Date: 1763

"My soul is on fire at this insult: his age, his virtues protect him, but Lord Melvin--Let him avoid my fury."

— Brooke [née Moore], Frances (bap. 1724, d. 1789)

Date: 1767

"A holy ardor was kindled in his breast, which he had never felt before; he found his faculties enlarged, his mind was transported above this world; he felt as it were unimbodied, and an involuntary adjuration burst from his lips."

— Sheridan [née Chamberlaine], Frances (1724-1766)

Date: 1767

"I was now resolved to be myself an eye-witness of thy behaviour, and to try if there was any spark of virtue remaining in thy soul which could possibly be rekindled."

— Sheridan [née Chamberlaine], Frances (1724-1766)

Date: 1776

"Would it were passed, and that like Aetna, though my bosom flamed, my head was crowned with snow."

— Griffith, Elizabeth (1720-1793)

Date: 1778, 1779

"'Leave me, Madam,' cried he, with quickness, "and take care of the poor child;--bid her not think me unkind,--tell her I would at this moment plunge a dagger in my heart to serve her,--but she has set my brain on fire, and I can see her no more!'"

— Burney [married name D'Arblay], Frances (1752-1840)

Date: 1777, 1780

"The notice and observation of strangers, and the affection of individuals, together with that inward consciousness that always attends superiour qualities, would sometimes kindle the flames of ambition in Edmund's heart; but he checked them presently by reflecting upon his low birth and dependan...

— Reeve, Clara (1729-1807)

Date: 1782

"My brain is on fire!"

— Burney [married name D'Arblay], Frances (1752-1840)

Date: 1782

"But a smooth and stedfast mind, / Gentle thought and calm desires, / Hearts in equal love combin'd, / Kindle never-dying fires; / Where these are not I despise / Lovely cheeks, or lips, or eyes."

— Fenn [née Frere], Ellenor (1744-1813)

Date: 1784

"'Tis in Clarinda's charming mind, / The sweet attraction lies; / There all that fire and life we find, / That sparkles in her eyes."

— Fenn [née Frere], Ellenor (1744-1813)

Date: 1788

"The ardent imagination of Delamere instantly caught fire."

— Smith, Charlotte (1749-1806)