"These were my Baits, these the Chains by which the Devil held me bound; and by which I was indeed, too fast held for any Reasoning that I was then Mistress of, to deliver me from."
— Defoe, Daniel (1660?-1731)
Author
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for T. Warner
Date
1724
Metaphor
"These were my Baits, these the Chains by which the Devil held me bound; and by which I was indeed, too fast held for any Reasoning that I was then Mistress of, to deliver me from."
Metaphor in Context
But this Objection wou'd now serve no longer; for my Lord had, in some sort, broke his Engagements (I won't call it Honour again) with me, and had so far slighted me, as fairly to justifie my entire quitting of him now; and so, as the Objection was fully answer'd, the Question remain'd still unanswer'd, Why am I a Whore now? Nor indeed, had I any-thing to say for myself, even to myself; I cou'd not without blushing, as wicked as I was, answer, that I lov'd it for the sake of the Vice, and that I delighted in being a Whore, as such; I say, I cou'd not say this, even to myself, and all alone, nor indeed, wou'd it have been true; I was never able in Justice, and with Truth, to say I was so wicked as that; but as Necessity first debauch'd me, and Poverty made me a Whore at the Beginning; so excess of Avarice for getting Money, and excess of Vanity, continued me in the Crime, not being able to resist the Flatteries of Great Persons; being call'd the finest Woman in France; being caress'd by a Prince; and afterwards I had Pride enough to expect, and Folly enough to believe, tho' indeed, without ground, by a Great Monarch: These were my Baits, these the Chains by which the Devil held me bound; and by which I was indeed, too fast held for any Reasoning that I was then Mistress of, to deliver me from.
(pp. 244-5 in Penguin)
(pp. 244-5 in Penguin)
Categories
Provenance
Searching "reason" and "chain" in HDIS (Prose)
Citation
At least 15 entries in the ESTC (1724, 1740, 1741, 1742, 1745, 1749, 1750, 1755, 1765, 1774, 1775, ).
See The Fortunate Mistress: Or, A History of the Life and Vast Variety of Fortunes of Mademoiselle de Beleau, afterwards call'd the Countess de Wintselsheim, in Germany. Being the Person known by the Name of the Lady Roxana, in the Time of King Charles II (London: Printed for T. Warner, 1724). <Link to ESTC><Link to Google Books>
Reading Daniel Defoe, Roxana, ed. David Blewett (New York: Penguin Books, 1987).
See The Fortunate Mistress: Or, A History of the Life and Vast Variety of Fortunes of Mademoiselle de Beleau, afterwards call'd the Countess de Wintselsheim, in Germany. Being the Person known by the Name of the Lady Roxana, in the Time of King Charles II (London: Printed for T. Warner, 1724). <Link to ESTC><Link to Google Books>
Reading Daniel Defoe, Roxana, ed. David Blewett (New York: Penguin Books, 1987).
Date of Entry
07/27/2011
