John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
2031 Sir John Davies 1570-1626 John Bartlett
| 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] |