"The common Sense of faithful Christians flout, / And puff Heav'n-lighted lamps of Reason, out!"

— Woodhouse, James (bap. 1735, d. 1820)


Date
1814, 1816, 1896
Metaphor
"The common Sense of faithful Christians flout, / And puff Heav'n-lighted lamps of Reason, out!"
Metaphor in Context
Shall Christians, now, with Priests' proud claims comply,
And countenance King's crimes, of devilish dye?
Religion's liberties, and dues, disgrace,
And throw back Freedom in their Maker's face!
The common Sense of faithful Christians flout,
And puff Heav'n-lighted lamps of Reason, out!

Rather than thus be duped by despot Men,
Let Smithfield's gorey region smoke agen.
Forbid it, Heav'n! that christian Brethren, now,
Should to a Tyrant stoop--a Bigot bow!
That Friends, or Governors, like Fiends, should reign,
And Christians ne'er encounter? ne'er complain?
While all despotic Tyrants, copying them,
Push their worst Codes to punish or Condemn;
Till, Christian Order, into Chaos hurl'd,
Hell makes a prey of all the apostate World!
Categories
Provenance
Searching "reason" and "lamp" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
Poem first published in its entirety in 1896. The 1814 first edition receives notice in The New Monthly Magazine (March 1815); the poem was written "in the last century" (w. 1795-1820?).

Text from The Life and Poetical Works of James Woodhouse, ed. R. I. Woodhouse, 2 vols. (London: The Leadenhall Press, 1896). <Link to Hathi Trust> <Link to LION>
Date of Entry
01/20/2006

The Mind is a Metaphor is authored by Brad Pasanek, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia.