"Your two Souls, I can see that, are like well-tun'd Instruments: But they are too high-set for me a vast deal."
— Richardson, Samuel (bap. 1689, d. 1761)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for C. Rivington and J. Osborn
Date
1741 [1740]; continued in 1741
Metaphor
"Your two Souls, I can see that, are like well-tun'd Instruments: But they are too high-set for me a vast deal."
Metaphor in Context
O dear Sir! said I, how do you over-rate my poor Merit! --Some Persons are happy in a Life of Comforts, but mine's a Life of Joy! ---One rapturous Instance follows another so fast, that I know not how to bear them.
Whew!--whistled Sir Jacob. --Whereabouts am I? ---I hope, by and-by, you'll come down to our Pitch, that one may put in a Word or two with you.
May you be long thus blest, and thus happy together! said Lady Davers. I know not which to admire most, the dear Girl, that never was bad, or the dear Gentleman, that, having been bad, is now so good! Said my Lord Davers, There is hardly any bearing these moving Scenes, so quick, as my Sister says, following one another!
The Countess was pleased to say, That till now she had been at a Loss to form any Notion of the Happiness of the first Pair before the Fall: But now, by so fine an Instance as this, she comprehended it in all its Force. --- God continue you to one another, added her Ladyship, for a Credit to the State, and to Human Nature.
Mr. H. having his Elbows on the Table, folded his Hands, shaking them, and looking down upon the Table, Egad, this is uncommon Life, that it is! ---Your two Souls, I can see that, are like well-tun'd Instruments: But they are too high-set for me a vast deal.
The best thing, said Lady Davers, always severe upon her poor Nephew, thou ever saidst. The Musick must be equal to that of Orpheus, which can make such a Savage as thee dance to it. I charge thee, say not another Word To-night.
(III.33, pp. 332-3)
Whew!--whistled Sir Jacob. --Whereabouts am I? ---I hope, by and-by, you'll come down to our Pitch, that one may put in a Word or two with you.
May you be long thus blest, and thus happy together! said Lady Davers. I know not which to admire most, the dear Girl, that never was bad, or the dear Gentleman, that, having been bad, is now so good! Said my Lord Davers, There is hardly any bearing these moving Scenes, so quick, as my Sister says, following one another!
The Countess was pleased to say, That till now she had been at a Loss to form any Notion of the Happiness of the first Pair before the Fall: But now, by so fine an Instance as this, she comprehended it in all its Force. --- God continue you to one another, added her Ladyship, for a Credit to the State, and to Human Nature.
Mr. H. having his Elbows on the Table, folded his Hands, shaking them, and looking down upon the Table, Egad, this is uncommon Life, that it is! ---Your two Souls, I can see that, are like well-tun'd Instruments: But they are too high-set for me a vast deal.
The best thing, said Lady Davers, always severe upon her poor Nephew, thou ever saidst. The Musick must be equal to that of Orpheus, which can make such a Savage as thee dance to it. I charge thee, say not another Word To-night.
(III.33, pp. 332-3)
Categories
Provenance
Searching in HDIS (Prose)
Citation
Over 53 entries in ESTC (1740, 1741, 1742, 1743, 1746, 1754, 1762, 1767, 1771, 1772, 1775, 1776, 1785, 1792, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799). [Richardson published third and fourth volumes in 1741.]
First edition published in two volumes on 6 November, 1740--dated 1741 on the title page. Volumes 3 and 4 were published in December 7, 1741 (this sequel is sometimes called Pamela in her Exalted Condition).
See Samuel Richardson, Pamela: or, Virtue Rewarded. In a Series of Familiar Letters from a Beautiful Young Damsel, to Her Parents: Now First Published in Order to Cultivate the Principles of Virtue and Religion in the Minds of the Youth of Both Sexes. A Narrative Which Has Its Foundation in Truth and Nature: and at the Same Time That It Agreeably Entertains, by a Variety of Curious and Affecting Incidents, Is Intirely Divested of All Those Images, Which, in Too Many Pieces Calculated for Amusement Only, Tend to Inflame the Minds They Should Instruct (London: C. Rivington and J. Robinson, 1740). [Title page says 1741] <Link to ESTC><Link to ECCO><Link to first vol. of 3rd edition in ECCO-TCP>
See also Pamela: or, Virtue Rewarded. in a Series of Familiar Letters from a Beautiful Young Damsel to Her Parents: and Afterwards, in Her Exalted Condition, Between Her, and Persons of Figure and Quality, Upon the Most Important and Entertaining Subjects, in Genteel Life. the Third and Fourth Volumes. Publish’d in Order to Cultivate the Principles of Virtue and Religion in the Minds of the Youth of Both Sexes. by the Editor of the Two First. (London: Printed for S. Richardson: and sold by C. Rivington, in St. Paul’s Church-Yard; and J. Osborn, in Pater-Noster Row, [1742] [1741]). <Link to ESTC>
All searching was originally done in Chadwyck Healey's eighteenth-century prose fiction database through Stanford's HDIS interface. Chadwyck-Healey contains electronic texts of the original editions (1740-1741) and the 6th edition (1742).
First edition published in two volumes on 6 November, 1740--dated 1741 on the title page. Volumes 3 and 4 were published in December 7, 1741 (this sequel is sometimes called Pamela in her Exalted Condition).
See Samuel Richardson, Pamela: or, Virtue Rewarded. In a Series of Familiar Letters from a Beautiful Young Damsel, to Her Parents: Now First Published in Order to Cultivate the Principles of Virtue and Religion in the Minds of the Youth of Both Sexes. A Narrative Which Has Its Foundation in Truth and Nature: and at the Same Time That It Agreeably Entertains, by a Variety of Curious and Affecting Incidents, Is Intirely Divested of All Those Images, Which, in Too Many Pieces Calculated for Amusement Only, Tend to Inflame the Minds They Should Instruct (London: C. Rivington and J. Robinson, 1740). [Title page says 1741] <Link to ESTC><Link to ECCO><Link to first vol. of 3rd edition in ECCO-TCP>
See also Pamela: or, Virtue Rewarded. in a Series of Familiar Letters from a Beautiful Young Damsel to Her Parents: and Afterwards, in Her Exalted Condition, Between Her, and Persons of Figure and Quality, Upon the Most Important and Entertaining Subjects, in Genteel Life. the Third and Fourth Volumes. Publish’d in Order to Cultivate the Principles of Virtue and Religion in the Minds of the Youth of Both Sexes. by the Editor of the Two First. (London: Printed for S. Richardson: and sold by C. Rivington, in St. Paul’s Church-Yard; and J. Osborn, in Pater-Noster Row, [1742] [1741]). <Link to ESTC>
All searching was originally done in Chadwyck Healey's eighteenth-century prose fiction database through Stanford's HDIS interface. Chadwyck-Healey contains electronic texts of the original editions (1740-1741) and the 6th edition (1742).
Date of Entry
03/14/2005
Date of Review
02/07/2012
