,illustration        ,the    ,triumph   
,of    ,the    ,innocents               
,,london                                
#ahhe                                   
,illustration                           
,,the ,,triumph ,,of ,,the ,,innocents  
,,epitome      ,the flight into ,egypt  
,i have assumed to have occurred about  
sixteen  months after the birth of      
,jesus4 ,guided by ,christian tradition1
 and  holding the birth of our ,lord to 
have taken place in ,december1 it       
follows that the period which ,i have   
assigned to the ,flight into ,egypt  is 
the second ,april in ,his life4         
,during the spring-time1 rich in flowers
 and first-fruits1 the ,,holy           
,,travellers are represented as passing 
across the ,philistine plain on  the    
road to ,gaza at a distance of about    
thirty miles from their point  of       
departure4 ,the night is far spent4     
,while the declining moon sheds  its    
last rays on the natural objects in the 
picture1 unearthly light  reveals the   

embodied spirits of the martyred        
,innocents advancing in  procession4    
,the ,virgin is seated on a she-ass of  
the breed now known as the ,mecca  race1
 and the foal follows its mother1 as is 
seen to this day in the  ,east4 ,signal 
firesstill lit in ,syria in time of     
troubleare burning  on the slope looking
 down from the tableland4 ,st4 ,joseph  
is watching  these fires intent on      
discovering any signs that may present  
themselves  of a movement of soldiery   
upon the road4 ,of the trees that enrich
  the landscape1 the nearest ones       
shelter a water-wheel used for the      
irrigation of the land4 ,the more remote
 group clusters round a village1  with  
its few huts visible by the lights that 
burn within4 ,having left  the colder   
climate of the high country1 then       
thickly populated and  well cultivated1 
the fugitives have descended into the   
rich and more  balmy atmosphere of the  
plain4 ,as they advance nearer and      
nearer to a  place of safety they feel  

the blessed relief of a sense of peace  
after  disturbance and terror4          
,conscious of the divine mercy1 the     
heart of ,mary rejoicing over her       
rescued son1 feels compassion for the   
murdered ,innocents1 and for  the       
childless mothers less happy and less   
honoured than herself4 ,it  is at this  
moment when the ,virgin has been        
replacing the garments  in which the    
infant had been hurriedly wrapped at the
 time of the  escape from ,bethlehem1   
that ,jesus recognises the spirits of   
the slain  ,innocents1 ,his little      
neighbours of ,bethlehem1 children like 
,himself4  ,they reveal the signs of    
their martyrdom4 ,garlanded for the     
sacrifice1  bearing branches and        
blossoms of trees1 they progressively   
mark their  understanding of the glory  
of their service4 ,an infant spirit     
isolated  in wonder finds no mark of    
harm1 where the sword wounded him1      
permitted  to appear on his glorified   
body4 ,behind in the air are the babes  

as yet  hardly awakened to the new life4
 ,in differing revelations of sorrow    
they show the influence of earthly      
terror and suffering still impressed    
upon them4 ,towards the front are other 
spirits of children triumphing  in      
completer knowledge of their service4   
,one of them in priestly office  leads  
the band4 ,those who follow cast down   
their tokens of martyrdom  in the path  
of their recognised ,lord4 ,others      
encircle the travel-worn  foal1 wearily 
following its mother1 and so bring it up
 to the onward  group4 ,the shallow     
stream over which the procession passes1
 reflecting  the quiet beauty of the    
night sky1 is unruffled except by the   
steps  of ,joseph4 ,the flood upon which
 the spiritual children advance forms  a
 contrast to this1 by being in motion4  
,the living fountains of  waterthe      
streams of eternal lifefurnish this1    
mystically portrayed  as ever rolling   
onward4 ,instead of being dissipated in 
natural vapour1  the play of its        

wavelets takes the form of airy globes  
which image the  ,jewish belief in the  
millennium that is to follow the advent 
of the  ,messiah4                       
,,description ,,in ,,detail4            
8,behold1 the angel of the ,lord        
appeareth to ,joseph in a dream1        
saying1 ,arise1 and take the young child
 and his mother1 and      flee into     
,egypt1 and be thou there until ,i bring
 thee word3      for ,herod will seek   
the young child to destroy him4 ,when he
      arose1 he took the young child and
 his mother by night1 and      departed 
into ,egypt3 and was there until the    
death of ,herod3      that it might be  
fulfilled which was spoken of the ,lord 
by the      prophet1 saying1 ,out of    
,egypt have ,i called my son4 ,then     
,herod1      when he saw that he was    
mocked of the wise men1 was exceeding   
wroth1 and sent forth1 and slew all the 
children that were      in ,bethlehem1  
and in all the coasts thereof1 from two 
years      old and under1 according to  

the time which he had diligently        
inquired of the wise men4 ,then was     
fulfilled that which was      spoken by 
,jeremy the prophet1 saying1 ,in ,rama  
was there a voice      heard1           
lamentation1 and weeping1 and great     
mourning1 ,rachel      weeping for her  
children1 and would not be comforted1   
because      they are not40      ,the   
,flight into ,egypt is generally        
believed in the ,west to have  occurred 
a few days after the birth of our ,lord4
 ,the ,eastern ,churches  on the other  
hand extend the interval which is       
supposed to have elapsed  to a period of
 nearly two years4    ,the              
considerations which influenced the     
choice of age for the ,saviour  in the  
picture are therefore not simply        
artistic4 ,the view of the  ,eastern    
,churches can scarcely be rejected with 
reasonable regard to the  circumstances 
of the visit of the ,magi1 and of the   
terms of ,herod's  fiat for the murder  
of the male children of two years old   

and under1  8according to the time which
 he had diligently inquired of the wise 
men40 ,in the ,gospel of ,st4 ,luke1    
however1 it is said that after the      
,purification in the ,temple1 which was 
forty days after the birth1 ,st4        
,joseph and the ,holy ,virgin returned  
to ,nazareth with the ,child1 and  that 
there1 speaking in general terms after  
the accomplished fact1  ,jesus grew up4 
,an apparent discrepancy is thus pointed
 out by some  critics1 but it is one    
such as often presents itself in all    
honest  evidence of facts2 and the      
report in ,st4 ,matthew simply requires 
it to  be understood that the ,holy     
,family came back again to ,bethlehem   
from  ,nazareth4 ,indeed1 the residence 
in the latter city does not seem to     
have been chosen as a permanent one1    
for1 on the return from ,egypt1  it was 
only accepted because safety was still  
not so certain in the  dominion of      
,archelaus4 ,the motive which had       
operated in bringing ,st4  ,joseph and  

the ,virgin to ,bethlehem from the      
north1 before the birth  of our ,lord1  
is generally understood to be the       
securing of claim1  under the enrolment 
of ,quirinius1 to the genealogy1 and    
perhaps to  some share of family        
inheritance4 ,this would operate more   
powerfully  after the birth of ,jesus in
 influencing the parents to make the    
city  of ,david their permanent home4   
,there is therefore no contradiction    
between the two ,gospels1 but the       
comparison of the evidence given by  the
 two ,evangelists in my mind strongly   
establishes the view of the  ,eastern   
,churches1 that the ,saviour's birth    
took place more than one  year earlier  
than the flight4 ,herod's estimate of   
the age of ,him who  was born ,king of  
the ,jews was not made without careful  
calculation of  the date from the birth1
 so as fully to include the ,child whom 
he had  determined to destroy1 that he  
might thus1 like the typical politician 
of the great reader of human nature1    

8,circumvent ,god10    and it follows   
accordingly that ,jesus was not fully   
two years of age4    ,whatever reserve  
of feeling there may be towards a       
reading which  conveys a disputable view
 of a fact in ,holy ,writ1 let it be    
remembered  that an artist treating a   
subject in which such is offered cannot 
delay to make his choice4 ,the first    
part of his study in making his  design 
is to form a theory in harmony with the 
intention of the records  illustrated1  
as read by the fullest light1 and to    
leave an exploded  theory with          
confidence that his rendering will be   
approved as either  correct or          
unobjectionable4 ,in this case no       
special pleading is needed1  seeing that
 ,st4 ,augustine puts the ,massacre of  
the ,innocents in  connection with the  
,passover4 ,perhaps he regarded it as an
 antithesis  to the slaying of the      
first-born in ,egypt1 and understood the
 quotation  by ,st4 ,matthew from       
,hosea1 8,out of ,egypt have ,i called  

