The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction to the Life and Work of William Blake.
• Illustrations of the Book of Job.
• Plate I. “ Thus Did Job Continually. ”
• Plate II. “ When the Almighty Was Yet With Me, When My Children Were About Me. ”
• Plate III. “ the Fire of God Is Fallen From Heaven. ”
• Plate IV. “ and I Only Am Escaped Alone to Tell Thee. ”
• Plate V. “ Then Went Satan Forth From the Presence of the Lord. ”
• Plate VI. “ and Smote Job With Sore Boils From the Sole of His Foot to the Crown of His Head….”
• Plate VII. “ They Lifted Up Their Eyes Afar Off, and Knew Him Not. ”
• Plate VIII. “ Let the Day Perish Wherein I Was Born ”
• Plate IX. “ Then a Spirit Passed Before My Face. ”
• Plate X. “ the Just, Upright Man Is Laughed to Scorn. ”
• Plate XI. “ With Dreams Upon My Bed Thou Scarest Me, and Affrightest Me With Visions. ”
• Plate XII. “ I Am Young, and Ye Are Very Old, Wherefore I Was Afraid. ”
• Plate XIII. “ Then the Lord Answered Job Out of the Whirlwind. ”
• Plate XIV. “ When the Morning Stars Sang Together, and All the Sons of God Shouted For Joy….”
• Plate XV. “ Behold Now Behemoth, Which I Made With Thee. ”
• Plate XVI. “ Thou Hast Fulfilled the Judgment of the Wicked. ”
• Plate XVII. “ and My Servant Job Shall Pray For You. ”
• Plate XVIII. “ and My Servant Job Shall Pray For You. ”
• Plate XIX. “ Every One Also Gave Him a Piece of Money. ”
• Plate XX. “ There Were Not Found Women Fair As the Daughters of Job In All the Land. ”
• Plate XXI. “ So the Lord Blessed the Latter End of Job More Than the Beginning. ”

PLATE V.

“The fifth is a wonderful design. Job and his wife still sit side by side, the closer for their misery, and still, out of the little left to them, give alms to those poorer than themselves. The angels of their love and resignation are ever with them on either side; but above, again the unseen heaven lies open. There sits throned that Almighty figure, filled now with inexpressible pity, almost with compunction. Around him his angels shrink away in horror; for now the fires which clothe them—the very fires of God—are compressed in the hand of Satan into a phial for the devoted head of Job himself. Job is to be tried to the utmost; only his life is withheld from the tormentor.” So writes Mr. Rossetti: but, though I hesitate to differ from him in interpretation, it seems to me that there is a clear distinction between the fires that surround Satan, and which he pours on the head of Job, and the flames of light with which the shrinking angels are clothed; and they, indeed, seem to shrink away, not so much in compassionate horror, as in dread of contact with the deathless fires in which Satan burns. The circle of light behind the Lord is half eclipsed. It is a piece of remarkable engraving.