pictures, correct and enlarged copies from antique gems, of which the
centre ornament is worthy. He says that it is by far, in his opinion,
the most exact resemblance of Romney he ever saw. I have further-
more the pleasure of informing you that he knew immediately my
portrait of Romney, and assured me that he thought it a very great
likeness.

I wish I could give you a pleasant account of our beloved
Councellor (Rose), he, alas ! was ill in bed when I called yesterday



204 LIFE OF WILLIAM BLAKE. [1804— 1805,

at about 12 o'clock; the servant said that he remains very ill
indeed,

Mr, Walker I have been so unfortunate as not to find at home,
but I will call again in a day or two. Neither Mr, Flaxman nor
Mr, Edwards know Lady Hamilton's address : the house which Sir
William lived in, in Piccadilly, she left some time ago. Mr. Edwards
will procure her address for you, and I will send it immediately.
I have inclosed for you the twenty-two numbers of Fuseli's Shake-
speare that are out, and the book of Italian Letters from Mrs, Flaxman
who with her admirable husband present their best compliments to
you. He is so busy that I believe I shall never see him again but
when I call on him ; for he has never yet, since my return to London,
had the time or grace to call on me. Mrs. Flaxman and her sister
give also their testimony to my likeness of Romney. Mr. Flaxman
I have not yet had an opportunity of consulting about it, but
soon will.

I inclose likewise the Academical Correspondence of Mr. Hoare
the Painter, whose note to me I also inclose. For I did but express
to him my desire of sending you a copy of his work, and the day
after I received it with the note expressing his pleasure in your wish
to see it. You would be much delighted with the man, as I assure
myself you will be with his work.

The plates of Cowper's monument are both in great forwardness
and you shall have proofs in another week. I assure you that I will
not spare pains, and am myself very much satisfied that I shall do
my duty and produce two elegant Plates, There is, however, a great
deal of work on them that must and will have time.

* Busy, busy, busy, I bustle along
Mounted upon warm Phoebus' ray
Thro' the heavenly throng.'

But I hastened to write to you about Mr. Braithwaite. Hope
when I send my proofs to give as good an account of Mr. Walker.

My wife joins me in respects and love to you and desires with
mine to present hers to Miss Poole.

The medallion by Thomas Hayley mentioned above was
eventually given in the Life, but not from Blake's hand. It
was drawn by Maria Denman, Flaxman's sister-in-law, and
engraved by Caroline Watson.



MT. 47—48.] LETTERS TO IIAYLEY. 205

Mr. Hoare here spoken of, was the well-known and
accomplished Prince Hoare, painter and son of a painter,
who studied in Rome under Mengs in 1776, with Fuseli
and Northcote for companions. He was the author of
some twenty slight dramatic pieces, among them the long
popular No Soiig; No Supper, and of many essays on subjects
connected with the Fine Arts ; and was made Foreign Secre-
tary of the Royal Academy in 1799; in which capacity he
published the Extracts from a Correspondence ivith the
Academies of Vienna and St. Petersburg on the Oiltivation
of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alluded to. March
1 2th, Blake writes : —

Dear Sir,

I begin with the latter end of your letter and grieve more for
Miss Poole's ill-health than for my failure in sending the proofs,
though I am very sorry that I cannot send before Saturday's coach.
Engraving is Eternal Work. The two plates are almost finished.
You will receive proofs of them from Lady Hesketh, whose copy of
Cowper's letters ought to be printed in letters of gold and orna-
mented with jewels of Heaven, Havilah, Eden, and all the
countries where jewels abound. I curse and bless Engraving alter-
nately because it takes so much time and is so intractable, though
capable of such beauty and perfection. My wife desires me to
express her love to you, praying for Miss Poole's perfect recovery,
and we both remain,

Your affectionate,

Will. Blake.

The plates mentioned are probably the two tame engrav-
ings already described for the supplementary third volume
of Cowper's Life and Letters.

Which of Romney's works should be chosen to illustrate
his Life was still under discussion. Blake writes': —

April 27ul, 1804.

* * Mr. Flaxman advises that the drawing of Mr. Romney's which
shall be chosen instead of the Witch (if that cannot be recovered) be
Hecate, the figure with the torch and snake, which he thinks one of



206 LIFE OF WILLIAM BLAKE. [1804— 1S05.

the finest drawings. The twelve impressions of each of the plates
which I now send ought to be unrolled immediately that you receive
them and put under somewhat to press them flat. You should have
had fifteen of each, but I had not paper enough in proper order for
printing. There is now in hand a new edition of Flaxman's Homer
with additional designs, two of which I am now engraving. I am
uneasy at not hearing from Mr. Dally, to whom I inclosed ^15
in a letter a fortnight ago, by his desire. I write to him by this post
to inquire about it. Money in these times is not to be trifled with.
I have now cleared the way to Romney, in whose service I now
enter again with great pleasure, and hope soon to show you niy zeal
with good effect. Am in hopes that Miss Poole is recovered, as you
are silent on that most alarming and interesting topic in both your
last letters. God be with you in all things. My wife joins me in
this prayer.

I am, dear Sir,

Your sincerely affectionate,

WiLLM. Blake.

The next letter broaches a scheme of which, since it was
never realized, no more can be said than is told in this, and in
a subsequent letter. But its originator, Richard Phillips, the
' man of vast spirit, enterprise, and solidity,' demands a
passing notice. First a schoolmaster at Chester, then a
bookseller at Leicester, he was among the number of those
prosecuted and imprisoned in 1793 for selling Paine's Rights
of Man. Soon after his release he, having realized a con-
siderable sum by speculating in canal shares, started with the
aid of republican friends, the Monthly Magazine as an organ of
the ' democratic ' party, contributing frequent articles himself
signed ' Common Sense.' He besides embarked first in the
hosiery and then in the bookselling business again, on a large
scale. Three years after the date of the following letter, he
was made one of the Sheriffs of the City of London, and on
presenting an address ' accepted the honour of knighthood
to the great astonishment of his republican friends.' He
became bankrupt shortly after ; but the Magazine was bought
in by friends, and he became its editor.



.ET. 47—48.] LETTERS TO HAYLEY. 20/

April 7th Blake writes : —

Dear Sir,

You can have no idea, unless you were in London as I am,
how much your name is loved and respected. I have the extreme
pleasure of transmitting to you one proof of the respect which you
will be pleased with, and I hope will adopt and embrace. It comes
thro' Mr. Hoare, from Mr. Phillips of St. Paul's Churchyard. It
is, as yet, an entire secret between Mr. P., Mr. H., and myself, and
will remain so till you have given your decision. Mr. Phillips is a
man of vast spirit and enterprize, with a solidity of character which
few have ; he is the man who applied to Cowper for that sonnet in
favour of a prisoner at Leicester, which I believe you thought fit not
to print ; so you see he is spiritually adjoined with us. His connec-
tions throughout England, and indeed Europe and America, enable
him to circulate publications to an immense extent, and he told
Mr. Hoare that on the present work, which he proposes to commence
with your assistance, he can afford to expend ^2,000 a year. Mr.
Phillips considers you as the great leading character in literature, and
his terms to others will amount to only one quarter of what he pro-
poses to you. I send, inclosed, his terms, as Mr. Hoare by my
desire has given them to me in writing. Knowing your aversion to
reviews and reviewing, I consider the present proposal as peculiarly
adapted to your ideas. It may be call'd a Defence of Literature
against those pests of the press, and a bulwark for genius, which
shall, with your good assistance, disperse those rebellious spirits of
Envy and Malignity. In short, if you see it as I see it, you will
embrace this proposal on the score of parental duty. Literature is
your child. She calls for your assistance ! You, who never refuse to
assist any, how remote so ever, will certainly hear her voice. Your
answer to the proposal you will, if you think fit, direct to Mr. Hoare,
who is worthy of every confidence you can place in him,

I am, dear Sir,

Your anxiously devoted

Will. Blake.

Blake seems to have had this scheme of starting a Review
much at heart : —

April 211 h, 1804.

Dear Sir,

I have at length seen Mr. Hoare, after having repeatedly called
on him every day and not finding him. I now understand that he



208 LIFE OF WILLIAM BLAKE. [1804— 1805.

received your reply to P.'s proposal at Brighton, where he has a
residence, from whence he sent it to London to Mr. Phillips ; he has
not seen P. since his return, and therefore cannot tell me how he
understood your answer. Mr. H. appears to me to consider it as a
rejection of the proposal altogether. I took the liberty to tell him
that I could not consider it so, but that as I understood you, you
had accepted the spirit of P.'s intention, which was to leave the
whole conduct of the affair to you, and that you had accordingly
nominated one of your friends and agreed to nominate others. But
if P. meant that you should yourself take on you the drudgery of the
ordinary business of a review, his proposal was by no means a
generous one. Mr. H has promised to see Mr. PhilHps immediately,
and to know what his intentions are ; but he says perhaps Mr. P.
may not yet have seen your letter to him, and that his multiplicity of
business may very well account for the delay. I have seen our
excellent Flaxman lately ; he is well in health, but has had such a
burn on his hand as you had once, which has hindered his working
for a fortnight. It is now better ; he desires to be most affectionately
remembered to you ; he began a letter to you a week ago ; perhaps
by this time you have received it ; but he is also a laborious votary
of endless work. Engraving is of so slow process, I must beg of
you to give me the earliest possible notice of what engraving is to be
done for the Life of Ro?nney. Endless work is the true title of
engraving, as I find by the things I have in hand day and night. We
feel much easier to hear that you have parted with your horse.
Hope soon to hear that you have a living one of brass, a Pegasus of
Corinthian metal ; and that Miss Poole is again in such health as
when she first mounted me on my beloved Bruno, I forgot to
mention that Mr. Hoare desires his most respectful compliments to
you. Speaks of taking a ride across the country to Felpham, as he
always keeps a horse at Brighton. My wife joins me in love to you.

I remain, yours sincerely,

William Blake.

' In engraver's hurry, which is the worst and most unprofit-
able of all hurries,' are the words with which Blake concludes
a brief business note. Yet besides this 'endless work' of
engraving, and the huge labour of producing the Jerusalem
and Milton, also accomplished this year, he continued dili-
gent in collecting serviceable details of Romney's works for



,KT. 47—48.] LETTERS TO HAYLEY. 209

Hayley's slowly progressing Life, as the following letters
show : —

May a,th, 1804.

Dear Sir,

I thank you sincerely for Falconer, an admirable Poet, and
the admirable prints to it by Pettier. Whether you intended it or
. not, they have given me some excellent hints in engraving ; his manner
of working is what I shall endeavour to adopt in many points. I
have seen the elder Mr. Walker. He knew and admired without any
preface, my print of Romney, and when his daughter came in he
gave the print into her hand without a word, and she immediately
said, * Ah ! Romney ! younger than I have known him, hut very like
indeed.^ Mr. Walker showed me Romney's first attempt at oil paint-
ing ; it is a copy from a Dutch picture^Dutch boor smoking ; on the
back is written, ' This was the first attempt at oil painting by
G. Romney.' He shevv'd me also the last performance of Romney.
It is of Mr. Walker and family, the draperies put in by somebody
else. It is a very excellent picture, but unfinished. The figures as
large as life, half length, Mr. W., three sons, and I believe two
daughters, with maps, instruments, &c. Mr. Walker also shew'd me
a portrait of himself (W.), whole length on a canvas about two feet
by one and a half; it is the first portrait Romney ever painted.
But above all, a picture of Lear and Cordelia^ when he awakes and
knows her, — an incomparable production which Mr. W. bought for
five shilhngs at a broker's shop; it is about five feet by four, and
exquisite for expression, indeed it is most pathetic ; the heads of
Lear and Cordelia can never be surpassed, and Kent and the other
attendant are admirable ; the picture is very highly finished. Other
things I saw of Romney's first works, — two copies, perhaps from
Borgognone, of battles ; and Mr. Walker promises to collect all he
can of information for you. I much admired his mild and gentle,
benevolent manners ; it seems as if all Romney's intimate friends
were truly amiable and feeling like himself.

I have also seen Alderman Boydel, who has promised to get the
number and prices of all Romney's prints as you desired. He has
sent a Catalogue of all his Collection, and a Scheme of his Lottery ;
desires his compliments to you, says he laments your absence from
I^ondon, as your advice would be acceptable at all times but especially
at the present. He is very thin and decay 'd, and but the shadow of
what he was ; so he is now a Shadow's Shadow ; but how can we expect
a very stout man at eighty-five, which age he tells me he has now

VOL. \. ^ • r



2IO LIFE OF WILLIAM BLAKE. [1804-1805.

reached ? You would have been pleas'd to see his eyes hght up at
the mention of your name.

Mr. Flaxman agrees with me that somewhat more than outhne is
necessary to the execution of Romney's designs, because his merit is
eminent in the art of massing his Hghts and shades. I should
propose to etch them in a rapid but firm manner, somewhat, perhaps,
as I did the Head of Eulei- ; the price I receive for engraving Flax-
man's outlines of Homer is five guineas each. I send the Domeni-
chino, which is very neatly done. His merit was but little in light
and shade ; outline was his element, and yet these outlines give but a
faint idea of the finished prints from his works, several of the best of
which I have. I send also the French monuments, and inclose with
them a catalogue of Bell's Gallery and another of the Exhibition
which I have not yet seen, I mention'd the pictures from Sterne to
Mr. Walker ; he says that there were several ; one, a garden scene
with uncle Toby and Obadiah planting in the garden ; but that of
Lefevre's Death he speaks of as incomparable, but cannot tell where
it now is, as they were scatter'd abroad, being disposed of by means
of a raffle. He supposes it is in Westmoreland ; promises to make
every inquiry about it. Accept also of my thanks for Cowper's
third volume, which I got, as you directed, of IVIr. Johnson. I have
seen Mr. Rose ; he looks, tho' not so well as I have seen him, yet
tolerably, considering the terrible storm he has been thro' ! He says
that the last session was a severe labour, indeed it must be so to a
man just out of so dreadful a fever. I also thank you for your very
beautiful little poem on the King's recovery; it is one of the prettiest
things I ever read, and I hope the King will live to fulfil the prophecy
and die in peace : but at present, poor man, I understand he is poorly
indeed, and times threaten worse than ever. I must now express my
sorrow and my hopes for our good Miss Poole, and so take my leave
for the present with the joint love of my good woman, who is still
stiff-knee'd but well in other respects.

I am, dear Sir,

Yours most sincerely,

William Blake.

May iZtli, 1804.

Dear Sir,

I thank you heartily for your kind offer of reading, &c. I have
read the book thro' attentively and was much entertain'd and in-
structed, but have not yet come to the Life of Washington. I suppose



-tr. 47—48] LETTERS TO HAYLEY. 211

an American would tell me that Washington did all that was done
before he was born, as the French now adore Buonaparte and the
English our poor George ; so the Americans will consider Washington
as their god. This is only Grecian, or rather Trojan, worship, and
perhaps will be revis'd (?) in an age or two. In the meantime I have
the happiness of seeing the Divine countenance in such men as
Cowper and Milton more distinctly than in any prince or hero.
Mr. Phillips has sent a small poem, he would not tell the author's
name, but desired me to inclose it for you with Washington's Life.

Mr. Carr call'd on me, and I, as you desired, gave him a history
of the reviewing business as far as I am acquainted with it. He
desires me to express to you that he would heartily devote himself to
the business in all its laborious parts, if you would take on you the
direction \ and he thinks it might be done with very little trouble to
you. He is now going to Russia ; hopes that the negotiations for
this business is not wholly at an end, but that on his return he may
still perform his best, as your assistant in it. I have delivered the
letter to Mr. Edwards, who will give it immediately to Lady Hamilton.
Mr. Walker I have again seen ; he promises to collect numerous
particulars concerning Romney and send them to you — wonders he
has not had a line from you ; desires me to assure you of his wish to
give every information in his power. Says that I shall have Lear
and Cordelia to copy if you desire it should be done ; supposes that
Romney was about eighteen when he painted it ; it is therefore
doubly interesting. Mr. Walker is truly an amiable man ; spoke of
Mr. Green as the oldest friend of Romney, who knew most concern-
ing him of any one ; lamented the little diflference that subsisted
between you, speaking of you both with great affection. Mr. Flax-
man has also promised to Vvrite all he knows or can collect concerning
Romney, and send to you. Mr. Sanders has promised to write to
Mr. J. Romney immediately, desiring him to give us liberty to copy
any of his father's designs that. Mr. Flaxman may select for that
purpose ; doubts not at all of Mr. Romney' s readiness to send
any of the cartoons to London you desire ; if this can be done it
will be all that could be wished. I spoke to Mr. Flaxman about
choosing out proper subjects for our purpose ; he has promised to do
so. I hope soon to send you Flaxman's advice upon this article.
When I repeated to Mr. Phillips your intention of taking the books
you want from his shop, he made a reply to the following purpose : —
* I shall be very proud to have Mr. Hayley's name in my books, but
' please to express to him my hope that he will consider me as the

