"Altho' he be but a Carpenter he knows better than thee, to form the Mind; he can teach thee how to polish and square thy Soul, as he polishes a piece of Oak, though never so hard and knotty."
— Marana, Giovanni Paolo (1642-1693); Anonymous [William Bradshaw (fl. 1700) or Robert Midgley (1655?-1723)?]
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed by J. Leake
Date
1687, 1691
Metaphor
"Altho' he be but a Carpenter he knows better than thee, to form the Mind; he can teach thee how to polish and square thy Soul, as he polishes a piece of Oak, though never so hard and knotty."
Metaphor in Context
Continue then in thine ill Nature; I write only to acquaint thee, that I am not ignorant of whatever thou hast done against me. There's no body but old Baba thine Uncle, who can work a change in thee; go to him, be not ashamed to see a man who is imployed in the meanest Works, to have more Judgment than thee: Shew him the Infirmities of thy Soul; or, to speak better, confess to him all the ill things thou hast done, if thou hast any Intention of becoming an honest man; altho' he be but a Carpenter he knows better than thee, to form the Mind; he can teach thee how to polish and square thy Soul, as he polishes a piece of Oak, though never so hard and knotty.
(p. 311)
(p. 311)
Categories
Provenance
EEBO-TCP
Citation
Based on a 30-letter Italian original, L'esploratore turco (1684), by Giovannia Paolo Marana (1642-1693), L'espion turc was published in French in 1684; The Turkish Spy, in English in 1687. Multiple entries in the ESTC. Sixth edition in 1694, 19th edition in 1718, 25th in 1753. After the success of the first volume, the work was expanded to 632 letters and published in eight volumes, attributed to various authors in 1696-97.
Text from second edition: The First Volume of Letters Writ by a Turkish Spy, Who lived Five and Forty Years, Undiscovered, at Paris: Giving an Impartial Account to the Divan at Constantinople, of the most Remarkable Transactions of Europe; And discovering several Intrigues and Secrets of the Christian Courts, (especially of that of France) from the Year 1637, to the Year 1682. Written Originally in Arabick, first Translated into Italian, afterwards into French, and now into English. 2nd edition (London: Printed for Henry Rhodes, 1691). <Link to EEBO-TCP>
Text from second edition: The First Volume of Letters Writ by a Turkish Spy, Who lived Five and Forty Years, Undiscovered, at Paris: Giving an Impartial Account to the Divan at Constantinople, of the most Remarkable Transactions of Europe; And discovering several Intrigues and Secrets of the Christian Courts, (especially of that of France) from the Year 1637, to the Year 1682. Written Originally in Arabick, first Translated into Italian, afterwards into French, and now into English. 2nd edition (London: Printed for Henry Rhodes, 1691). <Link to EEBO-TCP>
Date of Entry
07/26/2013
