Too many books, "like too much wine - intoxicate the brain"
— Ruffhead, James
Author
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for the Author
Date
1746
Metaphor
Too many books, "like too much wine - intoxicate the brain"
Metaphor in Context
Form'd by themselves, when nimble watches ru[n]
Their circling limits with the radiant sun,
Or, when the ships, that plough the liquid main,
Contrive the structure, and their weight sustain,
Invent the sails - that wind the ambient air,
Guide their own rudder, and the passage steer;
When nature's laws - shall cease to operate,
Light elements-shall downward gravitate,
All things discordant - all prepost'rous move,
Earth start on high, the ocean roar above,
Then shall thy faith, we'll own, have cause to reel,
And Atheism may thy bosom steel.
As lushious feastings but corrupt the chyle,
Inflame the blood, and turn it into bile,
Vitiate the functions of the vital spring,
And, tho' but flow, th' accutest torture bring;
So books, not well digested, blot the mind,
But make us - in search of wisdom - blind,
Like too much wine - intoxicate the brain,
Make man to others, and himself a pain.
(p. 2-3, in. 109-10)
Their circling limits with the radiant sun,
Or, when the ships, that plough the liquid main,
Contrive the structure, and their weight sustain,
Invent the sails - that wind the ambient air,
Guide their own rudder, and the passage steer;
When nature's laws - shall cease to operate,
Light elements-shall downward gravitate,
All things discordant - all prepost'rous move,
Earth start on high, the ocean roar above,
Then shall thy faith, we'll own, have cause to reel,
And Atheism may thy bosom steel.
As lushious feastings but corrupt the chyle,
Inflame the blood, and turn it into bile,
Vitiate the functions of the vital spring,
And, tho' but flow, th' accutest torture bring;
So books, not well digested, blot the mind,
But make us - in search of wisdom - blind,
Like too much wine - intoxicate the brain,
Make man to others, and himself a pain.
(p. 2-3, in. 109-10)
Categories
Provenance
Gale's Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO).
Citation
At least 2 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1746, 1747).
James Ruffhead, The Passions of Man. A Poem. In Four Epistles (London: Printed for the Author, 1746). <Link to ECCO>
James Ruffhead, The Passions of Man. A Poem. In Four Epistles (London: Printed for the Author, 1746). <Link to ECCO>
Date of Entry
01/06/2004
