work_id,theme,provenance,created_at,text,reviewed_on,id,comments,metaphor,dictionary,updated_at,context
5354,"","Searching ""faction"" and ""reason"" in HDIS (Prose)",2004-08-24 00:00:00 UTC,"DEAR PHILLIPS,
I SEND you this letter, franked by our old friend Barton; who is as much altered as it was possible for a man of his kidney to be--Instead of the careless, indolent sloven we knew at Oxford, I found him a busy talkative politician; a petre-maitre in his dress, and a ceremonious courtier in his manners. He has not gall enough in his constitution to be inflamed with the rancour of party, so as to deal in scurrilous invectives; but, since he obtained a place, he is become a warm partizan of the ministry, and sees every thing through such an exaggerating medium, as to me, who are happily of no party, is altogether incomprehensible-- Without all doubt, the fumes of faction not only disturb the faculty of reason, but also pervert the organs of sense; and I would lay an hundred guineas to ten, that if Barton on one side, and the most consciencious patriot in the opposition on the other, were to draw, upon honour, the picture of the k--- or m---, you and I, who are still uninfected, and unbiased, would find both painters equally distant from the truth. One thing, however, must be allowed for the honour of Barton, he never breaks out into illiberal abuse, far less endeavours, by infamous calumnies, to blast the moral character of any individual, on the other side.",,14346,•I've included twice: Uncategorized and Government,"""[T]he fumes of faction not only disturb the faculty of reason, but also pervert the organs of sense""","",2009-09-14 19:40:40 UTC,"Vol I, Letter 32"
5354,"",Searching in HDIS (Prose),2004-11-24 00:00:00 UTC,"You may easily conceive what pleasure I must have felt on discovering that the honour of your family was in no danger from the conduct of a sister, whom I love with uncommon affection; that, instead of debasing her sentiments and views to a wretched stroller, she had really captivated the heart of a gentleman, her equal in rank and superior in fortune; and that, as his parents approved of his attachment, I was on the eve of acquiring a brother-in-law so worthy of my friendship and esteem. George Dennison is, without all question, one of the most accomplished young fellows in England. His person is at once elegant and manly, and his understanding highly cultivated. Though his spirit is lofty, his heart is kind; and his manner so engaging, as to command veneration and love, even from malice and indifference. When I weigh my own character with his, I am ashamed to find myself so light in the balance; but the comparison excites no envy --I propose him as a model for imitation --I have endeavoured to recommend myself to his friendship, and hope I have already found a place in his affection. I am, however, mortified to reflect what flagrant injustice we every day commit, and what absurd judgment we form, in viewing objects through the falsifying medium of prejudice and passion, Had you asked me a few days ago, the picture of Wilson the player, I should have drawn a portrait very unlike the real person and character of George Dennison --Without all doubt, the greatest advantage acquired in travelling and perusing mankind in the original, is that of dispelling those shameful clouds that darken the faculties of the mind, preventing it from judging with candour and precision.
(pp. 216-7)",,14351,"","What ""absurd judgment we form, in viewing objects through the falsifying medium of prejudice and passion""","",2009-09-14 19:40:40 UTC,"Vol II, Letter 28. Melford to Phillips. "
5354,"",Searching in HDIS (Prose),2005-03-02 00:00:00 UTC,"By the time we reached Harrigate, I began to be visited by certain rheumatic symptoms. The Scoth lawyer, Mr. Micklewhimmen, recommended a hot bath of these waters so earnestly that I was over-persuaded to try the experiment.--He had used it often with success, and always stayed an hour in the bath, which was a tub filled with Harrigate water, heated for the purpose. If I could hardly bear the smell of a single tumbler when cold, you may guess how my nose was regaled by the steams arising from a hot bath of the same fluid. At night, I was conducted into a dark hole on the ground floor, where the tub smoaked and stunk like the pot of Acheron, in one corner, and in another stood a dirty bed provided with thick blankets, in which I was to sweat after coming out of the bath. My heart seemed to die within me when I entered this dismal bagnio, and sound my brain assaulted by such insufferable effluvia.--I cursed Micklewhimmen for not considering that my organs were formed on this side of the Tweed; but being ashamed to recoil upon the treshold, I submitted to the process.
