. Through perils both of wind and limb, That women fhould pretend to war, As ftout Armida, bold Thaleftris, 395 400 405 4:0 Germen Princess; a perfon notorious at the time this First Part of Hudibras was published. She was tranfported to Jamaica 1671; but retursing from transportation too foon, fhe was hanged at Tyburn Jan. 22. 1672-3. Ver 382.] This and three following lines not in the two first editions of 1663. 435 Ver. 435.] Mechanics of all forts were then Preachers, and fome of them much followed and admired by the mob. "I am to tell thee, Chrif "tin Reader," (fays Dr. Featley, preface to his Dipper dipp'd, wrote 1645, and published 1647, p. 4.) This new year of new changes, never heard of in former ages, namely, of stables "turned into temples, and I will beg leave to add, "temples turned into stables (as was that of St. "Paul's, and many more), ftalls into quires, "thopboards into communion-tables, tubs into "pulpits, aprons into linen ephods, and mecha nies of the lowest rank into priests of the hight "places.-I wonder that our door-posts and walls 66 fweat not, upon which fuch notes as thefe have, "been lately affixed; on such a day, fuch a brew"er's clerk exercifeth; fuch a tailor expoundeth; "fuch a waterman teacheth.-If cooks, instead "of mincing their meat, fall upon dividing of the "Word;, if tailors leap up from the fhopboard "into the pulpit, and patch up fermons out of "ftolen fhreds; if not only of the loweft of the "people, as in Jeroboam's time, priests are con"fecrated to the Moft High God-Do we marvel to fee fuch confufion in the Church as there is!" They are humouroufly girded in a tract entitled, The Reformado, precifely character'd, by a modern Church-warden, p. 11. "Here are felt-makers Ver. 409. Cerdon.] A one-eved cobler, like his" (fays he) who can roundly deal with the blockbrother Colonel Hewfon. The Poet obferves, that his chief talent lay in preaching. Is it not then indecent, and beyond the rules of decorum, to introduce him into fuch rough company No; it is probable he had but newly fet up the trade of a Teacher; and we may conclude that the Poet did not think that he had fo much fanctity as to debar him the pleasure of his beloved diverfion of Bearbaiting. 1 "heads and neutral dimicafters of the world; "coblers who can give good rules for upright "walking, and handle Scripture to a bristle; "coachmen who know how to lafh the beastly "enormities, and curb the headstrong infolences "of this brutish age, ftoutly exhorting us to stand up for the truth, left the wheel of deftruction roundly overrun us. We have weavers that แ 66 He us'd to lay about and stickle, Like ram or bull at Conventicle: For difputants, like rams and bulls, Do fight with arms that fpring from fculls. Laft Colon came, bold man of war, Deftin'd to blows by fatal ftar; 440 Right expert in command of horse, He ripp'd the womb up of his mother, It was a question whether he Or 's horfe were of a family More worshipful; till antiquaries (After they 'ad almost por'd out their eyes) Did very learnedly decide The business on the horse's fide, And prov'd not only horfe, but cows, 445 450 455 And now the field of death, the lifts, And blood was ready to be broach'd, Shall faints in civil bloodshed wallow 490 495 500 The Caufe, for which we fought and fwore 505 460 Will feem a mere God-dam-merant, 510 465 Some will not stick to fwear, we do 515 What good can Reformation do? The blood and treasure that 's laid out "can fweetly inform us of the shuttle-swiftnefs "of the times, and practically tread out the vi"ciffitude of all fublunary things till the web of "our life be cut off: and here are mechanics, of "my profeffion, who can feparate the pieces of "falvation from those of damnation, measure "out every man's portion, and cut it out by a "thread, fubftantially preffing the points, till "till they have fashionably filled up their work "with a well-bottomed conclufion." Ver. 441. Colon.] Ned Perry, an hoftler. Ver. 503. 504.] Mr. Walker obferves, "That "all the cheating, covetous, ambitious perfons of "the land, were united together under the title "of the Godly, the Saints, and fhared the fat of "the land between them ;" and he calls them the Saints who were canonized no where but in the Devil's Calendar. Ver. 513, 514.] The Prefbyterians, in all their wars against the King, maintained still, That they fought for him; for they pretended to diftin guifh his political perfon from his natural one; his political perfon, they faid, muft be, and was, with the Parliament, though his natural perfon was at war with them. 3 [D] And make all eries about the Town Set up their throats with hideous shout. 