" One Stamp of Mind their very Forms express'd, / Same shap'd, like fac'd, like manner'd, and same drest"
— Ogle, George (1704-1746)
Author
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for J. and R. Tonson [etc.]
Date
1741
Metaphor
" One Stamp of Mind their very Forms express'd, / Same shap'd, like fac'd, like manner'd, and same drest"
Metaphor in Context
An Haberdasher next, a portly Wight!
Sleek was his Beaver, as a Sherif's white;
A Weaver follow'd, dext'rous to command
The sliding Shuttle, thrown from Hand to Hand;
A Carpenter, that well cou'd play his Part
Thro' all the Weapons of the Plaining Art;
A Dyer, that ev'ry Color knew to stain,
Or change anew, tho' ne'er so deep in Grain;
A Tap'stry-Merchant last, whose Web might pass,
Less for the Work of London, than Aras:
All of a Livery, each for other made,
All solemn Brothers, diff'ring but in Trade;
One Stamp of Mind their very Forms express'd,
Same shap'd, like fac'd, like manner'd, and same drest.
Fresh were their Cloaths, nor bought at trivial Cost,
So fresh, no Part its Christmass Gloss had lost.
Worne only on the Hours to feast or pray,
And dormant ev'ry common-letter'd Day.
No vulgar Daggers, vamp'd with Brass, They wore,
But trim'd with Silver of the finest Ore.
With Silver stitcht, the Pouches by their Side,
The Belts, that gird their Loins, with Silver ty'd.
A fair and ample Burgess, One and All,
And fit to fill the Tables of Guild-Hall;
Or when they meet to traffic, or to feast:
For Each was siz'd an Alderman at Least.
Staunch stood their City-shops in good Repair,
And neat their Boxes built for Country Air;
Where still, to breathe, on Saturdays They went;
For large their Stock in Trade, as well as Rent.
Of which their Wives were not a little proud,
And push'd the Foremost in the Sunday Croud.
Nor wou'd we here their Worldly Wisdom blame,
Respect from All superior Riches claim;
And tho' an aukward, 'tis a pleasant Sight,
To see the Bustling Dame assert her Right;
Full of the Money, torne from the Distrest,
Conceit herself a Thing above the Rest.
Madam! My Lady! seems a glorious Sound!
When loftily She moves, to Vigils bound;
With Mantle borne before, and Train behind:
For Wealth gives Pow'r of Face, and Pride of Mind.
Sleek was his Beaver, as a Sherif's white;
A Weaver follow'd, dext'rous to command
The sliding Shuttle, thrown from Hand to Hand;
A Carpenter, that well cou'd play his Part
Thro' all the Weapons of the Plaining Art;
A Dyer, that ev'ry Color knew to stain,
Or change anew, tho' ne'er so deep in Grain;
A Tap'stry-Merchant last, whose Web might pass,
Less for the Work of London, than Aras:
All of a Livery, each for other made,
All solemn Brothers, diff'ring but in Trade;
One Stamp of Mind their very Forms express'd,
Same shap'd, like fac'd, like manner'd, and same drest.
Fresh were their Cloaths, nor bought at trivial Cost,
So fresh, no Part its Christmass Gloss had lost.
Worne only on the Hours to feast or pray,
And dormant ev'ry common-letter'd Day.
No vulgar Daggers, vamp'd with Brass, They wore,
But trim'd with Silver of the finest Ore.
With Silver stitcht, the Pouches by their Side,
The Belts, that gird their Loins, with Silver ty'd.
A fair and ample Burgess, One and All,
And fit to fill the Tables of Guild-Hall;
Or when they meet to traffic, or to feast:
For Each was siz'd an Alderman at Least.
Staunch stood their City-shops in good Repair,
And neat their Boxes built for Country Air;
Where still, to breathe, on Saturdays They went;
For large their Stock in Trade, as well as Rent.
Of which their Wives were not a little proud,
And push'd the Foremost in the Sunday Croud.
Nor wou'd we here their Worldly Wisdom blame,
Respect from All superior Riches claim;
And tho' an aukward, 'tis a pleasant Sight,
To see the Bustling Dame assert her Right;
Full of the Money, torne from the Distrest,
Conceit herself a Thing above the Rest.
Madam! My Lady! seems a glorious Sound!
When loftily She moves, to Vigils bound;
With Mantle borne before, and Train behind:
For Wealth gives Pow'r of Face, and Pride of Mind.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "mind" and "stamp" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer, Modernis'd by Several Hands. Publish'd by Mr. Ogle, 3 vols. (London: J. and R. Tonson, 1741). <Link to ECCO>
Theme
Physiognomy
Date of Entry
04/07/2005
