quote · Legacy record
Tender handed stroke a nettle And it stings you for your pains; Grasp it like a man of mettle, And it soft as silk remains; Thus it is with vulgar natures, Use them kindly, they rebel: But be rough as nutmeg graters, And the rogues obey you well.
Tender handed stroke a nettle And it stings you for your pains; Grasp it like a man of mettle, And it soft as silk remains; Thus it is with vulgar natures, Use them kindly, they rebel: But be rough as nutmeg graters, And the rogues obey you well.
Approximate author period: c. 1717 AD · early modern
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Aaron Hill
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Approximate author period: c. 1717 AD · early modern
author lifetime midpoint (1685–1750)
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- Life and Literature (copyright 1910) (1910 AD)
Number 1432 · printed citation: Aaron Hill
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.