"To remember where he enters in the succession, they only consider in what part of the cabinet he lies; and by runinng over in their thoughts such a particular drawer, will give you an account of all the remarkable parts of his reign."
— Addison, Joseph (1672-1719)
Author
Date
1726
Metaphor
"To remember where he enters in the succession, they only consider in what part of the cabinet he lies; and by runinng over in their thoughts such a particular drawer, will give you an account of all the remarkable parts of his reign."
Metaphor in Context
You must always give your men of great reading leave to show their talents on the meanest subjects, says Eugenius; it is a kind of shooting at rovers: where a man lets fly his arrow without taking any aim, to shew his strength. But there is one advantage, says he, turning to Philander, that seems to me very considerable, although your Medallists seldom throw it into the account, which is the great help to memory one finds in Medals: for my own part I am very much embarrassed in the names and ranks of the several Roman Emperors, and find it difficult to recollect upon occasion the different parts of their history: but your Medallists upon the first naming of an Emperor will immediately tell you his age, family and life. To remember where he enters in the succession, they only consider in what part of the cabinet he lies; and by runinng over in their thoughts such a particular drawer, will give you an account of all the remarkable parts of his reign.
(pp. 21-2)
(pp. 21-2)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
At least 9 entries in ESTC (1726, 1736, 1746, 1751, 1753, 1754).
See Dialogues Upon the Usefulness of Ancient Medals: Especially in Relation to the Latin and Greek Poets. ([London?]: Printed in the Year, 1726. <Link to ECCO-TCP>
See also Miscellaneous Works, in Verse and Prose, of the Late Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; in Three Volumes. Consisting of Such As Were Never Before Printed in Twelves. With Some Account of the Life and Writings of the Author, by Mr. Tickell. (London: Printed for Jacob Tonson in the Strand, 1726). <Link to ESTC>
Reading in vol. II of The Works of Joseph Addison, ed. George Washington Greene. (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1888), 1-130.
See Dialogues Upon the Usefulness of Ancient Medals: Especially in Relation to the Latin and Greek Poets. ([London?]: Printed in the Year, 1726. <Link to ECCO-TCP>
See also Miscellaneous Works, in Verse and Prose, of the Late Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; in Three Volumes. Consisting of Such As Were Never Before Printed in Twelves. With Some Account of the Life and Writings of the Author, by Mr. Tickell. (London: Printed for Jacob Tonson in the Strand, 1726). <Link to ESTC>
Reading in vol. II of The Works of Joseph Addison, ed. George Washington Greene. (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1888), 1-130.
Date of Entry
03/11/2016
