"Conscience, her first law broken, wounded lies; / Enfeebled, lifeless, impotent to good; / A feign'd affection bounds her utmost power."
— Young, Edward (bap. 1683, d. 1765)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for G. Hawkins
Date
1745
Metaphor
"Conscience, her first law broken, wounded lies; / Enfeebled, lifeless, impotent to good; / A feign'd affection bounds her utmost power."
Metaphor in Context
"Is Virtue, then, and Piety the same?"
No; Piety is more; 'tis Virtue's source;
Mother of every worth, as that of joy.
Men of the world this doctrine ill digest;
They smile at Piety; yet boast aloud
Good-will to men; nor know they strive to part
What Nature joins; and thus confute themselves.
With Piety begins all good on earth:
'Tis the first-born of Rationality.
Conscience, her first law broken, wounded lies;
Enfeebled, lifeless, impotent to good;
A feign'd affection bounds her utmost power.
Some we can't love but for the' Almighty's sake:
A foe to God was ne'er true friend to man;
Some sinister intent taints all he does;
And in his kindest actions he's unkind.
(p. 168, ll. 691-706)
No; Piety is more; 'tis Virtue's source;
Mother of every worth, as that of joy.
Men of the world this doctrine ill digest;
They smile at Piety; yet boast aloud
Good-will to men; nor know they strive to part
What Nature joins; and thus confute themselves.
With Piety begins all good on earth:
'Tis the first-born of Rationality.
Conscience, her first law broken, wounded lies;
Enfeebled, lifeless, impotent to good;
A feign'd affection bounds her utmost power.
Some we can't love but for the' Almighty's sake:
A foe to God was ne'er true friend to man;
Some sinister intent taints all he does;
And in his kindest actions he's unkind.
(p. 168, ll. 691-706)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Uniform title published in 9 volumes, from 1742 to 1745. At least 133 reprintings after 1745 in ESTC (1747, 1748, 1749, 1750, 1751, 1752, 1755, 1756, 1757, 1758, 1760, 1761, 1762, 1764, 1765, 1766, 1767, 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, 1773, 1774, 1775, 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, 1780, 1782, 1783, 1785, 1786, 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1800).
Edward Young, The Complaint. Or, Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality. Night the Eighth. Virtue's Apology: Or, The Man of the World Answer'd. (London: Printed for G. Hawkins, 1745).
Text from The Complete Works, Poetry and Prose, of the Rev. Edward Young, LL.D., 2 vols. (London: William Tegg, 1854). <Link to Google Books>
Reading Edward Young, Night Thoughts, ed. Stephen Cornford (New York: Cambridge UP, 1989).
Edward Young, The Complaint. Or, Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality. Night the Eighth. Virtue's Apology: Or, The Man of the World Answer'd. (London: Printed for G. Hawkins, 1745).
Text from The Complete Works, Poetry and Prose, of the Rev. Edward Young, LL.D., 2 vols. (London: William Tegg, 1854). <Link to Google Books>
Reading Edward Young, Night Thoughts, ed. Stephen Cornford (New York: Cambridge UP, 1989).
Date of Entry
09/02/2013
