 
April  1 803,  where  he  gives  a  brief  description  of  its  nature.  "None," 
he  says,  "  can  know  the  spiritual  a6ls  of  my  three  years'  slumber 
on  the  banks  of  ocean,  unless  he  has  seen  them  in  the  spirit,  or 
unless  he  should  read  my  long  poem  descriptive  of  those  a6ls ;  for 
I  have  in  these  years  composed  an  immense  number  of  verses  on 
one  grand  theme,  similar  to  Homer's  Iliad  or  Milton's  Paradise  host; 
the  persons  and  machinery  entirely  new  to  the  inhabitants  of  earth 
(some  of  these  persons  excepted)  ....  I  mention  this  to  show  you 
what  I  think  the  grand  reason  of  my  being  brought  down  here." 
There  can  be  very  little  doubt  that  it  is  Milton  and  not  yerusalem 
which  is  intended  here :  for,  although  the  latter  does  indeed  con- 
tain copious  allusions  to  the  events  at  Felpham,  the  pages  of  Milton 
are,  as  we  have  seen,  almost  exclusively  concerned  with  these  matters. 
It  is  true  the  length  of  the  poem  cannot  be  said  to  correspond  in 
the  least  with  the  author's  promise ;  and  this  discrepancy  may  not 
be  explained  upon  the  old  supposition  (derived  from  a  misreading 
of  the  title  page),  that  it  was  his  original  intention  to  publish 
twelve  books  in  all,  and  that  the  two  which  were  given  to  the 
world  were  only  a  fragment  of  an  unfinished  piece  ;  for  as  a  reviewer 
in  The  Academy  of  9th  March  last  has  pointed  out,  the  correct 
reading  of  the  title  is  Milton^  a  Poem  in  2  (not  12)  Books:  "the  2," 
he  adds,  "is  in  the  middle  of  a  round  dark  space,  enclosed  by 
wreaths  of  white  cloud,"  while  the  i,  which  some  writers  had 
hitherto  imagined  to  precede  it,  is  in  reality  only  "  a  stroke  among 
the  enclosing  lines  of  decoration."  But  it  seems  likely,  at  least, 
that  the  pressure  of  work  which,  together  with  the  Scholfield 
affair,  was  the  cause  of  the  delay  in  the  engraving,  also  prevented 
Blake  from  dealing  immediately  with  the  whole  mass  of  visionary 
material,  with  which  the  three  years  at  Felpham  had  furnished  him, 
and  working  it  up  into  the  great  epic  of  which  his  letter  speaks, 
and  that  he  therefore  decided  to  modify  hisprojeft  and  to  print,  for 
the  moment,  only  the  nucleus  of  stri6lly  autobiographical  incident. 


xiii 


It  is  this  summary  compression  of  his  theme  which  has  in  a  large 
measure  shifted  to  the  shoulders  of  the  reader  the  burden  of  time 
and  patience  more  justly  devolving  upon  the  the  writer.  Besides 
this,  the  author's  tendency,  in  the  composition  of  theprophetic  books, 
to  finish  sections,  or  more  often  whole  pages,  separately  at  a  time, 
whenever  the  inspiration  came  upon  him,  is  extremely  apt  to  pro- 
duce an  inconsequence  and  discontinuity  of  thought  (in  many  cases 
only  imperfe6lly  remedied  in  the  process  of  constru6lion),  which 
is  an  additional  source  of  obscurity.  The  defe6l  of  this  system  is 
conspicuously  emphasized  by  the  number  of  instances  in  Vala, 
Milton  and  yerusalem  where  passages,  often  of  some  length,  are  found 
reduplicated.  In  Milton  (p.  5*)  we  even  find  a  se6lion  of  some 
twenty  or  thirty  lines  which  had  already  been  engraved  almost  word 
for  word  as  early  as  1794  in  the  book  of  Urizen  (chap.  iv).  It  is 
remarkable  also  that  both  in  the  case  of  Milton  and  Jerusalem  a  dif- 
ferent order  is  observed  in  the  printing  of  the  pages  in  one  of  the 
very  few  known  copies  of  each.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  re- 
mainder of  the  material  for  the  proje6ted  epic  was,  we  may  suppose, 
subsequently  embodied  in  yerusalem,  which  was  also  dated  1804  but 
was  not  published,  in  all  probability,  before  about  18 18. 

A  second  reference  to  the  undertaking,  of  which  Milton  was 
the  outcome,  occurs  in  a  letter  written  rather  more  than  two  months 
later  than  that  which  has  just  been  quoted.  It  is  again  to  his  friend 
Butts,  and  is  dated  6th  July,  1803,  showing  that  the  manuscript 
was  already  pra6lically  complete.  "  I  hope,"  he  characteristically 
remarks,  "  that  all  our  three  years*  trouble  ends  in  good  luck  at 
last,  and  shall  be  forgot  by  my  afFedlions,  and  only  remembered  by 
my  understanding ;  to  be  a  memento  in  time  to  come,  and  to  speak  to 
future  generations  by  a  sublime  allegory,  which  is  now  perfectly  com- 
pleted into  a  grand  poem. . . .  This  poem  shall,  by  Divine  assistance, 
be  progressively  printed  and  ornamented  with  prints,  and  given  to 
the  public."  Although  he  speaks  here  of  the  poem  being  "now  per- 
feftly  completed,"  the  mention  (on  p.  17,1.  59)  of  Scholfield,  with 
whom  he  did  not  come  into  confli6l  before  the  following  month,  and 
of  South  Molton  Street  (on  p.  3*,  1.  21),  where  he  resided  after  his 
return  to  London,  are  alone  sufficient  to  show  that  he  was  still  pre- 
pared to  make  additions  to  it.    The  first  of  these  names  is  also,  it 


XIV 


will  be  remembered,  to  be  found  repeatedly  in  'Jerusalem^  and  the  second 
appears  twice  in  the  text,  as  well  as  upon  the  title  page,  of  the  same 
poem.  The  last  and  only  other  occasion  on  which  Milton  is  alluded 
to  in  Blake's  writings  is  that  spoken  of  above,  in  the  Public  Address 
(Gilchrist,  1 880,  vol.  ii,  p.  175), where  he  says  in  regard  to  the  attack 
made  upon  him  in  The  Examitier  of  7th  August,  1808  : — The  manner 
in  which  I  have  rooted  out  the  nest  of  villains  will  be  seen  in  a 
poem  concerning  my  three  years'  Herculean  labours  at  Felpham, 
which  I  shall  soon  publish."  It  is  not  easy  to  point  to  any  passage 
either  in  Milton  or  Jerusalem  where  this  business  is  definitely  dealt 
with  :  but  there  are  a  good  many  significant  lines,  especially  in  the 
latter,  which  may  be  taken  to  derive  their  intention  from  it.  How- 
ever this  may  be,  we  can  be  sure  from  these  words  that  the  whole 
labour  of  producing  the  earlier  volume  was  not  over  at  any  rate 
before  the  autumn  of  1808.  It  is  likely  indeed  to  have  been  pub- 
lished not  very  long  after,  either  at  the  end  of  that  year  or  at  the 
beginning  of  the  following  one,  since  in  each  of  the  known  examples 
the  paper  is  watermarked  with  the  year  1808,  a  coincidence  which 
may  reasonably  be  taken  to  fix  the  approximate  date  of  its  appear- 
ance. 

Three  examples  of  the  original  edition  oi Milton  are  all  that  ap- 
pear to  be  forthcoming  at  the  present  time.  One  of  these,  in  the  Print 
Room  of  the  British  Museum,  consists  of  45  engraved  pages  coloured 
with  watercolour,  viz  : — title  page,  35  pages  of  text  and  9  full  page 
illustrations.  This  example  (except  for  the  extra  pages)  has  been 
followed  in  the  present  text.  A  second  was  exhibited  at  the  Grolier 
Club,  New  York,  in  1905.  The  pages,  which  correspond  to  those 
in  the  British  Museum  example,  are  numbered  continuously  in  ink. 
It  is  printed  in  black  and  painted  with  water-colours,  chiefly  pink, 
yellow  and  blue,  the  effedl  being  heightened  with  gold.  The  third, 
the  Beckford  copy  from  the  Hamilton  Palace  Library  (sold  in  1882), 
is  now  in  the  New  York  Public  Library  (the  "Lenox"  Library). 
It  difi^ers  from  the  two  preceding  both  in  the  the  arrangement  and 
number  of  its  pages.  There  are  49  plates,  in  all ;  the  Preface  is 
wanting,  but  there  are  five  extra  pages  (absent  from  the  other  two) 
which  are  printed,  (from  Mr.  Ellis's  text,  by  kind  permission,) 
at  the  end  of  this  edition.    A  perfedt  copy  of  Milton  should,  accord- 


XV 


ing  to  Blake's  own  authority/  consist  of  50  plates ;  that  is  to  say,  it 
should  contain  both  the  Preface  and  the  five  extra  pages.  The  Butts 
copy  Qi Milton  is  described  in  the  sale  catalogue  (26  March,  1852) 
as  "  a  poem  in  two  books,  with  forty-five  coloured  designs,"  and  may 
possibly  be  identical  with  one  of  the  first  two  mentioned.  It  was 
bought  by  Mr.  Toovey  for  ^9.  Lowndes  {Bibliographer  s  Manual) 
quotes  an  apparently  perfe(5l  copy  oi  Milton^  containing  50  engraved 
pages,  for  sale  in  Mr.  Bohn's  catalogue  at  ^Tio  10/.  If  the  number 
of  plates  is  accurately  given,  this  cannot  be  identified  with  any  of 
the  above  examples.  Brunet,  in  the  Manuel  du  Libraire,  gives  Milton^ 
a  poem  in  12  books,  100  pp. ;  but  it  is  improbable  that  this  entry 
can  be  relied  upon. 

^  See  the  letter  to  Dawson  Turner  printed  on  p.  207  of  The  Letters  of  William 
Blake,  edited  by  A.  G.  B.  Russell,  Methuen,  1906. 


XVI 


p.  I 


MILTON 


A  Poem  in   a  Books 


To  Justify  the  Ways  of  God  to  Men. 


The  Author  &  Printer  W.  Blake. 
1804. 


p.  2 

PREFACE 

THE  Stolen  and  Perverted  Writings  of  Homer  &  Ovid,  of  Plato  & 
Cicero,  which  all  Men  ought  to  contemn,  are  set  up  by  artifice  against 
the  Sublime  of  the  Bible:  but  when  the  New  Age  is  at  leisure  to  Pronounce, 
all  will  be  set  right  &  those  Grand  Works  of  the  more  ancient  &  con- 
5  sciously  &  professedly  Inspired  Men  will  hold  their  proper  rank  &  the 
Daughters  of  Memory  shall  become  the  Daughters  of  Inspiration.  Shak- 
speare  &  Milton  were  both  curb'd  by  the  general  malady  &  infedlion  from 
the  silly  Greek  &  Latin  slaves  of  the  Sword. 

Rouze  up  O  Young  Men  of  the  New  Age!  Set  your  foreheads  against 
lo  the  ignorant  Hirelings!  For  we  have  Hirelings  in  the  Camp,  the  Court,  & 
the  University:  who  would  if  they  could  for  ever  depress  Mental  &  prolong 
Corporeal  War.  Painters!  on  you  I  call.  Sculptors!  Architedls!  Suffer  not  the 
fashionable  Fools  to  depress  your  powers  by  the  prices  they  pretend  to  give 
for  contemptible  works  or  the  expensive  advertizing  boasts  that  they  make 
15  of  such  works;  believe  Christ  &  his  Apostles  that  there  is  a  Class  of  Men 
whose  whole  delight  is  in  Destroying.  We  do  not  want  either  Greek  or 
Roman  Models  if  we  are  but  just  &  true  to  our  own  Imaginations,  those 
Worlds  of  Eternity  in  which  we  shall  live  for  ever,  in  Jesus  Our  Lord. 

And  did  those  feet  in  ancient  time 
20  Walk  upon  England's  mountains  green, 

And  was  the  holy  Lamb  of  God 
On  England's  pleasant  pastures  seen.'' 

And  did  the  Countenance  Divine 
Shine  forth  upon  our  clouded  hills? 
25  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! 
30  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  &  pleasant  Land. 

35  Would  to  God  that  all  the  Lord's  people  were  Prophets. 

Numbers,  xi.  ch.  29  v, 
xix 


MILTON 

BOOK  THE  FIRST 

P-  3 

DAUGHTERS  of  Beulah!  Muses  who  inspire  the  Poet's  Song, 
Record  the  journey  of  immortal  Milton  thro'  your  Realms 
Of  terror  &  mild  moony  lustre,  in  soft  sexual  delusions 
Of  varied  beauty,  to  delight  the  wanderer  and  repose 
5  His  burning  thirst  &  freezing  hunger!    Come  into  my  hand 

By  your  mild  power;  descending  down  the  Nerves  of  my  right  arm 
From  out  the  Portals  of  my  Brain,  where  by  your  ministry 
The  Eternal  Great  Humanity  Divine  planted  his  Paradise, 
And  in  it  caus'd  the  Spe6lres  of  the  Dead  to  take  sweet  form 

10  In  likeness  of  himself.    Tell  also  of  the  False  Tongue!  vegetated 
Beneath  your  land  of  shadows :  of  its  sacrifices,  and 
Its  offerings :  even  till  Jesus,  the  image  of  the  Invisible  God, 
Became  its  prey;  a  curse,  an  offering,  and  an  atonement 
For  Death  Eternal  in  the  heavens  of  Albion,  &  before  the  Gates 

15  Of  Jerusalem  his  Emanation,  in  the  heavens  beneath  Beulah. 

Say  first !  what  mov'd  Milton,  who  walk'd  about  in  Eternity 
One  hundred  years,  pond'ring  the  intricate  mazes  of  Providence, 
Unhappy  tho'  in  heav'n,  he  obey'd,  he  murmur'd  not,  he  was  silent. 
Viewing  his  Sixfold  Emanation  scatter'd  thro'  the  deep 
20  In  torment:  To  go  into  the  deep  her  to  redeem  &  himself  perish .? 
That  cause  at  length  mov'd  Milton  to  this  unexampled  deed, 
A  Bard's  prophetic  Song !   for  sitting  at  eternal  tables. 
Terrific  among  the  Sons  of  Albion,  in  chorus  solemn  &  loud 
A  Bard  broke  forth :  all  sat  attentive  to  the  awful  man. 

25  Mark  well  my  words!  they  are  of  your  eternal  salvation! 

Three  Classes  are  Created  by  the  Hammer  of  Los,  &  Woven 

p.  4  FROM  Golgonooza  the  spiritual  Four-fold  London  eternal, 
In  immense  labours  &  sorrows,  ever  building,  ever  falling. 
Thro'  Albion's  four  Forests  which  overspread  all  the  Earth 
From  London  Stone  to  Blackheath  east :  to  Hounslow  west : 
5  To  Finchley  north :   to  Norwood  south :  and  the  weights 

Of  Enitharmon's  Loom  play  lulling  cadences  on  the  winds  of  Albion 
From  Caithness  in  the  north,  to  Lizard-point  &  Dover  in  the  south. 

I  B 


Loud  sounds  the  hammer  of  Los,  &  loud  his  Bellows  is  heard 
Before  London  to  Hampstead's  breadths  &  Highgate's  heights,  To 
10  Stratford  &  old  Bow,  &  across  to  the  Gardens  of  Kensington 
On  Tyburn's  Brook :  loud  groans  Thames  beneath  the  iron  Forge 
Of  Rintrah  &  Palamabron,  of  Theotorm  &c  Bromion,  to  forge  the  instruments 
Of  Harvest:  The  Plow  &  Harrow  to  pass  over  the  Nations. 

The  Surrey  hills  glow  like  the  clinkers  of  the  furnace:  Lambeth's  Vale 
15  Where  Jerusalem's  foundations  began;  where  they  were  laid  in  ruins, 
Where  they  were  laid  in  ruins  from  every  Nation  &  Oak  Groves  rooted, 
Dark  gleams  before  the  Furnace-mouth  a  heap  of  burning  ashes. 
When  shall  Jerusalem  return  &  overspread  all  the  Nations? 
Return,  return  to  Lambeth's  Vale,  O  building  of  human  souls! 
20  Thence  stony  Druid  Temples  overspread  the  Island  white. 
And  thence  from  Jerusalem's  ruins,  from  her  walls  of  salvation 
And  praise,  thro'  the  whole  Earth  were  rear'd  from  Ireland 
To  Mexico  &  Peru  west,  &  east  to  China  &  Japan :  till  Babel 
The  Spedre  of  Albion  frown'd  over  the  Nations  in  glory  &  war. 
25   All  things  begin  &  end  in  Albion's  ancient  Druid  rocky  shore : 

But  now  the  Starry  Heavens  are  fled  from  the  mighty  limbs  of  Albion. 

Loud  sounds  the  Hammer  of  Los,  loud  turn  the  Wheels  of  Enitharmon : 
Her  Looms  vibrate  with  soft  affe6l:ions,  weaving  the  Web  of  Life 
Out  from  the  ashes  of  the  Dead;   Los  lifts  his  iron  Ladles 

30  With  molten  ore:  he  heaves  the  iron  cliffs  in  his  rattling  chains 
From  Hyde  Park  to  the  Alms-houses  of  Mile-end  &  old  Bow. 
Here  the  Three  Classes  of  Mortal  Men  take  their  fix'd  destinations, 
And  hence  they  overspread  the  Nations  of  the  whole  Earth  &  hence 
The  Web  of  Life  is  woven,  &  the  tender  sinews  of  life  created, 

35  And  the  three  Classes  of  Men  regulated  by  Los's  Hammer,  and  woven 

p.  5  BY  Enitharmon's  Looms  &  Spun  beneath  the  Spindle  of  Tirzah. 
The  first.  The  Eled  from  before  the  foundation  of  the  World: 
The  second,  The  Redeem'd:  The  Third,  The  Reprobate  &  form'd 

To  destruction  from  the  mothers  womb: 

follow  with  me  my  plow. 

5  Of  the  first  class  was  Satan :  with  incomparable  mildness ; 
His  primitive  tyrannical  attempts  on  Los;  with  most  endearing  love 
He  soft  intreated  Los  to  give  to  him  Palamabron's  station. 
For  Palamabron  return'd  with  labour  wearied  every  evening : 
Palamabron  oft  refus'd :  and  as  often  Satan  ofFer'd 
10  His  service,  till  by  repeated  offers  and  repeated  intreaties 

2 


Los  gave  to  him  the  Harrow  of  the  Almighty ;  alas,  blamable 
Palamabron  fear'd  to  be  angry  lest  Satan  should  accuse  him  of 
Ingratitude,  &  Los  believe  the  accusation  thro'  Satan's  extreme 
Mildness.    Satan  labour'd  all  day:  it  was  a  thousand  years: 
15  In  the  evening  returning  terrified,  overlabour'd  &  astonish'd, 
Embrac'd  soft  with  a  brother's  tears  Palamabron,  who  also  wept. 

Mark  well  my  words !  they  are  of  your  eternal  salvation ! 

Next  morning  Palamabron  rose :  the  horses  of  the  Harrow 

Were  madden'd  with  tormenting  fury,  &  the  servants  of  the  Harrow, 

20  The  Gnomes,  accus'd  Satan  with  indignation,  fury  and  fire. 
Then  Palamabron,  reddening  like  the  Moon  in  an  eclipse, 
Spoke,  saying:   You  know  Satan's  mildness  and  his  self-imposition, 
Seeming  a  brother,  being  a  tyrant,  even  thinking  himself  a  brother 
While  he  is  murdering  the  just;  prophetic  I  behold 

25  His  future  course  thro'  darkness  and  despair  to  eternal  death. 
But  we  must  not  be  tyrants  also :  he  hath  assum'd  my  place 
For  one  whole  day,  under  pretence  of  pity  and  love  to  me! 
My  horses  hath  he  madden'd!  and  my  fellow  servants  injur'd ! 
How  should  he,  he,  know  the  duties  of  another?  O  foolish  forbearance! 

30   Would  I  had  told  Los  all  my  heart !  but  patience,  O  my  friends. 
All  may  be  well:  silent  remain,  while  I  call  Los  and  Satan. 

Loud  as  the  wind  of  Beulah  that  unroots  the  rocks  &  hills 

Palamabron  call'd:  and  Los  &  Satan  came  before  him : 

And  Palamabron  shew'd  the  horses  &  the  servants.    Satan  wept, 

35  And  mildly  cursing  Palamabron,  him  accus'd  of  crimes 

Himself  had  wrought.    Los  trembled :  Satan's  blandishments  almost 
Perswaded  the  Prophet  of  Eternity  that  Palamabron 
Was  Satan's  enemy,  &  that  the  Gnomes,  being  Palamabron's  friends, 
Were  leagued  together  against  Satan  thro'  ancient  enmity. 

40  What  could  Los  do?  how  could  he  judge,  when  Satan's  self  believ'd 
That  he  had  not  oppressed  the  horses  at  the  Harrow,  nor  the  servants. 

So  Los  said :  Henceforth,  Palamabron,  let  each  his  own  station 
Keep :  nor  in  pity  false,  nor  in  officious  brotherhood,  where 
None  needs,  be  active.    Mean  time  Palamabron's  horses 
45   Rag'd  with  thick  flames  redundant,  &  the  Harrow  madden'd  with  fury. 
Trembling  Palamabron  stood,  the  strongest  of  Demons  trembled: 
Curbing  his  living  creatures;  many  of  the  strongest  Gnomes 
They  bit  in  their  wild  fury,  who  also  madden'd  like  wildest  beasts.     ' 

Mark  well  my  words  I  they  are  of  your  eternal  salvation  ! 

3 


p.  6  MEAN  WHILE  went  Satan  before  Los  accusing  Palamabron : 
Himself  exculpating  with  mildest  speech,  for  himself  believ'd 
That  he  had  not  oppress'd  nor  injur'd  the  refradtory  servants. 

But  Satan  returning  to  his  Mills  (for  Palamabron  had  serv'd 
5  The  Mills  of  Satan  as  the  easier  task)  found  all  confusion : 

And  back  return'd  to  Los,  not  fill'd  with  vengeance  but  with  tears. 
Himself  convinc'd  of  Palamabron's  turpitude.    Los  beheld 
The  servants  of  the  Mills  drunken  with  wine  and  dancing  wild 
With  shouts  and  Palamabron's  songs,  rending  the  forests  green 
lo  With  ecchoing  confusion,  tho'  the  Sun  was  risen  on  high. 

Then  Los  took  off  his  left  sandal,  placing  it  on  his  head, 
Signal  of  solemn  mourning:  when  the  servants  of  the  Mills 
Beheld  the  signal  they  in  silence  stood,  tho'  drunk  with  wine. 
Los  wept !  But  Rintrah  also  came,  and  Enitharmon  on 
15  His  arm  lean'd  tremblingly,  observing  all  these  things. 

And  Los  said:  Ye  Genii  of  the  Mills!  the  Sun  is  on  high. 
Your  labours  call  you:  Palamabron  is  also  in  sad  dilemma: 
His  horses  are  mad:  his  Harrow  confounded:  his  companions  enrag'd. 
Mine  is  the  fault!  I  should  have  remember'd  that  pity  divides  the  soul, 
20  And  man,  unmans:  follow  with  me  my  Plow:  this  mournful  day 
Must  be  a  blank  in  Nature:   follow  with  me,  and  tomorrow  again 
Resume  your  labours,  &  this  day  shall  be  a  mournful  day. 

Wildly  they  follow'd  Los  and  Rintrah,  &  the  Mills  were  silent: 
They  mourn'd  all  day,  this  mournful  day  of  Satan  &  Palamabron: 
25  And  all  the  Eledl  &  all  the  Redeem'd  mourn'd  one  toward  another 
Upon  the  mountains  of  Albion  among  the  cliffs  of  the  Dead. 

They  Plow'd  in  tears !  incessant  pour'd  Jehovah's  rain  &  Molech's 
Thick  fires,  contending  with  the  rain,  thunder'd  above  rolling 
Terrible  over  their  heads;  Satan  wept  over  Palamabron. 
30  Theotormon  &  Bromion  contended  on  the  side  of  Satan, 
Pitying  his  youth  and  beauty,  trembling  at  eternal  death. 
Michael  contended  against  Satan  in  the  rolling  thunder: 
Thulloh  the  friend  of  Satan  also  reprov'd  him:  faint  their  reproof. 

