"For still we find Plebeian Minds are sway'd / By strong Impressions on the Senses made"
— Blackmore, Sir Richard (1654-1729)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed by W. Botham, for James Knapton
Date
1723
Metaphor
"For still we find Plebeian Minds are sway'd / By strong Impressions on the Senses made"
Metaphor in Context
Soon as this private Court the Briton view'd,
Which not the awful Face of Empire shew'd,
Guithun the pious Heroe thus address'd;
How ill are Pow'r and Majesty express'd
By such illib'ral mean and sordid Ways,
That must Contempt, not Veneration raise?
Splendor and Pomp that vulgar Eyes engage,
Magnificence and noble Equipage,
And the proud Ensigns of imperial State,
Will Rev'rence, Wonder, and Esteem create:
Else Monarchs would not, as they ought, appear
The Objects of Regard nor useful Fear:
For still we find Plebeian Minds are sway'd
By strong Impressions on the Senses made.
Assign to Men in Pow'r a mean Abode,
Dismount the Prætor from his Steed, disrobe
The Judge, and strip them of their num'rous Train,
And would they long their Dignity maintain?
Besides as Kings by Lust of Gold create
Contempt, they bring great Mischiefs on the State;
For while the publick Treasures hoarded sleep
Unrefluent in the Monarch's stagnant Deep,
The sad exhausted Provinces bewail
Their Fate, while all Recruits obstructed fail.
Did not the Streams, that with their silver Train
Sweep thro' the Meads and seek the spreading Main,
In secret Channels or in Rain return,
How would the Land its Desolation mourn!
Nor did th' exhaling Vapours, which supply
The Atmosphere, and stock with Clouds the Sky,
Come back to Earth in mild refreshing Dews,
And genial Show'rs on thirsty Fields diffuse,
Would not the Lands the cruel Heav'ns arraign,
And of the Rapine of the Sun complain,
That seiz'd their Moisture by his active Ray,
Nor did the Furrows nor the Meads repay?
Thus while their Wealth is in the Coffers pent
Of griping Kings, sad Realms their Wants lament,
And, unrefresh'd by Streams that us'd to flow
Reciprocal, despond and lifeless grow.
Which not the awful Face of Empire shew'd,
Guithun the pious Heroe thus address'd;
How ill are Pow'r and Majesty express'd
By such illib'ral mean and sordid Ways,
That must Contempt, not Veneration raise?
Splendor and Pomp that vulgar Eyes engage,
Magnificence and noble Equipage,
And the proud Ensigns of imperial State,
Will Rev'rence, Wonder, and Esteem create:
Else Monarchs would not, as they ought, appear
The Objects of Regard nor useful Fear:
For still we find Plebeian Minds are sway'd
By strong Impressions on the Senses made.
Assign to Men in Pow'r a mean Abode,
Dismount the Prætor from his Steed, disrobe
The Judge, and strip them of their num'rous Train,
And would they long their Dignity maintain?
Besides as Kings by Lust of Gold create
Contempt, they bring great Mischiefs on the State;
For while the publick Treasures hoarded sleep
Unrefluent in the Monarch's stagnant Deep,
The sad exhausted Provinces bewail
Their Fate, while all Recruits obstructed fail.
Did not the Streams, that with their silver Train
Sweep thro' the Meads and seek the spreading Main,
In secret Channels or in Rain return,
How would the Land its Desolation mourn!
Nor did th' exhaling Vapours, which supply
The Atmosphere, and stock with Clouds the Sky,
Come back to Earth in mild refreshing Dews,
And genial Show'rs on thirsty Fields diffuse,
Would not the Lands the cruel Heav'ns arraign,
And of the Rapine of the Sun complain,
That seiz'd their Moisture by his active Ray,
Nor did the Furrows nor the Meads repay?
Thus while their Wealth is in the Coffers pent
Of griping Kings, sad Realms their Wants lament,
And, unrefresh'd by Streams that us'd to flow
Reciprocal, despond and lifeless grow.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "impression" and "mind" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
Only 1 entry in ESTC (1723).
Richard Blackmore, Alfred. An Epick Poem. In Twelve Books (London: Printed by W. Botham, for James Knapton, 1723). <Link to ECCO><Link to LION>
Richard Blackmore, Alfred. An Epick Poem. In Twelve Books (London: Printed by W. Botham, for James Knapton, 1723). <Link to ECCO><Link to LION>
Date of Entry
05/12/2005
