Citations:dart

English citations of dart

			1678	1722
ME «	15th c.	16th c.	17th c.	18th c.	19th c.	20th c.	21st c.

• 1678 — John Bunyan. The Pilgrim's Progress.

  And with that he threw a flaming dart at his breast; but Christian had a shield in his hand, with which he caught it, and so prevented the danger of that.

  He is never out of hearing; and if at any time they be put to the worst, he, if possible, comes in to help them; and of him it is said, The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon; he esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

• a. 1722, Matthew Prior, “Non Pareil”, in H. Bunker Wright, Monroe K. Spears, editors, The Literary Works of Matthew Prior, Second edition, volume I, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1971, page 683:

  Her voice more sweet than warbling sound,
  Tho’ sung by nightingale or lark,
  Her eyes such lustre dart around,
  Compar’d to them the sun is dark

• a. 1722, Matthew Prior, “Pontius and Pontia”, in H. Bunker Wright, Monroe K. Spears, editors, The Literary Works of Matthew Prior, Second edition, volume I, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1971, page 685:

  Pontia, (that civil prudent She,
  Who values wit much less than sense,
  And never darts a repartee,
  But purely in Her own defense)