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 XII.

“In this subject there comes at last some sign of soothing change. The sky, till now full of sunset and surging cloud, in which the stones of the ruined home looked as if they were still burning, has here given birth to the large, peaceful stars, and under them the young Elihu begins to speak: ‘Lo! all these things worketh God oftentimes with man to bring forth his soul from the pit.’ The expression of Job, as he sits with folded arms, beginning to be reconciled, is full of delicate, familiar nature; while the look of the three unmerciful friends, in their turn reproved, has something in it almost humorous.” The figure of the wife of Job, still bowed, her face still hidden, but in an attitude of calm, should be compared with the representation of her in preceding plates, especially Plate VIII., to mark Blake’s power of expressing, through the action of the body, various and subtilely distinguished moods of feeling. The frame-work of floating spirits is of peculiar grace and beauty.