"And suppose that in man, after a certain season, the appetite of lust or the faculty of reason shall shoot forth, open, and display themselves as leaves and blossoms do in a tree; would you therefore deny them to be natural to him, because they did not appear in his original infancy?"
— Berkeley, George (1685-1753)
Author
Work Title
Date
1732
Metaphor
"And suppose that in man, after a certain season, the appetite of lust or the faculty of reason shall shoot forth, open, and display themselves as leaves and blossoms do in a tree; would you therefore deny them to be natural to him, because they did not appear in his original infancy?"
Metaphor in Context
Euph. Tell me, Alciphron, if from a young apple-tree after a certain period of time there should shoot forth leaves, blossoms, and apples; would you deny these things to be natural, because they did not discover and display themselves in the tender bud?
Alc. I would not.
Euph. And suppose that in man, after a certain season, the appetite of lust or the faculty of reason shall shoot forth, open, and display themselves as leaves and blossoms do in a tree; would you therefore deny them to be natural to him, because they did not appear in his original infancy?
Alc. I acknowledge I would not.
Euph. It seems therefore, that the first mark of a thing's being natural to the mind was not warily laid down by you; to wit, that it should appear originally in it.
(pp. 55-6)
Alc. I would not.
Euph. And suppose that in man, after a certain season, the appetite of lust or the faculty of reason shall shoot forth, open, and display themselves as leaves and blossoms do in a tree; would you therefore deny them to be natural to him, because they did not appear in his original infancy?
Alc. I acknowledge I would not.
Euph. It seems therefore, that the first mark of a thing's being natural to the mind was not warily laid down by you; to wit, that it should appear originally in it.
(pp. 55-6)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
At least 9 entries in ESTC (1732, 1752, 1755, 1757, 1767).
Alciphron: or, the Minute Philosopher. In Seven Dialogues. Containing an Apology for the Christian Religion, Against Those Who Are Called Free-Thinkers. (Dublin: Printed for G. Risk, G. Ewing, and W. Smith, 1732). <Link to Vol. I in ECCO-TCP><Vol. II>
See also Alciphron: or the Minute Philosopher (London: J. Tonson, 1732). <Link to Google Books>
Alciphron: or, the Minute Philosopher. In Seven Dialogues. Containing an Apology for the Christian Religion, Against Those Who Are Called Free-Thinkers. (Dublin: Printed for G. Risk, G. Ewing, and W. Smith, 1732). <Link to Vol. I in ECCO-TCP><Vol. II>
See also Alciphron: or the Minute Philosopher (London: J. Tonson, 1732). <Link to Google Books>
Date of Entry
03/31/2011