But  Rintrah  who  is  of  the  reprobate:  of  those  form'd  to  destrudion: 
35  In  indignation  for  Satan's  soft  dissimulation  of  friendship 
Flam'd^  above  all  the  plowed  furrows,  angry,  red  and  furious: 
Till  Michael  sat  down  in  the  furrow,  weary,  dissolv'd  in  tears. 
Satan,  who  drave  the  team  beside  him,  stood  angry  &  red : 

4 


He  smote  Thulloh  &  sfew  him,  &  he  stood  terrible  over  Michael 
40  Urging  him  to  arise  :   he  wept.    Enitharmon  saw  his  tears. 

But  Los  hid  Thulloh  from  her  sight,  lest  she  should  die  of  grief. 
She  wept:   she  trembled:  she  kissed  Satan:  she  wept  over  Michael: 
She  form'd  a  Space  for  Satan  &  Michael  &  for  the  poor  infedted. 
Trembling  she  wept  over  the  Space,  &  clos'd  it  with  a  tender  Moon. 

45   Los  secret  buried  Thulloh,  weeping  disconsolate  over  the  moony  Space. 

But  Palamabron  called  down  a  Great  Solemn  Assembly, 
That  he  who  will  not  defend  Truth,  may  be  compelled  to 
Defend  a  Lie,  that  he  may  be  snared  &  caught  &  taken. 

p.  7  AND  all  Eden  descended  into  Palamabron's  tent, 
Among  Albion's  Druids  &  Bards  in  the  caves  beneath  Albion's 
Death  Couch,  in  the  caverns  of  death,  in  the  corner  of  the  Atlantic. 
And  in  the  midst  of  the  Great  Assembly  Palamabron  pray'd: 
5  O  God,  protedl  me  from  my  friends,  that  they  have  not  power  over  me: 
Thou  hast  giv'n  me  power  to  protedl  myself  from  my  bitterest  enemies. 

Mark  well  my  words!  they  are  of  your  eternal  salvation  1 

Then  rose  the  Two  Witnesses,  Rintrah  &  Palamabron: 
And  Palamabron  appeal'd  to  all  Eden,  and  receiv'd 
10  Judgment:  and  Lo!  it  fell  on  Rintrah  and  his  rage, 

Which  now  flam'd  high  &  furious  in  Satan  against  Palamabron, 
Till  it  became  a  proverb  in  Eden.    Satan  is  among  the  Reprobate. 

Los  in  his  wrath  curs'd  heaven  &  earth,  he  rent  up  Nations, 
Standing  on  Albion's  rocks  among  high-rear'd  Druid  temples 
15  Which  reach  the  stars  of  heaven  &  stretch  from  pole  to  pole. 
He  displac'd  continents,  the  oceans  fled  before  his  face: 
He  alter'd  the  poles  of  the  world,  east,  west  &  north  &  south. 
But  he  clos'd  up  Enitharmon  from  the  sight  of  all  these  things. 

For  Satan  flaming  with  Rintrah's  fury  hidden  beneath  his  own  mildness 
20  Accus'd  Palamabron  before  the  Assembly  of  ingratitude,  of  malice: 
He  created  Seven  deadly  Sins,  drawing  out  his  infernal  scroll 
Of  Moral  laws  and  cruel  punishments  upon  the  clouds  of  Jehovah, 
To  pervert  the  Divine  voice  in  its  entrance  to  the  earth 
With  thunder  of  war  &  trumpet's  sound,  with  armies  of  disease, 
25  Punishments  &  deaths  muster 'd  &  number'd.  Saying:   I  am  God  alone: 
There  is  no  other:  let  all  obey  my  principles  of  moral  individuality. 
I  have  brought  them  from  the  uppermost,  innermost  recesses 
Of  my  Eternal  Mind:  transgressors  I  will  rend  ofi^for  ever, 

5 


As  now  I  rend  this  accursed  Family  from  my  covering. 

30  Thus  Satan  rag'd  amidst  the  Assembly,  and  his  bosom  grew 
Opake  against  the  Divine  Vision:  the  paved  terraces  of 
His  bosom  inwards  shone  with  fires,  but  the  stones,  becoming  opake, 
Hid  him  from  sight  in  an  extreme  blackness  and  darkness. 
And  there  a  World  of  deeper  Ulro  was  open'd  in  the  midst 

35  Of  the  Assembly,  in  Satan's  bosom,  a  vast  unfathomable  Abyss. 

Astonishment  held  the  Assembly  in  an  awful  silence:  and  tears 
Fell  down  as  dews  of  night,  &  a  loud  solemn  universal  groan 
Was  utter'd  from  the  east  &  from  the  west  &  from  the  south 
And  from  the  north ;  and  Satan  stood  opake,  immeasurable, 
40  Covering  the  east  with  solid  blackness,  round  his  hidden  heart, 
With  thunders  utter'd  from  his  hidden  wheels:  accusing  loud 
The  Divine  Mercy  for  protecting  Palamabron  in  his  tent. 

Rintrah  rear'd  up  walls  of  rocks  and  pour'd  rivers  &  moats 
Of  fire  round  the  walls:  columns  of  fire  guard  around 
45  Between  Satan  and  Palamabron  in  the  terrible  darkness. 

And  Satan  not  having  the  Science  of  Wrath,  but  only  of  Pity, 
Rent  them  asunder,  and  wrath  was  left  to  wrath,  &  pity  to  pity. 
He  sunk  down  a  dreadful  Death,  unlike  the  slumbers  of  Beulah. 

The  Separation  was  terrible:  the  Dead  was  repos'd  on  his  Couch 
50  Beneath  the  Couch  of  Albion,  on  the  seven  mou[n]tains  of  Rome, 
In  the  whole  place  of  the  Covering  Cherub,  Rome,  Babylon  &  Tyre. 
His  Spedlre  raging  furious  descended  into  its  Space. 

p.  9  HE  set  his  face  against  Jerusalem  to  destroy  the  Eon  of  Albion. 

But  Los  hid  Enitharmon  from  the  sight  of  all  these  things, 
Upon  the  Thames  whose  lulling  harmony  repos'd  her  soul: 
Where  Beulah  lovely  terminates  in  rocky  Albion: 
5  Terminating  in  Hyde  Park  on  Tyburn's  awful  brook. 

And  the  Mills  of  Satan  were  separated  into  a  moony  Space 
Among  the  rocks  of  Albion's  Temples,  and  Satan's  Druid  sons 
Offer  the  Human  Vidims  throughout  all  the  Earth,  and  Albion's 
Dread  Tomb,  immortal  on  his  Rock,  overshadow'd  the  whole  Earth: 
10  Where  Satan  making  to  himself  Laws  from  his  own  identity 
Compell'd  others  to  serve  him  in  moral  gratitude  &  submission. 
Being  call'd  God:  setting  himself  above  all  that  is  called  God. 
And  all  the  Spedlres  of  the  Dead,  calling  themselves  Sons  of  God, 
In  his  Synagogues  worship  Satan  under  the  Unutterable  Name. 

6 


15  And  it  was  enquir'd:  Why  in  a  Great  Solemn  Assembly 

The  Innocent  should  be  condemn'd  for  the  Guilty?  Then  an  Eternal  rose, 

Saying:   If  the  Guilty  should  be  condemn'd  he  must  be  an  Eternal  Death, 

And  one  must  die  for  another  throughout  ail  Eternity. 

Satan  is  fall'n  from  his  station  &  never  can  be  redeem'd, 
20  But  must  be  new  Created  continually  moment  by  moment. 

And  therefore  the  Class  of  Satan  shall  be  call'd  the  Eled,  &  those 

Of  Rintrah  the  Reprobate,  &  those  of  Palamabron  the  Redeem'd : 

For  he  is  redeem'd  from  Satan's  Law,  the  wrath  falling  on  Rintrah. 

And  the'*efore  Palamabron  dared  not  to  call  a  solemn  Assembly 
25  Till  Satan  had  assum'd  Rintrah's  wrath  in  the  day  of  mourning. 

In  a  feminine  delusion  of  false  pride  self-deceiv'd. 

So  spake  the  Eternal,  and  confirm'd  it  with  a  thunderous  oath. 

But  when  Leutha  (a  Daughter  of  Beulah)  beheld  Satan's  condemnation. 
She  down  descended  into  the  midst  of  the  Great  Solemn  Assem.bly, 
30  Offering  herself  a  Ransom  for  Satan,  taking  on  her  his  Sin. 

Mark  well  my  words!  they  are  of  your  eternal  salvation! 

And  Leutha  stood  glowing  with  varying  colours  immortal,  heart-piercing 
And  lovely :  &  her  moth-like  elegance  shone  over  the  Assembly. 

At  length,  standing  upon  the  golden  floor  of  Palamabron, 
35  She  spake:   I  am  the  Author  of  this  Sin!   by  my  suggestion 
My  Parent  power  Satan  has  committed  this  transgression. 
I  loved  Palamabron  &  I  sought  to  approach  his  Tent, 
But  beautiful  Elynittria  with  her  silver  arrows  repell'd  me. 

p.  10  FOR  her  light  is  terrible  to  me:  I  fade  before  her  immortal  beauty. 
O  wherefore  doth  a  Dragon-form  forth  issue  from  my  limbs 
To  seize  her  new  born  son.'*  Ah  me!  the  wretched  Leutha! 
This  to  prevent,  entering  the  doors  of  Satan's  brain  night  after  night, 
5  Like  sweet  perfumes  I  stupified  the  masculine  perceptions 
And  kept  only  the  feminine  awake:  hence  rose  his  soft 
Delusory  love  to  Palamabron;  admiration  join'd  with  envy! 
Cupidity  unconquerable!  my  fault,  when  at  noon  of  day 
The  Horses  of  Palamabron  call'd  for  rest  and  pleasant  death: 
10  I  sprang  out  of  the  breast  of  Satan,  over  the  Harrow  beaming 
In  all  my  beauty,  that  I  might  unloose  the  flaming  steeds 
As  Elynittria  used  to  do;  but  too  well  those  living  creatures 
Knew  that  I  was  not  Elynittria,  and  they  brake  the  traces. 

7 


But  me  the  servants  of  the  Harrow  saw  not,  but  as  a  bow 

15   Of  varying  colours  on  the  hills;  terribly  rag'd  the  horses. 
Satan  astonish'd,  and  with  power  above  his  own  controll, 
Compell'd  the  Gnomes  to  curb  the  horses,  &  to  throw  banks  of  sand 
Around  the  fiery  flaming  Harrow  in  labyrinthine  forms. 
And  brooks  between  to  intersedl  the  meadows  in  their  course. 

20  The  Harrow  cast  thick  flames :  Jehovah  thunder'd  above. 
Chaos  &  ancient  night  fled  from  beneath  the  fiery  Harrow: 
The  Harrow  cast  thick  flames  &  orb'd  us  round  in  concave  fire, 
A  Hell  of  our  own  making,  see,  its  flames  still  gird  me  round! 
Jehovah  thunder'd  above:  Satan  in  pride  of  heart 

25   Drove  the  fierce  Harrow  among  the  constellations  of  Jehovah, 
Drawing  a  third  part  in  the  fires  as  stubble,  north  &  south. 
To  devour  Albion  and  Jerusalem,  the  Emanation  of  Albion, 
Driving  the  Harrow  in  Pity's  paths:  'twas  then,  with  our  dark  fires 
Which  now  gird  round  us  (O  eternal  torment)  I  form'd  the  Serpent 

30  Of  precious  stones  &  gold,  turn'd  poisons  on  the  sultry  wastes. 
The  Gnomes  in  all  that  day  spar'd  not;  they  curs'd  Satan  bitterly. 
To  do  unkind  things  in  kindness:  with  power  arm'd  to  say 
The  most  irritating  things  in  the  midst  of  tears  and  love: 
These  are  the  stings  of  the  Serpent!  thus  did  we  by  them,  till  thus 

35  They  in  return  retaliated,  and  the  Living  Creatures  madden'd. 
The  Gnomes  labour'd.    I  weeping  hid  in  Satan's  inmost  brain. 
But  when  the  Gnomes  refus'd  to  labour  more,  with  blandishments 
I  came  forth  from  the  head  of  Satan :  back  the  Gnomes  recoil'd 
And  called  me  Sin,  and  for  a  sign  portentous  held  me.    Soon 

40  Day  sunk  and  Palamabron  return'd,  trembling  I  hid  myself 
In  Satan's  inmost  Palace  of  his  nervous  fine  wrought  Brain: 
For  Elynittria  met  Satan  with  all  her  singing  women, 
Terrific  in  their  joy  &  pouring  wine  of  wildest  power, 
They  gave  Satan  their  wine,  indignant  at  the  burning  wrath. 

45  Wild  with  prophetic  fury  his  former  life  became  like  a  dream. 
Cloth'd  in  the  Serpent's  folds,  in  selfish  holiness  demanding  purity. 
Being  most  impure,  self-condemn'd  to  eternal  tears,  he  drove 
Me  from  his  inmost  Brain  &  the  doors  clos'd  with  thunder's  sound. 

0  Divine  Vision  who  didst  create  the  Female,  to  repose 
50  The  Sleepers  of  Beulah,  pity  the  repentant  Leutha.    My 

p.  1 1   SICK  Couch  bears  the  dark  shades  of  Eternal  Death  infolding 
The  Spedtre  of  Satan:   he  furious  refuses  to  repose  in  sleep: 

1  humbly  bow  in  all  my  Sin  before  the  Throne  Divine. 

Not  so  the  Sick-one ;  Alas,  what  shall  be  done  him  to  restore, 

8 


5  Who  calls  the  Individual  Law  Holy,  and  despises  the  Saviour, 
Glorying  to  involve  Albion's  Body  in  fires  of  eternal  War? 

Now  Leutha  ceas'd:  tears  flow'd:  but  the  Divine  Pity  supported  her. 

All  is  my  fault !   We  are  the  Spedre  of  Luvah,  the  murderer 
Of  Albion!  O  Vala!  O  Luvah!  O  Albion!  O  lovely  Jerusalem! 
10  The  Sin  was  begun  in  Eternity  and  will  not  rest  to  Eternity, 
Till  two  Eternitys  meet  together.    Ah!  lost!  lost!  lost!  for  ever! 

So  Leutha  spoke.    But  when  she  saw  that  Enitharmon  had 
Created  a  New  Space  to  prote6t  Satan  from  punishment: 
She  fled  to  Enitharmon's  Tent  &  hid  herself.    Loud  raging 

15  Thunder'd  the  Assembly  dark  &  clouded,  and  they  ratify 'd. 
The  kind  decision  of  Enitharmon,  &  gave  a  Time  to  the  Space, 
Even  Six  Thousand  years,  and  sent  Lucifer  for  Its  Guard. 
But  Lucifer  refus'd  to  die,  &  in  pride  he  forsook  his  charge: 
And  they  eleded  Molech,  and  when  Molech  was  impatient 

20  The  Divine  hand  found  the  Two  Limits:  first  of  Opacity,  then  of  Contradlion, 
Opacity  was  named  Satan,  Contradlion  was  named  Adam. 
Triple  Elohim  came:  Elohim  wearied  fainted:  they  eledled  Shaddai : 
Shaddai  angry,  Pahad  descended:   Pahad  terrified,  they  sent  Jehovah, 
And  Jehovah  was  leprous;  loud  he  call'd  stretching  his  hand  to  Eternity. 

25  For  then  the  Body  of  Death  was  perfeded  in  hypocritic  holiness. 

Around  the  Lamb,  a  Female  Tabernacle  woven  in  Cathedron's  Looms. 
He  died  as  a  Reprobate,  he  was  Punish'd  as  a  Transgressor: 
Glory!  Glory!  Glory!  to  the  Holy  Lamb  of  God! 
I  touch  the  heavens  as  an  instrument  to  glorify  the  Lord! 

30  The  Eledl  shall  meet  the  Redeem'd  on  Albion's  rocks  they  shall  meet 
Astonish'd  at  the  Transgressor,  in  him  beholding  the  Saviour. 
And  the  Eledl  shall  say  to  the  Redeemed:  We  behold  it  is  of  Divine 
Mercy  alone,  of  Free  Gift  and  Eledlion  that  we  live: 
Our  Virtues  &  Cruel  Goodnesses  have  deserv'd  Eternal  Death, 

35  Thus  they  weep  upon  the  fatal  Brook  of  Albion's  River. 

But  Elynittria  met  Leutha  in  the  place  where  she  was  hidden. 
And  threw  aside  her  arrows,  and  laid  down  her  sounding  Bow: 
She  sooth'd  her  with  soft  words  Sc  brought  her  to  Palamabron's  bed. 
In  moments  new  created  for  delusion  interwoven  round  about, 
40  In  dreams  she  bore  the  shadowy  Spedire  of  Sleep  &  nam'd  him  Death: 
In  dreams  she  bore  Rahab  the  mother  of  Tirzah  &  her  sisters 
In  Lambeth's  vales;  in  Cambridge  &  in  Oxford,  places  of  Thought, 
Intricate  labyrinths  of  Times  and  Spaces  unknown,  that  Leutha  lived 

9  c 


In  Palamabron's  Tent,  and  Oothoon  was  her  charming  guard. 

45  The  Bard  Ceas'd.    All  consider'd  and  a  loud  resounding  murmur 
Continu'd  round  the  Halls  and  much  they  question'd  the  immortal 
Loud  voic'd  Bard,  and  many  condemn'd  the  high  toned  Song, 
Saying:  Pity  and  Love  are  too  venerable  for  the  imputation 
Of  Guilt.    Others  said:  If  it  is  true,  if  the  ads  have  been  performed, 

50  Let  the  Bard  himself  witness.    Where  hadst  thou  this  terrible  Song.? 

The  Bard  replied:  I  am  Inspired!  I  know  it  is  Truth!  for  I  Sing 

p.  12  ACCORDING  to  the  inspiration  of  the  Poetic  Genius, 

Who  is  the  eternal  all  proteding  Divine  Humanity, 

To  whom  be  Glory  &  Power  &  Dominion  Evermore.    Amen. 

Then  there  was  great  murmuring  in  the  Heavens  of  Albion 
5  Concerning  Generation  &  the  Vegetative  power  &  concerning 
The  Lamb  the  Saviour.    Albion  trembled  to  Italy,  Greece  &  Egypt 
^To  Tartary  &  Hindostan  &  China  &  to  Great  America, 
Shaking  the  roots  &  fast  foundations  of  the  Earth  in  doubtfulness: 
The  loud  voic'd  Bard  terrify 'd  took  refuge  in  Milton's  Bosom. 

10  Then  Milton  rose  up  from  the  heavens  of  Albion  ardorous: 
The  whole  Assembly  wept  prophetic,  seeing  in  Milton's  face 
And  in  his  lineaments  divine  the  shades  of  Death  and  Ulro: 
He  took  ofFthe  robe  of  the  promise,  &  ungirded  himself  from  the  oath  of  God. 

And  Milton  said:  I  go  to  Eternal  Death!  The  Nations  still 
15  Follow  after  the  detestable  Gods  of  Priam  :  in  pomp 

Of  warlike  selfhood  contradicting  and  blaspheming. 

When  will  the  Resurredtion  come  to  deliver  the  sleeping  body 

From  corruptibility;  O  when,  Lord  Jesus,  wilt  thou  come.'' 

Tarry  no  longer,  for  my  soul  lies  at  the  gates  of  death. 
20  I  will  arise  and  look  forth  for  the  morning  of  the  grave : 

I  will  go  down  to  the  sepulcher  to  see  if  morning  breaks: 

I  will  go  down  to  self  annihilation  and  eternal  death: 

Lest  the  Last  Judgment  come  &  find  me  unannihilate 

And  I  be  seiz'd  &  giv'n  into  the  hands  of  my  own  Selfhood. 
25   The  Lamb  of  God  is  seen  thro'  mists  &  shadows,  hov'ring 

Over  the  sepulchers  in  clouds  of  Jehovah  &  winds  of  Elohim, 

A  disk  of  blood  distant;  &  heav'ns  &  earths  roll  dark  between. 

What  do  I  here  before  the  Judgment?  without  my  Emanation? 

With  the  daughters  of  memory  &  not  with  the  daughters  of  inspiration? 
30  I  in  my  Selfhood  am  that  Satan.    I  am  that  Evil  One! 

10 


He  is  my  Spedlre!  in  my  obedience  to  loose  him  from  my  Hells, 
To  claim  the  Hells,  my  Furnaces,  I  go  to  Eternal  Death. 

And  Milton  said:  I  go  to  Eternal  Death!  Eternity  shudder'd 
For  he  took  the  outside  course,  among  the  graves  of  the  dead, 
35   A  mournful  shade.    Eternity  shudder'd  at  the  image  of  eternal  death. 

Then  on  the  verge  of  Beulah  he  beheld  his  own  Shadow: 
A  mournful  form  double,  hermaphroditic,  male  &  female 
In  one  wonderful  body,  and  he  enter'd  into  it 
In  direful  pain  for  the  dread  shadow,  twenty-seven  fold 
40  Reach'd  to  the  depths  of  direst  Hell,  &  thence  to  Albion's  land: 
Which  is  this  earth  of  vegetation  on  which  now  I  write. 

The  Seven  Angels  of  the  Presence  wept  over  Milton's  Shadow: 

p.  14  AS  when  a  man  dreams,  he  refledls  not  that  his  body  sleeps. 
Else  he  would  wake;  so  seem'd  he  entering  his  Shadow:  but 
With  him  the  Spirits  of  the  Seven  Angels  of  the  Presence 
Entering,  they  gave  him  still  perceptions  of  his  Sleeping  Body 
5  Which  now  arose  and  walk'd  with  them  in  Eden,  as  an  Eighth 
Image  Divine  tho^  darken'd,  and  tho'  walking  as  one  walks 
In  sleep:  and  the  Seven  comforted  and  supported  him. 

Like  as  a  Polypus  that  vegetates  beneath  the  deep, 
They  saw  his  Shadow  vegetated  underneath  the  Couch 

lo  Of  death  :   for  when  he  enter'd  into  his  Shadow,  Himself, 
His  real  and  immortal  Self;  was  as  appear'd  to  those 
Who  dwell  in  immortality,  as  One  sleeping  on  a  couch 
Of  gold:  and  those  in  immortality  gave  forth  their  Emanations 
Like  Females  of  sweet  beauty,  to  guard  round  him  &  to  feed 

15  His  lips  with  food  of  Eden  in  his  cold  and  dim  repose: 
But  to  himself  he  seem'd  a  wanderer  lost  in  dreary  night. 

Onwards  his  Shadow  kept  its  course  among  the  Spedres,  call'd 
Satan,  but  swift  as  lightning  passing  them,  startled  the  shades 
Of  Hell  beheld  him  in  a  trail  of  light  as  of  a  comet 
20  That  travels  into  Chaos:  so  Milton  went  guarded  within. 

The  nature  of  infinity  is  this  :  That  every  thing  has  its 
Own  Vortex;  and  when  once  a  traveller  thro'  Eternity 
Has  passed  that  Vortex,  he  perceives  it  roll  backward  behind 
His  path,  into  a  globe  itself  infolding,  like  a  sun, 
25   Or  like  a  moon,  or  like  a  universe  of  starry  majesty, 

While  he  keeps  onwards  in  his  wondrous  journey  on  the  earth, 

II 


Or  like  a  human  form,  a  friend  with  whom  he  liv'd  benevolent. 

As  the  eye  of  man  views  both  the  east  &  west  encompassing 

Its  vortex:  and  the  north  &  south,  with  all  their  starry  host: 
30  Also  the  rising  sun  &  setting  moon  he  views  surrounding 

His  corn-fields  and  his  valleys  of  five  hundred  acres  square. 

Thus  is  the  earth  one  infinite  plane,  and  not  as  apparent 

To  the  weak  traveller  confin'd  beneath  the  moony  shade. 

Thus  is  the  heaven  a  vortex  pass'd  already,  and  the  earth 
35  A  vortex  not  yet  pass'd  by  the  traveller  thro'  Eternity. 