my son10 as  having a fuller purpose    
than at first appears4 ,in any case he  
regarded  the festival as not fixing the
 date of the massacre1 and the fact     
argues that neither the date given in   
the ,western ,church for the            
commemoration1 nor in the ,greek        
,church1 is understood as the date of   
the sacrifice of the first ,christian   
,martyrs4    ,the journey has been      
across the mountains from ,bethlehem    
towards ,gaza4  ,the birth-place of     
,christ is on the further side of the   
range1 about  five miles beyond the     
highest elevation1 somewhat to the right
 of the  point where the star is rising 
above the distant curve of the hill2    
the nearer mountains are about #a1ejj   
feet in height4 ,these1 with            
intervening valleys1 are further on in  
the highlands overtopped by  rolling    
waves of the limestone rocks until they 
reach the watershed of  the country1    
which is about #b1djj feet in height4   
,bethlehem lies beyond  this #ejj feet  

lower1 on a spur overlooking the eastern
 country1 thus  falling gradually to the
 plain of the ,dead ,sea4    ,the ass is
 of the ,mecca raceso called from the   
fact that they are  brought from the    
,arab city of pilgrimage as descendants 
from one which  ,mohammed rode4 ,they   
were necessarily always costly1 being   
much sought  for on account of their    
power of endurance1 and their           
surefootedness4  ,it is quite within    
licence to assume that ,st4 ,joseph may 
have provided  himself with such an     
animal for his journeys4 ,the route     
taken has been  by bye-paths across the 
mountains and fields to the plain with  
beaten  tracks from all other cities to 
,gaza1 which1 once passed1 will put the 
fugitives in safety4    ,in eluding     
,herod's cruel decree1 ,st4 ,joseph     
would have made his route  as far from  
the state highway as possible4 ,the     
distance still to be  traversed is about
 ten miles4 ,the ,flight into ,egypt is 
one of the first  events in the life of 

,christ which marked the power of the   
,prince of  this world1 whom ,jesus     
,christ had come to combat and to       
conquer1 by  innocence and suffering4   
,in ,bethlehem the ,holy ,family1 as is 
still the custom1 had lain down  soon   
after dusk1 and doubtless the intimation
 by dream was given while  the          
protection of night still offered the   
longest opportunity of  escape4 ,it was 
a voice ringing out its warning after   
the dreamer had  started up in the      
darkness1 8,arise1 and take the young   
child and his  mother and flee into     
,egypt40 ,the ,rabbinical writers speak 
of the time  anterior to the day of the 
expected ,messiah as destitute of       
marvels  and miracles1 these having     
ceased since the death of ,simon the    
,justa  period of nearly two hundred    
yearsand about this date an age of      
spiritual activity is witnessed to by   
them4 ,wonders in the heavens  and on   
the earth occur1 although not of the    
stupendous kind that had  been expected1

 and which later the ,doctors demanded  
of ,christ4 ,dreams  of ,divine         
inspiration are mentioned out of the    
,gospels as frequently  affecting the   
fate of men4 ,st4 ,joseph had a spirit  
of profound  obedience to heavenly      
authority4 ,the ,founder of ,islamism   
declared that  among all the ancient    
prophets none was greater than ,jonah4  
,to me it  seems that among the saints  
in the group which fostered the         
,christian  ,church during its first    
perils1 none was greater than ,joseph1  
and this  for an opposite reason4 ,he   
had the very soul of submission and     
faith1  bearing all evil report and     
contumely without resentment when once  
he  had been assured that the ,heavenly 
,father's purpose needed this4 ,it      
seems to us no confession of weakness in
 this claim for the first of  the       
,fathers of ,christianity to state here 
that ,st4 ,joseph was last  of all the  
band of guardians of the infant ,church1
 recognised in its  established days as 

