Fancy may "fickle reign in Reason's Seat, / And Thy wild Empire, Anarchy, uphold"

— Blackmore, Sir Richard (1654-1729)


Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for Jacob Tonson
Date
1703, 1718
Metaphor
Fancy may "fickle reign in Reason's Seat, / And Thy wild Empire, Anarchy, uphold"
Metaphor in Context
  Whilst on the Earth such Darkness dwells,
  Malicious Fiends forsake their hateful Cells,
  Like rav'ning Wolves, or roaring Lions stray,
    Hunt and devour by Night their Prey.
  These Tyrants, as their Empire, did possess
    This wide, unlightsome Wilderness,
  And fierce infest th' unhappy Regions, grown
    In Guilt and Blackness, like their own;
  Should from the Earth the Sun conceal his Face,
  What Terrors would invade this dismal Place?
  Nature and Order would be soon depos'd,
  And all their Subjects from Obedience loos'd;
  Which their first Monarch Chaos would restore,
  And prove the wild Assertors of his Pow'r:
    Confusion, Misrule, Uproar, Chance,
    His blind Adherents, would support
    Their ancient Lord, and swift advance
  To take their Stations in his lawless Court.
    Since Guilt did first Admission find,
  This is the fatal State of Humane Kind.
  Passions Subjection to their Guide disown,
  Insult their Soveraign, and subvert his Throne.
  Fancy does fickle reign in Reason's Seat,
  And Thy wild Empire, Anarchy, uphold,
    Hostile Desires fierce Wars repeat,
  By Turns victorious, and by Turns controul'd:
  Which e'er prevails the Suff'ring is the same,
  A Tyrant 'tis, tho' with a milder Name.
  All that unhappy Man can hope to gain
Is various Servitude, and endless Change of Pain.
Provenance
Found again searching HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
2 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1703, 1718).

See A Hymn to the Light of the World. With a Short Description of the Cartons of Raphael Urbin, in the Gallery at Hampton-Court. (London: Printed for Jacob Tonson within Grays-Inn Gate next Grays-Inn Lane, 1703). <Link to ECCO>

Text from Richard Blackmore, A Collection of Poems on Various Subjects. By Sir Richard Blackmore. (Printed by W. Wilkins for Jonas Browne and J. Walthoe, 1718). <Link to ECCO>
Date of Entry
07/15/2004

The Mind is a Metaphor is authored by Brad Pasanek, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia.