"Thus Swedenborg boasts that what he writes is new, though it is only the contents or index of already published books. . . .
"Now hear a plain fact: Swedenborg has not written one new truth.
"Now hear another: He has written all the old falsehoods.
"And now hear another: He conversed with angels, who are all religious, and conversed not with devils, who all hate religion [angels are really devils, God is the devil, and vice versâ; popular religions are blasphemous and atheistic; here and elsewhere in Blake]; for he was incapable, through his conceited notions.
"Thus Swedenborg's writings are a recapitulation of all superficial opinions, and an analysis of the more sublime, but no further.
"Hear now another plain fact: Any man of mechanical talents may, from the writings of Paracelsus or Jacob Behmen, produce ten thousand volumes of equal value with Swedenborg's; and from those of Dante or Shakespeare, an infinite number. But when he has done this, let him not say that he knows better than his master, for he only holds a candle in sunshine."
This is mild and sweet with a vengeance. In the "Life" are some extracts from the Reminiscences of Mr. Crabb Robinson (based on his Journals), who was introduced to Blake at the close of 1825. One of these notes of Blake's conversation (1. 340) modifies the passages just cited:—
"Incidentally, Swedenborg was mentioned: he declared him to be a divine teacher; he had done, and would do much good; yet he did wrong in endeavouring to explain to the reason what it could not comprehend. He seemed to consider—but that was not clear—the visions of Swedenborg and Dante as of the same kind. Dante was the greater poet [rather!]"
The student must elect between these verdicts of the visionary poet-artist, between the judgment of the noblest work of his prime, and the conversation when he was close upon threescore and ten.