a saint4 ,it is a further proof of his  
humility1 and  of that true trust in    
right doing which leaves all            
after-issues to ,god1  when his command 
sanctifies a course4 8,pray that your   
flight be not on  the ,sabbath1 nor in  
the winter10 may have been said with    
some family  memory of the troubles     
suffered on the escape from ,herod's    
cunning4  ,in ,april short storms of    
severity occur2 the writer has seen on  
the  eighth day of this month snow three
 inches deep which had fallen during    
the night4 ,the picture gives snow on   
the heights1 and to be consistent  the  
beginning of their journey would have   
been under a cloud-covered  sky4 ,dark  
and forbidding would have been the scene
 as the travellers  emerged from the    
town 7walled1 in part at least1 since   
remains of such  are still traceable    
near the tomb of the mother of ,benoni7 
the wind  blustering through the exposed
 valleys and scouring over the heights1 
the anger of heaven and earth alike     

dictating stealth and silencing all     
converse4    ,in succeeding generations 
fancy decorated the story with many     
legends1  but although these are often  
innocent1 and even poetic beyond the    
ordinary mark of the apocryphal ,gospel 
narratives1 they are all avoided  in    
this conception4 ,here no legend is     
taken for authority4 ,the attempt  is to
 put together the detached links of the 
story1 and ,i rely only  upon my        
personal knowledge of the country and   
climate1 acquired by many  years of     
residence throughout all its seasons1 to
 understand how the  sorrows of that    
night would be intensified by the angry 
elements4    ,the looking back upon a   
home from which a family is driven by   
oppression has ever been regarded as a  
motive for compassion1 and to  this     
calamity the ,holy ,family had to       
submit4 ,the heights to the south  of   
8,beit ,jala0by some writers recognised 
as ,ramagive an extended  view1 the     
mountains of ,moab far away to the east1

 and the ,dead ,sea  below1 the great   
plain of ,philistia down in the west4 ,a
 storm thence  seen produces the        
impression of sublime purpose4 ,the     
lightning gathers  beyond the great     
hollow which includes ,jericho and the  
lost ,sodom  and ,gomorrah1 and then    
wavers1 as the fingers of a mighty      
player  upon the keys of a musical      
instrument1 collecting the errant forces
  of the air1 and tremulous with dancing
 flame in the south over the  extending 
table-land it seems to linger as though 
searching the plain  of ,philistia for  
its special mark1 and there darts down  
in fury2 but  the sword which was to    
pierce the breast of the mother1        
8blessed withal  above all women10 was  
of man's forging4 ,according to our     
order of  events the noisy elements     
would not have endured long1 for soon   
the  peaceful snow followed falling with
 its wandering flakes4 ,it would be     
then that the cry would sound1 which    
,st4 ,matthew quotes ,jeremiah to       

describe1 8,in ,rama was there a voice  
heard1 lamentation1 and weeping  and    
great mourning1 ,rachel weeping for her 
children1 and would not be  comforted   
because they are not40 ,we are not      
debarred from thinking that  the mother 
suffered some of her pain in the wonder 
natural to humanity1  that the powers of
 evil should be able thus to prevail    
over the pure  and the righteous4    ,it
 is natural to follow the mind of the   
mother in such distraction  of love1    
while the wintry mountains are          
traversed1 and the fugitives  descend   
into the rich plain with its genial     
breath1 the more placid  from the       
cleared sky4 ,we can understand the     
comfort that would be  prayed fora      
higher ,knowledge of the ,divine        
mercyand we can conceive  how this came 
to her through her pure maternal        
charity1 in the form of  ever increasing
 tender regard for the woes of the      
children torn from  their mothers'      
breasts for ever1 and of the bereaved   

childless women  mourning their dearest 
ones4 ,she searches her much harassed   
mind to  find consolation for the       
weeping neighbours of her home4 ,the    
party pass  through the rich            
corn-fields1 among villages of peaceful 
slumberers4  ,the whole air is balmy and
 soothing4 ,they feel the comfort of    
peace  after a storm4 ,the torrents     
would no longer be in broken cascades   
but  flowing along in deep channels to  
the sea1 the further from the uplands   
the greater the change in the           
temperature4 ,recently the travellers   
have  made a turn in their course to    
find a crossing sure to be provided in  
,roman days over the deep river which   
has to be crossed in the path to a      
village on the road4 ,the garments which
 the ,mother is about to arrange  have  
been carried with other needful gear in 
the saddle-bags4 ,her own  under-garment
 is the wedding-dress of ,bethlehem1    
worn by a bride until  it is past       
service4 ,while her ,child is being     

