The Infirmities of Genius Illustrated by Referring the Anomalies in the Literary Character to the Habits and Constitutional Peculiarities of Men of Genius, Volume 1Carey, Lea, and Blanchard, 1833 - Genius |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
animal appears asthma authors bard biographer bodily brain Brocklesby Burns Byron cause CHAPTER character conduct constitution Davy death died disease disorder dramatist dropsy dying dyspepsia effects errors evil excess excitement exertion fame fear feelings friends genius gloom Goethe Grosvenor Square habits heart Hippocrates human hundred hypochondria imagination indulgence infirmities influence intellect intemperance irritability James Johnson Johnson knowledge labour letters literary pursuits literature lives longevity Lope de Vega madness malady melancholy ment Metastasio mind and body moral morbid natural philosophers nature nerves nervous energy never observation opinion organ pain passion perhaps period Petrarch philologist philosopher physician poetry poets poor Pope Port wine probably reason religion rendered Salvator Rosa says Boswell sensation sensibility spirits stomach studious sufferings symptoms temper thing thought timated tion told tranquillity tricity truth vital wine wonderful words
Popular passages
Page 29 - How small , of all that human hearts endure , That part which laws or kings can cause or cure.
Page 80 - The eclipse of Nature spreads my pall, — The majesty of darkness shall Receive my parting ghost ! This spirit shall return to Him That gave its heavenly spark; Yet think not, Sun, it shall be dim When thou thyself art dark! No ! it shall live again, and shine In bliss unknown to beams of thine, By him recall'd to breath, Who captive led captivity, Who robb'd the grave of Victory, — And took the sting from Death...
Page 168 - I ventured to tell him, that I had been, for moments in my life, not afraid of death; therefore I could suppose another man in that state of mind for a considerable space of time. He said, 'he never had a moment in which death was not terrible to him.
Page 179 - Every thing about his character and manners was forcible and violent ; there never was any moderation. Many a day did he fast, many a year did he refrain from wine : but when he did eat, it was voraciously ; when he did drink wine, it was copiously. He could practise abstinence, but not temperance.
Page 94 - In time some particular train of ideas fixes the attention, all other intellectual gratifications are rejected, the mind, in weariness or leisure, recurs constantly to the favourite conception, and feasts on the luscious falsehood whenever she is offended with the bitterness of truth.
Page 178 - I never k'new any man who relished good eating more than he did. When at table, he was totally absorbed in the business of the. moment ; his looks seemed rivetted to his plate ; nor. would he, unless when in very high company, say one word, or even pay the least attention to what was said by others, till he had satisfied his appetite, which was so fierce, and indulged with such intenseness, that while in the act of eating, the veins • of his forehead swelled, and generally a strong perspiration...
Page 188 - Whether what Temple says be true, that physicians have had more learning than the other faculties, I will not stay to...
Page 173 - It is not more strange that there should be evil spirits than evil men: evil unembodied spirits, than evil embodied spirits. And as to storms, we know there are such things; and it is no worse that evil spirits raise them than that they rise.
Page 143 - His legs were so slender, that he enlarged their bulk with three pairs of stockings, which were drawn on and off by the maid, for he was not able to dress or undress himself, and neither went to bed nor rose without help. His weakness made it very difficult for him to be clean.
Page 156 - Tis carnificina hominum, angor animi, as well saith Areteus, a plague of the soul, the cramp and convulsion of the soul, an epitome of hell ; and if there be a hell upon earth, it is to be found in a melancholy man's heart " For that deep torture may be call'd an hell, When more Is felt, than one hath power to tell.