"Some Readers read too much, as Gluttons eat, / These Flatulence produce, and those Conceit; / If you, by reading much, would Knowledge gain, / Think, while you read, or you will read in vain."
— Marriott, Thomas (d. 1766)
Author
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for W. Owen
Date
1759
Metaphor
"Some Readers read too much, as Gluttons eat, / These Flatulence produce, and those Conceit; / If you, by reading much, would Knowledge gain, / Think, while you read, or you will read in vain."
Metaphor in Context
[...] Your Memory, and Understanding too
Will still acquire new Strength, by reading slow.
The Traveller, who o'er the Country flies,
Few rural Beauties, with Discernment, spies;
Objects, that pass so swift, confound the Mind,
And no distinct Impression leave behind.
Some Readers read too much, as Gluttons eat,
These Flatulence produce, and those Conceit;
If you, by reading much, would Knowledge gain,
Think, while you read, or you will read in vain;
You'll be no wiser than a Parrot taught
To speak, if you still read, without a Thought [...]
(p. 72)
Will still acquire new Strength, by reading slow.
The Traveller, who o'er the Country flies,
Few rural Beauties, with Discernment, spies;
Objects, that pass so swift, confound the Mind,
And no distinct Impression leave behind.
Some Readers read too much, as Gluttons eat,
These Flatulence produce, and those Conceit;
If you, by reading much, would Knowledge gain,
Think, while you read, or you will read in vain;
You'll be no wiser than a Parrot taught
To speak, if you still read, without a Thought [...]
(p. 72)
Categories
Provenance
ECCO
Citation
3 entries in ESTC (1759, 1760, 1775).
Text from Female Conduct: Being an Essay on the Art of Pleasing. To Be Practised by the Fair Sex, Before, and After Marriage. A Poem, in Two Books. Humbly Dedicated, to Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. Inscribed to Plautilla. by Thomas Marriott, Esq. (London: Printed for W. Owen, at Homer's Head, Temple-Bar, 1759). <Link to ECCO>
Text from Female Conduct: Being an Essay on the Art of Pleasing. To Be Practised by the Fair Sex, Before, and After Marriage. A Poem, in Two Books. Humbly Dedicated, to Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. Inscribed to Plautilla. by Thomas Marriott, Esq. (London: Printed for W. Owen, at Homer's Head, Temple-Bar, 1759). <Link to ECCO>
Date of Entry
10/28/2013
