Page:The Library, volume 5, series 3.djvu/257

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OF WILLIAM BLAKE.
245
The most beautiful, the Roman warriors trembled before and worshipped;

The most strong they melted before and dissolved in his presence;

The most ugly they fled with outcries and contortions of their limbs.

The picture represents these three beings fighting with the Romans; but we prefer to let the artist speak of his own works. [Crabb Robinson proceeds to quote the 'yet darker commentary on this dark passage,' the long account of the picture in the 'Descriptive Catalogue' which need not be quoted here. On the other hand, the Triads are not quoted in the 'Descriptive Catalogue' but are quoted in the above form in what is described by Gilchrist, who gives only a fragment of the document, as 'a curious waif, bearing a record of this exhibition… a printed programme, dated in Blake's autograph, May 15, 1809, and directed to Ozias Humphrey; containing one page of print preceded by an elaborate title-page.' I have been unable to trace a copy of this work, or to find it reprinted entire, but I feel little doubt that the very interesting prose passage quoted from the letter on which Crabb Robinson has scribbled quotations from 'Europe' and 'America' etc., the address of Blake's Exhibition in Golden Square, and the date May (?) 15th, 1809, are all derived from this programme. This date is very indistinct, and might be intended for August 15th, but the occurrence on the programme of the date May 15th and of the Triads is proof that the true reading is May, virtually also proof that the prose