To F—— (You call me Mad tis Folly to do so)

by William Blake

Blake manuscript - Notebook 1808 - 34 To F (You call me Mad)

Edited text:^[1]

To F[laxman]

YOU call me mad, ’tis folly to do so,
To seek to turn a madman to a foe.
If you think as you speak, you are an ass;
If you do not, you are but what^[2]you was.

________________________________________

The original text:^[3]

To F——

You call me Mad tis Folly to do so
To seek to turn a Madman to a Foe
If you think as you speak you are an Ass
If you do not you are but what you was

Notes

1. The Poetical Works of William Blake, including the unpublished French Revolution together with the Minor Prophetic Books and Selections from The Four Zoas, Milton & Jerusalem; edited with an introduction and textual notes by John Sampson, Hon. D.Litt. Oxon., 1862–1931. London, New York: Oxford University Press, 1908.
2. but what] just what MS. 1st rdg. del.
3. "The Complete Poetry & Prose of William Blake", ed. by David V. Erdman, Anchor Books, 1988, p. 508.