Page:The poetical works of William Blake; a new and verbatim text from the manuscript engraved and letterpress originals (1905).djvu/304

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258
Rossetti MS.


Was Jesus Chaste? or did He Give any lessons of Chastity? The Morning blushed fiery red : Mary was found in Adulterous bed ; 4 Earth groan'd beneath, and Heaven above Trembled at discovery of Love. Jesus was sitting in Moses' Chair. They brought the trembling woman there. 8 Moses commands she be ston'd to death. What was the sound of Jesus' breath ? He laid His hand on Moses' Law ; The ancient heavens, in silent awe, 12 Writ with Curses from Pole to Pole, All away began to roll. The Earth trembling and Naked lay In secret bed of Mortal Clay ; 16 On Sinai felt the hand Divine Pulling back the bloody shrine ; And she heard the breath of God, As she heard by Eden's flood : 20 ' Good and Evil are no more ! Sinai's trumpets cease to roar ! Cease, finger of God, to write ! The Heavens are not clean in thy sight. 24 Thou art good, and Thou alone ; Nor may the sinner cast one stone. MS. Book, pp. 48, 49, 50, 51. Lines 7-16, 19, 20, 27-32, 39-50, 53-64, with the Prologue, were first printed by DGR under the title ' The Woman taken in Adultery.' Swinb., pp. 152-154, 168, 169, 261, prints II. 1-80, 83-96. WMR makes 11. 1-80 his third division, and places 11. 91,92, 81-90, 93-96 among parts of /S and 7'^ as his fourth division of the poem. EY and WBY print in full, the latter putting this passage before f.

of] in EY, WBY. 7 was sitting] sat DGR. 8 trembling] 

adulterous R'. 17, 18 DGR omits. 17 felt] fell EY, WBY.

Pulling] Pulling [or ? Putting] Swinb.; Putting WMR, EY, WBY. 

20 heard by] heard it by DGR. 21-26 Good . . . stone] DGR omits.