re-dressed1 and is thus  engaging her   
solicitude1 ,he calls her attention to  
the holy company  around them4 ,the     
spirits of the children of ,bethlehem   
troop along by  the side1 they bear the 
signs of their martyrdom4 ,garlanded as 
were  ancient sacrifices and bearing    
branches of blossoming trees2 like      
enrolled saints they appear 8in habit0  
as they lived1 the forward ones  already
 rejoice in the knowledge of their high 
service4 ,midway there  is an infant    
bewildered to find that his new         
spiritual body bears no  trace of the   
fatal wound4 ,behind in the air are     
babes2 this sleeping1  grieving group is
 the only one in the picture which in   
its sorrowing  aspect connects the idea 
of human pain with the fate suffered1   
for the  rest1 in degrees differing1    
death is already seen to have no sting1 
the  grave no victory4    ,the foal     
accompanies the mother ass1 in a long   
journey the young  creature lags behind 
whinnying in remonstrance at the        

ceaseless steps1  and only hurrying on  
in bounds when there is fear of the     
parent ass  getting beyond reach and    
sight4 ,the glorified infants are       
encircling  the weary laggard1 who is   
thus brought up to the onward group4    
,the wild  dogs which have come out of  
the mill-house to barkas is their wont  
with nocturnal travellers striving to   
pass a homestead in silenceare  cowed at
 the unusual apparition and steal away  
in fear4 ,the leader and  father of the 
party1 ,st4 ,joseph1 regards not the    
ghostly attendants4  ,he is engaged in  
securing the best means of safety while 
passing the  near village4 ,he watches  
the distant fires to discover any signs 
there  might be of pursuit4 ,he is      
passing over the shallow stream supplied
 for  irrigation by the creaking        
water-wheel4 ,the liquid surface is     
8,pavid with the image of the sky10     
and burdened lightly with the fallen    
flower from the hand of one of  the     
foremost seraphic children4 ,in contrast

 to this mundane reflection  of         
,heavenwhich takes the leader's steps   
for the momentare the  waves on which   
the children dance along4 ,they are not 
clouds such as  angels may be portrayed 
upon4 ,they are from the fountain of the
 water  of life1 given to them that are 
athirst freely 7athirst for fuller      
life74 ,it is the spiritual eternal     
stream provided in exchange for  the    
life that perisheth which has been to   
them so brief4 ,these first  ,christian 
martyrs no longer walk on the earth1 but
 they travel on the  living waters of   
life1 bringing comfort to their late    
fellows and to  all future disciples who
 have yet their burdens to bear and     
their  victory to win4 8,how beautiful  
upon the mountains are the feet of him  
that bringeth good tidings1 that        
publisheth peace2 that bringeth good    
tidings of good1 that publisheth        
salvation2 that saith unto ,zion1 ,thy  
,god reigneth40    ,the stream is       
portrayed as ever rolling onward and    

breakingwhere it  might if real water be
 dissipated in vapourinto magnified     
globes  which image the thoughts rife in
 that age in the minds of pious ,jews1  
particularly of those in great          
tribulation1 of the millennium which was
  to be the mature outcome of the advent
 of the ,messiah4 ,the promises to  the 
,patriarchs are progressive as is all   
the teaching of ,revelation4  ,the dream
 at ,bethel first clearly speaks of the 
union of ,earth and  ,heaven4 ,this was 
the dawn of the exaltation of the       
,jewish faith1 and  accordingly the     
large orb reflects dimly the ,patriarch 
asleep with  a twofold ladder or pathway
 up and down1 which is traversed by the 
servants of ,god4 ,the intention is to  
combine with the first beautiful  dream 
of the ,patriarch other ideas of        
,messiah's reign which harmonise  with  
this1 and which were developed later4   
,heaven is indicated by the  adoration  
by the elders of the spotless ,lamb1 and
 the brokenheartedness  of those who    

