"From the court-mint, of hearts the current coin / The pulpit presses, but the pattern drives."
— Young, Edward (bap. 1683, d. 1765)
Place of Publication
London
Date
1743, 1745
Metaphor
"From the court-mint, of hearts the current coin / The pulpit presses, but the pattern drives."
Metaphor in Context
And whence the manners of the multitude?
The colour of their manners, black or fair,
Falls from above; from the complexion falls
Of state Othellos, or white men in power:
And from the greater height example falls,
Greater the weight, and deeper its impress
In ranks inferior, passive to the stroke.
From the court-mint, of hearts the current coin
The pulpit presses, but the pattern drives.
What bonds, then, bonds how manifold and strong,
To duty, double duty, tie the great!
And are there Samsons that can burst them all?
Yes; and great minds that stand in need of none,
Whose pulse beats virtue, and whose generous blood
Aids mental motives, to push-on renown,
In emulation of their glorious sires,
From whom rolls down the consecrated stream.
The colour of their manners, black or fair,
Falls from above; from the complexion falls
Of state Othellos, or white men in power:
And from the greater height example falls,
Greater the weight, and deeper its impress
In ranks inferior, passive to the stroke.
From the court-mint, of hearts the current coin
The pulpit presses, but the pattern drives.
What bonds, then, bonds how manifold and strong,
To duty, double duty, tie the great!
And are there Samsons that can burst them all?
Yes; and great minds that stand in need of none,
Whose pulse beats virtue, and whose generous blood
Aids mental motives, to push-on renown,
In emulation of their glorious sires,
From whom rolls down the consecrated stream.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "coin" and "heart" in HDIS (Poetry); Found again "mint"
Citation
Searching in ECCO and ESTC (1743, 1745, 1774, 1777, 1778, 1784, 1790, 1795).
Also titled "Some Thoughts, Occasioned by the Present Juncture: Humbly Inscribed to His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, One of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State," in The Consolation (London: G. Hawkins, 1745).
Text from The Complete Works, Poetry and Prose, of the Rev. Edward Young, LL.D., Formerly Rector of Welwyn, Hertfordshire, &c. Revised and Collated With the Earliest Editions. To Which Is Prefixed, a Life of the Author, by John Doran, LL.D. With Eight Illustrations on Steel, and a Portrait. 2 vols. (London: William Tegg and Co., 1854).
Also titled "Some Thoughts, Occasioned by the Present Juncture: Humbly Inscribed to His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, One of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State," in The Consolation (London: G. Hawkins, 1745).
Text from The Complete Works, Poetry and Prose, of the Rev. Edward Young, LL.D., Formerly Rector of Welwyn, Hertfordshire, &c. Revised and Collated With the Earliest Editions. To Which Is Prefixed, a Life of the Author, by John Doran, LL.D. With Eight Illustrations on Steel, and a Portrait. 2 vols. (London: William Tegg and Co., 1854).
Date of Entry
04/14/2005
