On F—— & S——

by William Blake

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Blake manuscript - Notebook 1808 - 31 On F & S

Edited text:^[1]

To F[laxman] and S[tothard]

I FOUND^[2] them blind: I taught them how to see;
And now they know neither themselves nor me.
’Tis excellent to turn a thorn to a pin,
A fool to a bolt, a knave to a glass of gin.

The original text:^[3]

On F—— & S——

I found them blind I taught them how to see
And now they know neither themselves nor me
Tis Excellent to turn a thorn to a pin
A Fool to a bolt a knave to a glass of gin

Notes

1. The Poetical Works of William Blake, including the unpublished French Revolution together with the Minor Prophetic Books and Selections from The Four Zoas, Milton & Jerusalem; edited with an introduction and textual notes by John Sampson, Hon. D.Litt. Oxon., 1862–1931. London, New York: Oxford University Press, 1908.
2. 1. XIII Title] The words ‘and S.’ are an addition. I them] him MS. 1st rdg. del. 2 they know … themselves] he knows … himself MS. 1st rdg. del. Blake introduces this couplet into his Descriptive Catalogue (1809).
3. "The Complete Poetry & Prose of William Blake", ed. by David V. Erdman, Anchor Books, 1988, p. 508.