the library-第20章

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plet　in　the　〃Dunciad〃　respecting　books　where


〃　。　。　。　　the　pictures　for　the　page　atone；　And　Quarles　is　saved　by　beauties　not　his　own；〃　…


illustrations；　in　which　the　designer　attempted　the　actual　delineation　of　scenes　or　occurrences　in　the　text；　were　certainly　not　common　when　Pope　wrote；　nor　were　they　for　some　time　afterwards　either　very　numerous　or　very　noteworthy。　　There　are　Hogarth's　engravings　to　〃Hudibras〃　and　〃Don　Quixote；〃　there　are　the　designs　of　his　crony　Frank　Hayman　to　Theobald's　〃Shakespeare；〃　to　Milton；　to　Pope；　to　Cervantes；　there　are　Pine's　〃Horace〃　and　Sturt's　〃Prayer…　Book〃　（in　both　of　which　text　and　ornament　were　alike　engraved）；　there　are　the　historical　and　topographical　drawings　of　Sandby；　Wale；　and　others；　and　yetnotwithstanding　all　theseit　is　with　Bewick's　cuts　to　Gay's　〃Fables〃　in　1779；　and　Stothard's　plates　to　Harrison's　〃Novelist's　Magazine〃　in　1780；　that　book…illustration　by　imaginative　compositions　really　begins　to　flourish　in　England。　　Those　little　masterpieces　of　the　Newcastle　artist　brought　about　a　revival　of　wood…engraving　which　continues　to　this　day；　but　engraving　upon　metal；　as　a　means　of　decorating　books；　practically　came　to　an　end　with　the　〃Annuals〃　of　thirty　years　ago。　　It　will　therefore　be　well　to　speak　first　of　illustrations　upon　copper　and　steel。


Stothard；　Blake；　and　Flaxman　are　the　names　that　come　freshest　to　memory　in　this　connection。　　For　a　period　of　fifty　years　Stothard　stands　pre…eminent　in　illustrated　literature。　　Measuring　time　by　poets；　he　may　be　said　to　have　lent　something　of　his　fancy　and　amenity　to　most　of　the　writers　from　Cowper　to　Rogers。　　As　a　draughtsman　he　is　undoubtedly　weak：　　his　figures　are　often　limp　and　invertebrate；　and　his　type　of　beauty　insipid。　　Still；　regarded　as　groups；　the　majority　of　his　designs　are　exquisite；　and　he　possessed　one　all…pervading　and　un…English　qualitythe　quality　of　grace。　This　is　his　dominant　note。　　Nothing　can　be　more　seductive　than　the　suave　flow　of　his　line；　his　feeling　for　costume；　his　gentle　and　chastened　humour。　　Many　of　his　women　and　children　are　models　of　purity　and　innocence。　　But　he　works　at　ease　only　within　the　limits　of　his　special　powers；　he　is　happier　in　the　pastoral　and　domestic　than　the　heroic　and　supernatural；　and　his　style　is　better　fitted　to　the　formal　salutations　of　〃Clarissa〃　and　〃Sir　Charles　Grandison；〃　than　the　rough　horse…play　of　〃Peregrine　Pickle。〃　　Where　Rowlandson　would　have　revelled；　Stothard　would　be　awkward　and　constrained；　where　Blake　would　give　us　a　new　sensation；　Stothard　would　be　poor　and　mechanical。　　Nevertheless　the　gifts　he　possessed　were　thoroughly　recognised　in　his　own　day；　and　brought　him；　if　not　riches；　at　least　competence　and　honour。　　It　is　said　that　more　than　three　thousand　of　his　drawings　have　been　engraved；　and　they　are　scattered　through　a　hundred　publications。　　Those　to　the　〃Pilgrim's　Progress〃　and　the　poems　of　Rogers　are　commonly　spoken　of　as　his　best；　though　he　never　excelled　some　of　the　old…fashioned　plates　（with　their　pretty　borders　in　the　style　of　Gravelot　and　the　Frenchmen）　to　Richardson's　novels；　and　such　forgotten　〃classics〃　as　〃Joe　Thompson〃；　〃Jessamy；〃　〃Betsy　Thoughtless；〃　and　one　or　two　others　in　Harrison's　very　miscellaneous　collection。

Stothard　was　fortunate　in　his　engravers。　　Besides　James　Heath；　his　best　interpreter；　Schiavonetti；　Sharp；　Finden；　the　Cookes；　Bartolozzi；　most　of　the　fashionable　translators　into　copper　were　busily　employed　upon　his　inventions。　　Among　the　rest　was　an　artist　of　powers　far　greater　than　his　own；　although　scarcely　so　happy　in　turning　them　to　profitable　account。　　The　genius　of　William　Blake　was　not　a　marketable　commodity　in　the　same　way　as　Stothard's　talent。　The　one　caught　the　trick　of　the　time　with　his　facile　elegance；　the　other　scorned　to　make　any　concessions；　either　in　conception　or　execution；　to　the　mere　popularity　of　prettiness。


〃Give　pensions　to　the　learned　pig；　Or　the　hare　playing　on　a　tabor；　Anglus　can　never　see　perfection　But　in　the　journeyman's　labour；〃　…


he　wrote　in　one　of　those　rough…hewn　and　bitter　epigrams　of　his。　　Yet　the　work　that　was　then　so　lukewarmly　receivedif；　indeed；　it　can　be　said　to　have　been　received　at　allis　at　present　far　more　sought　after　than　Stothard's；　and　the　prices　now　given　for　the　〃Songs　of　Innocence　and　Experience；〃　the　〃Inventions　to　the　Book　of　Job；〃　and　even　〃The　Grave；〃　would　have　brought　affluence　to　the　struggling　artist；　who　（as　Cromek　taunted　him）　was　frequently　〃reduced　so　low　as　to　be　obliged　to　live　on　half　a　guinea　a　week。〃　　Not　that　this　was　entirely　the　fault　of　his　contemporaries。　　Blake　was　a　visionary；　and　an　untuneable　man；　and；　like　others　who　work　for　the　select　public　of　all　ages；　he　could　not　always　escape　the　consequence　that　the　select　public　of　his　own；　however　willing；　were　scarcely　numerous　enough　to　support　him。　　His　most　individual　works　are　the　〃Songs　of　Innocence；〃　1789；　and　the　〃Songs　of　Experience；〃　1794。　　These；　afterwards　united　in　one　volume；　were　unique　in　their　method　of　production；　indeed；　they　do　not　perhaps　strictly　come　within　the　category　of　what　is　generally　understood　to　be　copperplate　engraving。　　The　drawings　were　outlined　and　the　songs　written　upon　the　metal　with　some　liquid　that　resisted　the　action　of　acid；　and　the　remainder　of　the　surface　of　the　plate　was　eaten　away　with　aqua…fortis；　leaving　the　design　in　bold　relief；　like　a　rude　stereotype。　　This　was　then　printed　off　in　the　predominant　tone　blue；　brown；　or　yellow；　as　the　case　might　beand　delicately　tinted　by　the　artist　in　a　prismatic　and　ethereal　fashion　peculiarly　his　own。　　Stitched　and　bound　in　boards　by　Mrs。　Blake；　a　certain　number　of　these　leafletstwenty…seven　in　the　case　of　the　first　issuemade　up　a　tiny　octavo　of　a　wholly　exceptional　kind。　　Words　indeed　fail　to　exactly　describe　the　flower…like　beautythe　fascination　of　these　〃fairy　missals；〃　in　which；　it　has　been　finely　said；　〃the　thrilling　music　of　the　verse；　and　the　gentle　bedazzlement　of　the　lines　and　colours　so　intermingle；　that　the　mind　hangs　in　a　pleasant　uncertainty　as　to　whether　it　is　a　picture　that　is　singing；　or　a　song　which　has　newly　budded　and　blossomed　into　colour　and　form。〃　　The　accompanying　woodcut；　after　one　of　the　illustrations　to　the　〃Songs　of　Innocence；〃　gives　some　indication　of　the　general　composition；　but　it　can　convey　no　hint　of　the　gorgeous　purple；　and　crimson；　and　orange　of　the　original。

Of　the　〃Illustrations　to　the　Book　of　Job；〃　1826；　there　are　excellent　reduced　facsimiles　by　the　recently…discovered　photo…intaglio　process；　in　the　new　edition　of　Gilchrist's　〃Life。〃　　The　originals　were　engraved　by　Blake　himself　in　his　strong　decisive　fashion；　and　they　are　his　best　work。　　A　kind　of　deisidaimoniaa　sacred　awe　falls　upon　one　in　turning　over　these　wonderful　productions　of　the　artist's　declining　years　and　failing　hand。


〃Leaving　the　old；　both　worlds　at　once　they　view；　That　stand　upon　the　threshold　of　the　new；〃


sings　Waller；　and　it　is　almost　possible　to　believe　for　a　moment　that　their　creator　was　（as　he　said）　〃under　the　direction　of　messengers　from　Heaven。〃　　But　his　designs　for　Blair's　〃Grave；〃　1808；　popularised　by　the　burin　of　Schiavonetti；　attracted　greater　attention　at　the　time　of　publication；　and；　being　less　rare；　they　are　even　now　perhaps　better　known　than　the　others。　　The　facsimile　here　given　is　from　the　latter　book。　　The　worn　old　man；　the　trustful　woman；　and　the　guileless　child　are　sleeping　peacefully；　but　the　king　with　his　sceptre；　and　the　warrior　with　his　hand　on　his　sword…hilt；　lie　open…eyed；　waiting　the　summons　of　the　trumpet。　　One　cannot　help　fancying　that　the　artist's　long　vigils　among　the　Abbey　tombs；　during　his　apprenticeship　to　James　Basire；　must　have　been　present　to　his　mind　when　he　selected　this　impressive　monumental　subject。

To　one　of　Blake's　few　friendsto　the　〃dear　Sculptor　of　Eternity；〃　as　he　wrote　to　Flaxman　from　Felphamthe　world　is　indebted　for　some　notable　book　illustrations。　　Whether　the　greatest　writersthe　Homers；　the　Shakespeares；　the　Dantescan　ever　be　〃illustrated〃　without　loss　may　fairly　be　questioned。　　At　all　events；　the　showy　dexterities　of　the　Dores　and　Gilberts　prove　nothing　to　the　contrary。　But　now　and　then　there　comes　to　the　graphic　interpretation　of　a　great　author　an　artist　either　so　reve