First  Milton  saw  Albion  upon  the  Rock  of  Ages, 
Deadly  pale  outstretch'd  and  snowy  cold,  storm  cover'd: 
A  Giant  form  of  perfe6l  beauty  outstretch'd  on  the  rock 
In  solemn  death:  the  Sea  of  Time  &  Space  thunder 'd  aloud 

40  Against  the  rock,  which  was  inwrapped  with  the  weeds  of  death. 
Hovering  over  the  cold  bosom,  in  its  vortex  Milton  bent  down 
To  the  bosom  of  death  :  what  was  underneath  soon  seem'd  above, 
A  cloudy  heaven  mingled  with  stormy  seas  in  loudest  ruin: 
But  as  a  wintry  globe  descends  precipitant  thro'  Beulah  bursting 

45  With  thunders  loud  and  terrible:  so  Milton's  shadow  fell 
Precipitant  loud  thund'ring  into  the  Sea  of  Time  &  Space. 
Then  first  I  saw  him  in  the  Zenith  as  a  falling  star, 
Descending  perpendicular,  swift  as  the  swallow  or  swift : 
And  on  my  left  foot  falling  on  the  tarsus,  enter'd  there, 

50  But  from  my  left  foot  a  black  cloud  redounding  spread  over  Europe. 

Then  Milton  knew  that  the  Three  Heavens  of  Beulah  were  beheld 
By  him  on  earth  in  his  bright  pilgrimage  of  sixty  years 

p.  1 5  IN  the  three  females  whom  his  wives,  &  these  three  whom  his  daughters 
Had  represented  and  contain'd,  that  they  might  be  resum'd 
By  giving  up  of  Selfhood:  &  they  distant  view'd  his  journey 
In  their  eternal  spheres  now  Human,  tho'  their  Bodies  remain  clos'd 
5  In  the  dark  Ulro  till  the  Judgment :  also  Milton  knew,  they  and 
Himself  was  Human,  tho'  now  wandering  thro'  Death's  Vale, 
In  conflidl  with  those  Female  forms,  which  in  blood  &  jealousy 
Surrounded  him  dividing  &  uniting  without  end  or  number. 

He  saw  the  Cruelties  of  Ulro,  and  he  wrote  them  down 
10  In  iron  tablets:  and  his  Wives'  &  Daughters'  names  were  these: 
Rahab  and  Tirzah,  &  Milcah  &  Malah  &  Noah  &  Hoglah. 
They  sat  rang'd  round  him  as  the  rocks  of  Horeb  round  the  land 
Of  Canaan:  and  they  wrote  in  thunder,  smoke  and  fire 

12 


His  diftate;  and  his  body  was  the  Rock  Sinai:  that  body, 
15    Which  was  on  earth  born  to  corruption:  &  the  six  Females 
Are  Hor  &  Peor  &  Bashan  &  Abarim  &  Lebanon  &  Hermon, 
Seven  rocky  masses  terrible  in  the  Desarts  of  Midian. 

But  Milton's  Human  Shadow  continu'd  journeying  above 
The  rocky  masses  of  The  Mundane  Shell;  in  the  Lands 
20  Of  Edom  &  Aram  &  Moab  &  Midian  &  Amalek. 

The  Mundane  Shell  is  a  vast  Concave  Earth:   an  immense 
Harden'd  shadow  of  all  things  upon  our  Vegetated  Earth, 
Enlarg'd  into  dimension  &  deform'd  into  indefinite  space, 
In  Twenty-seven  Heavens  and  all  their  Hells;  with  Chaos 

25   And  Ancient  Night;  &  Purgatory.    It  is  a  cavernous  Earth 
Of  labyrinthine  intricacy  twenty-seven-folds  of  opakeness, 
And  finishes  where  the  lark  mounts;  here  Milton  journeyed 
In  that  Region  call'd  Midian,  among  the  rocks  of  Horeb. 
For  travellers  from  Eternity,  pass  onward  to  Satan's  seat, 

30  But  travellers  to  Eternity,  pass  inward  to  Golgonooza. 

Los,  the  Vehicular  terror,  beheld  him,  &  divine  Enitharmon 
Call'd  all  her  daughters.  Saying:  Surely  to  unloose  my  bond 
Is  this  Man  come!  Satan  shall  be  unloos'd  upon  Albion! 

Los  heard  in  terror  Enitharmon's  words :  in  fibrous  strength 
35   His  limbs  shot  forth  like  roots  of  trees  against  the  forward  path 
Of  Milton's  journey.    Urizen  beheld  the  immortal  Man. 

p.  17  AND  he  also  darken'd  his  brows:  freezing  dark  rocks  between 
The  footsteps,  and  infixing  deep  the  feet  in  marble  beds: 
That  Milton  labour'd  with  his  journey,  &  his  feet  bled  sore 
Upon  the  clay  now  chang'd  to  marble;  also  Urizen  rose, 
5  And  met  him  on  the  shores  of  Albion,  &  by  the  streams  of  the  brooks. 

Silent  they  met,  and  silent  strove  among  the  streams  of  Arnon 
Even  to  Mahanaim,  when  with  cold  hand  Urizen  stoop'd  down 
And  took  up  water  from  the  river  Jordan:  pouring  on 
To  Milton's  brain  the  icy  fluid  from  his  broad  cold  palm. 
10  But  Milton  took  of  the  red  clay  of  Succoth,  moulding  it  with  care 
Between  his  palms:  and  filling  up  the  furrows  of  many  years. 
Beginning  at  the  feet  of  Urizen,  and  on  the  bones 
Creating  new  flesh  on  the  Demon  cold,  and  building  him. 
As  with  new  clay,  a  Human  form  in  the  Valley  of  Beth  Peor. 

15   Four  Universes  round  the  Mundane  Egg  remain  Chaotic. 

13 


One  to  the  North,  named  Urthona:  One  to  the  South,  named  Urizen: 
One  to  the  East,  named  Luvah:  One  to  the  West,  named  Tharmas: 
They  are  the  Four  Zoas  that  stood  around  the  Throne  Divine. 
But  when  Luvah  assum'd  the  World  of  Urizen  to  the  South, 

20  And  Albion  was  slain  upon  his  mountains  &  in  his  tent: 
All  fell  towards  the  Center  in  dire  ruin,  sinking  down. 
And  in  the  South  remains  a  burning  fire:  in  the  East,  a  void: 
In  the  West,  a  world  of  raging  waters:  in  the  North,  a  solid. 
Unfathomable,  without  end.    But  in  the  midst  of  these 

25  Is  built  eternally  the  Universe  of  Los  and  Enitharmon: 
Towards  which  Milton  went,  but  Urizen  oppos'd  his  path. 

The  Man  and  Demon  strove  many  periods.    Rahab  beheld. 
Standing  on  Carmel:  Rahab  and  Tirzah  trembled  to  behold 
The  enormous  strife,  one  giving  life,  the  other  giving  death 
30  To  his  adversary,  and  they  sent  forth  all  their  sons  &  daughters 
In  all  their  beauty  to  entice  Milton  across  the  river. 

The  Twofold  form  Hermaphroditic,  and  the  Double-sexed, 
The  Female-male  &  the  Male-female,  self-dividing  stood 
Before  him  in  their  beauty,  &  in  cruelties  of  holiness: 
35  Shining  in  darkness,  glorious  upon  the  deeps  of  Entuthon. 

Saying:  Come  thou  to  Ephraim!  behold  the  Kings  of  Canaan! 

The  Beautiful  Amalekites,  behold  the  fires  of  youth 

Bound  with  the  Chain  of  Jealousy  by  Los  &  Enitharmon! 

The  banks  of  Cam,  cold  learning's  streams,  London's  dark  frowning  towers, 
40  Lament  upon  the  winds  of  Europe  in  Rephaim's  Vale, 

Because  Ahania,  rent  apart  into  a  desolate  night, 

Laments!  &  Enion  wanders  like  a  weeping  inarticulate  voice. 

And  Vala  labours  for  her  bread  &  water  among  the  Furnaces. 

Therefore  bright  Tirzah  triumphs,  putting  on  all  beauty, 
45  And  all  perfedlion,  in  her  cruel  sports  among  the  Vi6lims. 

Come  bring  with  thee  Jerusalem  with  songs  on  the  Grecian  Lyre! 

In  Natural  Religion :  in  experiments  on  Men. 

Let  her  be  OfFer'd  up  to  Holiness:  Tirzah  numbers  her: 

She  numbers  with  her  fingers  every  fibre  ere  it  grow : 
50  Where  is  the  Lamb  of  God.''  where  is  the  promise  of  his  coming.? 

Her  shadowy  sisters  form  the  bones,  even  the  bones  of  Horeb, 

Around  the  marrow:  and  the  orbed  scull  around  the  brain: 

His  Images  are  born  for  War,  for  Sacrifice  to  Tirzah : 

To  Natural  Religion!  to  Tirzah,  the  Daughter  of  Rahab  the  Holy: 
55  She  ties  the  knot  of  nervous  fibres  into  a  white  brain ! 

14 


She  ties  the  knot  of  bloody  veins  into  a  red  hot  heart ! 
Within  her  bosom  Albion  lies  embalm'd,  never  to  awake. 
Hand  is  become  a  rock:  Sinai  &  Horeb  is  Hyle  &  Coban: 
Scofield  is  bound  in  iron  armour  before  Reuben's  Gate : 
60  She  ties  the  knot  of  milky  seed  into  two  lovely  Heavens, 

p.  18  TWO  yet  but  one;  each  in  the  other  sweet  refleded:  these 
Are  our  Three  Heavens  beneath  the  shades  of  Beulah,  land  of  rest : 
Come  then  to  Ephraim  &  Manasseh,  O  beloved-one! 
Come  to  my  ivory  palaces,  O  beloved  of  thy  mother ! 
5  And  let  us  bind  thee  in  the  bands  of  War  &  be  thou  King 
Of  Canaan  and  reign  in  Hazor  where  the  Twelve  Tribes  meet. 

So  spoke  they  as  in  one  voice:  Silent  Milton  stood  before 
The  darken'd  Urizen ;  as  the  sculptor  silent  stands  before 
His  forming  image:  he  walks  round  it  patient  labouring, 
lo  Thus  Milton  stood  forming  bright  Urizen,  while  his  Mortal  part 
Sat  frozen  in  the  rock  of  Horeb :  and  his  Redeemed  portion, 
Thus  form'd  the  Clay  of  Urizen;  but  within  that  portion 
His  real  Human  walk'd  above  in  power  and  majesty, 
Tho'  darken'd;  and  the  Seven  Angels  of  the  Presence  attended  him. 

15  O  how  can  I  with  my  gross  tongue  that  cleaveth  to  the  dust. 
Tell  of  the  Four-fold  Man  in  starry  numbers  fitly  order'd, 
Or  how  can  I  with  my  cold  hand  of  clay!  But  thou,  O  Lord, 
Do  with  me  as  thou  wilt!  for  I  am  nothing,  and  vanity 
If  thou  chuse  to  eledl  a  worm,  it  shall  remove  the  mountains. 

20  For  that  portion  nam'd  the  Eled::  the  Spedlrous  body  of  Milton: 
Redounding  from  my  left  foot  into  Los's  Mundane  space. 
Brooded  over  his  Body  in  Horeb  against  the  Resurrection, 
Preparing  it  for  the  Great  Consummation:  red  the  Cherub  on  Sinai 
Glow'd:  but  in  terrors  folded  round  his  clouds  of  blood. 

25  Now  Albion's  sleeping  Humanity  began  to  turn  upon  his  Couch, 
Feeling  the  eleftric  flame  of  Milton's  awful  precipitate  descent. 
Seest  thou  the  little  winged  fly  smaller  than  a  grain  of  sand.^* 
It  has  a  heart  like  thee:  a  brain  open  to  heaven  &  hell, 
Withinside  wondrous  &  expansive:  its  gates  are  not  clos'd: 

30  I  hope  thine  are  not:  hence  it  clothes  itself  in  rich  array: 

Hence  thou  art  cloth'd  with  human  beauty,  O  thou  mortal  man. 
Seek  not  thy  heavenly  father  then  beyond  the  skies: 
There  Chaos  dwells  &  ancient  Night  &  Og  &  Anak  old : 
For  every  human  heart  has  gates  of  brass  &  bars  of  adamant, 

^5 


35  Which  few  dare  unbar,  because  dread  Og  &  Anak  guard  the  gates 
Terrific:  and  each  mortal  brain  is  wall'd  and  moated  round 
Within:  and  Og  &  Anak  watch  here:  here  is  the  Seat 
Of  Satan  in  its  Webs:   for  in  brain  and  heart  and  loins 
Gates  open  behind  Satan's  Seat  to  the  City  of  Golgonooza, 

40  Which  is  the  spiritual  fourfold  London,  in  the  loins  of  Albion. 

Thus  Milton  fell  thro'  Albion's  heart,  travelling  outside  of  Humanity 
Beyond  the  Stars  in  Chaos  in  Caverns  of  the  Mundane  Shell. 

But  many  of  the  Eternals  rose  up  from  eternal  tables, 

Drunk  with  the  Spirit,  burning  round  the  Couch  of  death  they  stood, 

45  Looking  down  into  Beulah:  wrathful,  fill'd  with  rage: 

They  rend  the  heavens  round  the  Watchers  in  a  fiery  circle. 
And  round  the  Shadowy  Eighth :  the  Eight  close  up  the  Couch 
Into  a  tabernacle,  and  flee  with  cries  down  to  the  Deeps: 
Where  Los  opens  his  three  wide  gates,  surrounded  by  raging  fires: 

50  They  soon  find  their  own  place  &  join  the  Watchers  of  the  Ulro. 

Los  saw  them  and  a  cold  pale  horror  cover'd  o'er  his  limbs. 
Pondering  he  knew  that  Rintrah  &  Palamabron  might  depart: 
Even  as  Reuben  &  as  Gad:  gave  up  himself  to  tears. 
He  sat  down  on  his  anvil-stock:  and  leaned  upon  the  trough, 
55   Looking  into  the  black  water,  mingling  it  with  tears. 

At  last  when  desperation  almost  tore  his  heart  in  twain 
He  recolleded  an  old  Prophecy  in  Eden  recorded, 
And  often  sung  to  the  loud  harp  at  the  immortal  feasts: 
That  Milton  of  the  Land  of  Albion  should  up  ascend 
60   Forwards  from  Ulro  from  the  Vale  of  Felpham,  and  set  free 
Ore  from  his  Chain  of  Jealousy :  he  started  at  the  thought, 

p.  19  AND  down  descended  into  Udan-Adan;  it  was  night: 

And  Satan  sat  sleeping  upon  his  Couch  in  Udan-Adan: 

His  Spedtre  slept,  his  Shadow  woke;  when  one  sleeps  th'other  wakes. 

But  Milton  entering  my  Foot,  I  saw  in  the  nether 
5   Regions  of  the  Imagination ;  also  all  men  on  Earth 

And  all  in  Heaven,  saw  in  the  nether  regions  of  the  Imagination, 
In  Ulro  beneath  Beulah,  the  vast  breach  of  Milton's  descent. 
But  I  knew  not  that  it  was  Milton,  for  man  cannot  know 
What  passes  in  his  members  till  periods  of  Space  &  Time 
10  Reveal  the  secrets  of  Eternity:  for  more  extensive 

Than  any  other  earthly  things,  are  Man's  earthly  lineaments. 

16 


And  all  this  Vegetable  World  appeared  on  my  left  Foot 

As  a  bright  sandal  form'd  immortal  of  precious  stones  &  gold : 

I  stooped  down  &  bound  it  on  to  walk  forward  thro'  Eternity. 

15  There  is  in  Eden  a  sweet  River  of  milk  &  liquid  pearl 

Nam'd  Ololon:  on  whose  mild  banks  dwelt  those  who  Milton  drove 

Down  into  Ulro:  and  they  wept  in  long  resounding  songs 

For  seven  days  of  eternity,  and  the  river's  living  banks, 

The  mountains  wail'd!  &  every  plant  that  grew,  in  solemn  sighs  lamented. 

20  When  Luvah's  bulls  each  morning  drag  the  sulphur  Sun  out  of  the  Deep 
Harness'd  with  starry  harness,  black  &  shining,  kept  by  black  slaves 
That  work  all  night  at  the  starry  harness:  Strong  and  vigorous 
They  drag  the  unwilling  Orb :  at  this  time  all  the  Family 
Of  Eden  heard  the  lamentation  and  Providence  began. 

25   But  when  the  clarions  of  day  sounded  they  drown'd  the  lamentation, 
And  when  night  came  all  was  silent  in  Ololon;  &  all  refused  to  lament 
In  the  still  night  fearing  lest  they  should  others  molest. 

Seven  mornings  Los  heard  them,  as  the  poor  bird  within  the  shell 
Hears  its  impatient  parent  bird;  and  Enitharmon  heard  them: 
30  But  saw  them  riot,  for  the  blue  Mundane  Shell  inclos'd  them  in. 

And  they  lamented  that  they  had  in  wrath  &  fury  &  fire 
Driven  Milton  into  the  Ulro;  for  now  they  knew  too  late 
That  it  was  Milton  the  Awakener:  they  had  not  heard  the  Bard, 
Whose  Song  call'd  Milton  to  the  attempt;  and  Los  heard  these  laments. 
35  He  heard  them  call  in  prayer  all  the  Divine  Family; 

And  he  beheld  the  Cloud  of  Milton  stretching  over  Europe. 

But  all  the  Family  Divine  colle6led  as  Four  Suns 
In  the  Four  Points  of  heaven.  East,  West  &  North  &  South, 
Enlarging  and  enlarging  till  their  Disks  approach'd  each  other: 
40  And  when  they  touch'd  closed  together  Southward  in  One  Sun 
Over  Ololon:  and  as  One  Man,  who  weeps  over  his  brother 
In  a  dark  tomb,  so  all  the  Family  Divine  wept  over  Ololon. 

Saying:  Milton  goes  to  Eternal  Death!  so  saying  they  groan'd  in  spirit 
And  were  troubled!  and  again  the  Divine  Family  groan'd  in  spirit! 
45  And  Ololon  said:  Let  us  descend  also,  and  let  us  give 
Ourselves  to  death  in  Ulro  among  the  Transgressors, 
Is  Virtue  a  Punisher?   O  no!  how  is  this  wondrous  thing? 
This  World  beneath,  unseen  before;  this  refuge  from  the  wars 
Of  Great  Eternity!  unnatural  refuge!  unknown  by  us  till  now. 

17  P 


50  Or  are  these  the  pangs  of  repentance?  let  us  enter  into  them. 

Then  the  Divine  Family  said:  Six  Thousand  Years  are  now 
Accomplish'd  in  this  World  of  Sorrow;  Milton's  Angel  knew 
The  Universal  Dictate:  and  you  also  feel  this  Didate. 
And  now  you  know  this  World  of  Sorrow,  and  feel  Pity.    Obey 
55  The  Didlate!  Watch  over  this  World,  and  with  your  brooding  wings 
Renew  it  to  Eternal  Life:  Lo!  I  am  with  you  alway: 
But  you  cannot  renew  Milton:  he  goes  to  Eternal  Death. 

So  spake  the  Family  Divine  as  One  Man,  even  Jesus, 
Uniting  in  One  with  Ololon  &  the  appearance  of  One  Man, 
60  Jesus  the  Saviour,  appear'd  coming  in  the  Clouds  of  Ololon: 

p.  20  THO'  driven  away  with  the  Seven  Starry  Ones  into  the  Ulro, 
Yet  the  Divine  Vision  remains  Every-where  For-ever.    Amen. 
And  Ololon  lamented  for  Milton  with  a  great  Lamentation. 

While  Los  heard  indistindl  in  fear,  what  time  I  bound  my  sandals 
5  On,  to  walk  forward  thro'  Eternity,  Los  descended  to  me: 
And  Los  behind  me  stood:  a  terrible  flaming  Sun:  just  close 
Behind  my  back:  I  turned  round  in  terror  and  behold, 
Los  stood  in  that  fierce  glowing  fire;  &  he  also  stoop'd  down 
And  bound  my  sandals  on  in  Udan-Adan:  trembhng  1  stood 
10  Exceedingly  with  fear  &  terror,  standing  in  the  Vale 
Of  Lambeth :  but  he  kissed  me  and  wish'd  me  health. 
And  I  became  One  Man  with  him  arising  in  my  strength: 
'Twas  too  late  now  to  recede.    Los  had  enter 'd  into  my  soul: 
His  terrors  now  posses'd  me  whole!  I  arose  in  fury  &  strength. 

15  I  am  that  Shadowy  Prophet  who  Six  Thousand  Years  ago 

Fell  from  my  station  in  the  Eternal  bosom.    Six  Thousand  Years 
Are  finish'd.    I  return!  both  Time  &  Space  obey  my  will. 
I  in  Six  Thousand  Years  walk  up  and  down:  for  not  one  Moment 
Of  Time  is  lost,  nor  one  Event  of  Space  unpermanent, 

20  But  all  remain:  every  fabric  of  Six  Thousand  Years 
Remains  permanent:  tho'  on  the  Earth  where  Satan 
Fell,  and  was  cut  off,  all  things  vanish  &  are  seen  no  more. 
They  vanish  not  from  me  &  mine,  we  guard  them  first  &  last. 
The  generations  of  men  run  on  in  the  tide  of  Time, 

25  But  leave  their  destin'd  lineaments  permanent  for  ever  &  ever. 
So  spake  Los  as  we  went  along  to  his  supreme  abode. 

Rintrah  and  Palamabron  met  us  at  the  Gate  of  Golgonooza, 

18 


Clouded  with  discontent  &  brooding  in  their  minds  terrible  things. 

They  said:  O  Father  most  beloved!  O  merciful  Parent! 

30  Pitying  and  permitting  evil,  tho'  strong  &  mighty  to  destroy. 
Whence  is  this  Shadow  terrible?  wherefore  dost  thou  refuse 
To  throw  him  into  the  Furnaces?  knowest  thou  not  that  he 
Will  unchain  Ore?  &  let  loose  Satan,  Og,  Sihon  &  Anak, 
Upon  the  Body  of  Albion?  for  this  he  is  come!  behold  it  written 

35   Upon  his  fibrous  left  Foot  black:  most  dismal  to  our  eyes. 

The  Shadowy  Female  shudders  thro'  heaven  in  torment  inexpressible: 
And  all  the  Daughters  of  Los  prophetic  wail:  yet  in  deceit 
They  weave  a  new  Religion  from  new  Jealousy  of  Theotormon. 
Milton's  Religion  is  the  cause:  there  is  no  end  to  destrudion. 

40  Seeing  the  Churches  at  their  Period  in  terror  &  despair, 
Rahab  created  Voltaire;  Tirzah  created  Rousseau: 
Asserting  the  Self-righteousness  against  the  Universal  Saviour, 
Mocking  the  Confessors  &  Martyrs,  claiming  Self-righteousness, 
With  cruel  Virtue:  making  War  upon  the  Lamb's  Redeemed: 

45  To  perpetuate  War  &  Glory,  to  perpetuate  the  Laws  of  Sin. 
They  perverted  Swedenborg's  Visions  in  Beulah  &  in  Ulro, 
To  destroy  Jerusalem  as  a  Harlot  &  her  Sons  as  Reprobates, 
To  raise  up  Mystery  the  Virgin  Harlot,  Mother  of  War, 
Babylon  the  Great,  the  Abomination  of  Desolation. 

50  O  Swedenborg!  strongest  of  men,  the  Samson  shorn  by  the  Churches: 
Shewing  the  Transgressors  in  Hell,  the  proud  Warriors  in  Heaven, 
Heaven  as  a  Punisher,  &  Hell  as  One  under  Punishment: 
With  Laws  from  Plato  &  his  Greeks  to  renew  the  Trojan  Gods 
In  Albion:  &  to  deny  the  value  of  the  Saviour's  blood. 

55   But  then  I  rais'd  up  Whitefield,  Palamabron  rais'd  up  Westley, 
And  these  are  the  cries  of  the  Churches  before  the  two  Witnesses. 
Faith  in  God  the  dear  Saviour  who  took  on  the  likeness  of  men: 
Becoming  obedient  to  death,  even  the  death  of  the  Cross. 
The  Witnesses  lie  dead  in  the  Street  of  the  Great  City: 

60  No  Faith  is  in  all  the  Earth:  the  Book  of  God  is  trodden  under  Foot! 
He  sent  his  two  Servants  Whitefield  &  Westley:   were  they  Prophets, 
Or  were  they  Idiots  or  Madmen?  shew  us  Miracles! 

p.  22  CAN  you  have  greater  Miracles  than  these?  Men  who  devote 
Their  life's  whole  comfort  to  intire  scorn  &  injury  &  death. 
Awake,  thou  sleeper  on  the  Rock  of  Eternity,  Albion  awake! 
The  trumpet  of  Judgment  hath  twice  sounded:  all  Nations  are  awake, 
5  But  thou  art  still  heavy  and  dull:  Awake,  Albion  awake! 

19 


Lo,  Ore  arises  on  the  Atlantic.    Lo,  his  blood  and  fire 
.  Glow  on  America's  shore:  Albion  turns  upon  his  Couch: 
He  listens  to  the  sounds  of  War,  astonished  and  confounded: 
He  weeps  into  the  Atlantic  deep,  yet  still  in  dismal  dreams 

lo  Unwaken'd:  and  the  Covering  Cherub  advances  from  the  East. 
How  long  shall  we  lay  dead  in  the  Street  of  the  great  City: 
How  long  beneath  the  Covering  Cherub  give  our  Emanations? 
Milton  will  utterly  consume  us  &  thee  our  beloved  Father: 
He  hath  enter'd  into  the  Covering  Cherub,  becoming  one  with 

15  Albion's  dread  Sons,  Hand,  Hyle  &  Coban  surround  him  as 
A  girdle;  Gwendolen  &  Conwenna  as  a  garment  woven 
Of  War  &  Religion;  let  us  descend  &  bring  him  chained 
To  Bowlahoola,  O  father  most  beloved!  O  mild  Parent! 
Cruel  in  thy  mildness,  pitying  and  permitting  evil, 

20  Tho'  strong  and  mighty  to  destroy,  O  Los  our  beloved  Father. 

Like  the  black  storm,  coming  out  of  Chaos,  beyond  the  stars: 
It  issues  thro'  the  dark  &  intricate  caves  of  the  Mundane  Shell, 
Passing  the  planetary  visions,  &  the  well  adorned  Firmament. 
The  Sun  rolls  into  Chaos  &  the  stars  into  the  Desarts: 

25   And  then  the  storms  become  visible,  audible  &  terrible. 

Covering  the  light  of  day  &  rolling  down  upon  the  mountains 
Deluge  all  the  country  round.    Such  is  a  vision  of  Los, 
When  Rintrah  &  Palamabron  spake :  and  such  his  stormy  face 
Appear'd  as  does  the  face  of  heaven,  when  cover *d  with  thick  storms 

30  Pitying  and  loving  tho'  in  frowns  of  terrible  perturbation. 

But  Los  dispers'd  the  clouds  even  as  the  strong  winds  of  Jehovah. 
And  Los  thus  spoke:  O  noble  Sons,  be  patient  yet  a  little: 
I  have  embrac'd  the  falling  Death,  he  is  become  one  with  me: 
O  Sons,  we  live  not  by  wrath,  by  mercy  alone  we  live! 

35  I  recoiled  an  old  Prophecy  in  Eden  recorded  in  gold;  and  oft 
Sung  to  the  harp:  That  Milton  of  the  land  of  Albion 
Should  up  ascend  forward  from  Felpham's  Vale  &  break  the  Chain 
Of  Jealousy  from  all  its  roots;  be  patient  therefore,  O  my  Sons. 
These  lovely  Females  form  sweet  night  and  silence  and  secret 

40  Obscurities  to  hide  from  Satan's  Watch-Fiends  Human  loves 
And  graces,  lest  they  write  them  in  their  Books  &  in  the  Scroll 
Of  mortal  life,  to  condemn  the  accused:  who  at  Satan's  Bar 
Tremble  in  Spedtrous  Bodies  continually  day  and  night. 
While  on  the  Earth  they  live  in  sorrowful  Vegetation. 

45  O  when  shall  we  tread  our  Wine-presses  in  heaven,  and  Reap 
Our  wheat  with  shoutings  of  joy,  and  leave  the  Earth  in  peace.'' 

20 


Remember  how  Calvin  and  Luther  m  fury  premature 
Sow'd  War  and  stern  division  between  Papists  &  Protestants. 
Let  it  not  be  so  now:  O  go  not  forth  in  Martyrdoms  &  Wars! 

50  We  were  plac'd  here  by  the  Universal  Brotherhood  &  Mercy, 
With  powers  fitted  to  circumscribe  this  dark  Satanic  death, 
And  that  the  Seven  Eyes  of  God  may  have  space  for  Redemption. 
But  how  this  is  as  yet  we  know  not,  and  we  cannot  know, 
Till  Albion  is  arisen:  then  patient  wait  a  little  while, 

55  Six  Thousand  years  are  pass'd  away,  the  end  approaches  fast: 
This  mighty  one  is  come  from  Eden,  he  is  of  the  Eled:, 
Who  died  from  Earth  &  he  is  return'd  before  the  Judgment.    This  thing 
Was  never  known  that  one  of  the  holy  dead  should  willing  return. 
Then  patient  wait  a  little  while  till  the  Last  Vintage  is  over: 

60  Till  we  have  quench'd  the  Sun  of  Salah  in  the  lake  of  Udan-Adan. 
O  my  dear  Sons:  leave  not  your  Father,  as  your  brethren  left  me: 
Twelve  Sons  successive  fled  away  in  that  thousand  years  of  sorrow, 

p.  23  OF  Palamabron's  Harrow,  &  of  Rintrah's  wrath  &fury: 

Reuben  &  Manazzoth  &  Gad  &  Simeon  &  Levi, 

And  Ephraim  &  Judah  were  Generated,  because 

They  left  me  wandering  with  Tirzah:   Enitharmon  wept 
5  One  thousand  years,  and  all  the  Earth  was  in  a  wat'ry  deluge. 

We  call'd  him  Menassheh  because  of  the  Generations  of  Tirzah, 

Because  of  Satan :  &  the  Seven  Eyes  of  God  continually 

Guard  round  them,  but  I  the  Fourth  Zoa  am  also  set 

The  Watchman  of  Eternity:  the  Three  are  not:  &  I  am  preserved. 
10  Still  my  four  mighty  ones  are  left  to  me  in  Golgonooza, 

Still  Rintrah  fierce,  and  Palamabron  mild  &  piteous, 

Theotormon  fill'd  with  care,  Bromion  loving  Science: 

You  O  my  Sons  still  guard  round  Los:  O  wander  not  &  leave  me! 

Rintrah,  thou  well  rememberest  when  Amalek  &  Canaan 
15  Fled  with  their  Sister  Moab  into  that  abhorred  Void, 

They  became  Nations  in  our  sight  beneath  the  hands  of  Tirzah. 

And  Palamabron  thou  rememberest  when  Joseph  an  infant. 

Stolen  from  his  nurses  cradle  wrap'd  in  needle-work 

Of  emblematic  texture,  was  sold  to  the  Amalekite, 
20  Who  carried  him  down  into  Egypt  where  Ephraim  &  Menassheh 

Gather'd  my  Sons  together  in  the  Sands  of  Midian. 

And  if  you  also  flee  away  and  leave  your  Father's  side 

Following  Milton  into  Ulro,  altho'  your  power  is  great 

Surely  you  also  shall  become  poor  mortal  vegetations 
25  Beneath  the  Moon  of  Ulro:  pity  then  your  Father's  tears. 

21 


When  Jesus  rais'd  Lazarus  from  the  Grave  I  stood  &  saw 
Lazarus,  who  is  the  Vehicular  Body  of  Albion  the  Redeem'd, 
Arise  into  the  Covering  Cherub,  who  is  the  Spedre  of  Albion, 
By  martyrdoms  to  suffer:  to  watch  over  the  Sleeping  Body, 

30  Upon  his  Rock  beneath  his  Tomb.    I  saw  the  Covering  Cherub 
Divide  Four-fold  into  Four  Churches  when  Lazarus  arose, 
Paul,  Constantine,  Charlemaine,  Luther:  behold  they  stand  before  us 
Stretch'd  over  Europe  &  Asia:  come  O  Sons,  come,  come  away. 
Arise  O  Sons  give  all  your  strength  against  Eternal  Death, 

35  Lest  we  are  vegetated,  for  Cathedron's  Looms  weave  only  Death, 
A  Web  of  Death:  &  were  it  not  for  Bowlahoola  &  AUamanda 
No  Human  Form  but  only  a  Fibrous  Vegetation, 
A  Polypus  of  soft  affedions  without  Thought  or  Vision, 
Must  tremble  in  the  Heavens  &  Earths  thro'  all  the  Ulro  space. 

40  Throw  all  the  Vegetated  Mortals  into  Bowlahoola: 
But  as  to  this  Eleded  Form  who  is  return'd  again. 
He  is  the  Signal  that  the  Last  Vintage  now  approaches, 
Nor  Vegetation  may  go  on  till  all  the  Earth  is  reap'd. 

So  Los  spoke.    Furious  they  descended  to  Bowlahoola  &  AUamanda: 
45  Indignant,  unconvinced  by  Los's  arguments  &  thun[d]ers  rolling: 
They  saw  that  wrath  now  sway'd  and  now  pity  absorb'd  him. 
As  it  was  so  it  remain'd  &  no  hope  of  an  end. 

Bowlahoola  is  nam'd  Law  by  mortals,  Tharmas  founded  it: 

Because  of  Satan  before  Luban  in  the  City  of  Golgonooza. 

50  But  Golgonooza  is  nam'd  Art  &  Manufadlure  by  mortal  men. 

In  Bowlahoola  Los's  Anvils  stand  &  his  Furnaces  rage: 
Thundering  the  Hammers  beat  &  the  Bellows  blow  loud. 
Living,  self  moving,  mourning,  lamenting  &  howling  incessantly. 
Bowlahoola  thro'  all  its  porches  feels,  tho'  too  fast  founded 

55  Its  pillars  &  porticoes  to  tremble  at  the  force 

Of  mortal  or  immortal  arm :  and  softly  lilling  flutes 

Accordant  with  the  horrid  labours  make  sweet  melody. 

The  Bellows  are  the  Animal  Lungs:  the  Hammers  the  Animal  Heart: 

The  Furnaces  the  Stomach  for  digestion:  terrible  their  fury. 

60  Thousands  &  thousands  labour,  thousands  play  on  instruments 
Stringed  or  fluted  to  ameliorate  the  sorrows  of  slavery. 
Loud  sport  the  dancers  in  the  dance  of  death  rejoicing  in  carnage: 
The  hard  dentant  Hammers  are  luU'd  by  the  flutes  lula  lula. 
The  bellowing  Furnaces  blare  by  the  long  sounding  clarion, 

65  The  double  drum  drowns  howls  &  groans,  the  shrill  fife  shrieks  &  cries: 

22 


The  crooked  horn  mellows  the  hoarse  raving  serpent,  terrible,  but  harmonious. 
Bowlahoola  is  the  Stomach  in  every  individual  man. 

Los  is  by  mortals  nam'd  Time,  Enitharmon  is  nam'd  Space: 

But  they  depidl  him  bald  &  aged  who  is  in  eternal  youth 
70  All  powerful  and  his  looks  flourish  like  the  brows  of  morning: 

He  is  the  Spirit  of  Prophecy,  the  ever  apparent  Elias. 

Time  is  the  mercy  of  Eternity;  without  Time's  swiftness. 

Which  is  the  swiftest  of  all  things,  all  were  eternal  torment. 

All  the  Gods  of  the  Kingdoms  of  Earth  labour  in  Los's  Halls: 
75  Every  one  is  a  fallen  Son  of  the  Spirit  of  Prophecy: 

He  is  the  Fourth  Zoa  that  stood  around  the  Throne  Divine. 

p.  24  BUT  the  Wine-press  of  Los  is  eastward  of  Golgonooza  before  the  Seat 
Of  Satan:   Luvah  laid  the  foundation  &  Urizen  finish'd  it  in  howling  woe. 
How  red  the  sons  &  daughters  of  Luvah!  here  they  tread  the  grapes: 
Laughing  &  shouting,  drunk  with  odours,  many  fall  o'erwearied, 
5   Drown'd  in  the  wine  is  many  a  youth  &  maiden:  those  around 

Lay  them  on  skins  of  Tygers  &  of  the  spotted  Leopard  &  the  Wild  Ass, 
Till  they  revive,  or  bury  them  in  cool  grots,  making  lamentation. 

This  Wine-press  is  call'd  War  on  Earth:  it  is  the  Printing- Press 
Of  Los:  and  here  he  lays  his  words  in  order  above  the  mortal  brain, 
10  As  cogs  are  form'd  in  a  wheel  to  turn  the  cogs  of  the  adverse  wheel. 

Timbrels  &  violins  sport  round  the  Wine-presses;  the  little  Seed, 
The  sportive  Root,  the  Earth-worm,  the  gold  Beetle,  the  wise  Emmet 
Dance  round  the  Wine-presses  of  Luvah:  the  Centipede  is  there: 
The  ground  Spider  with  many  eyes:  the  Mole  clothed  in  velvet: 

15  The  ambitious  Spider  in  his  sullen  web:  the  lucky  golden  Spinner: 
The  Earwig  arm'd  :   the  tender  Maggot  emblem  of  immortality: 
The  Flea:  Louse:  Bug:  the  Tape-worm:  all  the  Armies  of  Disease: 
Visible  or  invisible  to  the  slothful  vegetating  Man. 
The  Slow  Slug:  the  Grasshopper  that  sings  &  laughs  &  drinks: 

20  Winter  comes,  he  folds  his  slender  bones  without  a  murmur. 

The  cruel  Scorpion  is  there:  the  Gnat:   Wasp:   Hornet  &  the  Honey  Bee: 
The  Toad  &  venomous  Newt;  the  Serpent  cloth'd  in  gems  &  gold. 
They  throw  off  their  gorgeous  raiment:   they  rejoice  with  loud  jubilee 
Around  the  Wine-presses  of  Luvah,  naked  &  drunk  with  wine. 

25  There  is  the  Nettle  that  stings  with  soft  down,  and  there 
The  indignant  Thistle,  whose  bitterness  is  bred  in  his  milk. 
Who  feeds  on  contempt  of  his  neighbour:  there  all  the  idle  weeds 
That  creep  around  the  obscure  places  shew  their  various  limbs 

23 


Naked  in  all  their  beauty  dancing  round  the  Wine-presses. 

30  But  in  the  Wine-presses  the  Human  grapes  sing  not  nor  dance. 

They  howl  &  writhe  in  shoals  of  torment:  in  fierce  flames  consuming, 
In  chains  of  iron  &  in  dungeons  circled  with  ceaseless  fires: 
In  pits  &  dens  &  shades  of  death:  in  shapes  of  torment  &  woe. 
The  plates  &  screws  &  wracks  &  saws  &  cords  &  fires  &  cisterns, 

35  The  cruel  joys  of  Luvah's  daughters  lacerating  with  knives 
And  whips  their  Vidims,  &  the  deadly  sport  of  Luvah's  Sons. 

They  dance  around  the  dying,  &  they  drink  the  howl  &  groan. 
They  catch  the  shrieks  in  cups  of  gold,  they  hand  them  to  one  another : 
These  are  the  sports  of  love,  &  these  the  sweet  delights  of  amorous  play, 
40  Tears  of  the  grape,  the  death  sweat  of  the  cluster,  the  last  sigh 
Of  the  mild  youth  who  listens  to  the  lureing  songs  of  Luvah. 

But  Allamanda,  call'd  on  Earth  Commerce,  is  the  Cultivated  land 
Around  the  City  of  Golgonooza  in  the  Forests  of  Entuthon: 
Here  tne  Sons  of  Los  labour  against  Death  Eternal;  through  all 
45  The  Twenty-seven  Heavens  of  Beulah  in  Ulro,  Seat  of  Satan, 

Which  is  the  False  Tongue  beneath  Beulah :  It  is  the  Sense  of  Touch. 
The  Plow  goes  forth  in  tempests  &  lightnings  &  the  Harrow  cruel 
In  blights  of  the  east,  the  heavy  Roller  follows  in  bowlings  of  woe. 

Urizen's  sons  here  labour  also;  &  here  are  seen  the  Mills 
50  Of  Theotormon  on  the  verge  of  the  Lake  of  Udan-Adan. 

These  are  the  starry  voids  of  night  &  the  depths  &  caverns  of  earth. 
These  Mills  are  oceans,  clouds  &  waters  ungovernable  in  their  fury: 
Here  are  the  stars  created  &  the  seeds  of  all  things  planted. 
And  here  the  Sun  &  Moon  received  their  fixed  destinations. 

55  But  in  Eternity  the  Four  Arts:  Poetry,  Painting,  Music, 

And  Architecture  which  is  Science:  are  the  Four  Faces  of  Man. 
Not  so  in  Time  &  Space:  there  Three  are  shut  out,  and  only 
Science  remains  thro'  Mercy:   &  by  means  of  Science  the  Three 
Become  apparent  in  Time  &  Space  in  the  Three  Professions, 

60  Poetry  in  Religion:  Music,  Law:  Painting,  in  Physic  &  Surgery: 
That  Man  may  live  upon  Earth  all  the  time  of  his  awaking. 
And  from  these  Three  Science  derives  every  Occupation  of  Men: 
And  Science  is  divided  into  Bowlahoola  &  Allamanda. 

p.  25   LOUD  shout  the  Sons  of  Luvah  at  the  Wine-presses,  as  Los  descended 
With  Rintrah  &  Palamabron  in  his  fires  of  resistless  fury. 

The  Wine-press  on  the  Rhine  groans  loud,  but  all  its  central  beams 

24 


Ad  more  terrific  in  the  central  Cities  of  the  Nations, 
5  Where  Human  Thought  is  crush'd  beneath  the  iron  hand  of  Power: 
There  Los  puts  all  into  the  Press,  the  Opressor  &  the  Opressed 
Together,  ripe  for  the  Harvest  &  Vintage  &  ready  for  the  Loom. 

They  sang  at  the  Vintage.    This  is  the  Last  Vintage:  &  Seed 
Shall  no  more  be  sown  upon  Earth  till  all  the  Vintage  is  over, 
lo  And  all  gather'd  in,  till  the  Plow  has  pass'd  over  the  Nations, 
And  the  Harrow  &  heavy  thundering  Roller  upon  the  mountains. 

And  loud  the  Souls  howl  round  the  Porches  of  Golgonooza, 
Crying:  O  God  deliver  us  to  the  Heavens  or  to  the  Earths 
That  we  may  preach  righteousness  &  punish  the  sinner  with  death. 
15  But  Los  refused,  till  all  the  Vintage  of  Earth  was  gathered  in. 

And  Los  stood  &  cried  to  the  Labourers  of  the  Vintage  in  voice  of  awe : 

Fellow  Labourers!  The  Great  Vintage  &  Harvest  is  now  upon  Earth. 
The  whole  extent  of  the  Globe  is  explored.    Every  scatter'd  Atom 
Of  Human  Intelled:  now  is  flocking  to  the  sound  of  the  Trumpet. 

20  All  the  Wisdom  which  was  hidden  in  caves  &  dens  from  ancient 
Time,  is  now  sought  out  from  Animal  &  Vegetable  &  Mineral. 
The  Awakener  is  come  outstretch'd  over  Europe :  the  Vision  of  God  is  fulfilled : 
The  Ancient  Man  upon  the  Rock  of  Albion  Awakes: 
He  listens  to  the  sounds  of  War  astonish'd  &  ashamed, 

25   He  sees  his  Children  mock  at  Faith  and  deny  Providence. 

Therefore  you  must  bind  the  Sheaves  not  by  Nations  or  Families:  < 

You  shall  bind  them  in  Three  Classes,  according  to  their  Classes 
So  shall  you  bind  them:  Separating  What  has  been  Mixed 
Since  Men  began  to  be  Wove  into  Nations  by  Rahab  &  Tirzah, 

30  Since  Albion's  Death  &  Satan's  Cutting  off  from  our  awful  Fields: 
When  under  pretence  to  benevolence  the  Eledl  Subdu'd  All 
From  the  Foundation  of  the  World.    The  Eled  is  one  Class:  You 
Shall  bind  them  separate:  they  cannot  Believe  in  Eternal  Life 
Except  by  Miracle  &  a  New  Birth.    The  other  two  Classes: 

35  The  Reprobate  who  never  cease  to  Believe,  and  the  Redeem'd 
Who  live  in  doubts  &  fears  perpetually  tormented  by  the  Eled, 
These  you  shall  bind  in  a  twin-bundle  for  the  Consummation: 
But  the  Eledt  must  be  saved  [from]  fires  of  Eternal  Death, 
To  be  formed  into  the  Churches  of  Beulah  that  they  destroy  not  the  Earth. 

40  For  in  every  Nation  &  every  Family  the  Three  Classes  are  born, 
And  in  every  Species  of  Earth,  Metal,  Tree,  Fish,  Bird  &  Beast 
We  form  the  Mundane  Egg,  that  Spedres  coming  by  fury  or  amity. 
All  is  the  same,  &  every  one  remains  in  his  own  energy. 

25  E 


Go  forth  Reapers  with  rejoicing,  you  sowed  in  tears, 

45  But  the  time  of  your  refreshing  cometh:  only  a  little  moment 
Still  abstain  from  pleasure  &  rest,  in  the  labours  of  eternity. 
And  you  shall  Reap  the  whole  Earth  from  Pole  to  Pole:  from  Sea  to  Sea: 
Beglning  at  Jerusalem's  Inner  Court,  Lambeth  ruin'd  and  given 
To  the  detestable  Gods  of  Priam,  to  Apollo:  and  at  the  Asylum 

50  Given  to  Hercules  who  labour  in  Tirzah's  Looms  for  bread. 
Who  set  Pleasure  against  Duty:  who  Create  Olympic  crowns 
To  make  Learning  a  burden,  &  the  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  Strife: 
The  Thor  &  cruel  Odin  who  first  rear'd  the  Polar  Caves. 
Lambeth  mourns,  calling  Jerusalem:  she  weeps  &  looks  abroad 

55  For  the  Lord's  coming,  that  Jerusalem  may  overspread  all  Nations. 
Crave  not  for  the  mortal  &  perishing  delights,  but  leave  them 
To  the  weak,  and  pity  the  weak  as  your  infant  care;  Break  not 
Forth  in  your  wrath  lest  you  also  are  vegetated  by  Tirzah. 
Wait  till  the  judgement  is  past,  till  the  Creation  is  consumed, 

60  And  then  rush  forward  with  me  into  the  glorious  spiritual 
Vegetation:  the  Supper  of  the  Lamb  &  his  Bride:  and  the 
Awaking  of  Albion  our  friend  and  ancient  companion. 

So  Los  spoke.    But  lightnings  of  discontent  broke  on  all  sides  round 
And  murmurs  of  thunder  rolling  heavy  long  &  loud  over  the  mountains, 
65  While  Los  call'd  his  Sons  around  him  to  the  Harvest  &  the  Vintage. 

Thou  seest  the  Constellations  in  the  deep  &  wondrous  Night: 
They  rise  in  order  and  continue  their  immortal  courses 
Upon  the  mountains  &  in  vales  with  harp  &  heavenly  song, 
With  flute  &  clarion:  with  cups  &  measures  fill'd  with  foaming  wine. 
70  Glitt'ring  the  streams  refledl  the  Vision  of  beatitude, 

And  the  calm  Ocean  joys  beneath  &  smooths  his  awful  waves: 

p.  26  THESE  are  the  Sons  of  Los,  &  these  the  Labourers  of  the  Vintage. 
Thou  see'st  the  gorgeous  clothed  Flies  that  dance  &  sport  in  summer 
Upon  the  sunny  brooks  &  meadows:  every  one  the  dance 
Knows  in  its  intricate  mazes  of  delight  artful  to  weave: 
5  Each  one  to  sound  his  instruments  of  music  in  the  dance. 
To  touch  each  other  &  recede:  to  cross  &  change  &  return. 
These  are  the  Children  of  Los.    Thou  seest  the  Trees  on  mountains: 
The  wind  blows  heavy,  loud  they  thunder  thro'  the  darksom  sky. 
Uttering  prophecies  &  speaking  instruftive  words  to  the  sons 
10  Of  men:  These  are  the  Sons  of  Los:  These  the  Visions  of  Eternity. 
But  we  see  only  as  it  were  the  hem  of  their  garments 
When  with  our  vegetable  eyes  we  view  these  wondrous  Visions. 

26 


There  are  two  Gates  thro'  which  all  Souls  descend,  One  Southward 
From  Dover  Cliff  to  Lizard  Point,  the  other  toward  the  North, 
15  Caithness  &  rocky  Durness,  Pentland  &  John  Groat's  House. 

The  Souls  descending  to  the  Body,  wail  on  the  right  hand 
Of  Los:  &  those  deliver'd  from  the  Body  on  the  left  hand. 
For  Los  against  the  east  his  force  continually  bends, 
Along  the  Valleys  of  Middlesex  from  Hounslow  to  Blackheath, 
20  Lest  those  Three  Heavens  of  Beulah  should  the  Creation  destroy, 
And  lest  they  should  descend  before  the  north  &  south  Gates: 
Groaning  with  pity,  he  among  the  wailing  Souls  laments. 

