In Catholicism a man's conscience could not possibly continue for long blinded;--"three times in a year, at least, he must go to confession."

— Sterne, Laurence (1713-1768)


Date
1760-7
Metaphor
In Catholicism a man's conscience could not possibly continue for long blinded;--"three times in a year, at least, he must go to confession."
Metaphor in Context
[Here Corporal Trim and my uncleToby exchanged looks with each other. -- Aye,--aye, Trim! quoth my uncle Toby, shaking his head,--these are but sorry fortifications, Trim. --O! very poor work, answered Trim, to what your Honour and I make of it. --The character of this last man, said Dr. Slop, interruptingTrim, is more detestable than all the rest;--and seems to have been taken from some pettifogging Lawyer amongst you: --Amongst us, a man's conscience could not possibly continue so long blinded;--three times in a year, at least, he must go to confession. Will that restore it to sight, quoth my uncle Toby? --Go on, Trim, quoth my father, or Obadiah will have got back before thou hast got to the end of thy sermon;--'tis a very short one, repliedTrim . --I wish it was longer, quoth my uncle Toby, for I like it hugely. --Trim went on.]
(pp. 121-2; Norton 93)
Categories
Provenance
Searching in HDIS (Prose)
Citation
At least 82 entries in ESTC (1759, 1760, 1761, 1762, 1763, 1765, 1767, 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, 1773, 1774, 1775, 1776, 1777, 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783, 1786, 1788, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1798, 1799, 1800). Complicated publication history: vols. 1 and 2 published in London January 1, 1760. Vols. 3, 4, 5, and 6 published in 1761. Vols. 7 and 8 published in 1765. Vol. 9 published in 1767.

See Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, 9 vols. (London: Printed for D. Lynch, 1760-1767). <Link to ECCO><Link to 1759 York edition in ECCO>

First two volumes available in ECCO-TCP: <Vol. 1><Vol. 2>. Most text drawn from second (London) edition <Link to LION>.

For vols. 3-4, see ESTC T14705 <R. and J. Dodsley, 1761>. For vols. 5-6, see ESTC T14706 <T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, 1762>. For vols. 7-8, see ESTC T14820 <T. Becket and P. A. Dehont, 1765>. For vol. 9, <T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, 1767>.

Reading in Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy: An Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Sources, Criticism, Ed. Howard Anderson (New York: Norton, 1980).
Date of Entry
11/24/2004

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