"They were received on their arrival by a maiden sister of Mr. Morgan's, who till then had kept his house, and he intended should still remain in it; for as through the partiality of an aunt, who had bred her up, she was possessed of a large fortune, her brother, in whom avarice was the ruling passion, was very desirous of keeping in her favour."
— Scott [née Robinson], Sarah (1720-1795)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for J. Newbery
Date
1762
Metaphor
"They were received on their arrival by a maiden sister of Mr. Morgan's, who till then had kept his house, and he intended should still remain in it; for as through the partiality of an aunt, who had bred her up, she was possessed of a large fortune, her brother, in whom avarice was the ruling passion, was very desirous of keeping in her favour."
Metaphor in Context
The new married pair set out early the next morning, and arrived at Mr. Morgan's seat the following day. The house was large and old, the furniture not much less ancient, the situation dreary the roads every where bad, the soil a stiff clay, wet and dirty, except in the midst of summer; the country round it disagreeable, and in short, destitute of every thing that could afford any satisfaction to Mrs. Morgan. Nature no where appears graced with fewer charms. Mrs. Morgan however had vexations so superior, that she paid little regard to external circumstances, and was so fully determined to acquit herself properly in her new sphere, that she appeared pleased with every thing around her. Hypocrisy, as she observed, was now become a virtue, and the only one which she found it difficult to practise. They were received on their arrival by a maiden sister of Mr. Morgan's, who till then had kept his house, and he intended should still remain in it; for as through the partiality of an aunt, who had bred her up, she was possessed of a large fortune, her brother, in whom avarice was the ruling passion, was very desirous of keeping in her favour.
(iii, pp. 103-4)
(iii, pp. 103-4)
Provenance
Searching HDIS for "ruling passion"
Citation
Five entries in ESTC (1762, 1763, 1764, 1767). Second edition, corrected in 1764; third edition in 1767.
Reading Sarah Scott, A Description of Millenium Hall, ed. Gary Kelly (Ontario: Broadview Literary Texts, 2001).
See also A Description of Millenium Hall, and the Country Adjacent: Together with the Characters of the Inhabitants, And such Historical Anecdotes and Reflections, as May excite in the Reader proper Sentiments of Humanity, and lead the Mind to the Love of Virtue. By A Gentleman on his Travels (London: Printed for J. Newbery, 1762). <Link to archive.org>
Reading Sarah Scott, A Description of Millenium Hall, ed. Gary Kelly (Ontario: Broadview Literary Texts, 2001).
See also A Description of Millenium Hall, and the Country Adjacent: Together with the Characters of the Inhabitants, And such Historical Anecdotes and Reflections, as May excite in the Reader proper Sentiments of Humanity, and lead the Mind to the Love of Virtue. By A Gentleman on his Travels (London: Printed for J. Newbery, 1762). <Link to archive.org>
Theme
Ruling Passion
Date of Entry
05/27/2004
Date of Review
10/04/2010
