The Candle of the Lord is set up in men's minds and "is impossible for the breath or Power of Man wholly to extinguish"

— Locke, John (1632-1704)


Place of Publication
London
Date
1690, 1694, 1695, 1700, 1706
Metaphor
The Candle of the Lord is set up in men's minds and "is impossible for the breath or Power of Man wholly to extinguish"
Metaphor in Context
The Subject part of Mankind in most Places, might ... with Aegyptian Bondage, expect Aegyptian Darkness, were not the Candle of the Lord set by himself in Men's minds, which it is impossible for the breath or Power of Man wholly to extinguish.
Provenance
Reading S. H. Clark's "Locke and Metaphor Reconsidered" in JHI 59:2 (1998) p. 260
Citation
Locke began composition as early as 1671 (Drafts A and B).

I find over 25 entries in the ESTC (1690, 1694, 1695, 1700, 1706, 1710, 1715, 1721, 1726, 1731, 1735, 1741, 1748, 1753, 1759, 1760, 1765, 1768, 1775, 1777, 1786, 1788, 1793, 1795, 1796, 1798). See also the many abridgements issued in the period.

First published as An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. In Four Books. (London: Printed by Eliz. Holt, for Thomas Basset, at the George in Fleetstreet, near St. Dunstan's Church, 1690). <Link to EEBO><EEBO-TCP>

Searching first in a Past Masters edition based on the 12th Edition of Locke's Works and proofread against the 1959 Fraser edition. More recent searches in EEBO-TCP.

Reading John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, ed. Peter Nidditch (Oxford, Oxford UP, 1975)--against which I have checked the text searched in Past Masters. Note, Nidditch's text is based on 4th ed. of 1700.
Date of Entry
09/04/2003

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