To some people William Blake is just an ordinary man. To others, Blake is an English poet, painter, and engraver. Blake was born on November 28, 1757, in London, where he spent most of his life. He was the third of five children in his family. Blake's family was Nonconformists Protestant dissenters from the Church of England. They had Blake christened on December 11 at St. James's Church in Piccadilly. Blake's mother educated him in mere reading and writing, and he worked in a shop until the age of 14. His family ran this shop, and later his brother and he acquired the store through inheritance. Despite those misgivings, he taught himself Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, and Ital