THE REACTOR & ACTION

Yale Center for British Art

Jerusalem

Detail of Plate 69

The integrity of a man, his identity as an individual human, is the source of action. If one does not behave in accordance with his true inner nature he is dishonest within himself. Blake reserves the word action to what comes from the true man, not from what we might call his persona, his outer shell. 

Albion is not an individual but a representation or image of the total of humanity. Albion's reactor is presented as the force which is reveled when envy divides Albion. Henceforth there is no cohesion within Albion, he is confused. The stage has been set for a new drama to take place: one in which the wholeness of Albion sleeps while his parts continue to divide him through errors in perception.

Jerusalem, Plate 43 [29], (E 191)
"Then the Divine Vision like a silent Sun appeard above
Albions dark rocks: setting behind the Gardens of Kensington
On Tyburns River, in clouds of blood: where was mild Zion Hills
Most ancient promontory, and in the Sun, a Human Form appeard
And thus the Voice Divine went forth upon the rocks of Albion    

I elected Albion for my glory; I gave to him the Nations,
Of the whole Earth. he was the Angel of my Presence: and all
The Sons of God were Albions Sons: and Jerusalem was my joy.
The Reactor hath hid himself thro envy. I behold him.
But you cannot behold him till he be reveald in his System       
Albions Reactor must have a Place prepard: Albion must Sleep
The Sleep of Death, till the Man of Sin & Repentance be reveald.
Hidden in Albions Forests he lurks: he admits of no Reply
From Albion: but hath founded his Reaction into a Law
Of Action, for Obedience to destroy the Contraries of Man.     
He hath compelld Albion to become a Punisher & hath possessd
Himself of Albions Forests & Wilds! and Jerusalem is taken!
The City of the Woods in the Forest of Ephratah is taken!"

The term 'reactor' is used only in the above passage but Blake gives us further information about the use of the term action.

Descriptive Catalogue, (E 543)
 "Antiquity preaches the Gospel of Jesus.  The
reasoning historian, turner and twister of causes and
consequences, such as Hume, Gibbon and Voltaire; cannot with all
their artifice, turn or twist one fact or disarrange self evident
action and reality.  Reasons and opinions concerning acts, are not
history.  Acts themselves alone are history, and these are
neither the exclusive property of Hume, Gibbon nor Voltaire,
Echard, Rapin, Plutarch, nor Herodotus.  Tell me the Acts, O
historian, and leave me to reason upon them as I please; away
with your reasoning and your rubbish.  All that is not action is
not worth reading.  Tell me the What; I do not want you to
tell me the Why, and the How; I can find that out myself, as well
as you can, and I will not be fooled by you into opinions, that
you please to impose, to disbelieve what you think improbable or
impossible.  His opinions, who does not see spiritual agency, is
not worth any man's reading; he who rejects a fact because it is
improbable, must reject all History and retain doubts only."

Descriptive Catalogue, (E 550)
"How do we distinguish one face or 
countenance from another, but by the bounding line and its 
infinite inflexions and movements? What is it that builds a house 
and plants a garden, but the definite and determinate? What is it 
that distinguishes honesty from knavery, but the hard and wirey 
line of rectitude and certainty in the actions and 
intentions.  Leave out this line and you leave out life itself; 
all is chaos again, and the line of the almighty must be drawn 
out upon it before man or beast can exist." 

Vision of Last Judgment, (E 565)
"Some People flatter themselves
that there will be No Last Judgment & that Bad Art will be
adopted & mixed with Good Art That Error or Experiment will make
a Part of Truth & they Boast that it is its Foundation these
People flatter themselves   I will not Flatter them Error is
Created Truth is Eternal Error or Creation will be Burned Up &
then & not till then Truth or Eternity will appear   It is Burnt up
the Moment Men cease to behold it I assert for My self that I do
not behold the Outward Creation & that to me it is hindrance &
not Action it is as the Dirt upon my feet No part of Me." 

Annotations to Lavater, (E 601)
"But as I understand
Vice it is a Negative--It does not signify what the laws of Kings
& Priests have calld Vice we who are philosophers ought not to
call the Staminal Virtues of Humanity by the same name that we
call the omissions of intellect springing from poverty 
     Every mans <leading> propensity ought to be calld his
leading Virtue & his good Angel    But the Philosophy of Causes &
Consequences misled Lavater as it has all his cotemporaries. 
Each thing is its own cause & its own effect   Accident is the
omission of act in self & the hindering of act in another,  This
is Vice but all Act [<from Individual propensity>] is
Virtue.  To hinder another is not an act it is the
contrary it is a restraint on action both in ourselves & in the
person hinderd. for he who hinders another omits his own duty. at
the time 
     Murder is Hindering Another 
     Theft is Hindering Another 
     Backbiting. Undermining Circumventing & whatever is
Negative is Vice 
     But the orgin of this mistake in Lavater & his
cotemporaries, is, They suppose that  Womans Love is Sin.  in
consequence all the Loves & Graces with them are Sin"

Annotations to Watson, (E 613)
"The Man who pretends to be a modest enquirer into the truth of a
self evident thing is a Knave   The truth & certainty of Virtue &
Honesty i.e Inspiration needs no one to prove it   it is Evident
as the Sun & Moon  He who stands doubting of what he
intends whether it is Virtuous or Vicious knows not what Virtue
means. no man can do a Vicious action & think it to be Virtuous.
no man can take darkness for light. he may pretend to do so & may
pretend to be a modest Enquirer. but is a Knave"