And  these  the  Labours  of  the  Sons  of  Los  in  Allamanda 

And  in  the  City  of  Golgonooza:  &  in  Luban:  &  around 
25  The  Lake  of  Udan-Adan,  in  the  Forests  of  Entuthon  Benython: 

Where  Souls  incessant  wail,  being  piteous  Passions  &  Desires, 

With  neither  lineament  nor  form:   but  like  to  wat'ry  clouds 

The  Passions  &  Desires  descend  upon  the  hungry  winds: 

For  such  alone  Sleepers  remain  meer  passion  &  appetite: 
30  The  Sons  of  Los  clothe  them  &  feed  &  provide  houses  &  fields. 

And  every  Generated  Body  in  its  inward  form 

Is  a  garden  of  delight  &  a  building  of  magnificence, 

Built  by  the  Sons  of  Los  in  Bowlahoola  &  Allamanda: 

And  the  herbs  &  flowers  &  furniture  &  beds  &  chambers 
35  Continually  woven  in  the  Looms  of  Enitharmon's  Daughters, 

In  bright  Cathedron's  golden  Dome  with  care  &  love  &  tears. 

For  the  various  Classes  of  Men  are  all  mark'd  out  determinate 

In  Bowlahoola:  &  as  the  Spedres  choose  their  affinities. 

So  they  are  born  on  Earth,  &  every  Class  is  determinate: 
40  But  not  by  Natural,  but  by  Spiritual  power  alone.    Because 

The  Natural  power  continually  seeks  &  tends  to  Destrudtion, 

Ending  in  death :  which  would  of  itself  be  Eternal  Death. 

And  all  are  Class'd  by  Spiritual  &  not  by  Natural  power. 

And  every  Natural  Effedl  has  a  Spiritual  Cause,  and  Not 
45  A  Natural:  for  a  Natural  Cause  only  seems:  it  is  a  Delusion 
Of  Ulro  &  a  ratio  of  the  perishing  Vegetable  Memory. 

p.  27  SOME  Sons  of  Los  surround  the  Passions  with  porches  of  iron  &  silver, 
Creating  form  &  beauty  around  the  dark  regions  of  sorrow, 
Giving  to  airy  nothing  a  name  and  a  habitation 
Delightful:  with  bounds  to  the  Infinite  putting  off  the  Indefinite 
5  Into  most  holy  forms  of  Thought:   (such  is  the  power  of  inspiration). 

27 


They  labour  incessant,  with  many  tears  &  afflidions, 
Creating  the  beautiful  House  for  the  piteous  sufferer. 

Others,  Cabinets  richly  fabricate  of  gold  &  ivory. 

For  Doubts  &  fears  unform'd  &  wretched  &  melancholy, 

lo  The  little  weeping  Spedre  stands  on  the  threshold  of  Death 
Eternal:  and  sometimes  two  Spedtres  like  lamps  quivering 
And  often  malignant  they  combat  (heart-breaking  sorrowful  &  piteous). 
Antamon  takes  them  into  his  beautiful  flexible  hands. 
As  the  Sower  takes  the  seed  or  as  the  Artist  his  clay 

15  Or  fine  wax,  to  mould  artful  a  model  for  golden  ornaments, 
The  soft  hands  of  Antamon  draw  the  indelible  Line: 
Form  immortal  with  golden  pen;  such  as  the  Spedre  admiring 
Puts  on  the  sweet  form;  then  smiles  Antamon  bright  thro'  his  windows. 
The  Daughters  of  beauty  look  up  from  their  Loom  &  prepare 

20  The  integument  soft  for  its  clothing  with  joy  &  delight. 

But  Theotormon  &  Sotha  stand  in  the  Gate  of  Luban  anxious: 
Their  numbers  are  seven  million  &  seven  thousand  &  seven  hundred: 
They  contend  with  the  weak  Spedres,  they  fabricate  soothing  forms. 
The  Spedre  refuses,  he  seeks  cruelty:  they  create  the  crested  Cock: 
25  Terrified  the  Spedre  screams  &  rushes  in  fear  into  their  Net 
Of  kindness  &  compassion  &  is  born  a  weeping  terror. 
Or  they  create  the  Lion  &  Tyger  in  compassionate  thunderings: 
Howling  the  Spedres  flee:  they  take  refuge  in  Human  lineaments. 

The  Sons  of  Ozoth  within  the  Optic  Nerve  stand  fiery  glowing : 
30  And  the  number  of  his  Sons  is  eight  millions  &  eight. 
They  give  delights  to  the  man  unknown;  artificial  riches 
They  give  to  scorn,  &  their  possessors  to  trouble  &  sorrow  &  care, 
Shutting  the  sun  &  moon  &  stars,  &  trees,  &  clouds,  &  waters. 
And  hills  out  from  the  Optic  Nerve  &  hardening  it  into  a  bone 
35  Opake,  and  like  the  black  pebble  on  the  enraged  beach. 

While  the  poor  indigent  is  like  the  diamond  which  tho'  cloth'd 
In  ragged  covering  in  the  mine,  is  open  all  within 
And  in  his  hallow'd  center  holds  the  heavens  of  bright  eternity. 
Ozoth  here  builds  walls  of  rocks  against  the  surging  sea, 
40  And  timbers  crampt  with  iron  cramps  bar  in  the  joys  of  life 

From  fell  destrudion  in  the  Spedrous  cunning  or  rage.    He  Creates 

The  speckled  Newt,  the  Spider  &  Beetle,  the  Rat  &  Mouse, 

The  Badger  &  Fox:  they  worship  before  his  feet  in  trembling  fear. 

But  others  of  the  Sons  of  Los  build  Moments  &  Minutes  &  Hours 
45  And  Days  &  Months  &  Years  &  Ages  &  Periods:  wondrous  buildings 

28 


And  every  Moment  has  a  Couch  of  Gold  for  soft  repose, 
(A  Moment  equals  a  pulsation  of  the  artery), 
And  between  every  two  Moments  stands  a  Daughter  of  Beulah 
To  feed  the  Sleepers  on  their  Couches  with  maternal  care. 

50  And  every  Minute  has  an  azure  Tent  with  silken  Veils: 

And  every  Hour  has  a  bright  golden  Gate  carved  with  skill: 
And  every  Day  &  Night  has  Walls  of  brass  &  Gates  of  adamant, 
Shining  like  precious  Stones  &  ornamented  with  appropriate  signs: 
And  every  Month  a  silver  paved  Terrace  builded  high: 

55  And  every  Year  invulnerable  Barriers  with  high  Towers: 

And  every  Age  is  Moated  deep  with  Bridges  of  silver  &  gold: 

And  every  Seven  Ages  is  Incircled  with  a  Flaming  Fire. 

Now  Seven  Ages  is  amounting  to  Two  Hundred  Years. 

Each  has  its  Guard,  each  Moment,  Minute,  Hour,  Day,  Month  &  Year. 

60  All  are  the  work  of  Fairy  hands  of  the  Four  Elements: 
The  Guard  are  Angels  of  Providence  on  duty  evermore. 
Every  Time  less  than  a  pulsation  of  the  artery 
Is  equal  in  its  period  &  value  to  Six  Thousand  Years. 

p.  28   FOR  in  this  Period  the  Poet's  Work  is  Done;  and  all  the  Great 
Events  of  Time  start  forth  &  are  conceiv'd  in  such  a  Period, 
Within  a  Moment,  a  Pulsation  of  the  Artery. 

The  Sky  is  an  immortal  Tent  built  by  the  Sons  of  Los: 
5  And  every  Space  that  a  Man  views  around  his  dwelling-place, 
Standing  on  his  own  roof,  or  in  his  garden  on  a  mount 
Of  twenty-five  cubits  in  height,  such  space  is  his  Universe: 
And  on  its  verge  the  Sun  rises  &  sets,  the  Clouds  bow 
To  meet  the  flat  Earth  &  the  Sea  in  such  an  order'd  space: 

10  The  Starry  heavens  reach  no  further,  but  here  bend  and  set 
On  all  sides,  &  the  two  Poles  turn  on  their  valves  of  gold : 
And  if  he  move  his  dwelling-place,  his  heavens  also  move 
Wher'eer  he  goes  &  all  his  neighbourhood  bewail  his  loss : 
Such  are  the  Spaces  called  Earth  &  such  its  dimension. 

15   As  to  that  false  appearance  which  appears  to  the  reasoner 
As  of  a  Globe  rolling  thro'  Voidness,  it  is  a  delusion  of  Ulro. 
The  Microscope  knows  not  of  this  nor  the  Telescope:  they  alter 
The  ratio  of  the  Spectator's  Organs  but  leave  Obje6ts  untouch'd. 
For  every  Space  larger  than  a  red  Globule  of  Man's  blood, 

20  Is  visionary,  and  is  created  by  the  Hammer  of  Los: 

And  every  Space  smaller  than  a  Globule  of  Man's  blood  opens 
Into  Eternity  of  which  this  vegetable  Earth  is  but  a  shadow: 

29 


The  red  Globule  is  the  unwearied  Sun  by  Los  created 
To  measure  Time  and  Space  to  mortal  Men  every  morning. 
25  Bowlahoola  &  Allamanda  are  placed  on  each  side 

Of  that  Pulsation  &  that  Globule,  terrible  their  power. 

But  Rintrah  &  Palamabron  govern  over  Day  &  Night 
In  Allamanda  &  Entuthon  Benython  where  Souls  wail: 
Where  Ore  incessant  howls  burning  in  fires  of  Eternal  Youth, 
30  Within  the  vegetated  mortal  Nerves;  for  every  Man  born  is  joined 
Within  into  One  mighty  Polypus,  and  this  Polypus  is  Ore. 

But  in  the  Optic  vegetative  Nerves  Sleep  was  transformed 
To  Death  in  old  time  by  Satan  the  father  of  Sin  &  Death: 
And  Satan  is  the  Speftre  of  Ore,  &  Ore  is  the  generate  Luvah. 

35  But  in  the  Nerves  of  the  Nostrils,  Accident  being  Formed 
Into  Substance  &  Principle,  by  the  cruelties  of  Demonstration 
It  became  Opake  &  Indefinite :  but  the  Divine  Saviour 
Formed  it  into  a  Solid  by  Los's  Mathematic  power. 
He  named  the  Opake,  Satan:  he  named  the  Solid,  Adam. 

40  And  in  the  Nerves  of  the  Ear  (for  the  Nerves  of  the  Tongue  are  closed) 
On  Albion's  Rock  Los  stands  creating  the  glorious  Sun  each  morning, 
And  when  unwearied  in  the  evening  he  creates  the  Moon, 
Death  to  delude,  who  all  in  terror  at  their  splendor  leaves 
His  prey  while  Los  appoints,  &  Rintrah  &  Palamabron  guide, 

45  The  Souls  clear  from  the  Rock  of  Death,  that  Death  himself  may  wake 
In  his  appointed  season  when  the  ends  of  heaven  meet. 

Then  Los  conduds  the  Spirits  to  be  Vegetated  into 
Great  Golgonooza,  free  from  the  four  iron  pillars  of  Satan's  Throne, 
Temperance,  Prudence,  Justice,  Fortitude,  the  four  pillars  of  tyranny, 
50  That  Satan's  Watch-Fiends  touch  them  not  before  they  Vegetate. 

But  Enitharmon  and  her  Daughters  take  the  pleasant  charge 

To  give  them  to  their  lovely  heavens  till  the  Great  Judgment  Day: 

Such  is  their  lovely  charge.    But  Rahab  &  Tirzah  pervert 

Their  mild  influences,  therefore  the  Seven  Eyes  of  God  walk  round 

55  The  Three  Heavens  of  Ulro  where  Tirzah  &  her  Sisters 
Weave  the  black  Woof  of  Death  upon  Entuthon  Benython, 
In  the  Vale  of  Surrey  where  Horeb  terminates  in  Rephaim. 
The  stamping  feet  of  Zelophehad's  Daughters  are  cover'd  with  Human  gore 
Upon  the  treddles  of  the  Loom:  they  sing  to  the  winged  shuttle 

60  The  River  rises  above  his  banks  to  wash  the  Woof: 

30 


He  takes  it  in  his  arms;  he  passes  it  in  strength  thro*  his  current. 
The  veil  of  human  miseries  is  woven  over  the  Ocean, 
From  the  Atlantic  to  the  Great  South  Sea,  the  Erythrean. 

Such  is  the  World  of  Los,  the  labour  of  six  thousand  years: 
65  Thus  Nature  is  a  Vision  of  the  Science  of  the  Elohim. 


END  OF  THE  FIRST  BOOK 


31 


p.  30  How  wide  the  Gulf  &  Unpassable!  between  Simplicity  ^  Insipidity. 

MILTON 

Contraries  are  Positives: 
A  Negation  is  not  a  Contrary, 

BOOK  THE  SECOND 

THERE  is  a  place  where  Contraries  are  equally  True: 
This  place  is  called  Beulah.    It  is  a  pleasure  lovely  Shadow- 
Where  no  dispute  can  come,  Because  of  those  who  Sleep. 
Into  this  place  the  Sons  &  Daughters  of  Ololon  descended 
5  With  solemn  mourning,  into  Beulah's  moony  shades  &  hills 
Weeping  for  Milton :  mute  wonder  held  the  Daughters  of  Beulah, 
Enraptur'd  with  afFedion  sweet  and  mild  benevolence. 

Beulah  is  evermore  created  around  Eternity ;  appearing 
To  the  Inhabitants  of  Eden  around  them  on  all  sides, 
10   But  Beulah  to  its  Inhabitants  appears  within  each  district, 
As  the  beloved  infant  in  his  mother's  bosom  round  incircled 
With  arms  of  love  &  pity  &  sweet  compassion.    But  to 
The  Sons  of  Eden  the  moony  habitations  of  Beulah 
Are  from  Great  Eternity  a  mild  &  pleasant  Rest. 

15  And  it  is  thus  Created.    Lo,  the  Eternal  Great  Humanity 
To  whom  be  Glory  &  Dominion  Evermore,  Amen, 
Walks  among  all  his  awful  Family  seen  in  every  face: 
As  the  breath  of  the  Almighty  such  are  the  words  of  man  to  man 
In  the  great  Wars  of  Eternity,  in  fury  of  Poetic  Inspiration, 

20  To  build  the  Universe  stupendous :  Mental  forms  Creating. 

But  the  Emanations  trembled  exceedingly,  nor  could  they 
Live,  because  the  Life  of  Man  was  too  exceeding  unbounded. 
His  joy  became  terrible  to  them,  they  trembled  &  wept, 
Crying  with  one  voice:  Give  us  a  habitation  &  a  place 

25  In  which  we  may  be  hidden  under  the  shadow  of  wings: 

For  if  we,  who  are  but  for  a  time  &  who  pass  away  in  winter. 
Behold  these  wonders  of  Eternity  we  shall  consume: 
But  you,  O  our  Fathers  &  Brothers,  remain  in  Eternity 
But  grant  us  a  Temporal  Habitation,  do  you  speak 

30  To  us;  we  will  obey  your  words  as  you  obey  Jesus 
The  Eternal  who  is  blessed  for  ever  &  ever.    Amen. 

32 


So  spake  the  lovely  Emanations:  &  there  appeared  a  pleasant 
Mild  Shadow  above,  beneath,  &  on  all  sides  round. 

p.  31  INTO  this  pleasant  Shadow  all  the  weak  &  weary 
Like  Women  &  Children  were  taken  away  as  on  wings 
Of  dovelike  softness,  &  shadowy  habitations  prepared  for  them. 
But  every  man  return'd  &  went  still  going  forward  thro' 
5  The  Bosom  of  the  Father  in  Eternity  on  Eternity, 
Neither  did  any  lack  or  fall  into  Error  without 
A  Shadow  to  repose  in  all  the  Days  of  happy  Eternity. 

Into  this  pleasant  Shadow  Beulah  all  Ololon  descended, 
And  when  the  Daughters  of  Beulah  heard  the  lamentation 
10  All  Beulah  wept,  for  they  saw  the  Lord  coming  in  the  Clouds, 
And  the  Shadows  of  Beulah  terminate  in  rocky  Albion. 

And  all  Nations  wept  in  affliction.  Family  by  Family: 
Germany  wept  towards  France  &:  Italy :  England  wept  &  trembled 
Towards  America:  India  rose  up  from  his  golden  bed, 
15  As  one  awaken'd  in  the  night:  they  saw  the  Lord  coming 
In  the  Clouds  of  Ololon  with  Power  &  Great  Glory. 

And  all  the  Living  Creatures  of  the  Four  Elements  wail'd 

With  bitter  wailing:  these  in  the  aggregate  are  named  Satan 

And  Rahab:  they  know  not  of  Regeneration,  but  only  of  Generation, 

20  The  Fairies,  Nymphs,  Gnomes  &  Genii  of  the  Four  Elements, 
Unforgiving  &  unalterable,  these  cannot  be  Regenerated 
But  must  be  Created,  for  they  know  only  of  Generation. 
These  are  the  Gods  of  the  Kingdoms  of  the  Earth :  in  contrarious 
And  cruel  opposition:  Element  against  Element,  opposed  in  War, 

25   Not  Mental,  as  the  Wars  of  Eternity,  but  a  Corporeal  Strife : 

In  Los's  Halls  continual  labouring  in  the  Furnaces  of  Golgonooza. 
Ore  howls  on  the  Atlantic:  Enitharmon  trembles:  All  Beulah  weeps 

Thou  hearest  the  Nightingale  begin  the  Song  of  Spring: 
The  Lark  sitting  upon  his  earthly  bed,  just  as  the  morn 

30  Appears,  listens  silent,  then  springing  from  the  waving  Cornfield!  loud 
He  leads  the  Choir  of  Day:  trill,  trill,  trill,  trill, 
Mounting  upon  the  wings  of  light  into  the  Great  Expanse, 
Reechoing  against  the  lovely  blue  &  shining  heavenly  Shell. 
His  little  throat  labours  with  inspiration;  every  feather 

35  On  throat  &  breast  &  wings  vibrates  with  the  effluence  Divine : 
All  Nature  listens  silent  to  him,  &  the  awful  Sun 
Stands  still  upon  the  Mountain  looking  on  this  little  Bird 

33  F 


With  eyes  of  soft  humility  &  wonder,  love  &  awe. 

Then  Loud  from  their  green  covert  all  the  Birds  begin  their  Song: 

40  The  Thrush,  the  Linnet  &  the  Goldfinch,  Robin  &  the  Wren 
Awake  the  Sun  from  his  sweet  reverie  upon  the  Mountain: 
The  Nightingale  again  assays  his  song  &  thro'  the  day 
And  thro'  the  night  warbles  luxuriant:  every  Bird  of  Song 
Attending  his  loud  harmony  with  admiration  &  love. 

45  This  is  a  Vision  of  the  Lamentation  of  Beulah  over  Ololon. 

Thou  perceivest  the  Flowers  put  forth  their  precious  Odours, 
And  none  can  tell  how  from  so  small  a  center  comes  such  sweet, 
Forgetting  that  within  that  Center  Eternity  expands 
Its  ever  during  doors,  that  Og  &  Anak  fiercely  guard. 

50  First  e'er  the  morning  breaks  joy  opens  in  the  flowery  bosoms, 

Joy  even  to  tears,  which  the  Sun  rising  dries :  first  the  Wild  Thyme 
And  Meadow-sweet  downy  and  soft,  waving  among  the  reeds. 
Light  springing  on  the  air  lead  the  sweet  Dance,  they  wake 
The  Honeysuckle  sleeping  on  the  Oak:  the  flaunting  beauty 

55  Revels  along  upon  the  wind  :  the  White-thorn,  lovely  May, 
Opens  her  many  lovely  eyes:  listening  the  Rose  still  sleeps: 
None  dare  to  wake  her,  soon  she  bursts  her  crimson  curtained  bed 
And  comes  forth  in  the  majesty  of  beauty :  every  Flower, 
The  Pink,  the  Jessamine,  the  Wall-flower,  the  Carnation 

60  The  Jonquil,  the  mild  Lilly  opes  her  heavens;  every  Tree 

And  Flower  &  Herb  soon  fill  the  air  with  an  innumerable  Dance, 
Yet  all  in  order  sweet  &  lovely.  Men  are  sick  with  Love : 
Such  is  a  Vision  of  the  Lamentation  of  Beulah  over  Ololon. 

p.  32  AND  the  Divine  Voice  was  heard  in  the  Songs  of  Beulah,  Saying 
When  I  first  Married  you,  I  gave  you  all  my  whole  Soul: 
I  thought  that  you  would  love  my  loves  &  joy  in  my  delights, 
Seeking  for  pleasures  in  my  pleasures,  O  Daughter  of  Babylon. 
5  Then  thou  wast  lovely,  mild  &  gentle,  now  thou  art  terrible 
In  jealousy  &  unlovely  in  my  sight,  because  thou  hast  cruelly 
Cut  off  my  loves  in  fury  till  I  have  no  love  left  for  thee. 
Thy  love  depends  on  him  thou  lovest  &  on  his  dear  loves 
Depend  thy  pleasures,  which  thou  hast  cut  off  by  jealousy: 
10  Therefore  I  shew  my  Jealousy  &  set  before  you  Death. 
Behold  Milton  descended  to  Redeem  the  Female  Shade 
From  Death  Eternal;  such  your  lot,  to  be  continually  Redeem'd 
By  Death  &  misery  of  those  you  love  &  by  Annihilation. 
When  the  Sixfold  Female  perceives  that  Milton  annihilates 

34 


15  Himself:  that  seeing  all  his  loves  by  her  cut  off,  heHeaves 
Her  also,  intirely  abstradling  himself  from  Female  loves: 
She  shall  relent  in  fear  of  death;  She  shall  begin  to  give 
Her  maidens  to  her  husband,  delighting  in  his  delight. 
And  then  &  then  alone  begins  the  happy  Female  joy 

20  As  it  is  done  in  Beulah,  &  thou,  O  Virgin  Babylon  Mother  of  Whoredoms, 
Shalt  bring  Jerusalem  in  thine  arms  in  the  night  watches:  and 
No  longer  turning  her  a  wandering  Harlot  in  the  streets, 
Shalt  give  her  into  the  arms  of  God  your  Lord  &  Husband, 

Such  are  the  Songs  of  Beulah,  in  the  Lamentations  of  Ololon. 

p.  34  AND  all  the  Songs  of  Beulah  sounded  comfortable  notes 
To  comfort  Ololon's  lamentation,  for  they  said: 
Are  you  the  Fiery  Circle  that  late  drove  in  fury  &  fire 
The  Eight  Immortal  Starry-Ones  down  into  Ulro  dark, 
5  Rending  the  Heavens  of  Beulah  with  your  thunders  &  lightnings? 
And  can  you  thus  lament  &  can  you  pity  &  forgive? 
Is  terror  chang'd  to  pity,  O  wonder  of  Eternity  ? 

And  the  Four  States  of  Humanity  in  its  Repose, 

Were  shewed  them.  First  of  Beulah,  a  most  pleasant  Sleep 
10  On  Couches  soft,  with  mild  music,  tended  by  Flowers  of  Beulah, 

Sweet  Female  forms,  winged  or  floating  in  the  air  spontaneous: 

The  Second  State  is  Alia,  &  the  third  State  Al-Ulro : 

But  the  Fourth  State  is  dreadful,  it  is  named  Or-Ulro. 

The  First  State  is  in  the  Head,  the  Second  is  in  the  Heart, 
15  The  Third  in  the  Loins  &  Seminal  Vessels,  &  the  Fourth 

In  the  Stomach  &  Intestines  terrible,  deadly,  unutterable. 

And  he  whose  Gates  are  open'd  in  those  Regions  of  his  Body 

Can  from  those  Gates  view  all  these  wondrous  Imaginations. 

But  Ololon  sought  the  Or-Ulro  &  its  fiery  Gates, 
2c  And  the  Couches  of  the  Martyrs:  &  many  Daughters  of  Beulah 
Accompany  them  down  to  the  Ulro  with  soft  melodious  tears, 
A  long  journey  &  dark  thro'  Chaos  in  the  track  of  Milton's  course, 
To  where  the  Contraries  of  Beulah  War  beneath  Negations  Banner. 

