2031. Sir John Davies. 1570-1626. John Bartlett, comp. 1919. Familiar Quotations, 10th ed.

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John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.


NUMBER:	2031
AUTHOR:	Sir John Davies (1570–1626)
QUOTATION:	Much like a subtle spider which doth sit In middle of her web, which spreadeth wide; If aught do touch the utmost thread of it, She feels it instantly on every side. 1
ATTRIBUTION:	The Immortality of the Soul.

Note 1.
Our souls sit close and silently within,
And their own webs from their own entrails spin;
And when eyes meet far off, our sense is such
That, spider-like, we feel the tenderest touch.
John Dryden: Mariage à la Mode, act ii. sc. 1.

The spider’s touch—how exquisitely fine!—
Feels at each thread, and lives along the line.
Alexander Pope: Epistle i. line 217. [back]

CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD · AUTHOR INDEX · CONCORDANCE INDEX

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