ciii
Cromek speaks
I always take my judgment from a Fool
Because his Judgment is so very Cool ;
Not prejudiced by feelings great or small,
Amiable state ! he cannot feel at all.
MS. Book, p. 41. Gil. i. 208. EY i. 223.
1 judgment] judgments Gil., EY. 2 Because . . . Cool] Because
I know he always judges cool. MS. Book 1st rdg. del. judgment is] judgments are EY. 3 or] and Gil. 4 Amiable state] Because we
know MS. Book 1st rdg. del.
civ
1 When you look at a picture, you always can see
If a Man of Sense has Painted he.
Then never flinch, but keep up a jaw
About freedom, and Jenny sink awa'.
5 As when it smells of the lamp, we can
Say all was owing to the Skilful Man ;
For the smell of water is but small :
So e'en let Ignorance do it all.
MS. Book, p. 41. Only in EY i. 223.
4 Jenny sink awa'] Blake's purposely grotesque spelling of 'Je ne sais quoi.' Cp. 'menny wouver' in the next piece. That Blake probably read French with ease may be inferred from his quotation of a passage from Voltaire's Essai sur les mœurs et l'esprit des nations, copied with indignant comment on p. [cxxvii] of his copy of Reynolds' Discourses, 5 we] all
MS. Book 1st rdg. del., EY.