Then  View'd  from  Milton's  Track  they  see  the  Ulro,  a  vast  Polypus 
25  Of  living  fibres  down  into  the  Sea  of  Time  &  Space  growing, 
A  self-devouring  monstrous  Human  Death  Twenty  seven  fold: 
Within  it  sit  Five  Females  &  the  nameless  Shadowy  Mother, 
Spinning  it  from  their  bowels  with  songs  of  amorous  delight 
And  melting  cadences  that  lure  the  Sleepers  of  Beulah  down 

35 


30  The  River  Storge  (which  is  Arnon)  into  the  Dead  Sea : 

Around  this  Polypus  Los  continual  builds  the  Mundane  Shell. 

Four  Universes  round  the  Universe  of  Los  remain  Chaotic, 
Four  intersecting  Globes,  &  the  Egg  form'd  World  of  Los 
In  midst:  stretching  from  Zenith  to  Nadir,  in  midst  of  Chaos. 
35  One  of  these  Ruin'd  Universes  is  to  the  North,  named  Urthona: 
One  in  the  South,  this  was  the  glorious  World  of  Urizen: 
One  to  the  East,  of  Luvah:  One  to  the  West,  of  Tharmas. 
But  when  Luvah  assumed  the  World  of  Urizen  in  the  South 
All  fell  towards  the  Center  sinking-downward  in  dire  Ruin. 

40  Here  in  these  Chaoses  the  Sons  of  Ololon  took  their  abode. 
In  chasms  of  the  Mundane  Shell  which  open  on  all  sides  round, 
Southward  &  by  the  East  within  the  Breach  of  Milton's  descent. 
To  watch  the  time,  pitying  &  gentle  to  awaken  Urizen. 
They  stood  in  a  dark  land  of  death,  of  fiery  corroding  waters, 

45   Where  lie  in  evil  death  the  Four  Immortals  pale  and  cold. 
And  the  Eternal  Man,  even  Albion,  upon  the  Rock  of  Ages. 
Seeing  Milton's  Shadow,  some  Daughters  of  Beulah  trembling 
Return'd,  but  Ololon  remain'd  before  the  Gates  of  the  Dead. 

50  And  Ololon  looked  down  into  the  Heavens  of  Ulro  in  fear. 
They  said:   How  are  the  Wars  of  man  which  in  Great  Eternity 
Appear  around,  in  the  External  Spheres  of  Visionary  Life, 
Here  render'd  deadly  within  the  Life  &  Interior  Vision? 
How  are  the  Beasts  &  Birds  &  Fishes  &  Plants  &  Minerals 

55   Here  fix'd  into  a  frozen  bulk  subjedt  to  decay  &  death? 

Those  Visions  of  Human  Life  &  Shadows  of  Wisdom  &  Knowledge 

p.  35  ARE  here  frozen  to  unexpansive  deadly  destroying  terrors. 
And  War  &  Hunting,  the  Two  Fountains  of  the  River  of  Life, 
Are  become  Fountains  of  bitter  Death  &  of  Corroding  Hell: 
Till  Brotherhood  is  chang'd  into  a  Curse  &  a  Flattery, 
5  By  Differences  between  Ideas,  that  Ideas  themselves,  (which  are 
The  Divine  Members)  may  be  slain  in  offerings  for  sin. 
O  dreadful  Loom  of  Death!  O  piteous  Female  Forms  compell'd 
To  weave  the  Woof  of  Death!  On  Camberwell  Tirzah's  Courts, 
Malah's  on  Blackheath,  Rahab  &  Noah  dwell  on  Windsor's  heights: 
10  Where  once  the  Cherubs  of  Jerusalem  spread  to  Lambeth's  Vale 
Milcah's  Pillars  shine  from  Harrow  to  Hampstead,  where  Hoglah 
On  Highgate's  heights  magnificent  Weaves  over  trembling  Thames 
To  Shooters'  Hill  and  thence  to  Blackheath  the  dark  Woof;  Loud, 

36 


Loud  roll  the  Weights  &  Spindles  over  the  whole  Earth  let  down 
15   On  all  sides  round  to  the  Four  Quarters  of  the  World,  eastward  on 
Europe  to  Euphrates  &  Hindu  to  Nile  &  back  in  Clouds 
Of  Death  across  the  Atlantic  to  America  North  &  South. 

So  spake  Ololon  in  reminiscence  astonish'd,  but  they 
Could  not  behold  Golgonooza  without  passing  the  Polypus, 

20   A  wondrous  journey  not  passable  by  Immortal  feet,  &  none 
But  the  Divine  Saviour  can  pass  it  without  annihilation. 
For  Golgonooza  cannot  be  seen  till  having  pass'd  the  Polypus 
It  is  viewed  on  all  sides  round  by  a  Four-fold  Vision, 
Or  till  you  become  Mortal  &  Vegetable  in  Sexuality 

25   Then  you  behold  its  mighty  Spires  &  Domes  of  ivory  &  gold 

And  Ololon  examined  all  the  Couches  of  the  Dead, 
Even  of  Los  &  Enitharmon  &  all  the  Sons  of  Albion 
And  his  Four  Zoas  terrified  &  on  the  verge  of  Death: 
In  midst  of  these  was  Milton's  Couch,  &  when  they  saw  Eight 
30  Immortal  Starry-Ones,  guarding  the  Couch  in  flaming  fires. 
They  thunderous  utter'd  all  a  universal  groan  falling  down 
Prostrate  before  the  Starry  Eight  asking  with  tears  forgiveness. 
Confessing  their  crime  with  humiliation  and  sorrow. 

O  how  the  Starry  Eight  rejoic'd  to  see  Ololon  descended: 

35  And  now  that  a  wide  road  was  open  to  Eternity 

By  Ololon's  descent  thro'  Beulah  to  Los  &  Enitharmon. 
For  mighty  were  the  multitudes  of  Ololon,  vast  the  extent 
Of  their  great  sway  reaching  from  Ulro  to  Eternity, 
Surrounding  the  Mundane  Shell  outside  in  its  Caverns 

40  And  through  Beulah,  and  all  silent  forbare  to  contend 

With  Ololon,  for  they  saw  the  Lord  in  the  Clouds  of  Ololon. 

There  is  a  Moment  in  each  Day  that  Satan  cannot  find. 

Nor  can  his  Watch  Fiends  find  it,  but  the  Industrious  find 
This  Moment  &  it  multiply,  &  when  it  once  is  found 
45  It  renovates  every  Moment  of  the  Day  if  rightly  placed: 
In  this  Moment  Ololon  descended  to  Los  &  Enitharmon 
Unseen  beyond  the  Mundane  Shell,  Southward  in  Milton's  track. 

Just  in  this  Moment  when  the  morning  odours  rise  abroad. 
And  first  from  the  Wild  Thyme,  stands  a  Fountain  in  a  rock 
50  Of  crystal  flowing  into  two  Streams,  one  flows  thro'  Golgonooza 
And  thro'  Beulah  to  Eden  beneath  Los's  western  Wall : 
The  other  flows  thro'  the  Aerial  Void  &  all  the  Churches 

37 


Meeting  again  in  Golgonooza  beyond  Satans  Seat. 

The  Wild  Thyme  is  Los's  Messenger  to  Eden,  a  mighty  Demon, 
55  Terrible,  deadly  &  poisonous  his  presence  in  Ulro  dark. 
Therefore  he  appears  only  a  small  Root  creeping  in  grass 
Covering  over  the  Rock  of  Odours  his  bright  purple  mantle: 
Beside  the  Fount  above  the  Lark's  Nest  in  Golgonooza. 
Luvah  slept  here  in  death  &  here  is  Luvah's  empty  Tomb: 
60  Ololon  sat  beside  this  Fountain  on  the  Rock  of  Odours. 

Just  at  the  place  to  where  the  Lark  mounts  is  a  Crystal  Gate: 
It  is  the  enterance  of  the  First  Heaven,  named  Luther :  for 
The  Lark  is  Los's  Messenger  thro'  the  Twenty  seven  Churches, 
That  the  Seven  Eyes  of  God,  who  walk  even  to  Satan's  Seat 
65  Thro'  all  the  Twenty-seven  Heavens,  may  not  slumber  nor  sleep. 
But  the  Lark's  Nest  is  at  the  Gate  of  Los,  at  the  eastern 
Gate  of  wide  Golgonooza  &  the  Lark  is  Los's  Messenger. 

p.  2^  WHEN  on  the  highest  lift  of  his  light  pinions  he  arrives 
At  that  bright  Gate,  another  Lark  meets  him,  &  back  to  back 
They  touch  their  pinions,  tip  [to]  tip:  and  each  descend 
To  their  respedive  Earths  &  there  all  night  consult  with  Angels 
5  Of  Providence  &  with  the  eyes  of  God  all  night  in  slumbers 
Inspired;  &  at  the  dawn  of  day  send  out  another  Lark 
Into  another  Heaven  to  carry  news  upon  his  wings. 
Thus  are  the  Messengers  dispatch'd  till  they  reach  the  Earth  again 
In  the  East  Gate  of  Golgonooza,  &  the  Twenty-eighth  bright 
10  Lark  met  the  Female  Ololon  descending  into  my  Garden. 
Thus  it  appears  to  Mortal  eyes  &  those  of  the  Ulro  Heavens 
But  not  thus  to  Immortals:  the  Lark  is  a  mighty  Angel. 

For  Ololon  step'd  into  the  Polypus  within  the  Mundane  Shell: 
They  could  not  step  into  Vegetable  Worlds  without  becoming 

15  The  enemies  of  Humanity  except  in  a  Female  Form: 
And  as  One  Female  Ololon  and  all  its  mighty  Hosts 
Appear'd:  a  Virgin  of  twelve  years:  nor  time  nor  space  was 
To  the  perception  of  the  Virgin  Ololon,  but  as  the 
Flash  of  lightning,  but  more  quick,  the  Virgin  in  my  Garden 

20  Before  my  Cottage  stood,  for  the  Satanic  Space  is  delusion. 

For  When  Los  join'd  with  me  he  took  me  in  his  fiery  whirlwind: 
My  Vegetated  portion  was  hurried  from  Lambeth's  shades : 
He  set  me  down  in  Felpham's  Vale  &  prepar'd  a  beautiful 
Cottage  for  me,  that  in  three  years  I  might  write  all  these  Visions, 

38 


25  To  display  Nature's  cruel  holiness:  the  deceits  of  Natural  Religion. 
Walking  in  my  Cottage  Garden,  sudden  I  beheld 
The  Virgin  Ololon  &  address'd  her  as  a  Daughter  of  Beulah. 

Virgin  of  Providence,  fear  not  to  enter  into  my  Cottage. 
What  is  thy  message  to  thy  friend:  What  am  I  now  to  do? 
30  Is  it  again  to  plunge  into  deeper  afflidlion?  behold  me 
Ready  to  obey,  but  pity  thou  my  Shadow  of  Delight: 
Enter  my  Cottage,  comfort  her,  for  she  is  sick  with  fatigue. 

p.  37  THE  Virgin  answer'd:  Knowest  thou  of  Milton  who  descended, 

Driven  from  Eternity;  him  I  seek,  terrified  at  my  Ad 

In  Great  Eternity  which  thou  knowest:  I  come  him  to  seek. 

So  Ololon  utter'd  in  words  distind  the  anxious  thought: 
5   Mild  was  the  voice  but  more  distindl  than  any  earthly. 
That  Milton's  Shadow  heard,  &  condensing  all  his  Fibres 
Into  a  strength  impregnable  of  majesty  &  beauty  infinite, 
I  saw  he  was  the  Covering  Cherub  &  within  him  Satan 
And  Rahab  in  an  outside  which  is  fallacious  within, 
10  Beyond  the  outline  of  Identity  in  the  Selfhood  deadly: 

And  he  appear'd  the  Wicker  Man  of  Scandinavia,  in  whom 
Jerusalem's  children  consume  in  flames  among  the  Stars. 

Descending  down  into  my  Garden  a  Human  Wonder  of  God, 
Reaching  from  heaven  to  earth,  a  Cloud  &  Human  Form, 
15  I  beheld  Milton  with  astonishment  &  in  him  beheld 

The  Monstrous  Churches  of  Beulah,  the  Gods  of  Ulro  dark, 
Twelve  monstrous  dishumanized  terrors.  Synagogues  of  Satan, 
A  Double  Twelve  &  Thrice  Nine:  such  their  divisions. 

And  these  their  Names  &  their  Places  within  the  Mundane  Shell. 

20  In  Tyre  &  Sidon  I  saw  Baal  &  Ashtaroth.    In  Moab  Chemosh: 
In  Ammon  Molech:  loud  his  Furnaces  rage  among  the  Wheels 
Of  Og,  &  pealing  loud  the  cries  of  the  Vidtims  of  Fire: 
And  pale  his  Priestesses  unfolded  in  Veils  of  Pestilence,  border'd 
With  War:  Woven  in  Looms  of  Tyre  &  Sidon  by  beautiful  Ashtaroth. 

25  In  Palestine  Dagon,  Sea  Monster:  worship'd  o'er  the  Sea. 
Thammuz  in  Lebanon  &  Rimmon  in  Damascus  curtain'd: 
Osiris,  Isis,  Orus,  in  Egypt :  dark  their  Tabernacles  on  Nile 
Floating  with  solemn  songs,  &  on  the  Lakes  of  Egypt  nightly 
With  pomp  even  till  morning  break  &  Osiris  appear  in  the  sky. 

30  But  Belial  of  Sodom  &  Gomorrha,  obscure  Demon  of  Bribes 

39 


And  secret  Assasl nations,  not  worship'd  nor  ador'd:  but 

With  the  finger  on  the  h'ps  &  the  back  turn'd  to  the  light. 

And  Saturn,  Jove  &  Rhea  of  the  Isles  of  the  Sea  remote. 

These  Twelve  Gods,  are  the  Twelve  Speftre  Sons  of  the  Druid  Albion 

35  And  these  the  names  of  the  Twenty-seven  Heavens  &  their  Churches. 
Adam,  Seth,  Enos,  Cainan,  Mahalaleel,  Jared,  Enoch, 
Methuselah,  Lamech:  these  are  Giants,  mighty.  Hermaphroditic. 
Noah,  Shem,  Arphaxad,  Cainan  the  second,  Salah,  Heber, 
Peleg,  Reu,  Serug,  Nahor,  Terah,  these  are  the  Female-Males, 

40  A  Male  within  a  Female  hid  as  in  an  Ark  &  Curtains. 
Abraham,  Moses,  Solomon,  Paul,  Constantine,  Charlemaine, 
Luther,  these  seven  are  the  Male-Females,  the  Dragon  Forms, 
Religion  hid  in  War,  a  Dragon  red  &  hidden  Harlot. 

All  these  are  seen  in  Milton's  Shadow  who  is  the  Covering  Cherub, 
45  The  Spedre  of  Albion,  in  which  the  Sped:re  of  Luvah  inhabits, 
In  the  Newtonian  Voids  between  the  Substances  of  Creation. 

For  the  Chaotic  Voids  outside  of  the  Stars  are  measured  by 
The  Stars,  which  are  the  boundaries  of  Kingdoms,  Provinces 

50  And  Empires  of  Chaos  invisible  to  the  Vegetable  Man. 
The  Kingdom  of  Og  is  in  Orion:  Sihon  is  in  Ophiucus. 
Og  has  Twenty-seven  Distridts:  Sihon's  Distridts  Twenty-one, 
From  Star  to  Star,  Mountains  &  Valleys,  terrible  dimension 
Stretched  out,  compose  the  Mundane  Shell,  a  mighty  Incrustation 

55  Of  Forty-eight  deformed  Human  Wonders  of  the  Almighty 
With  Caverns  whose  remotest  bottoms  meet  again  beyond 
The  Mundane  Shell  in  Golgonooza,  but  the  Fires  of  Los  rage 
In  the  remotest  bottoms  of  the  Caves,  that  none  can  pass 
Into  Eternity  that  way,  but  all  descend  to  Los 

60  To  Bowlahoola  &  AUamanda  &  to  Entuthon  Benython. 

The  Heavens  are  the  Cherub:  the  Twelve  Gods  are  Satan: 

p.  39  AND  the  Forty-eight  Starry  Regions  are  Cities  of  the  Levites, 
The  Heads  of  the  Great  Polypus.    Four-fold  twelve  enormity 
In  mighty  &  mysterious  comingling,  enemy  with  enemy. 
Woven  by  Urizen  into  Sexes  from  his  mantle  of  years. 
5   And  Milton  colleding  all  his  fibres  into  impregnable  strength 
Descended  down  a  Paved  work  of  all  kinds  of  precious  stones 
Out  from  the  eastern  sky;  descending  down  into  my  Cottage 
Garden,  clothed  in  black,  severe  &  silent  he  descended. 

40 


The  Spedre  of  Satan  stood  upon  the  roaring  sea  &  beheld 
lo  Milton  within  his  sleeping  Humanity:  trembling  &  shudd'ring 
He  stood  upon  the  waves  a  Twenty  seven  fold  mighty  Demon 
Gorgeous  &  beautiful:  loud  roll  his  thunders  against  Milton: 
Loud  Satan  thunder'd,  loud  &  dark  upon  mild  Felpham  shore, 
Not  daring  to  touch  one  fibre  he  howl'd  round  upon  the  Sea. 

15  I  also  stood  in  Satan's  bosom  &  beheld  its  desolations: 

A  ruin'd  Man:  a  ruin'd  building  of  God,  not  made  with  hands: 
Its  plains  of  burning  sand,  its  mountains  of  marble  terrible: 
Its  pits  &  declivities  flowing  with  molten  ore  &  fountains 
Of  pitch  &  nitre:  its  ruin'd  palaces  &  cities  &  mighty  works: 

20  Its  furnaces  of  afflidion,  in  which  his  Angels  &  Emanations 
Labour  with  blacken'd  visages  among  its  stupendous  ruins, 
Arches  &  Pyramids  &  porches,  colonades  &  domes. 
In  which  dwells  Mystery,  Babylon,  here  is  her  secret  place. 
From  hence  she  comes  forth  in  the  Churches  in  delight, 

25  Here  is  her  cup  fill'd  with  its  poisons,  in  these  horrid  vales, 
And  here  her  scarlet  Veil  woven  in  pestilence  &  war; 
Here  is  Jerusalem  bound  in  chains  in  the  Dens  of  Babylon. 

In  the  Eastern  porch  of  Satan's  Universe  Milton  stood  &  said: 

Satan!  my  Spedtre!  I  know  my  power  thee  to  annihilate, 

30  And  be  a  greater  in  thy  place,  &  be  thy  Tabernacle, 
A  covering  for  thee  to  do  thy  will,  till  one  greater  comes 
And  smites  me  as  I  smote  thee  &  becomes  my  covering. 
Such  are  the  Laws  of  thy  false  Heav'ns:   but  Laws  of  Eternity 
Are  not  such:  know  thou!  I  come  to  Self  Annihilation. 

35  Such  are  the  Laws  of  Eternity,  that  each  shall  mutually 
Annihilate  himself  for  others'  good,  as  I  for  thee. 
Thy  purpose  &  the  purpose  of  thy  Priests  &  of  thy  Churches 
Is  to  impress  on  men  the  fear  of  death;  to  teach 
Trembling  &  fear,  terror,  constri6lion :  abjedl  selfishness. 

40  Mine  is  to  teach  Men  to  despise  death  &  to  go  on 
In  fearless  majesty  annihilating  Self,  laughing  to  scorn 
Thy  Laws  &  terrors,  shaking  down  thy  Synagogues,  as  webs. 
I  come  to  discover  before  Heav'n  &  Hell  the  Self  righteousness 
In  all  its  Hypocritic  turpitude,  opening  to  every  eye 

45  These  wonders  of  Satan's  holiness,  shewing  to  the  Earth 
The  Idol  Virtues  of  the  Natural  Heart,  &  Satan's  Seat 
Explore  in  all  its  Selfish  Natural  Virtue  &  put  off 
In  Self  annihilation  all  that  is  not  of  God  alone: 

41 


To  put  off  Self  &  all  I  have,  ever  &  ever.    Amen. 

50  Satan  heard,  Coming  in  a  cloud,  with  trumpets  &  flaming  fire. 
Saying:  I  am  God  the  judge  of  all,  the  living  &  the  dead. 
Fall  therefore  down  &  worship  me,  submit  thy  supreme 
Didate,  to  my  eternal  Will  &  to  my  dictate  bow. 
I  hold  the  Balances  of  Right  &  Just  &  mine  the  Sword: 

55  Seven  Angels  bear  my  Name  &  in  those  Seven  I  appear. 
But  I  alone  am  God  &  I  alone  in  Heav'n  &  Earth 
Of  all  that  live  dare  utter  this,  others  tremble  &  bow : 

p.  40  TILL  all  Things  become  One  Great  Satan  in  Holiness 
Oppos'd  to  Mercy,  and  the  Divine  Delusion  Jesus  be  no  more. 

Suddenly  around  Milton  on  my  Path,  the  Starry  Seven 
Burn'd  terrible:  my  Path  became  a  solid  fire,  as  bright 
5  As  the  clear  Sun  &  Milton  silent  came  down  on  my  Path. 
And  there  went  forth  from  the  Starry  limbs  of  the  Seven,  Forms 
Human,  with  Trumpets  innumerable,  sounding  articulate 
As  the  Seven  spake:  and  they  stood  in  a  mighty  Column  of  Fire 
Surrounding  Felpham's  Vale,  reaching  to  the  Mundane  Shell,  Saying: 

10  Awake,  Albion  awake !  reclaim  thy  Reasoning  Spe6tre.    Subdue 
Him  to  the  Divine  Mercy.    Cast  him  down  into  the  Lake 
Of  Los,  that  ever  burneth  with  fire,  ever  &  ever,  Amen! 
Let  the  Four  Zoas  awake  from  Slumbers  of  Six  thousand  years. 

Then  loud  the  Furnaces  of  Los  were  heard;  &  seen  as  Seven  Heavens 
15  Stretching  from  South  to  North  over  the  mountains  of  Albion. 

Satan  heard;  trembling  round  his  Body,  he  incircled  it: 
He  trembled  with  exceeding  great  trembling  &  astonishment, 
Howling  in  his  Spedtre  round  his  Body  hung'ring  to  devour. 
But  fearing  for  the  pain,  for  if  he  touches  a  Vital 

20  His  torment  is  unendurable:  therefore  he  cannot  devour: 
But  howls  round  it  as  a  lion  round  his  prey  continually. 
Loud  Satan  thunder'd,  loud  &  dark  upon  mild  Felpham's  Shore, 
Coming  in  a  Cloud  with  Trumpets  &  with  Fiery  Flame, 
An  awful  Form  eastward  from  midst  of  a  bright  Paved-work 

25   Of  precious  stones  by  Cherubim  surrounded:  so  permitted 
(Lest  he  should  fall  apart  in  his  Eternal  Death)  to  imitate 
The  Eternal  Great  Humanity  Divine  surrounded  by 
His  Cherubim  &  Seraphim  in  ever  happy  Eternity. 
Beneath  sat  Chaos:  Sin  on  his  right  hand.  Death  on  his  left, 

42 


30  And  Ancient  Night  spread  over  all  the  heav'n  his  Mantle  of  Laws. 
He  trembled  with  exceeding  great  trembling  &  astonishment. 

Then  Albion  rose  up  in  the  Night  of  Beulah  on  his  Couch 
Of  dread  repose  seen  by  the  visionary  eye:  his  face  is  toward 
The  east,  toward  Jerusalem's  Gates:  groaning  he  sat  above 

35  His  rocks,  London  &  Bath  &  Legions  &  Edinburgh 

Are  the  four  pillars  of  his  Throne:  his  left  foot  near  London 
Covers  the  shades  of  Tyburn :  his  instep  from  Windsor 
To  Primrose  Hill  stretching  to  Highgate  &  Holloway. 
London  is  between  his  knees:   its  basements  fourfold: 

40  His  right  foot  stretches  to  the  sea  on  Dover  cliffs,  his  heel 
On  Canterbury's  ruins;  his  right  hand  covers  lofty  Wales: 
His  left  Scotland;  his  bosom  girt  with  gold  involves 
York,  Edinburgh,  Durham  &  Carlisle,  &  on  the  front 
Bath,  Oxford,  Cambridge,  Norwich :  his  right  elbow 

45  Leans  on  the  Rocks  of  Erin's  Land,  Ireland,  ancient  nation. 
His  head  bends  over  London:  he  sees  his  embodied  Spedtre 
Trembling  before  him  with  exceeding  great  trembling  &  fear. 
He  views  Jerusalem  &  Babylon,  his  tears  flow  down: 
He  mov'd  his  right  foot  to  Cornwall,  his  left  to  the  Rocks  of  Bognor: 

50  He  strove  to  rise  to  walk  into  the  Deep,  but  strength  failing 
Forbad,  &  down  with  dreadful  groans  he  sunk  upon  his  Couch 
In  moony  Beulah.    Los  his  strong  Guard  Walks  round  beneath  the  Moon. 

