"Shines there a captain, form'd, for war's controul, / Born, with the seeds of conquest, in his soul?"

— Hill, Aaron (1685-1750)


Date
1731, 1753
Metaphor
"Shines there a captain, form'd, for war's controul, / Born, with the seeds of conquest, in his soul?"
Metaphor in Context
Shines there a captain, form'd, for war's controul,
Born, with the seeds of conquest, in his soul?

By envy, driv'n to trust his in-bred store,
And, still, the less supply'd, renown'd the more?
'Gainst foes, and friends, at once, compelld to guard,
But hardest press'd, by those, for whom, he warr'd;
Victor, alike, supported, or betray'd,
And obstinate, in his oppressor's aid;
Pointing, superior, from the heights, he won,
To teach his rash supplanters what to shun.
Disclaiming vengeance, while secure of fame,
And griev'd, not angry, at his country's shame:
Fearless of flatt'ry, here, confess the great,
And, to wrong'd glory, lend the muses weight.
To crowns, and senates, hold a daring light,
And, 'spite of M---'s, do a M--- right.
(Cf. pp. 29-30 in 1731 ed.)
Provenance
Searching "conque" and "soul" in HDIS (Poetry); confirmed in ECCO.
Citation
2 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1731, 1753, 1754).

Advice to the Poets. A Poem. To Which Is Prefix’d, an Epistle Dedicatory to the Few Great Spirits of Great Britain. Written by Mr. Hill. (London: Printed for T. Warner in Pater-Noster-Row, 1731). <Link to ESTC>

Text from The Works of the Late Aaron Hill, Esq; in Four Volumes. Consisting of Letters on Various Subjects, and of Original Poems, Moral and Facetious. With an Essay on the Art of Acting. (London: Printed for the benefit of the family, 1753). <Link to ESTC>
Date of Entry
02/14/2005

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