turn towards ,heaven is illustrated by  
the fallen penitent1  by the            
burden-bearing of the faithful pilgrim1 
and the leading of the  lion by the     
young child1 while the tree of life in  
the midst bears the  fruit for the      
healing of the nations4    ,so far it   
has been recognised that for the        
guidance of spectators who  have no     
unlimited time to work out for          
themselves the intention of  the        
picture1 an explanation of my purpose   
was necessary4 ,i however  remember with
 gratification that when the picture was
 yet incomplete1  the main intention of 
the design was apprehended by some of   
the few  visitors to my studio1 and that
 ,professor ,ruskin on seeing it1 while 
the principal group was then only       
crudely expressed1 in the impulse of    
generous appreciation1 alluded to the   
purpose of the children in the  picture 
in words of such correctness as well as 
exquisite expression  and measure that1 
had they described the complete design1 

the painter  might well have dreaded to 
provide any other4 ,shortly afterwards  
,i had  to abandon the first painting   
from defects in the canvas on which it  
was painted1 after excessive loss of    
time and repeated disappointments  which
 then nearly disposed me to give up the 
subject and turn to some  other4        
,without the spontaneous appreciation of
 our great writer on  art1 to whose     
championship in the early days of       
preraphaelitism ,i owe  so much1 ,i     
should scarcely have persevered to save 
the work of so many  alternating        
feelings of joy and pain4 ,the ,art     
,professor now kindly  permits me to    
quote from his ,lectures on the ,art of 
,england3    8,for all human loss and   
pain1 there is no comfort1 no           
interpretation  worth a thought1 except 
only in the doctrine of the             
,resurrection2 of  which doctrine1      
remember1 it is an immutable historical 
fact that all  the beautiful work1 and  
all the happy existence of mankind1     

hitherto1  has depended on1 or consisted
 in1 the hope of it4    8,the picture of
 which ,i came to-day chiefly to speak1 
as a symbol of  that doctrine1 was      
incomplete when ,i saw it1 and is so    
still2 but  enough was done to          
constitute it the most important work of
 ,hunt's  life1 as yet2 and if health is
 granted to him for its completion1 it  
will1 both in reality and in esteem1 be 
the greatest religious painting  of our 
time4    8,you know that in the most    
beautiful former conceptions of the     
,flight  into ,egypt1 the ,holy ,family 
were always represented as watched over1
  and ministered to1 by attendant       
angels4 ,but only the safety and peace  
of the ,divine ,child and its mother are
 thought of4 ,no sadness or wonder  of  
meditation returns to the desolate homes
 of ,bethlehem4    8,but in this        
,english picture all the story of the   
escape1 as of the  flight1 is told1 in  
fulness of peace1 and yet of compassion4
 ,the travel  is in the dead of the     

night1 the way unseen and unknown2but1  
partly  stooping from the starlight1 and
 partly floating on the desert mirage1  
move1 with the ,holy ,family1 the       
glorified souls of the ,innocents4      
,clear  in celestial light1 and gathered
 into child-garlands of gladness1 they  
look to the ,child in whom they live1   
and yet1 for them to die4 ,waters  of   
the ,river of ,life flow before on the  
sands3 the ,christ stretches out  ,his  
arms to the nearest of them2leaning from
 ,his mother's breast4    8,to how many 
bereaved households may not this happy  
vision of conquered  death bring in the 
future1 days of peace4    8,i do not    
care to speak of other virtues in this  
design than those of  its majestic      
thought1but you may well imagine for    
yourselves how  the painter's quite     
separate and1 in its skill1 better than 
magical1  power of giving effects of    
intense light1 has aided the effort of  
his  imagination1 while the passion of  
his subject has developed in him a      

swift grace of invention which for my   
own part ,i never recognised in  his    
design till now4 ,i can say with        
deliberation that none even of the  most
 animated groups and processions of     
children which constitute the  loveliest
 sculpture of the ,robbias and          
,donatello1 can more than rival  the    
freedom and felicity of motion1 or the  
subtlety of harmonious line1  in the    
happy wreath of these angel-children4   
8,of this picture ,i came to-day chiefly
 to speak1 nor will ,i disturb  the poor
 impression which my words can give you 
of it by any immediate  reference to    
other pictures by our leading masters40 
,a brief explanation of the history of  
the production of this picture  is      
called for both as an apology for the   
long interval since last ,i  exhibited a
 large picture1 and also of the fact    
that the painting  now shown is a       
repetition of my first attempt to       
illustrate this  imaginative episode in 
8,the ,flight into ,egypt10 which before