Urizen  faints  in  terror  striving  among  the  Brooks  of  Arnon 
With  Milton's  Spirit:  as  the  Plowman  or  Artificer  or  Shepherd 

55  While  in  the  labours  of  his  Calling  sends  his  Thought  abroad 
To  labour  in  the  ocean  or  in  the  starry  heaven.    So  Milton 
Labour 'd  in  Chasms  of  the  Mundane  Shell  tho'  here  before 
My  Cottage  midst  the  Starry  Seven,  where  the  Virgin  Ololon 
Stood  trembling  in  the  Porch:  loud  Satan  thunder'd  on  the  stormy  Sea, 

60  Circling  Albion's  Chffs,  in  which  the  Four-fold  World  resides 
Tho'  seen  in  fallacy  outside:  a  fallacy  of  Satan's  Churches. 

p.  42  BEFORE  Ololon  Milton  stood  &  perciev'd  the  Eternal  Form 
Of  that  mild  Vision:  wondrous  were  their  ads  by  me  unknown 
Except  remotely:  and  I  heard  Ololon  say  to  Milton: 

I  see  thee  strive  upon  the  Brooks  of  Arnon,  there  a  dread 
S  And  awful  Man  I  see,  o'ercover'd  with  the  mantle  of  years. 
I  behold  Los  &  Urizen,  I  behold  Ore  &  Tharmas, 
The  Four  Zoas  of  Albion,  &  thy  Spirit  with  them  striving, 

43 


In  Self  annihilation  giving  thy  life  to  thy  enemies. 

Are  those  who  contemn  Religion  &  seek  to  annihilate  it 
lo  Become  in  their  Femin[in]e  portions  the  causes  &  promoters 

Of  these  Religions,  how  is  this  thing:  this  Newtonian  Phantasm, 

This  Voltaire  &  Rousseau:  this  Hume  &  Gibbon  &  Bolingbroke: 

This  Natural  Religion;  this  impossible  absurdity? 

Is  Ololon  the  cause  of  this?  O  where  shall  I  hide  my  face? 
15  These  tears  fall  for  the  httle  ones,  the  Children  of  Jerusalem, 

Lest  they  be  annihilated  in  thy  annihilation. 

No  sooner  she  had  spoke  but  Rahab  Babylon  appear'd 
Eastward  upon  the  Paved  work  across  Europe  &  Asia, 
Glorious  as  the  midday  Sun  in  Satan's  bosom  glowing: 
20  A  Female  hidden  in  a  Male,  Religion  hidden  in  War, 

Nam'd  Moral  Virtue:  cruel  two-fold  Monster  shining  bright, 
A  Dragon  red  &  hidden  Harlot  which  John  in  Patmos  saw. 

And  all  beneath  the  Nations  innumerable  of  Ulro 
Appear'd,  the  Seven  Kingdoms  of  Canaan  &  Five  Baalim 
25  Of  Philistea  into  Twelve  divided,  call'd  after  the  Names 
Of  Israel:  as  they  are  in  Eden.    Mountain,  River  &  Plain, 
City  &  sandy  Desart  intermingled  beyond  mortal  ken. 

But  turning  toward  Ololon  in  terrible  majesty  Milton 
Replied:  Obey  thou  the  Words  of  the  Inspired  Man. 

30  All  that  can  be  (can  be)  annihilated  must  be  annihilated 
That  the  Children  of  Jerusalem  may  be  saved  from  slavery. 
There  is  a  Negation,  &  there  is  a  Contrary: 
The  Negation  must  be  destroy'd  to  redeem  the  Contraries. 
The  Negation  is  the  Spedlre:  the  Reasoning  Power  in  Man: 

35  This  is  a  false  Body:  an  Incrustation  over  my  Immortal 

Spirit;  a  Selfhood  which  must  be  put  off  &  annihilated  alway, 
To  cleanse  the  Face  of  my  Spirit  by  Self-examination: 

p.  43  TO  bathe  in  the  waters  of  Life:  to  wash  off  the  Not  Human. 
I  come  in  Self-annihilation  &  the  grandeur  of  Inspiration, 
To  cast  off  Rational  Demonstration  by  Faith  in  the  Saviour, 
To  cast  off  the  rotten  rags  of  Memory  by  Inspiration, 
5  To  cast  off  Bacon,  Locke  &  Newton  from  Albion's  covering. 
To  take  off  his  filthy  garments  &  clothe  him  with  Imagination, 
To  cast  aside  from  Poetry,  all  that  is  not  Inspiration 
That  it  no  longer  shall  dare  to  mock  with  the  aspersion  of  Madness, 
Cast  on  the  Inspired  by  the  tame  high  finisher  of  paltry  Blots: 

44 


lo  Indefinite  or  paltry  Rhymes:  or  paltry  Harmonies: 

Who  creeps  into  State  Government  like  a  catterpiller  to  destroy, 
To  cast  off  the  idiot  Questioner  who  is  always  questioning, 
But  never  capable  of  answering,  who  sits  with  a  sly  grin 
Silent  plotting  when  to  question  like  a  thief  in  a  cave: 

15   Who  publishes  doubt  &  calls  it  knowledge:  whose  Science  is  Despair: 
Whose  pretence  to  knowledge  is  Envy:  whose  whole  Science  is 
To  destroy  the  wisdom  of  ages  to  gratify  ravenous  Envy, 
That  rages  round  him  like  a  Wolf  day  &  night  without  rest. 
He  smiles  with  condescension:  he  talks  of  Benevolence  &  Virtue: 

20  And  those  who  a6l  with  Benevolence  &  Virtue  they  murder  time  on  time. 
These  are  the  destroyers  of  Jerusalem,  those  are  the  murderers 
Of  Jesus,  who  deny  the  Faith  &  mock  at  Eternal  Life: 
Who  pretend  to  Poetry  that  they  may  destroy  Imagination, 
By  imitation  of  Nature's  Images  drawn  from  Remembrance. 

25  These  are  the  Sexual  Garments,  the  Abomination  of  Desolation, 
Hiding  the  Human  Lineaments  as  with  an  Ark  &  Curtains 
Which  Jesus  rent:  &  now  shall  wholly  purge  away  with  Fire 
Till  Generation  is  swallow'd  up  in  Regeneration. 

Then  trembled  the  Virgin  Ololon  &  reply 'd  in  clouds  of  despair: 

30  Is  this  our  Femin[in]e  Portion,  the  Six- fold  Miltonic  Female? 
Terribly  this  Portion  trembles  before  thee,  O  awful  Man. 
Altho'  our  Human  Power  can  sustain  the  severe  contentions 
Of  Friendship,  our  Sexual  cannot:  but  flies  into  the  Ulro. 
Hence  arose  all  our  terrors  in  Eternity:  &  now  remembrance 

35   Returns  upon  us:  are  we  contraries,  O  Milton,  Thou  &  I, 
O  Immortal,?  how  were  we  led  to  War  the  Wars  of  Death.'' 
Is  this  the  Void  Outside  of  Existence,  which  if  enter'd  into 

p.  44  BECOMES  a  Womb?  &  is  this  the  Death  Couch  of  Albion? 
Thou  goest  to  Eternal  Death  &  all  must  go  with  thee. 

So  saying  the  Virgin  divided  Six-fold,  &  with  a  shriek 
Dolorous  that  ran  thro'  all  Creation,  a  Double  Six-fold  Wonder: 
5  Away  from  Ololon  she  divided  &  fled  into  the  depths 
Of  Milton's  Shadow  as  a  Dove  upon  the  stormy  Sea. 

Then  as  a  Moony  Ark  Ololon  descended  to  Felpham's  Vales, 
In  clouds  of  blood,  in  streams  of  gore,  with  dreadful  thunderings. 
Into  the  Fires  of  Intelledl  that  rejoic'd  in  Felpham's  Vale 
10  Around  the  Starry  Eight:  with  one  accord  the  Starry  Eight  became 
One  Man,  Jesus  the  Saviour,  wonderful!  round  his  limbs 

45 


The  Clouds  of  Ololon  folded  as  a  Garment  dipped  in  blood, 
Written  within  &  without  in  woven  letters:  &  the  Writing 
Is  the  Divine  Revelation  in  the  Litteral  expression: 
15  A  Garment  of  War.    I  heard  it  nam'd  the  Woof  of  Six  Thousand  Years. 

And  I  beheld  the  Twenty-four  Cities  of  Albion 
Arise  upon  their  Thrones  to  Judge  the  Nations  of  the  Earth: 
And  the  Immortal  Four  in  whom  the  Twenty- four  appear  Four- fold 
Arose  around  Albion's  body:  Jesus  wept,  &  walked  forth 
20   From  Felpham's  Vale  clothed  in  Clouds  of  blood,  to  enter  into 
Albion's  Bosom,  the  bosom  of  death,  &  the  Four  surrounded  him 
In  the  Column  of  Fire  in  Felpham's  Vale:  then  to  their  mouths  the  Four 
Applied  their  Four  Trumpets,  &  then  sounded  to  the  Four  winds. 

Terror  struck  in  the  Vale  I  stood  at  that  immortal  sound: 
25   My  bones  trembled,  I  fell  outstretch'd  upon  the  path 
A  moment,  &  my  Soul  returned  into  its  mortal  state. 
To  ResurreAion  &  Judgment  in  the  Vegetable  Body : 
And  my  sweet  Shadow  of  delight  stood  trembling  by  my  side. 

Immediately  the  Lark  mounted  with  a  loud  trill  from  Felpham's  Vale, 
30  And  the  Wild  Thyme  from  Wimbleton's  green  &  impurpled  Hills. 
And  Los  &  Enitharmon  rose  over  the  Hills  of  Surrey: 
Their  clouds  roll  over  London  with  a  south  wind:  soft  Oothoon 
Pants  in  the  Vales  of  Lambeth,  weeping  o'er  her  Human  Harvest. 
Los  listens  to  the  Cry  of  the  Poor  Man :  his  Cloud 
35  Over  London  in  volume  terrific,  low  bended  in  anger. 

Rintrah  &  Palamabron  view  the  Human  Harvest  beneath. 
Their  Wine-presses  &  Barns  stand  open:   the  Ovens  are  prepar'd: 
The  Waggons  ready:  terrific  Lions  &  Tygers  sport  &  play: 
All  Animals  upon  the  Earth  are  preparM  in  all  their  strength 

p.  45   TO  go  forth  to  the  Great  Harvest  &  Vintage  of  the  Nations. 


Finis. 


46 


EXTRA  PAGES. 

p.  3*  BENEATH  the  Plow  of  Rintrah  &  the  Harrow  of  the  Almighty, 
In  the  hands  of  Palamabron,  Where  the  Starry  Mills  of  Satan 
Are  built  beneath  the  Earth  &  Waters  of  the  Mundane  Shell: 
Here  the  Three  Classes  of  Men  take  their  Sexual  texture  Woven. 
5  The  Sexual  is  Threefold :  the  Human  is  Fourfold. 

If  you  account  it  Wisdom  when  you  are  angry  to  be  silent,  and 
Not  to  shew  it:  I  do  not  account  that  Wisdom,  but  Folly. 
Every  Man's  Wisdom  is  peculiar  to  his  own  Individuality. 
O  Satan,  my  youngest  born,  art  thou  not  Prince  of  the  Starry  Hosts, 
lo  And  of  the  Wheels  of  Heaven,  to  turn  the  Mills  day  &  night? 
Art  thou  not  Newton's  Pantocrator,  weaving  the  Woof  of  Locke? 
To  Mortals  thy  Mills  seem  every  thing,  &  the  Harrow  of  Shaddai 
A  Scheme  of  Human  Condudt  invisible  &  incomprehensible. 
Get  to  thy  Labours  at  the  Mills  &  leave  me  to  my  wrath. 

15  Satan  was  going  to  reply,  but  Los  roU'd  his  loud  thunders. 

Anger  me  not!  thou  canst  not  drive  the  Harrow  in  pity's  paths: 
Thy  Work  is  Eternal  Death  with  Mills  &  Ovens  &  Cauldrons. 
Trouble  me  no  more,  thou  canst  not  have  Eternal  Life. 

So  Los  spoke :  Satan  trembling  obey'd,  weeping  along  the  way. 

20  Mark  well  my  words!  they  are  of  your  eternal  Salvation! 

Between  South  Molton  Street  &  Stratford  Place:  Calvary's  foot: 
Where  the  Vidims  were  preparing  for  sacrifice  their  Cherubim: 
Around  their  loins  pour'd  forth  their  arrows,  &  their  bosoms  beam 
With  all  colours  of  precious  stones,  and  their  inmost  palaces 

25   Resounded  with  preparation  of  animals  wild  &  tame. 

(Mark  well  my  words:  Corporeal  Friends  are  Spiritual  Enemies) 
Mocking  Druidical  Mathematical  Proportion  of  Length,  Bredth,  Highth: 
Displaying  Naked  Beauty:  with  Flute  &  Harp  &  Song. 


p.  5*  BY  Enitharmon's  looms  when  Albion  was  slain  upon  his  Mountains, 
And  in  his  tent,  through  envy  of  the  living  form,  even  of  the  Divine  Vision, 
And  of  the  sports  of  wisdom  in  the  Human  Imagination, 
Which  is  the  Divine  Body  of  the  Lord  Jesus  blessed  for  ever. 
Mark  well  my  words,  they  are  of  your  eternal  salvation. 

47 


Urizen  lay  in  darkness  and  solitude  in  chains  of  the  mind  locked  up. 
Los  seized  his  hammer  and  tongs ;  he  laboured  at  his  resolute  anvil 
Among  indefinite  Druid  rocks,  and  snows  of  doubt  and  reasoning. 

Refusing  all  definite  form  the  Abstract  Horror  roofed,  stony  hard; 
10  And  a  first  age  passed  over,  and  a  state  of  dismal  woe. 

Down  sunk  with  fright  a  red  hot  globe,  round,  burning,  deep. 
Deep  down  into  the  abyss,  panting,  conglobing,  trembling ; 
And  a  second  age  passed  over,  and  a  state  of  dismal  woe. 

Rolling  round  into  two  little  orbs,  and  closed  in  two  little  caves, 
15  The  ages  beheld  the  Abyss,  lest  bones  of  solitude  freeze  all  over; 
And  a  third  age  passed  over,  and  a  state  of  dismal  woe. 

From  beneath  his  orbs  of  vision  two  ears  in  close  volutions 
Shot  spiring  out  in  the  deep  darkness  and  petrified  as  they  grew; 
And  a  fourth  age  passed  over,  and  a  state  of  dismal  woe. 

20  Hanging  upon  the  wind  two  nostrils  bent  down  into  the  deep. 
And  a  fifth  age  passed  over,  and  a  state  of  dismal  woe. 

In  ghastly  torment  sick,  a  tongue  of  hunger  and  thirst  flamed  out. 
And  a  sixth  age  passed  over,  and  a  state  of  dismal  woe. 

Enraged  and  stifled  without  and  within,  in  terror  and  woe  he  threw  his 
25  Right  arm  to  the  north,  his  left  arm  to  the  south,  and  his  feet 
Stamped  the  nether  abyss  in  trembling  and  howling  and  dismay. 
And  a  seventh  age  passed  over,  and  a  state  of  dismal  woe. 

Terrified,  Los  stood  in  the  abyss,  and  his  immortal  limbs 
Grew  deadly  pale.    He  became  what  he  beheld,  for  a  red 

30  Round  globe  sunk  down  from  his  Bosom  into  the  Deep.    In  pangs 
He  hovered,  it  trembling  and  weeping.    Trembling  it  shook 
The  nether  abyss  in  tremblings.    He  wept  over  it,  he  cherished  it 
In  deadly,  sickening  pain,  till  separated  into  a  female  pale 
As  the  cloud  that  brings  the  snow.    All  the  while  from  his  Back 

35  A  blue  fluid  exuded  in  sinews,  hardening  in  the  abyss. 
Till  it  separated  into  a  male  form  howling  in  jealousy. 
Within,  labouring;  beholding  without, — from  particulars  to  generals 
Subduing  his  Spedre.   They  builded  the  Looms  of  Generation ; 
They  builded  great  Golgonooga,  Time  on  Times,  ages  on  ages. 

40  First  Ore  was  born,  then  the  Shadowy  Female,  then  all  Los's  family. 
At  last  Enitharmon  brought  forth  Satan,  refusing  Form.    In  vain 
The  Miller  of  Eternity  made  subservient  to  the  Great  Harvest, 

48 


That  he  may  go  to  his  own  Place,  Prince  of  the  Starry  Wheels. 

p.  8*  THEN  Los  &  Enitharmon  knew  that  Satan  is  Urizen, 
Drawn  down  by  Ore  &  the  Shadowy  Female  into  Generation. 
Oft  Enitharmon  enter'd  weeping  into  the  Space,  there  appearing 
An  aged  Woman  raving  along  the  Streets  (The  Space  is  named 
5  Canaan):  then  she  returned  to  Los,  weary,  frighted  as  from  dreams. 

The  nature  of  a  Female  Space  is  this:  it  shrinks  the  Organs 
Of  Life  till  they  become  finite  &  Itself  seems  Infinite. 

And  Satan  vibrated  in  the  immensity  of  the  Space:  limited 
To  those  without  but  Infinite  to  those  within:  it  fell  down  and 
lo  Became  Canaan:  closing  Los  from  Eternity  in  Albion's  Cliffs. 
A  mighty  Fiend  against  the  Divine  Humanity  must'ring  to  War. 

Satan:  Ah  me!  is  gone  to  his  own  place,  said  Los:  their  Gods 
I  will  not  worship  in  their  Churches,  nor  King  in  their  Theatres. 
Elynittria!  whence  is  this  Jealousy  running  along  the  mountains,'* 

15   British  Women  were  not  Jealous  when  Greek  &  Roman  were  Jealous. 
Every  thing  in  Eternity  shines  by  its  own  Internal  light:  but  thou 
Darkenest  every  Internal  light  with  the  arrows  of  thy  quiver. 
Bound  up  in  the  horns  of  Jealousy  to  a  deadly  fading  Moon. 
And  Ocalythron  binds  the  Sun  into  a  Jealous  Globe, 

20  That  every  thing  is  fix'd,  Opake  without  Internal  light. 

So  Los  lamented  over  Satan  who  triumphant  divided  the  Nations 


p.    17*  AND  Tharmas  Demon  of  the  Waters,  &  Ore,  who  is  Luvah. 

The  Shadowy  Female  seeing  Milton,  howled  in  her  lamentation 

Over  the  Deeps,  outstretching  her  Twenty  seven  Heavens  over  Albion. 

And  thus  the  Shadowy  Female  howls  in  articulate  howlings: 

I  will  lament  over  Milton  in  the  lamentations  of  the  afflidled: 
My  Garments  shall  be  woven  of  sighs  &  heart  broken  lamentations: 
The  misery  of  unhappy  Families  shall  be  drawn  out  into  its  border, 
Wrought  with  the  needle  with  dire  sufferings,  poverty,  pain  &  woe. 
Along  the  rocky  Island  &  thence  throughout  the  whole  Earth 
There  shall  be  the  sick  Father  &  his  starving  Family:  there 
The  Prisoner  in  the  Stone  Dungeon  &  the  Slave  at  the  Mill. 

49  K 


I  will  have  writings  written  all  over  it  in  Human  Words, 
That  every  Infant  that  is  born  upon  the  Earth  shall  read 
And  get  by  rote  as  a  hard  task  of  a  life  of  sixty  years. 

15  I  will  have  Kings  inwoven  upon  it,  &  Councellors  &  Mighty  Men: 
The  Famine  shall  clasp  it  together  with  buckles  &  Clasps, 
And  the  Pestilence  shall  be  its  fringe  &  the  War  its  girdle, 
To  divide  into  Rahab  &  Tirzah  that  Milton  may  come  to  our  tents. 
For  I  will  put  on  the  Human  Form  &  take  the  Image  of  God, 

20  Even  Pity  &  Humanity,  but  my  Clothing  shall  be  Cruelty: 
And  I  will  put  on  Holiness  as  a  breastplate  &  as  a  helmet, 
And  all  my  ornaments  shall  be  of  the  gold  of  broken  hearts. 
And  the  precious  stones  of  anxiety  &  care  &  desperation  &  death 
And  repentance  for  sin  &  sorrow  &  punishment  &  fear, 

25    To  defend  me  from  thy  terrors,  O  Ore!  my  only  beloved! 

Ore  answer'd:  Take  not  the  Human  Form,  O  loveliest.  Take  not 
Terror  upon  thee!   Behold  how  I  am,  &  tremble  lest  thou  also 
Consume  in  my  Consummation:   but  thou  maist  take  a  Form 
Female  &  lovely,  that  cannot  consume  in  Man's  consummation. 

30    Wherefore  dost  thou  Create  &  Weave  this  Satan  for  a  Covering.^ 
When  thou  attemptest  to  put  on  the  Human  Form,  my  wrath 
Burns  to  the  top  of  heaven  against  thee  in  Jealousy  &  Fear. 
Then  I  rend  thee  asunder,  then  I  howl  over  thy  clay  &  ashes. 
When  wilt  thou  put  on  the  Female  Form  as  in  times  of  old, 

35    With  a  Garment  of  Pity  &  Compassion  like  the  Garment  of  God? 
His  Garments  are  long  sufferings  for  the  Children  of  Men, 
Jerusalem  is  his  Garment  &  not  thy  Covering  Cherub,  O  lovely 
Shadow  of  my  dehght,  who  wanderest  seeking  for  the  prey. 

So  spoke  Ore,  when  Oothoon  &  Leutha  hover'd  over  his  Couch 
40    Of  fire  in  interchange  of  Beauty  &  Perfection  in  the  darkness. 

Opening  interiorly  into  Jerusalem  &  Babylon  shining  glorious. 
In  the  Shadowy  Female's  bosom  Jealous  her  darkness  grew: 
Howlings  fill'd  all  the  desolate  places  in  accusations  of  Sin, 
In  Female  beauty  shining  in  the  unform'd  void,  &  Ore  in  vain 
45    Stretch'd  out  his  hands  of  fire,  &  wooed:  they  triumph  in  his  pain. 

Thus  darken'd  the  Shadowy  Female  tenfold,  &  Ore  tenfold 
Glow'd  on  his  rocky  Couch  against  the  darkness:  loud  thunders 
Told  of  the  enormous  conflift.  Earthquake  beneath,  around. 
Rent  the  Immortal  Females,  limb  from  limb  &  joint  from  joint, 

50 


50    And  moved  the  fast  foundations  of  the  Earth  to  wake  the  Dead. 
Urizen  emerged  from  his  Rocky  Form  &  from  his  Snows. 

p.  32*  AND  Milton  oft  sat  up  on  the  Couch  of  Death  &  oft  conversed 
In  vision  &  dream  beatific  with  the  Seven  Angels  of  the  Presence: 
I  have  turned  my  back  upon  these  Heavens  builded  on  cruelty. 
My  Speftre  still  wandering  thro'  them  follows  my  Emanation, 
5    He  hunts  her  footsteps  thro'  the  snow  &  the  wintry  hail  &  rain. 
The  idiot  Reasoner  laughs  at  the  Man  of  Imagination, 
And  from  laughter  proceeds  to  murder  by  undervaluing  calumny. 

Then  Hillel,  who  is  Lucifer,  replied  over  the  Couch  of  Death, 
And  thus  the  Seven  Angels  instructed  him  &  thus  they  converse: 

10    We  are  not  Individuals  but  States:  Combinations  of  Individuals. 

We  were  Angels  of  the  Divine  Presence:  &  were  Druids  in  Annandale, 
Compell'd  to  combine  into  Form  by  Satan,  the  Spedlre  of  Albion, 
Who  made  himself  a  God  &  destroyed  the  Human  Form  Divine. 
But  the  Divine  Humanity  &  Mercy  gave  us  a  Human  Form, 

15    Because  we  were  combin'd  in  Freedom  &  holy  Brotherhood: 

While  those  combined  by  Satan's  Tyranny,  first  in  the  blood  of  War 
And  Sacrifice,  &  next  in  Chains  of  imprisonment,  are  Shapeless  Rocks 
Retaining  only  Satan's  Mathematic  Holiness,  Length,  Bredth  &  Highth. 
Calling  the  Human  Imagination:  which  is  the  Divine  Vision  &  Fruition 

20    In  which  Man  liveth  eternally:  madness  &  blasphemy,  against 

Its  own  Qualities,  which  are  Servants  of  Humanity,  not  Gods  or  Lords. 
Distinguish  therefore  States  from  Individuals  in  those  States. 
States  Change:  but  Individual  Identities  never  change  nor  cease. 
You  cannot  go  to  Eternal  Death  in  that  which  can  never  Die. 

