Blake's "Science"

B la k e 's "S cien ce" M A R K L . G R E E N B E R G ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA O n th e tw elfth p la te o f QPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA J e r u s a le m Bla ke d em on str a tes th e fu n ction o f scien ce in th e fa llen w o r ld , a s Los fixes "System s, p er m a n en t"zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHG b ymathe maticpowe r Giving a b od yto Falshood that it may b ecast off for e ve r. With Demonstrative Science piercing Apollyon with his own bow!1 To th e r igh t o f th ese lin es a N ew to n figu r e en ga ges in "D em on str a tive Sci­ en ce," m ea su r in g a n d d ivid in g gr id s on a glob e. Th e glo b es sou th p ole tr a ils a vo r tex, th e fu n d a m en ta l str u ctu r e o f m a tter a cco r d in g to D es­ ca r tes.2 A few lin es la ter on th e sa m e p la te, Los r esolves to cr ea te str u c­ tu r es w h ich fo r m a lize th e vo id a cco m p a n yin g th e F a ll. Los m a n ifests h is d ecision b y b u ild in g G o lgo n o o za , th e city o f a r t a n d m a n u fa ctu r e, w ith fa llen h u m a n em otion s a n d w o r d s —in sh or t, w ith w h a t r em a in s: The stones are pity, and the bricks, well wrought affections: The mortar & cement of the work, tears of honesty: the nails, And the screws & iron braces, are well wrought blandishments, And well contrived words, firm fixing, never forgotten. (30, 33-35; p. 154) O n th is p la te, th en , Bla ke con fla tes la n gu a ge a n d w o r d s, a s in ter m ed ia te str u ctu r es o f r ed em p tion , w ith a n oth er p oten tia l a gen cy o f sa lva tio n , sci­ en ce. M a r tin K. N u r m i, D o n a ld D . Au lt, a n d , m ost r ecen tly, N elson H il­ ton a n d Stu a r t P eter fr eu n d h a ve exa m in ed Bla ke's r ela tion sh ip w ith co n ­ tem p o r a r y scien tific id ea s, w ith D esca r tes a n d N ew to n .3 1 w o u ld like to exten d th e d iscu ssion to in clu d e a n oth er r ela ted socia l fo r ce to w h ich 115 116 / kjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA G R E E N B E R G Bla ke r esp on d ed va r io u sly a n d vigo r o u sly: th e m u ltip le a n d d yn a m ica lly sh iftin g m ea n in gs o f "scien ce" d u r in g Bla k es lifetim e. Th ey to o fa scin a ted th e p o et fo r w h o m la n gu a ge b o th em b od ied in com p lete h u m a n co m m u n i­ ca tio n a n...