"Great is the soul which fears no vulgar awe, / But proves with pride that love's her first, great law."
— Thompson, Edward (1738-1786)
Author
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Date
1765, 1770
Metaphor
"Great is the soul which fears no vulgar awe, / But proves with pride that love's her first, great law."
Metaphor in Context
Weep for that pretty creature barr'd, lock'd up,
Bread but to eat, and water but to sup;
Denied the gen'ral air, the noon-tide walk,
Lo! how she bites her nails, and pines on chalk,
For some soft assignation in the Park,
With some delightful meteor of a spark:
But Betty there unbars the parent's plan,
And Scotland joins her to the happy man.---
Such rigid acts but prompt a stronger lust,
For man with woman's something more than dust.
Great Cæsar conquer'd, when e'er Cæsar fought,
Yet Cæsar's arm ne'er kill'd like Cæsar's coat.
Such girls I love, such parents I condemn,
All daughters must---I'll answer for all men.
Is it not most unnatural to move
What nature first implanted, genial love?
Say, can the Leopard change his spots?---or can
The Maid tear from her heart the dear lov'd man.---
From obstacles like these our passions rise,
And one rash moment blasts our future joys:
In this Miss Hunter play'd the Roman part,
The man possessing, who possess'd her heart.
Great is the soul which fears no vulgar awe,
But proves with pride that love's her first, great law.
(ll. 248-270)
Bread but to eat, and water but to sup;
Denied the gen'ral air, the noon-tide walk,
Lo! how she bites her nails, and pines on chalk,
For some soft assignation in the Park,
With some delightful meteor of a spark:
But Betty there unbars the parent's plan,
And Scotland joins her to the happy man.---
Such rigid acts but prompt a stronger lust,
For man with woman's something more than dust.
Great Cæsar conquer'd, when e'er Cæsar fought,
Yet Cæsar's arm ne'er kill'd like Cæsar's coat.
Such girls I love, such parents I condemn,
All daughters must---I'll answer for all men.
Is it not most unnatural to move
What nature first implanted, genial love?
Say, can the Leopard change his spots?---or can
The Maid tear from her heart the dear lov'd man.---
From obstacles like these our passions rise,
And one rash moment blasts our future joys:
In this Miss Hunter play'd the Roman part,
The man possessing, who possess'd her heart.
Great is the soul which fears no vulgar awe,
But proves with pride that love's her first, great law.
(ll. 248-270)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
4 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1765, 1770).
Text from The Court of Cupid. By the Author of the Meretriciad. Containing the Eighth Edition of the Meretriciad, with Great Additions. 2 vols. (London: Printed for C. Moran, 1770).
See also The Courtesan. By the Author of the Meretriciad. (London: Printed for J. Harrison, in Covent Garden, 1765). <Link to ESTC>
Text from The Court of Cupid. By the Author of the Meretriciad. Containing the Eighth Edition of the Meretriciad, with Great Additions. 2 vols. (London: Printed for C. Moran, 1770).
See also The Courtesan. By the Author of the Meretriciad. (London: Printed for J. Harrison, in Covent Garden, 1765). <Link to ESTC>
Date of Entry
10/28/2013
