When Adam Delved and Eve Span

William Morris, 1834-96, Illuminator

Edward Burne-Jones, Illustrator

1892

20.7 x 15 cm.

A Dream of John Ball

Beckwith, Victorian Bibliomania catalogue no. 34

Collection: Rare Books and Manuscripts, Boston Public Library

Two of William Morris's political stories from the 1880 comprise this text. A Dream of John Ball and A King's Lesson both originally appeared in the periodical of the Socialist League, The Commonweal, when Morris was the editor. [Continued below]

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Commentary by Alice H. R. H. Beckwith

A King's Lesson, titled "An Old Story Retold" in the magazine version, is based on the life of King Corvinus of Hungary (1443-1490) (Cary, 203). The stories were first published in book form by Reeves and Turner in 1888. Burne-Jones's frontispiece was redrawn from the first edition and cut on wood by William H. Hooper, who frequently did such work for the Kelmscott Press.

Morris's tale is an example of his use of history to reflect on current problems. During the 1880s Morris was actively engaged in the crusades of the Socialists, particularly with respect to questions of free speech and concern for working people's share of the national economy. The latter concern is alluded to by the frontispiece illustrated here. Burne-Jones's illustration, placed above Morris's text like a manuscript miniature, refers to a central image in A Dream of John Ball, where the dreamer meditates upon a statement by John Ball and then enters into a conversation with that medieval reformist preacher (see cats. 13, 62). John Ball remarked on the unequal distribution of wealth during the time of the 1381 peasant rebellion, saying, "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the Gentleman?" The answer Morris gave in A Dream of John Ball to the problem of social inequality was that people must become sensitive to the needs of others, overcoming individual greed and selfishness.

Although Morris was less directly involved with Socialist activities in the 1890s, his decision to print this book as the sixth work of his press reveals his continued belief in its message. His border design and use of woodcut letters based on Golden type make a happy congruence of forms with Burne-Jones's illustrations. Both men's works reinforce the image of a post-Edenic garden of life tilled by a young man and his spinning wife, who are beautiful in form and expression. The unity of letters, figures, decoration, and theme achieved here made this one of Morris's and Burne-Jones's best-known and most successful collaborations.

References

Beckwith, Alice H. R. H. Victorian Bibliomania: The Illuminated Book in Nineteenth-Century Britain. Exhibition catalogue. Providence. Rhode Island: Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, 1987.

Morris, William. A Dream of John Ball and a King's Lesson. Hammersmith, Kelmscott Press: Reeves and Turner, 1892. Illuminator: William Morris. Illustrator: Edward Burne-Jones.

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Last modified 25 December 2013