"Old Gripus ne'er was known to be devout, / Till Satan found his ruling passion out"
— Gilbert, Thomas (bap. 1713, d. 1766)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for Charles Bathurst
Date
1747
Metaphor
"Old Gripus ne'er was known to be devout, / Till Satan found his ruling passion out"
Metaphor in Context
As the best things are, when corrupted, worst,
Mankind are often with their wishes curst.
Old Gripus ne'er was known to be devout,
Till Satan found his ruling passion out:
But now at daily pray'rs the dotard kneels,
And the false rapture of devotion feels;
To build an hospital or college vows,
And feed the starving beggar at his house:
But, since he has obtain'd the splendid evil,
His wife and children wish him at the devil.
(pp. 139-40)
Mankind are often with their wishes curst.
Old Gripus ne'er was known to be devout,
Till Satan found his ruling passion out:
But now at daily pray'rs the dotard kneels,
And the false rapture of devotion feels;
To build an hospital or college vows,
And feed the starving beggar at his house:
But, since he has obtain'd the splendid evil,
His wife and children wish him at the devil.
(pp. 139-40)
Provenance
Searching "ruling passion" in HDIS (Restoration and C18)
Citation
At least 2 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1747).
Poems on Several Occasions. By Thomas Gilbert, Esq; Late Fellow of Peter-House, in Cambridge (London: Printed for Charles Bathurst, 1747). <Link to ECCO>
Poems on Several Occasions. By Thomas Gilbert, Esq; Late Fellow of Peter-House, in Cambridge (London: Printed for Charles Bathurst, 1747). <Link to ECCO>
Theme
Ruling Passion
Date of Entry
05/20/2004
