"But now Adversity's refining fire / Melts down the base alloy of earthly passions, / And purifies the temper of the heart."
— Cumberland, Richard (1732-1811)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for J. Walter
Date
1761
Metaphor
"But now Adversity's refining fire / Melts down the base alloy of earthly passions, / And purifies the temper of the heart."
Metaphor in Context
CLODIUS.
Now thou shalt feel me, Rome. Come on, my friend;
Loud as the orgies of the God of wine,
Let our bold revels wake the sleeping night,
And rock the throne of Jove. I tread on air;
My mounting spirits lift me from the earth,
Gay dancing pleasures play around my heart,
And the full Bacchus revels in my veins.
(pp. 24-5)
FRUGI.
Dearest maid,
Dearer in all thy wrongs, than if thou cam'st
Deck'd in the splendor of thy fullest fortune,
My soul almost rejoices in thy sorrows:
Ambition else had shar'd my thoughts with thee,
And Interest stol'n some portion of my love;
But now Adversity's refining fire
Melts down the base alloy of earthly passions,
And purifies the temper of the heart.
(p. 47)
Now thou shalt feel me, Rome. Come on, my friend;
Loud as the orgies of the God of wine,
Let our bold revels wake the sleeping night,
And rock the throne of Jove. I tread on air;
My mounting spirits lift me from the earth,
Gay dancing pleasures play around my heart,
And the full Bacchus revels in my veins.
(pp. 24-5)
FRUGI.
Dearest maid,
Dearer in all thy wrongs, than if thou cam'st
Deck'd in the splendor of thy fullest fortune,
My soul almost rejoices in thy sorrows:
Ambition else had shar'd my thoughts with thee,
And Interest stol'n some portion of my love;
But now Adversity's refining fire
Melts down the base alloy of earthly passions,
And purifies the temper of the heart.
(p. 47)
Categories
Provenance
LION
Citation
3 entries in ESTC (1761).
The Banishment of Cicero. A Tragedy. By Richard Cumberland (London: Printed for J. Walter, 1761). <Link to ECCO>
The Banishment of Cicero. A Tragedy. By Richard Cumberland (London: Printed for J. Walter, 1761). <Link to ECCO>
Date of Entry
09/04/2013