P 2



212 LIFE OF WILLIAM BLAKE. [1S04— 1805.

'sincere friend of Mr. Johnson, who is (I have every reason to say)
' both the most generous and honest man I ever knew, and with
' whose interest I should be so averse to interfere that I should wish
' him to have the refusal first of anything before it should be offered to
* me, as I know the value of Mr. Hayley's connexion too well to interfere
' between my best friend and him.' This Phillips spoke with real
affection, and I know you will love him for it, and will also respect
Johnson the more for such testimony ; but to balance all this I must,
in duty to my friend Seagrave [the Chichester printer] tell you that
Mr. Rose repeated to me his great opinion of Mr. Johnson's integrity
while we were talking concerning Seagrave's printing : it is but justice
therefore, to tell you that I perceive a determination in the London
booksellers to injure Seagrave in your opinion, if possible. Johnson
may be very honest and very generous, too, where his own interest is
concerned, but I must say that he leaves no stone unturn'd to serve
that interest, and often (I think) unfairly ; he always has taken care,
when I have seen him, to rail against Seagrave, and I perceive that
he does the same by Mr. Rose. Mr. Phillips took care to repeat
Johnson's railing to me, and to say that country printers could not
do anything of consequence. Luckily he found fault with the paper
which Cowper's Life is printed on, not knowing that it was furnish'd
by Johnson. I let him run on so far as to say that it was scandalous
and unfit for such a work ; here I cut him short by asking if he knew
who furnish'd the paper, he answered, ' I hope Mr. J. did not.' I
assured him that he did, and here he left off ; desiring me to tell you
that the Life of Washington was not put to press till the 3rd of this
month (May), and on the 13th he had deliver'd a dozen copies at
Stationers Hall, and by the i6th five hundred were out. This is
swift work if literally true, but I am not apt to believe literally what
booksellers say ; and on comparing Cowper with Washington must as-
sert that except paper (which is Johnson's fault) Cowper is far the best,
both as to type and printing. Pray look at Washington as far as
page 177, you will find that the type is smaller than from 177 to 308,
the whole middle of the book being printed with a larger and better
type than the two extremities ; also it is carefully hot-pressed. I say
thus much being urged thereto by Mr. Rose's observing some defects
in Seagrave's work, which I conceive were urged upon him by John-
son : and as to the time the booksellers would take to execute any
work, I need only refer to the little job which Mr. Johnson was to get
done for our friend Dally. He promised it in a fortnight, and it is
now three months and is not yet completed. I could not avoid say-



-ET. 47— 4S.] LETTERS TO HAYLEY, 21



J



ing thus much in justice to our good Seagrave, whose repHes to Mr.
Johnson's aggravating letters have been represented to Mr. Rose in
an unfair Hght, as I have no doubt ; because Mr. Johnson has, at times,
written such letters to me as would have called for the sceptre of Aga-
memnon rather than the tongue of Ulysses, and I will venture to give
it as my settled opinion that if you suffer yourself to be persuaded to
print in London you will be cheated every way ; but, however, as
some little excuse, I must say that in London every calumny and
falsehood utter'd against another of the same trade is thought fair
play. Engravers, Painters, Statuaries, Printers, Poets we are not in a
field of battle but in a City of Assassinations, This makes your lot truly
enviable, and the country is not only more beautiful on account of its
expanded meadows, but also on account of its benevolent minds.
My wife joins with me in the hearty wish that you may long enjoy
your beautiful retirement.

I am, with best respects to Miss Poole, for whose health we
constantly send wishes to our spiritual friends,

Yours sincerely,

William Blake.

P.S. — Mr. Walker says that Mr. Cumberland is right in his reckon-
ing of Romney's age. Mr. W. says Romney was two years older than
himself, consequently was born 1734.

Mr. Flaxman told me that Mr. Romney was three years in Italy;
that he returneu twenty-eight years since. Mr. Humphry, the Painter,
was in Italy the same time with Mr. Romney, Mr. Romney lodged
at Mr. Richter's, Great Newport Street, before he went; took the
house in Cavendish Square immediately on his return ; but as Flax-
man has promised to put pen to paper you may expect a full account
of all he can collect. Mr, Sanders does not know the time when
Mr. R. took or left Cavendish Square house.

In the sequel, Blake's portrait of Romney was laid aside
and the Sketch of a Shipwreck, a fine and characteristic bit of
engraving, was his sole contribution to the Life. Of the re-
maining eleven plates, all, save one, after pictures by Romney,
most were engraved by Caroline Watson, in her very fascinat-
ing style, bold and masterly, yet graceful. The hifant Shake-
speare, Sensibility, Cassandra, Miranda are well known to the
collector. One of the engravings, a poor Head of Christ, is



214 LIFE OF WILLIAM BLAKE. 11804—1805.