(pp. 244-5)",,14358,"","""My heart seemed to die within me when I entered this dismal bagnio, and sound my brain assaulted by such insufferable effluvia.""","",2011-05-31 03:56:40 UTC,"Vol I, Letter 46"
5354,"",Searching in HDIS (Prose),2005-03-11 00:00:00 UTC,"Those originals are not fit for conversation. If they would maintain the advantage they have gained by their writing, they should never appear but upon paper--For my part, I am shocked to find a man have sublime ideas in his head, and nothing but illiberal sentiments in his heart--The human soul will be generally found most defective in the article of candour--I am inclined to think, no mind was ever wholly exempt from envy; which, perhaps, may have been implanted, as an instinct essential to our nature. I am afraid we sometimes palliate this vice, under the specious name of emulation. I have known a person remarkably generous, humane, moderate, and apparently self-denying, who could not hear even a friend commended, without betraying marks of uneasiness; as if that commendation had implied an odious comparison to his prejudice, and every wreath of praise added to the other's character, was a garland plucked from his own temples. This is a malignant species of jealousy, of which I stand acquitted in my own conscience--Whether it is a vice, or an infirmity, I leave you to inquire.",,14359,"","""I am inclined to think, no mind was ever wholly exempt from envy; which, perhaps, may have been implanted, as an instinct essential to our nature""","",2009-09-14 19:40:42 UTC,"Vol I, Letter 33"
5354,"","Searching ""heart"" and ""steel"" in HDIS (Prose)",2005-06-09 00:00:00 UTC,"As for this lawyer, he waited below till the hurly-burly was over, and then stole softly to his own chamber, from whence he did not venture to make a second sally till eleven in the forenoon, when he was led into the public room by his own servant and another assistant, groaning most woefully, with a bloody napkin round his head. But things were greatly altered--The selfish brutality of his behaviour on the stairs had steeled their hearts against all his arts and address--Not a soul offered to accommodate him with a chair, cushion, or footstool; so that he was obliged to sit down on a hard wooden bench--In that position, he looked around with a rueful aspect, and, bowing very low, said, in a whining tone, ""Your most humble servant, ladies--Fire is a dreadful calamity."" -- ""Fire purifies gold, and it tries friendship,"" cried Mrs. Tabitha, bridling. ""Yea, madam (replied Micklewhimmen) and it trieth discretion also."" ""If discretion consists in forsaking, a friend in adversity, you are eminently possessed of that virtue,"" resumed our aunt. ""Na, madam (rejoined the advocate) well I wot, I cannot claim [Page 252] any merit from the mode of my retreat--Ye'll please to observe, ladies, there are twa independent principles that actuate our nature--One is instinct, which we have in common with the brute creation, and the other is reason--Noo, in certain great emergencies, when the faculty of reason is suspended, instinct takes the lead, and, when this predominates, having no affinity with reason, it pays no sort of regard to its connections; it only operates for the benefit of the individual, and that by the most expeditious and effectual means; therefore, begging your pardon, ladies, I'm no accountable in foro conscientiæ, for what I did, while under the influence of this irresistable pooer.""
(pp. 251-2)",,14363,"","""The selfish brutality of his behaviour on the stairs had steeled their hearts against all his arts and address""",Metal,2009-09-14 19:40:42 UTC,"Vol 1, Letter 47"
5354,"",Searching in HDIS (Prose),2006-03-06 00:00:00 UTC,"O Molly! what shall I say of London? All the towns that ever I beheld in my born-days, are no more than Welsh barrows and crumblecks to this wonderful sitty! Even Bath itself is put a fillitch, in the naam of God--One would think there's no end of the streets, but the land's end, Then there's such a power of people, going hurry skurry! Such a racket of coxes! Such a noise, and hali-balloo! So many strangers sites to be seen! O gracious! my poor Welsh brain has been spinning like a top ever since I came hither! And I have seen the Park, and the paleass of Saint Gimses, and the king's and the queen's magisterial pursing, and the sweet young princes, and the hillyfents, and pyebald ass, and all the rest of the royal family.",,14367,"","""O gracious! my poor Welsh brain has been spinning like a top ever since I came hither!""","",2009-09-14 19:40:43 UTC,"Vol 1, Letter 34"
5354,"",Searching in HDIS (Prose),2006-03-06 00:00:00 UTC,"Mr. Bramble was no sooner informed that her ladyship had acted as the primum mobile of this confederacy, than he concluded she had only made use of Clinker as a tool, subservient to the execution of some design, to the true secret of which he was an utter stranger--He observed, that her ladyship's brain was a perfect mill for projects; and that she and Tabby had certainly engaged in some secret treaty, the nature of which he could not comprehend. I told him, I thought it was no difficult matter to perceive the drift of Mrs. Tabitha, which was to ensnare the heart of Barton, and that in all likelihood my lady Griskin acted as her auxiliary: that this supposition would account for their endeavours to convert him to Methodism; an event which would occasion a connexion of souls that might be easily improved into a matrimonial union.",,14368,"","""He observed, that her ladyship's brain was a perfect mill for projects; and that she and Tabby had certainly engaged in some secret treaty, the nature of which he could not comprehend""","",2009-09-14 19:40:43 UTC,"Vol 1, Letter 39"
5354,Stock of Ideas,Searching in HDIS (Prose),2006-03-13 00:00:00 UTC,"DEAR PHILLIPS,
In my last, I mentioned my having spent an evening with a society of authors, who seemed to be jealous and afraid of one another. My uncle was not at all surprised to hear me say I was disappointed in their conversation. ""A man may be very entertaining and instructive upon paper, (said he) and exceedingly dull in common discourse. I have observed, that those who shine most in private company, are but secondary stars in the constellation of genius--A small stock of ideas is more easily managed, and sooner displayed than a great quantity crowded together. There is very seldom any thing extraordinary in the appearance and address of a good writer; whereas a dull author generally distinguishes himself by some oddity or extravagance. For this reason, I fancy, that an assembly of Grubs must be very diverting.""",,14369,•I've included twice: Stock and Crowd,"""A small stock of ideas is more easily managed, and sooner displayed than a great quantity crowded together.""","",2009-09-14 19:40:43 UTC,"Vol 1, Letter 37"
5354,"","Searching ""idea"" and ""crowd"" in HDIS (Prose)",2006-03-13 00:00:00 UTC,"DEAR PHILLIPS,
In my last, I mentioned my having spent an evening with a society of authors, who seemed to be jealous and afraid of one another. My uncle was not at all surprised to hear me say I was disappointed in their conversation. ""A man may be very entertaining and instructive upon paper, (said he) and exceedingly dull in common discourse. I have observed, that those who shine most in private company, are but secondary stars in the constellation of genius--A small stock of ideas is more easily managed, and sooner displayed than a great quantity crowded together. There is very seldom any thing extraordinary in the appearance and address of a good writer; whereas a dull author generally distinguishes himself by some oddity or extravagance. For this reason, I fancy, that an assembly of Grubs must be very diverting.""",,14370,•I've included twice: Stock and Crowd,"""A small stock of ideas is more easily managed, and sooner displayed than a great quantity crowded together""","",2009-09-14 19:40:43 UTC,"Vol 1, Letter 37"