In close recefs and fecret conclave fat,
A thousand demy-gods on golden feats,
Frequent and full. After fhort filence then
And fummons read, the great confult began.

795

The knight and Squire's prodigious flight
To quit th' inchanted bow'r by night :
He plods to turn his amorous, fuit
T'a plea in law, and profecute:
Repairs to counfel, to advise
'Bout managing the enterprise ;
But firft refolves to try by letter,

And one more fair addrefs, to get her.

CANTO III.

WHO would believe what strange bugbears

Mankind creates itfelf, of fears,

* See Vol. I. page 54. The first part of this poem, the chief defign whereof is a fative “against those incendiaries of church and flate, who, in the late rebellion, under pretence

That fpring, like fern, that infect weed,
Equivocally, without feed,

And have no poffible foundation,

But meerly in th' imagination;

And yet can do more dreadful feats

Than hags, with all their imps and teats;
Make more bewitch and haunt themselves,
Than all their nurseries of elves?

For fear does things fo like a witch,
'Tis hard t' unriddle which is which;
Sets up communities of fenfes,
To chop and change intelligences;
As Roficrucian virtuofo's

Can fee with ears, and hear with nofes;
And when they neither fee nor hear,
Have more than both supply'd by fear;
'That makes 'em in the dark fee vifions,
And hag themselves with apparitions;
And when their eyes discover leaft,
Difcern the fubtleft objects beft:
Do things, not contrary, alone,
To th' courfe of nature, but its own;
The courage of the braveft daunt,
And turn pultroons as valiant:

For men as refolute appear

With too much, as too little fear;

5

10

15

20

25

of religion, murder'd the beft of kings, to introduce the worst of governments," was published in 1663; the fecond in the following year; the third in 1678,

And when they're out of hopes of flying
Will run away from death by dying:
Or turn again to stand it out;

And those they fled, like lions, rout.

30

The knight, who now began to find Th' had left the enemy behind,

And faw no farther harm remain,

But feeble weariness and pain;
Perceiv'd, by lofing of their way,

Th' had gain'd th' advantage of the day;

And by declining of the road,

165

They had, by chance, their rere made good; 170

He ventur'd to difmifs his fear,

That parting's wont to rant and tear,

And give the defperat'st attack

To danger ftill behind its back.

For, having pau s'd to recollect,

And on his paft fuccefs reflect,

T'examine and confider why,

And whence, and how, he came to fly,
And when no devil had appear'd,

What else, it could be faid, he fear'd;

175

180

V. 164. He has been rescued by Ralpho, bis fquire, from the widows boufe, where he had suffered a fevere drubbing and a terrible fright, from a crew of factitious dæmons.

And when I had half reduc'd the place,
To quit it infamously base.

Was better cover'd by the new
Arriv'd detachment, than I knew:
To flight my new acquefts, and run
Victoriously, from battles won,
And reck'ning all I gain'd or loft,
To fell them cheaper than they coft.
To make me put myself to flight,
And, conquʼring, run away by night;
To drag me out, which th' haughty foe
Durft never have prefum'd to do.
To mount me in the dark by force,
Upon the bare ridge of my horfe,
Expos'd in querpo to their rage,
Without my arms and equipage;
Left, if they ventur'd to pursue,
I might th' unequal fight renew:
And, to preserve thy outward man
Affum'd my place and led the van.
VOL. III.

L