"Shall ev'ry blockhead think his mind, / Like yours, the mirrour of mankind?"
— Boyce, Samuel (d. 1775)
Author
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for R. and J. Dodsley, J. Newbery, and W. Reeve
Date
1757
Metaphor
"Shall ev'ry blockhead think his mind, / Like yours, the mirrour of mankind?"
Metaphor in Context
Oh, son of genius! Friend of art!
Garrick, thou monarch of the heart!
Is it not strange the froward mind
Shou'd spurn the province heav'n assign'd?
And on the very station hit,
For which its pow'rs are most unfit?
Because you grace the roscian sphere,
As great in Chalkstone as in Lear;
Inspire with joy the heart's recess,
Or melt the soul to soft distress;
And fill the scene with so much ease,
As if 'twere natural to please;
Shall ev'ry blockhead think his mind,
Like yours, the mirrour of mankind?
Neglect his trade; profession scorn,
And cry, "For acting I was born!"
Garrick, thou monarch of the heart!
Is it not strange the froward mind
Shou'd spurn the province heav'n assign'd?
And on the very station hit,
For which its pow'rs are most unfit?
Because you grace the roscian sphere,
As great in Chalkstone as in Lear;
Inspire with joy the heart's recess,
Or melt the soul to soft distress;
And fill the scene with so much ease,
As if 'twere natural to please;
Shall ev'ry blockhead think his mind,
Like yours, the mirrour of mankind?
Neglect his trade; profession scorn,
And cry, "For acting I was born!"
Categories
Provenance
Searching "mind" and "mirrour" ("mirror") in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
Only 1 entry in ESTC (1757).
Text from Poems on Several Occasions. By Samuel Boyce (London: Printed for R. and J. Dodsley, J. Newbery, and W. Reeve, 1757). <Link to ECCO>
Text from Poems on Several Occasions. By Samuel Boyce (London: Printed for R. and J. Dodsley, J. Newbery, and W. Reeve, 1757). <Link to ECCO>
Date of Entry
06/29/2005