 long1  will also be exhibited1 cured of
 its defect4 ,i may be allowed1 perhaps1
  to state that first in the year #ahed1
 ,i acted upon a resolution formed      
earlier to go to ,palestine4 ,this was  
to revivify on canvas1 if it were       
possible to me1 the facts of ,scripture 
,history1 by study not made in  sketches
 to be incorporated in subject pictures 
afterwards in ,england4  ,my aim was    
rather to advance nearer to the truth   
than had yet been  done1 by patiently   
working out a whole picture1 surrounded 
by the very  people and the             
circumstances of the life in ,judea of  
old days4 ,to  strivewhile not          
forgetting the vital ambition of an     
artist1 which is  to serve as high      
priest and expounder of the excellence  
of the works  of the ,creatorchoosing   
the highest types and combinations of   
,his  handiworks1 as the ,greeks taught 
the after-world to do1 so that men's    
admiration may be fascinated by the     
perfections of the works of the  ,great 

,author of all1 and men's life thus may 
be a continual joy and  solace1 and at  
the same time to embody the events by   
which ,god in ,his  providence led the  
foremost of the people ,israel to be    
prepared to act  as teachers and        
prophets to the whole ,gentile world4 ,i
 did notlet me  saywish to condemn any  
artistic manly treatment of similar     
subjects  by others4 ,my idea suggested 
the experiment to me as worth making for
  myself4 ,the attempt was beset with   
difficulties beyond expectation1 and    
being away for long1 put me at many     
disadvantages in my profession1  but ,i 
have many reasons for rejoicing at the  
course taken1 and ,i have  now to       
gratefully acknowledge the recognition  
of the public who1  from the time of the
 exhibition of the first result of my   
,eastern  labours8,the ,scapegoat10 have
 ever given exceptional attention to my 
paintings1 produced only1 ,i regret to  
say1 at long intervals1 owing to        
circumstances external to the limits of 

this statement4    ,in #ahge ,i returned
 to ,jerusalem after an absence of two  
years4 ,i had  taken the care usual with
 experienced travellers to have all my  
luggage  studiously packed and directed 
before leaving ,england4 ,it was1       
however1  an omission of mine1 which    
seemed a trivial one at the time1 not to
 see  them delivered into the hands of  
the agent for the carriers to ,jaffa4   
,on my arrival in ,syria the cases      
containing all my precious materials    
for my work had not arrived4 ,every     
effort possible was made to obtain      
information of my missing boxes1 and ,i 
delayed for months to commence  my      
picture4 ,the excitement during this    
period1 fanned by fanatical  ,moslems1  
grew very fierce4 ,the miseries caused  
by the conscription  for the ,russian   
war1 and still more those caused by the 
rapacity of  governors who found the    
opportunity a good one for increasing   
their  dishonest exactions1 drove the   
poor fellaheen well nigh mad with       

ferocity1 and it was easy then1 as it   
was in ,alexandria1 and as it will  ever
 be under similar circumstances1 to make
 the poor people believe  that all such 
miseries are sent by ,heaven as a curse 
on them for not  extirpating the enemies
 of ,islamism4 ,we lived always in doubt
 as to  what a day might bring forth4   
,had the people been less dangerous ,i  
would have left my family for two weeks 
or so1 and purchased canvas  in ,naples 
or ,rome4 ,as it was ,i dared not leave 
them4 ,when first  the uncertainty about
 my materials seemed serious and        
altogether  inscrutable1 ,i felt forced 
to purchase the best piece of linen to  
be  found in ,jerusalem4 ,this ,i       
prepared with the tempera ground1 which 
before had proved to be perfect4 ,when  
this was ready1 however1 ,i still       
lingered over my preliminary work1 in   
hope that the proper canvas would       
arrive2 but months further went by      
mocking my hopes1 and eventually  ,i had
 to undertake my deferred labours upon  

