This spirit visited his (Blake's) imagination in such a figure as he never anticipated in an insect. As I was anxious to make the most correct investigation in my power of the truth of these visions, on hearing of this spiritual apparition of a Flea, I asked him if he could draw for me the resemblance of what he saw. He instantly said, "I see him now before me." I therefore gave him paper and a pencil, with which he drew the portrait of which a fac-simile is given in this number. I felt convinced, by his mode of proceeding, that he had a real image before him; for he left off, and began on another part of the paper to make a separate drawing of the mouth of the Flea, which the spirit having opened, he was prevented from proceeding with the first sketch till he had closed it. During the time occupied in completing the drawing, the Flea told him that all fleas were inhabited by

GHOST OF A FLEA.

the souls of such men as were by nature blood-thirsty to excess, and were therefore providentially confined to the size and form of insects; otherwise, were he himself, for instance, the size of a horse, he would depopulate a great portion of the country.'

An engraved outline of the Ghost of a Flea was given in the Zodiacal Physiognomy, and also* of one other Visionary Head—that of the Constellation Cancer. The engraving of The Flea has been repeated in the Art Journal for August, 1858, among the illustrations to a brief notice of Blake. The original pencil drawing is in Mr. Linnell's possession. Coloured copies of three of the Visionary Heads-Wallace, Edward the First, and the Ghost of a Flea-were made for Varley, by Mr. Linnell.

THE ACCUSERS.

CHAPTER XXIX.

OPINIONS: NOTES ON REYNOLDS. 1820. [ÆT. 63.]

FROM internal evidence I judge 1820, or thereabout, to have been the date of the Notes to Reynolds' Discourses, already referred to. The present, therefore, is a fit place to give the reader a taste of them, eminently characteristic as they are of the vehement, one-sided enthusiast. In the same indignant strain as that in which the Notes began, commenting on the patronage of his day, is written on the fly-leaf the following curious doggrel:

:

Advice of the Popes who succeeded the Age of Raphael.

Degrade first the Arts if you would mankind degrade;
Hire idiots to paint with cold light and hot shade;

Give high price for the worst, leave the best in disgrace,
And with labour of idleness fill every place.

In plain prose he asks, 'Who will dare to say that "polite Art"

is encouraged, or either wished or tolerated, in a nation where

the Society of Arts suffered Barry to give them his labour for nothing? A Society composed of the flower of the English nobility and gentry, suffering an artist to starve, while he really supported 'what they, under pretence of encouraging, were endeavouring to depress! Barry told me that while he did that,'-painted, namely, the pictures in the Society's Great Room at the Adelphi,-'he lived on bread and apples.

'O! Society for the Encouragement of Art! King and Nobility of England, where have you hid Fuseli's Milton? Is Satan troubled

S

'at his exposure?' alluding to Fuseli's Satan building the Bridge. At the words in Reynolds' Dedication to the King-royal liberality,' he exclaims, Liberality! we want no liberality! we want a fair

price and proportionate value, and a general demand for Art. Let not that nation where less than nobility is the "reward" 'pretend that Art is encouraged by that nation. Art is first in 'intellect, and ought to be first in nations.'

At page 120, Blake tells the following anecdote, bearing on orator Burke's vaunted patronage of Barry: 'Barry painted a picture for Burke equal to Raphael or Michael Angelo, or any of the Italians (!). Burke used to show this picture to his friends, and 'to say, "I gave twenty guineas for this horrible daub, and if 'anyone would give me **"' The remainder of the sentence has been cut off by the binder, but may easily be guessed,' Such was Burke's patronage of Art and Science.' A little further on Blake declares the neglect of Fuseli's Milton, in a country pretending 'to the encouragement of Art, is a sufficient apology for my vigorous indignation: if, indeed, the neglect of my own powers had not 'been. Ought not the employers of fools to be execrated in future 'ages? They will and SHALL! Foolish men! your own real 'greatness depends on the encouragement of the Arts; and your fall will depend on their neglect and depression. What you fear ' is your own interest. Leo the Tenth was advised not to encourage

the Arts. He was too wise to take this advice. The rich men ' of England form themselves into a Society,' (alluding to the British Institution, founded in 1805,) ‘a Society to sell, and not to buy, 'pictures. The artist who does not throw his contempt on such trading Exhibitions does not know either his own interest or his ' own duty

When nations grow old

The Arts grow cold,

And Commerce settles on every tree;

And the poor and the old

Can live upon gold,

For all are born poor.

Aged sixty-three.'

Which concluding enigmatical line indicates, I presume, the age of the annotator at the date of writing.

Again, still alluding to his own case: The inquiry in England is, 'not whether a man has talents and genius, but whether he is 'passive and polite, and a virtuous ass, and obedient to noblemen's

opinions in art and science. If he is, he is a good man; if not, he 'must be starved.'

In a highly personal strain of sarcastic allusion to the favoured portrait-painters of his era, Blake scribbles in verse

Some look to see the sweet outlines

And beauteous forms that Love does wear;
Some look to find out patches, paint,
Bracelets and stays and powdered hair.

And in even more eccentric vein :

When Sir Joshua Reynolds died,

All nature was degraded;

The king dropped a tear

Into the queen's ear,

And all his pictures faded. (!)

Angels of light make sorry wits-handle mere terrestrial weapons of sarcasm and humorous assault in a very clumsy, ineffectual

manner.

'I consider Reynolds' Discourses to the Royal Academy,' our annotator in plainer, if still startling words announces, as the simu'lation of the hypocrite who smiles particularly when he means to betray. His praise of Raphael is like the hysteric smile of revenge; 'his softness and candour the hidden trap and the poisoned feast.