Conscience may be "engaged at home, talking loud against petty larceny, and executing vengeance upon some such puny crimes as his fortune and rank in life secured him against all temptation of committing."
— Sterne, Laurence (1713-1768)
Author
Date
1760-7
Metaphor
Conscience may be "engaged at home, talking loud against petty larceny, and executing vengeance upon some such puny crimes as his fortune and rank in life secured him against all temptation of committing."
Metaphor in Context
"Alas! Conscience had something else to do, all this time, than break in upon him; as Elijah reproached the God Baal,--this domestic God was either talking, or pursuing, or was in a journey, or peradventure he slept and could not be awoke.
"Perhaps He was gone out in company with Honour to fight a duel; to pay off some debt at play;--or dirty annuity, the bargain of his lust: Perhaps Conscience all this time was engaged at home, talking loud against petty larceny, and executing vengeance upon some such puny crimes as his fortune and rank in life secured him against all temptation of committing; so that he lives as merrily," [If he was of our church tho', quoth Dr. Slop, he could not]--"sleeps as soundly in his bed;--and at last meets death as unconcernedly; --perhaps much more so than a much better man."
All this is impossible with us, quoth Dr. Slop, turning to my father,--the case could not happen in our church. --It happens in ours, however, replied my father, but too often. --I own, quoth Dr.Slop (struck a little with my father's frank acknowledgment)--that a man in the Romish church may live as badly;-- but then he cannot easily die so. --'Tis little matter, replied my father, with an air of indifference,--how a rascal dies. -- I mean, answer'd Dr. Slop, he would be denied the benefits of the last sacraments. --Pray how many have you in all, said my uncle Toby,--for I always forget? -- Seven, answered Dr. Slop. --Humph!-- said my uncle Toby;--tho' not accented as a note of acquiescence,--but as an interjection of that particular species of surprize, when a man, in looking into a drawer, finds more of a thing than he expected. --Humph! replied my uncle Toby. Dr. Slop, who had an ear, understood my uncle Toby as well as if he had wrote a whole volume against the seven sacraments. --Humph! replied Dr. Slop, (stating my uncle Toby's argument over again to him)--Why, Sir, are there not seven cardinal virtues? --Seven mortal sins? --Seven golden candlesticks? --Seven heavens? --'Tis more than I know, replied my uncleToby . --Are there not seven wonders of the world? --Seven days of the creation? --Seven planets? --Seven plagues? --That there are, quoth my father, with a most affected gravity. But pri'thee, continued he, go on with the rest of thy characters, Trim.]
(pp. 115-8; Norton 92)
"Perhaps He was gone out in company with Honour to fight a duel; to pay off some debt at play;--or dirty annuity, the bargain of his lust: Perhaps Conscience all this time was engaged at home, talking loud against petty larceny, and executing vengeance upon some such puny crimes as his fortune and rank in life secured him against all temptation of committing; so that he lives as merrily," [If he was of our church tho', quoth Dr. Slop, he could not]--"sleeps as soundly in his bed;--and at last meets death as unconcernedly; --perhaps much more so than a much better man."
All this is impossible with us, quoth Dr. Slop, turning to my father,--the case could not happen in our church. --It happens in ours, however, replied my father, but too often. --I own, quoth Dr.Slop (struck a little with my father's frank acknowledgment)--that a man in the Romish church may live as badly;-- but then he cannot easily die so. --'Tis little matter, replied my father, with an air of indifference,--how a rascal dies. -- I mean, answer'd Dr. Slop, he would be denied the benefits of the last sacraments. --Pray how many have you in all, said my uncle Toby,--for I always forget? -- Seven, answered Dr. Slop. --Humph!-- said my uncle Toby;--tho' not accented as a note of acquiescence,--but as an interjection of that particular species of surprize, when a man, in looking into a drawer, finds more of a thing than he expected. --Humph! replied my uncle Toby. Dr. Slop, who had an ear, understood my uncle Toby as well as if he had wrote a whole volume against the seven sacraments. --Humph! replied Dr. Slop, (stating my uncle Toby's argument over again to him)--Why, Sir, are there not seven cardinal virtues? --Seven mortal sins? --Seven golden candlesticks? --Seven heavens? --'Tis more than I know, replied my uncleToby . --Are there not seven wonders of the world? --Seven days of the creation? --Seven planets? --Seven plagues? --That there are, quoth my father, with a most affected gravity. But pri'thee, continued he, go on with the rest of thy characters, Trim.]
(pp. 115-8; Norton 92)
Categories
Provenance
Searching in HDIS (Prose)
Citation
At least 82 entries in ESTC (1759, 1760, 1761, 1762, 1763, 1765, 1767, 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, 1773, 1774, 1775, 1776, 1777, 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783, 1786, 1788, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1798, 1799, 1800). Complicated publication history: vols. 1 and 2 published in London January 1, 1760. Vols. 3, 4, 5, and 6 published in 1761. Vols. 7 and 8 published in 1765. Vol. 9 published in 1767.
See Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, 9 vols. (London: Printed for D. Lynch, 1760-1767). <Link to ECCO><Link to 1759 York edition in ECCO>
First two volumes available in ECCO-TCP: <Vol. 1><Vol. 2>. Most text drawn from second (London) edition <Link to LION>.
For vols. 3-4, see ESTC T14705 <R. and J. Dodsley, 1761>. For vols. 5-6, see ESTC T14706 <T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, 1762>. For vols. 7-8, see ESTC T14820 <T. Becket and P. A. Dehont, 1765>. For vol. 9, <T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, 1767>.
Reading in Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy: An Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Sources, Criticism, Ed. Howard Anderson (New York: Norton, 1980).
See Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, 9 vols. (London: Printed for D. Lynch, 1760-1767). <Link to ECCO><Link to 1759 York edition in ECCO>
First two volumes available in ECCO-TCP: <Vol. 1><Vol. 2>. Most text drawn from second (London) edition <Link to LION>.
For vols. 3-4, see ESTC T14705 <R. and J. Dodsley, 1761>. For vols. 5-6, see ESTC T14706 <T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, 1762>. For vols. 7-8, see ESTC T14820 <T. Becket and P. A. Dehont, 1765>. For vol. 9, <T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, 1767>.
Reading in Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy: An Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Sources, Criticism, Ed. Howard Anderson (New York: Norton, 1980).
Theme
Voices Within
Date of Entry
11/24/2004
