Page:Life of William Blake 2, Gilchrist.djvu/184

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SELECTIONS FROM BLAKE'S WRITINGS.

VI.

The errors of a wise man make your rule,
Rather than the perfections of a fool.


VII.

Some people admire the work of a fool,
For it's sure to keep your judgment cool:
It does not reproach you with want of wit;
It is not like a lawyer serving a writ.


VIII.

He's a blockhead who wants a proof of what he can't perceive,
And he's a fool who tries to make such a blockhead believe.


IX.

If e'er I grow to man's estate,
O give to me a woman's fate.
May I govern all both great and small,
Have the last word, and take the wall!


X.

Her whole life is an epigram—smack, smooth, and nobly penn'd,
Plaited quite neat to catch applause, with a strong noose at the end.


XI.

To forgive enemies Hayley does pretend,
Who never in his life forgave a friend.


XII.

You say reserve and modesty he has
Whose heart is iron, his head wood, and his face brass.
The fox, the owl, the spider, and the bat
By sweet reserve and modesty grow fat.