25    Satan  &  Adam  are  States  Created  into  Twenty-seven  Churches: 
And  thou,  O  Milton,  art  a  State  about  to  be  Created, 
Called  Eternal  Annihilation,  that  none  but  the  Living  shall 
Dare  to  enter:  &  they  shall  enter  triumphant  over  Death 
And  Hell  and  the  Grave:  States  that  are  not,  but  ah!  Seem  to  be. 

30    Judge  then  of  thy  Own  Self:  thy  Eternal  Lineaments  explore. 

What  is  Eternal  &  what  Changeable?  &  what  Annihilable? 

The  Imagination  is  not  a  State:  it  is  the  Human  Existence  itself. 

AfFedlion  or  Love  becomes  a  State  when  divided  from  Imagination. 

The  Memory  is  a  State  always,  &  the  Reason  is  a  State 
35    Created  to  be  Annihilated,  &  a  new  Ratio  Created. 

51 


40 


Whatever  can  be  Created  can  be  Annihilated:  Forms  cannot. 
The  Oak  is  cut  down  by  the  Ax,  the  Lamb  falls  by  the  Knife, 
But  their  Forms  Eternal  exist,  For  ever.    Amen.    Hallelujah ! 

Thus  they  converse  with  the  Dead,  watching  round  the  Couch  of  Death: 

For  God  himself  enters  Death's  Door  always  with  those  that  enter, 

And  lays  down  in  the  Grave  with  them,  in  Visions  of  Eternity, 

Till  they  awake  &  see  Jesus,  &  the  Linen  Clothes  lying 

That  the  Females  had  Woven  for  them,  &  the  Gates  of  their  Father's  House. 


52 


INDEX 


Adam,  ii,  21;  28,  39;  32*,  25. 

Ahania,  17,  41. 

Albion,  3,  14;  4,  3;  4,  25;  6,  26;  7,  2;  7, 

14;  9,  l;  12,  40;  14,36;  17)20;  17,  57; 

18,   25;    18,   40;    20,  34;    22,  3;    22,  36; 

22,  54;   23,  27;  25,  23;  25,  30;  31,  II; 

34,46;  37,45;  40,32;  40,60;  43,5;  44, 

21;   8*,   10;    17*,  3.    Brook  of,  II,  35. 

Couch  of,  7,  3;  7,  50;  9,  8.  Sons  of,  3, 

23;  22,  I5J  35,  27;  37,  34. 
Alia,  34,  12. 

Allamanda,  23,  36;  24,  42;  24,  62;  28,  25. 
Al-Ulro,  34,  12. 
Amalek,  17,  37. 
America,  22,  7;  35,  17. 
Analc,  18,33;  20,33;  31,  49. 
Angels,  19,  52;  27,  61.  The  Seven,  12,  42; 

14,  3;  18,  14;  20,  ij  32*,  2. 
Antamon,  27,  13. 
Arnon,  34,  30;  42,  4. 
Asia,  23,  33;  42,  18. 
Assembly,  6,  46;  7,  36. 
Atlantic,  7,  3;  22,  6j  28,  63. 

Babel,  4,  23. 

Babylon,  7,  51;  20,  49;  32,  20 j  39,  23;  42, 
17;  17*,  41. 

Bacon,  43,  5. 

Bard,  3,22;  7,  2;  11,  45. 

Bath,  40,  35. 

Bellows,  4,  8;  23,  58. 

Beulah,  3,  i;  5,32;  9,4;  14,51;  18,  2;  18, 
45;  20,  46;  24,  45;  25,  39;  26,  20;  30, 
2;  30,  8;  31,  8;  31,  45;  32,  i;  34,  9;  37, 
16.  Daughters  of,  9,  28;  27,  48. 

Bible,  2,  3. 

Body,  26,  16;  26,  31 ;  40,  18;  42,  35;  44, 
27. 

Bowlahoola,  22,  18;  23,  36;  23,  48;  23,67; 
24,  62;  26,  38;  28,  25. 

Bromion,  4,  12;  6,  30;  23,  I2. 

Calvary,  3*,  21. 
Canaan,  8*,  5;  8*,  10. 
Cathedron,  11,  26;  23,  35. 
Cause,  26,  44. 


Center,  17,  2 1;  34,  39. 

Chaos,  10,  21;  18,33;  22,  21;  34,  22;  34, 

40. 
Charlemaine,  23,  32. 
Cherubim,  3*,  22. 

Churches,  35,  52;  35,  63;  40,  61 ;  32*,  25. 
Cities,  40,  40;  44,  16. 
Clay,  17,  4;  17,  10;  18,  12. 
Cloud,  14,  50;  19,  36;  37,  14. 
Coban,  22,  15. 
Cock,  27,  24. 
Constantine,  23,  32. 
Constellations,  10,  25;  25,  66. 
Contradlion,  11,  20;  28,  39. 
Contraries,  30,  i;  34,  23;  42,  32. 
Conwenna,  22,  16. 
Covering  Cherub,  7,  51;  18,  23;  22,  10 ; 

23)  28;  37,  8;  37,  44;  37,  60;  17*,  37. 

Death  (Dead),  3,  14;  4,  29;  7,  49;  9,  13; 

9,  17;  11,40;  12,  12;  12,33;  16,  6;  22, 
33;  22,  57 ;  23,  35 ;  24,  44;  25,  38;  26, 
42;  27,  10;  28,  45;  28,  56;  32,  12;  34, 
26;  35,  26;  32*,  28. 

Divine  family,  19,  37;  19,  51;  19,  58. 
Humanity,  3,  8;  12,  2;  40,  27.  Image, 
14,  6.    Members,  35,  6;  Vision,  7,  31  ; 

10,  49;  20,  2. 
Dragon,  10,  2. 

Druid,  4,  20;  7,  2;  7,  14;  9,  7;  3*,  27; 
32*,  II. 

Ear,  28,  40. 

Earth,  4,  22;   14,  32;  28,  9;  28,  14;  28, 

22. 
East,  7,  40;    17,  17;    17,  22;  22,  10;   26, 

18;  34,  37;  34,  42;  36,  9;  39)  7J  39>  28; 

40,  24;  40,  34. 
Eden,  7,  i ;  7,  I2;  14,  5;  19,  15;  22,  35; 

30,9;  42,  26. 
Edinburgh,  40,  35. 

Eight,  the,  18,  47;  34,  4;  35,  29;  44,  10. 
Elea,  the,  5,  2;  6,  25;  9,  2i;  11,  30;  18, 

20;  23,  41;  25,  32. 
Elias,  23,  71. 
Elohim,  II,  22;  28,  65. 


S3 


Elynittria,  9,  38;  10,  12;  10,  42;  11,  36; 

8*,  14. 
Emanation,  3,  19;  14,  13;  30,  21 ;  32*,  4. 
England,  2,  20. 
Enion,  17,  42. 
Enitharmon,  4,  6;  4,  27;  6,  14;  6,  40;  7, 

18;  9,2;  II,  12;  16,  31;  17,25;  19,  29; 

23,68;  28,51;  31,27;  44,31;  8*,  I. 

Daughters  of,  26,  35;  27,  19. 
Entuthon  Benython,  17,  35;  28,  56. 
Eon,  9,  I. 
Erin,  40,  45. 
Erythraean,  28,  64. 
Eternity,  9,  16;  9,  17;  11,  lO;  16,  29;  18, 

43;  i9>  49;  24,  55;  28,  22;  34,  50;  39, 

35- 
Europe,  17,  40;  23,  33;  35,  16;  42,  18. 
Eyes,  27,  29;  27,  34;  28,  32.   Seven,  of 

God,  22,  52;  23,  7;  28,  54;  35,  64. 

Fairies,  27,  60;  31,  20. 

Felpham,  18,  60;  22,  37;  36,  23;  39,  13; 
40,  9;  44,  20. 

Female,  9,  26;  10,  6;  10,  49;  16,  7;  34, 
27;  36,  15;  37>  39;  42,  20;  43,  30;  8*, 
6;  17*,  29;  17*,  49;  32*,  43.  The 
Shadowy,  20,  36;  34,  27;  8*,  2;  17*,  2; 
17*,  42.   The  Sixfold,  32,  14. 

Fiery  Circle,  34,  3. 

Fire,  7,  44;  11,6. 

Foot,  left,  14,  49;  18,  21;  19,  4;  19,  12; 
20,  35. 

Four  Arts,  24,  55.  Churches,  23,  31;  25, 
39.  Elements,  27,  60;  31,  17.  Quarters, 
7,  17;  19,  38.  States,  34,  8.  Universes, 
34,  32.    Fourfold,  3*,  5. 

Furnaces,  23,  58. 

Gate,  26,  13. 

Generation,  12,  5;  31,  19. 

Genii,  6,  16;  31,  20. 

Globe  of  blood,  28,  19;  28,  26. 

Gnomes,  5,  20;  5,47;  10,17;  10,  31 ;  31, 

20. 
God,  3,  12;   9,  12.    Gods,  12,  15;   20,  53; 

23>  74;  25,  49;  31,  23;  37,  16;  37,  34; 
37>  60. 
Gold,  2,  27;  9,  34. 


Golgonooza,  4,  i;  16,  30;  18,  39;  20,  27; 

23j  50;  25,  12;  28,  48;  31,  26;  35,  19; 

35,  58;  37,  56. 
Greek,  17,  46;  20,  53. 
Grove,  4,  16. 
Gwendolen,  22,  16. 

Hammer,  23,  57;  of  Los,  3,  26;  4,  35. 

Hand,  17,  58;  22,  15. 

Harrow,  4,  13;   5,  ii;   5,  18;   5,  45;   10, 

10;  10,20;  10,  28;  24,  47;  25,  II;  3*, 

i;  3*,  12. 
Head,  10,4;  10,41;  10,48;  17,55;  34,14. 
Heart,  7,  30;  10,  lO;  17,  56;  34,  14. 
Heavens,   14,  34;   26,  20;  37,  60.     The 

Seven,  40,  14.    The  Twenty-seven,  16, 

24;    16,  26;    24,  45;    35,  65;    37,  35; 

17*,  3.    Cf.34,  26. 
Hermaphroditic,  12,  37;   17,  32. 
Hillel,  32*,  8. 
Horeb,  17,  51;  17,58;  18,  ii;  18,  22;  28, 

57- 
Horses,  5,  18;  5,  44;  10,  9. 

Hum.an,  18,  13;   23,  37;   30,  15;   43,  32; 

3*,  5;   17*,  19;  32*,  13;  32*,  32. 

Hyle,  17,  58;  22,  15. 

Imagination,  32*,  32. 
Infinity,  14,  21. 
Inseds,  24,  12;  26,  2. 
Iron,  17,  59. 

Jehovah,  6,  27;  7,  22;  10,  25;  11,  24. 
Jerusalem,  2,  25;  3,  15;  4,  15;  4,  18;   9, 
i;   17,  46;  20,  47;  25,  48;  32,  21;  39, 

27;  40,34;  17*,  37;   17*,  41.   Children 

of,  37,  12. 
Jesus,  2,  18;   3,  12;   19,  58;   23,  26;  30, 

30;  40,  2;  43,  22;  44,  1 1;  44,  195  32*, 

42. 
Jordan,  1 7,  8. 
Joseph,  23,17. 

Lamb,  12,  25;   17,  50. 

Lambeth,  4,  14;   11,  42;   20,  11 ;  25,  48; 

25,  54;  44,  33- 
Lark,  16,  27;  31,  29;  35,  58;  35,  63;  36, 

2;  36,  12;  44,  29. 


54 


Last  Judgment,  I2,  23;   16,  5. 

Law,  7,  22;    II,  5;   40,  30. 

Lazarus,  23,  27. 

Legions,  40,  35. 

Leutha,  9,  28;    10,  3;   10,  50;    11,  I2;    II, 

36;   17*,  39. 
Limit,  1 1,  20. 

Living  Creatures,  5,  47;   10,  35. 
Locke,  43,  5;  3*,  II. 
Loins,  18,  40 ;   34,  15. 
London,  4,   i;    18,  40;    40,  35;    44,  32- 

Quarters  of,  4,  4;  4,  9;  4,  31 ;    26,  19; 

35,  8;  40,  37- 

Loom,  4,  6;  4,  28;  28,  59. 

Los,  4,  29;  5,6;  5,  II;  5,33;  6,  I;  6,  II; 
7,13;  9,2;  16,31;  16,34;  17,25;  18, 
51;  19,  28;  20,  4;  22,  32;  23,  51;  23, 
68;   24,  9;   25,  16;   28,  38;   28,  41;    28, 

47;  28,64;  34,31;  35,63;  36,21;  37, 
58;  40,  12;  44,  31;  8*,  I;  8*  12.  Chil- 
dren of,  26,  7;  26,  10.  Daughters  of,  20, 
37.  Sonsof,  22,  32;  22,61;  23,34;  23, 
75;  24,  44;  26,  l;  26,  23;  26,  30;  27, 
I;   28,4.    Halls  of,  31,  26. 

Luban,  23,  49.    Gate  of,  27,  21. 

Lucifer,  11,  17;  32*,  8. 

Luther,  22,47;  23,  32. 

Luvah,  II,  8;  17,17;  17,19;  19,20;  24, 
2;  28,34;  34,37;  35,59;  37,45;  17*, 
I.    Children  of,  24,  35.    Sons  of,  25,  i. 

Male,  10,  5;  37,  42;  42,  20.' 

Man,  25,  23.    Eternal,  34,  46. 

Michael,  6,  32;  6,  37;  6,  43. 

Midian,  16,  17;   16,  28. 

Mills,  6,  4;  6,  16;  9,  6;  24,  49;  24,  52; 
3*,  12. 

Milton,  3,2;  3,16;  12,9;  12,33;  14,36 
14,45;  16,  18;  17,  3;  18,  7;  18,  26 
18,59;  19,  33i  20,39;  22,13;  22,36 
23,  23;    30,  6;   32,  II;  34,  24;    34,  42 

35,  29;  37,  i;  37,  6}  37,  15;  37,  44 

39,  5;  39,  28;  40,  5;  40,  54;  42,  28 
43,  35;  i7*>2;  32*,  i;  32*,  26. 

Molech,  6,  27;  II,  19. 

Moon,  6,  44;  23,  25;  8*,  18. 

Mundane  Egg,  17,  15;    25,  42;  34,  33. 

Shell,  16,  19;    16,  21;    18,  42;  19,  30; 


55 


22,22;   34,31;  34,41;   35,39;   36,13; 

37>  19;  37>  53;  3%  3- 

Nadir,  34,  34. 

Nations,  12,  7;  23,  14. 

Natural  Religion,  17,  54;  42,  13. 

Negation,  42,  32. 

Newton,  37,  46;  42,  II;  43,  5;  3*,  1 1. 

North,  17,  16;  17,23;  26,14;  34,35;  40, 

15- 

Nostrils,  28,  35. 
Nymphs,  31,  20. 

Oath,  9,  27. 

Ocalythron,  8*,  19. 

Og,  18,  33;  20,  33;  31,  49;  37,  50. 

Ololon,  19,  16;  19,26;  19,41;  19,45;  19, 
60;  31,  8;  31,  45;  34,  19;  34,  49;  35, 
26;  35,  37;  35,  60;  36,  10;  36, 16;  36, 

27;   40,  58;   42,  I;   42,  14;   43,  29;   44, 

5;  44,  7.    Children  of,  30,  4.    Sons  of, 

34,  40. 
Oothoon,  II,  44;  44,  32;   17*,  39. 
Opakeness,  7,  31;   11,  20;  28,  39. 
Ore,  18,  61;   20,  33;   22,  6;   28,  29;   28, 

31;  28,34;  31,  27;  8*,  2;  17*,  i;   17*, 

26;   17*,  46. 
Or-Ulro,  34,  13;  34,  19. 
Ozoth,  27,  29;  27,  39. 

Pahad,  11,  23. 

Palamabron,  4,  I2;  5,  7;   5,  18;  5,  33;    5, 

46;  6,1;  6,4;  6,17;  6,46;  7,4;  7,8; 

7,20;    9,22;   9,37;    10,40;    11,38;   20, 

27;    20,  55;   23,  l;    23,  II;   23,   17;    25, 

2;   28,  27;   44,  36;   3*,  2. 
Paul,  23,  32. 

Pity,  6,  19;  7,46;  10,  28. 
Plow,  4,  13;    5,  4;    6,  20;   24,  47;   25,  10; 

3*,  I- 
Polypus,  14,  8;  23,38;  28,31;  34,24;  35, 

19;  36,  13;  39,  2. 
Priam,  25,  49. 
Printing  press,  24,  8. 
Prophet,  the  Shadowy,  20,  15. 

Rahab,  11,41;  16,  ii;  17,28;  17,54;  20, 
41;  25,29;  28,53;  31,  19;  37,9;  42,17- 


Redeemed,  5,  3;  6)25;  9)22;  11,30;   18, 

II;  22,  52;  25,  35. 
Regeneration,  31,  19. 
Rephaim,  17,  40. 
Reprobate,  5,  3;  6,  34;   7,  I2;   9,  22;    25, 

35. 
Reuben,  17,  59. 
Rhine,  25,  3. 
Rintrah,  4,  12;  6,  14;  6,  34;  7,  8;  7,  19; 

7)43;  9)22;  20,27;  23)1;  23,11;  25, 

2;  28,  27;  44,  36;  3*,  I. 
River,  28,  60. 
Rocks,  7,  43;    9,  9;    14,  36;    17,  58;    18, 

II;  25,  23. 
Roller,  24,  48;  25,  II. 
Rome,  7,  51. 
Rousseau,  20,  41. 

Salah,  22,  60. 

Sandal,  6,  li;   19,  13;  20,  9. 
Satan,  5,  5;   5,  14;  5,  22;   5,  33;   6,  i;   6, 
4;  6,  30;  6,  43;  7, 12;  7,  19;  7,  30;  9, 

10;  9)  19;  9)  21;  9)  30;  9)  36;  10,  10; 
10,16;  11,13;  ")2i;  12,30;  14,18; 
16,  29;  18,  38;  19,  2;  20,  33;  23,  49; 
24,  2;  25,  30;  28,  34;  28,  39;  28,  48; 
31,   18;    35,  42;    37,  8;    37,  60;    39,  9; 

39)  15;  39)  29;  39)  50;  40,  1;  40,  16; 

40,  59;  42,  19;  3*,  9;  8*,  l;  8*,  8; 
17*,  30;  32*,  12;  32*,  18;  32*,  25. 
Watch  Friends  of,  22,  40}  28,  50;  35, 

43-.       . 
Scandinavia,  the  Wicker  Man  of,  37,  11, 

Science,  24,  58;  24,  62. 

Scofield,  17,  59. 

Sea,  14,  39. 

Self,  14,  II;  16,  3. 

Serpent,  10,  29;   10,  46. 

Sex,  Sexual,  3,  3;   35,  24;    39,  4;   43,  25; 

43)  33;  3*)  5. 
Shaddai,  11,  22;  3*,  12. 

Shadovi^,  3,  1 1 ;  12,36;  12,42;  14,2;  14, 
9;  14,  17;  14,  45;  16,  18;  19,  3;  20, 
31;  30,  2;  30,  33;  31,  I ;  34,  47;  36, 
31;  37)6;  37,44;  44)  28;  17*,  38. 

Sihon,  20,  33;  37,  50. 

Silver,  9,  38. 

Sinai,  16,  14;  17,  58. 


Sixfold,  3,  19. 

Sky,  28,  4. 

Sleep,  11,40;  30,  3. 

Sotha,  27,  21. 

Souls,  25,  12;  26,  16;  26,  26;  28,  45;  44, 

26. 
South,  17,  16;  17,  22;   19,  40;  26,  13;  34, 

36;  34,42;  40,  15. 
Space,  6,  43;   7,  52;  11,  13;  11,  43;   14, 

39;  14,46;  20,19;  23,68;  24,57;  28, 

5;  28,  14;  28,  19;  36,  20;  8*,  6. 
Spedre,  3,  9;   4,  24;    7,  52;   9,  13;   11,  2; 

II,  40;   14,  17;   18,  20;   19,  3;  22,  43; 

23,28;  25,42;  26,38;  27,10;  27,24; 

27,  28;  40,  18;  42,  34;  32*,  4. 
Stars,  37,  48. 
State,  34,  8;  32*,  10. 
Stomach,  34,  16. 
Storge,  34,  30. 
Sun,  19,  20;   19,37;   20,6;   22,24;  22,  60; 

28,23;  40, 5;  8*,  19. 

Surrey,  4,  14. 

Swedenborg,  20,  46;  20,  50. 

Thames,  4,  1 1 ;  9,  3. 

Tharmas,  17,  17;  23,  48;  34,  37;   17*,  i. 

Theotormon,  4,  I2;  6,  30;  20,  38;  23,  I2; 

24,  50;  27,  21. 
Threefold,  14,  51 ;  3*,  5. 
Three  Classes,  3,  26;  4,  35;  25,  27;  25, 

40;  26,  37. 
Thulloh,  6,  33;  6,  39;  6,  45. 
Thyme,  35,  54;  44,  30. 
Time,  II,  i6j  11,43;  H)  39;  14,46;  20, 

19;  23,68;  23,  72;  24,  57;  27,45. 
Tirzah,  5,  I;  11,41;   17,28;  17,44;  17, 

54;  20,41;  23,16;  25,29;  25,58;  28, 

53.    Sisters  of,  16,  ii;  28,  55;  35,  8. 
Tongue,  3,  lo;  24,  46;  28,  40. 
Trees,  26,  7. 

Tribes,  the  Tw^elve,  18,  6;  23,  2;  42,25. 
Tyburn,  9,  5. 
Tyre,  7,  51. 

Udan  Adan,  19,  i;  22,  60. 

Ulro,  7,  34;    12,12;   16,5;   16,9;  18,50; 

18,  60;   19,  7;   20,  46;   23,  25;   24,  45; 

26,  46}  28,  1 6;  28,  55;  34,  24;  42,  23. 


56 


Urizen,  i6,  36;  17,16;  17,19;  18,8;  24, 

2;  34,  36;  39,  4;  40,  53;;.8*,  i;  17*, 
51.    Sons  of,  24,  49. 
Urthona,  17,  16;  34,  35. 

Vala,  II,  9;   17,  43. 

Vegetable,  19,  I2;  22,  44;  23,  37;  23,  43; 

25,  61;   28,  22;   36,  22. 
Vehicular,  23,  27. 

Veil,  39,  26. 

Vintage,  the  Last,  23,  42;   25,  8;  25,  17; 

26,  i;  45,  I. 
Voltaire,  20,  41. 
Vortex,  14,  22;  14,  29. 

Water,  17,  8;   17*,  1. 
Weapons,  2,  26;  11,37. 


West,  17,  17;  17,  23;  34,  37i  35,  51. 

Westley,  20,  55;  20,  61. 

Wheels,  7,  41. 

Whitefield,  20,  55;  20,  61. 

Winepress,  24,  i;    24,  8;    24,  24;    24,  30; 

25,3- 
Wrath,  7,  46. 

Years,  Six  thousand,  11,  17;  20,  15;  22, 
55;  27,  63;  28,  64;  40,  13;  44,  15. 
Sixty,  14,  52.    Two  hundred,  27,  58. 

Zenith,  14,  47;  34,  34. 

Zoas,  the  four,  17,  18;  23,  8;  23,  76;  34, 
45;  35,  28;  40,  13;  42,  7;  44,  18.  Fall 
of  the,  7,  17;  17,  19;  34,38. 


W.  I  TharmaSi  Vi^^ 


'* /Hilton ''  p.  3Z 


57 


CHISWICK   PRESS  :   CHARLES   WHITTINGHAM   AND   CO. 
TOOKS   COURT,    CHANCERY   LANE,    LONDON. 


University  of  California 

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405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

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