"Shall the winged Inhabitants of Air come tamely to the Hand that feeds them; and shall Man steel his Heart against all Impressions of Kindness, and all Sentiments of GRATITUDE?"

— Gentleman, Francis (1728-1784)


Place of Publication
York
Publisher
Printed by A. Ward
Date
1764
Metaphor
"Shall the winged Inhabitants of Air come tamely to the Hand that feeds them; and shall Man steel his Heart against all Impressions of Kindness, and all Sentiments of GRATITUDE?"
Metaphor in Context
Shall Beasts of the Field cast off their Wildness, and enter into a grateful kind Intimacy with their Keeper? Shall the winged Inhabitants of Air come tamely to the Hand that feeds them; and shall Man steel his Heart against all Impressions of Kindness, and all Sentiments of GRATITUDE? Oh Shame! Shame! Shame! Say thou who art complained against, how thou canst wipe off so deep a Stain; a Stain which, were it possible thou couldst have a thousand other Virtues, would sully and depreciate them all.
(p. 187)
Provenance
Searching "heart" and "steel" in ECCO-TCP
Citation
3 entries in ESTC (1764, 1765).

A Trip to the Moon: Containing an Account of the Island of Noibla. Its Inhabitants, Religious and Political Customs, &c. By Sir Humphrey Lunatic, Bart. (York: Printed by A. Ward, for S. Crowder; W. Bristow; J. Pridden and W. Griffin; G. Burnet; G. Woodfall; and J. Johnson, London; C. Etherington, in York; and W. Charnley, in Newcastle upon Tyne, 1764). <Link to ECCO-TCP>
Date of Entry
03/13/2014

The Mind is a Metaphor is authored by Brad Pasanek, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia.