Plate 55

When those who disregard all Mortal Things, saw a Mighty-One Among the Flowers of Beulah still retain his awful strength They wonderd; checking their wild flames & Many gathering Together into an Assembly; they said, let us go down And see these changes! Others said, If you do so prepare For being drived from our fields, what have we to do with the Dead? To be their inferiors or superiors we equally abhor; Superior, none we know: inferior none: all equal share Divine Benevolence & joy, for the Eternal Man Walketh among us, calling us his Brothers & his Friends: Forbidding us that Veil which Satan puts between Eve & Adam By which the Princes of the Dead enslave their Votaries Teaching them to form the Serpent of precious stones & gold To sieze the Sons of Jerusalem & plant them in One Mans Loins To make One Family of Contraries: that Joseph may be sold Into Egypt: for Negation; a Veil the Saviour born & dying rends.

But others said: Let us to him who only Is, & who Walketh among us, give decision. bring forth all your fires!

So saying, an eternal deed was done: in fiery flames The Universal Conc[l]ave raged, such thunderous sounds as never Were sounded from a mortal cloud, nor on Mount Sinai old Nor in Havilah where the Cherub rolld his redounding flame.

Loud! loud! the Mountains lifted up their voices, loud the Forests Rivers thunderd against their banks, loud Winds furious fought Cities & Nations contended in fires & clouds & tempests. The Seas raisd up their voices & lifted their hands on high The Stars in their courses fought. the Sun! Moon! Heaven! Earth. Contending for Albion & for Jerusalem his Emanation And for Shiloh, the Emanation of France & for lovely Vala.

Then far the greatest number were about to make a Separation And they Elected Seven, calld the Seven Eyes of God; Lucifer, Molech, Elohim, Shaddai, Pahad, Jehovah, Jesus. They namd the Eighth. he came not, he hid in Albions Forests But first they said: (& their Words stood in Chariots in array Curbing their Tygers with golden bits & bridles of silver & ivory)

Let the Human Organs be kept in their perfect Integrity At will Contracting into Worms, or Expanding into Gods And then behold! what are these Ulro Visions of Chastity[!] Then as the moss upon the tree: or dust upon the plow: Or as the sweat upon the labouring shoulder: or as the chaff Of the wheat-floor or as the dregs of the sweet wine-press Such are these Ulro Visions, for tho we sit down within The plowed furrow, listning to the weeping clods till we Contract or Expand Space at will: or if we raise ourselves Upon the chariots of the morning. Contracting or Expanding Time! Every one knows, we are One Family! One Man blessed for ever

Silence remaind & every one resumd his Human Majesty And many conversed on these things as they labourd at the furrow Saying: It is better to prevent misery, than to release from misery It is better to prevent error, than to forgive the criminal: Labour well the Minute Particulars, attend to the Little-ones: And those who are in misery cannot remain so long If we do but our duty: labour well the teeming Earth.

They Plow'd in tears, the trumpets sounded before the golden Plow And the voices of the Living Creatures were heard in the clouds of heaven Crying: Compell the Reasoner to Demonstrate with unhewn Demonstrations Let the Indefinite be explored. and let every Man be judged By his own Works, Let all Indefinites be thrown into Demonstrations To be pounded to dust & melted in the Furnaces of Affliction: He who would do good to another, must do it in Minute Particulars General Good is the plea of the scoundrel hypocrite & flatterer: For Art & Science cannot exist but in minutely organized Particulars And not in generalizing Demonstrations of the Rational Power. The Infinite alone resides in Definite & Determinate Identity Establishment of Truth depends on destruction of Falshood continually On Circumcision: not on Virginity, O Reasoners of Albion

So cried they at the Plow. Albions Rock frowned above And the Great Voice of Eternity rolled above terrible in clouds Saying Who will go forth for us! & Who shall we send before our face?