"You, my dear friend, who have felt the tender attachments of love and friendship, and the painful anxieties which absence occasions, even amidst scenes of variety and pleasure; who understand the value at which tidings from those we love is computed in the arithmetic of the heart."
— Williams, Helen Maria (1759-1827)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for T. Cadell
Date
1790, 1794
Metaphor
"You, my dear friend, who have felt the tender attachments of love and friendship, and the painful anxieties which absence occasions, even amidst scenes of variety and pleasure; who understand the value at which tidings from those we love is computed in the arithmetic of the heart."
Metaphor in Context
You, my dear friend, who have felt the tender attachments of love and friendship, and the painful anxieties which absence occasions, even amidst scenes of variety and pleasure; who understand the value at which tidings from those we love is computed in the arithmetic of the heart; who have heard with almost uncontroulable emotion the postman's rap at the door; have trembling seen the well-known hand which excited sensations that almost deprived you of power to break the seal which seemed the talisman of happiness; you can judge of the feelings of Mons. du F when he received, by means of the same friend who had conveyed his letter, an answer from his wife. But the person who brought the letter to his dungeon, dreading the risk of a discovery, insisted, that, after having read it, he should return it to him immediately. Mons. du F-- pressed the letter to his heart, bathed it with his tears, and implored the indulgence of keeping it at least till the next morning. He was allowed to do so, and read it till every word was imprinted on his memory; and after enjoying the sad luxury of holding it that night on his bosom, was forced the next morning to relinquish his treasure.
(Letter XX, p. 163-4; p. 129 in Broadview ed.)
(Letter XX, p. 163-4; p. 129 in Broadview ed.)
Categories
Provenance
Reading; text from Google Books
Citation
Seven entries in ESTC (1790, 1791, 1792, 1794, 1796).
See Helen Maria Williams, Letters Written in France, In the Summer of 1790, To a Friend in England; Containing Various Anecdotes Relative to the French Revolution; and Memoirs of Mons. and Madame De F----. (London: Printed for T. Cadell, 1790). <Link to ESTC><Link to ECCO>
Text drawn from fourth edition of 1794 <Link to Google Books>.
Reading Letters Written in France, eds. Neil Fraistat and Susan S. Lanser (Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview: 2001).
See Helen Maria Williams, Letters Written in France, In the Summer of 1790, To a Friend in England; Containing Various Anecdotes Relative to the French Revolution; and Memoirs of Mons. and Madame De F----. (London: Printed for T. Cadell, 1790). <Link to ESTC><Link to ECCO>
Text drawn from fourth edition of 1794 <Link to Google Books>.
Reading Letters Written in France, eds. Neil Fraistat and Susan S. Lanser (Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview: 2001).
Date of Entry
07/12/2013