the sheeting which the  fortune of the  
day had compelled me to choose4    ,it  
was a chapter of accidents bearing pain 
and long long trial to  me4 ,the        
earliest part of my work was the        
sketching in of the whole  composition  
and the painting of the background4 ,no 
test of the  suitability of my surface  
could have been more satisfactory as far
 as  was needed for the point reached4  
,i almost dismissed anxiety about the   
final results1 and ,i had advanced      
considerably with my work before  the   
missing boxes arrived4 ,it seemed a     
great and needless waste to  recommence 
my labours when so much apparently had  
been done4 ,it would  have been well for
 me1 however1 had ,i thrown all my work 
aside1 and  begun again1 and this indeed
 it would have been even years later1   
for  from the moment when ,i suspected  
with what fatal consequences my first   
start had been beset1 until the moment1 
when in ,england1 at the end of  #ahhb1 
,i gave up the picture1 ,i always had   

reason to persuade myself  that a little
 more patienceperhaps even the          
perseverance further of  two more       
weeksmight overcome the difficulty      
intervening between the  stage arrived  
at and the entire completion of the     
picture4 ,i will not  weary the reader  
with a statement of all the vexatious   
incidents of my  trouble1 but it is only
 a needful excuse for me to state that a
 studio  built specially for me by      
,german instead of ,arab builders1 let  
in the  rain as though the roof had been
 made of open wire1 and that when  this 
worry had passed1 ,i was under summons  
to come back to ,london by  a certain   
date1 and this made the difficulty      
greater of deliberately  estimating the 
amount of danger which ,i incurred in   
advancing my work  on the imperfect     
surface4    ,when ,i opened the picture 
in ,london and placed it in a fair light
 ,i  could not fail to see how much     
precious time had been wasted from the  
fact that all my drawing and modelling  

and colour indeed was marred  by        
irregularity of the plane on which they 
were given4 ,i called in an  expert to  
help me in the course to be followed1   
and he1 as it happened1  urged me still 
to trust to the means already used to   
overcome the evil1  expressing the      
opinion that it was then nearly at an   
end4 ,alas6 this  proved to be far from 
the case1 although ,i called in the best
 judgment  to guide me at intervals1 and
 ,i confided the work for relining on   
the  strongest sailcloth canvas to the  
hands of one of the most skilful of     
restorers4 ,every revived hope ended in 
disappointment1 until ,i having         
persevered with it for seven years and a
 half1 finally abandoned it1  and       
commenced on the new painting on        
,january #ast1 #ahhc4 ,since then1  when
 away for my health1 the reliner again  
had the old picture to treat  on a plan 
of a radical character agreed upon      
between us4 ,it was to cut  out the     
central part of the sheeting containing 

the group of the ,virgin  and ,child1 to
 lift up the surrounding cloth1 to fray 
out its edges1  to insert a piece larger
 by an inch than the opening1 with      
margins  also frayed in the opposite    
direction1 and to place the whole       
already  relined picture upon another   
sailcloth4 ,unlimited time was given    
for this experiment1 and ,i am happy to 
say that now the picture is  thoroughly 
sound1 and that it will soon be ready4  
,the present exhibited  painting is     
about four inches broader and two inches
 higher than the  ,jerusalem picture3 it
 is also changed in several points1 some
 of which  modifications ,i have since  
adopted as improvement for the old      
picture3  other additions1 however1 are 
only in the present painting4           
,w4 ,,holman ,,hunt4      ,,draycott    
,,lodge1 ,,fulham1      ,february #bc1  
#ahhe4                ,,richard ,,clay  
,,and ,,sons1 ,,printers1 ,,bread       
,,street ,,hill4                        
,the                         ,triumph of

 the ,innocents      ,this ,picture1 now
 being exhibited by the ,,fine ,,art    
,,society1 #adh1 ,new  ,bond ,street1   
will be reproduced by ,photogravure on a
 scale of #bj  inches by #cc inches1 in 
its engraved portions4    ,it will be   
published at the following prices3      
,,artist',s ,,proofs      #aj #aj  #j   
,,lettered ,,proofs       #e  #e  #j    
,,prints                #b  #b  #j      
,subscriptions are now being received by
 the ,,fine ,,art ,,society1 #adh1 ,new 
,bond ,street4                          
99       99       99       99       99  
,transcriber's ,notes3     ,text in     
italics is enclosed by underscores      
7italics74     ,punctuation1 and        
spelling inaccuracies were silently     
corrected4     ,archaic and variable    
spelling has been preserved4            
,variations in hyphenation and compound 
words have been preserved4