575 Like th' Hebrew calf, and down before it 540 The women, and make them draw in 585 590 550 And fell to turn and patch the Church; Some cry'd the Covenant, instead 455 Hath Public Faith, like a young heir, 555 550 For this taken up all forts of ware, 570 Ver. 586.] It was a common practice to inform God of the tranfactions of the times. "Oh, my "good Lord God (fays Mr. G. Swathe, Prayers, 66 p. 12.) I hear the King hath fet up his standard "at York against the Parliament and city of Lon"don. Look thou upon them, take their caufe "into thine own hand; appear thou in the caufe "of thy Saints, the caufe in hand-It is thy caufe, "Lord. We know that the King is mified, ce luded, and deceived by his Popifh, Arminian, " and temporizing, rebellious malignant faction "and party, &c""They would (fays Dr. "Echard) in their prayers and fermons tell God, "that they would be willing to be at any charge "or trouble for him, and to do, as it were, any "kindness for the Lord; the Lord might now "trust them, and rely upon them, they thould "not fail him: they should not be unmindful of "his bufinefs; his work fhould not stand still, "nor his defigus be neglected. They muft needs "fay, that they had formerly received fome fa vours from God, and have been, as it were, "beholden to the Almighty; but they did not "much question but they should find fome op"portunity of making fome amends for the many "good things, and (as I may fo fay) civilities "which they had received from him. Indeed, as "for thofe that are weak in the Faith, and are "yet but babes in Chrift, it isfit that they fhould "keep fome distance from God, should kneel "before him, and stand (as I may fay) cap in "hand to the Almighty: but for thofe that are "ftrong in all Gifts, and grown up in all Grace, "and are come to a fulness and ripeness in the "Lord Jefus, it is comely enough to take a great "chair, and fit at the end of the table, and, with "their cock'd hats on their heads, to fay, God, "we thought it hot amifs to call upon thee this " evening, and let thee know how affairs ftand; "we have been very watchful fince we were laft "with thee; and they are in a very hopeful con"dition; we hope that thou wilt not forget us; "for we are very thoughtful of thy concerns: "we do fomewhat long to hear from thee; and if "thou pleafeft to give us fuch a thing (y) Difcover'd the Enemy's design, And which way beft to countermine ? Prefcrib'd what ways it hath to work, Or it will ne'er advance the Kirk?, Told it the news o' th' lait exprefs, And after good or bad fuccefs Made prayers, not so like petitions As overtures and propofitions (Such as the Army did prefent To their Creator, the Parl'ament); In which they freely will confefs, They will not, cannot acquiefce, Unless the work be carry'd on In the fame way they have begun, By fetting Church and Common-weal All on a flame, bright as their zeal, On which the Saints were all agog, And all this for a Bear and Dog? The Parlament drew up petitions To'tfelf, and fent them like commiffions, To well-affected perfons, down In every city and great town, With power to levy horfe and men, Only to bring them back agen? For this did many, many a mile, Ride manfully in rank and file, With papers in their hats, that thow'd As if they to the pillory ode? Have all thefe couries, thefe efforts, Been try'd by people of all forts, Or the French League, in which men vow'd 655 1 we fhall be (as I may fo fay) good to thee in "fomething else when it lies in our way." See a remarkable Scotch Prayer much to the fame purpof, Scourge, by Mr. Lewis, No. xvi. p. 130. edit. 1717. Ver. 602.] Alluding, probably, to their fancy expoftulations with God from the pulpit. Mr. Vines, in St. Clement's Church, near Templebar, ufed the following words: "O Lord, thou haft never given us a victory this long while, "for all our frequent fafting: what doft theu mean, O Lord, to fling into a ditch, and there to leave us?" And one Robinfon, in his Prayer at Southampton, Aug 26, 1642, expreffed himfelf in the following manner: O God, O God, 66 many are the hands that are lift up against us: "but there is one God, it is thou thy felf, O Fa"ther, who does us more mifchief than they all." They fecmed to encourage this faucinefs in their public fermons. "Gather upon God (fays Mr. R. Harris, Faft Sermon before the Commons) and hold him to it as Jacob did; prefs "him with his precepts, with his promifes, with "his hand, with his feal, with his oath, till we "do down, as fome Greek Fathers boldly fpeak: that is, if I may fpeak it reverently "enough, put the Lord out of countenance; put him, as you would fay, to the bluth, unless we "be mafters of our requests." To fight to the last drop of blood. 660 665 ed and made for the extirpation of the Proteftant Ver. 651.] The Holy League in France, defignreligion, was the original out of which the Soference only of circumftances) moft faithfully lemn League and Covenant here was (with diftranfcribed. Nor did the fuccefs of both differ deftruction of vast numbers of people of all forts, more than the intent and purpofe; for, after the both ended with the murder of two kings, whom they had both fworn to defend. And as our Covenanters (wore every man to run before another in the way of Reformation, fo didt he French, in the Holy League, to fight to the last drop of blood. 3 [D] 2 Th' incendiary vile, that is chief Shall (dictum factum) both be brought But Talgol, who had long fuppreft Thus anfwer'd him: Thou vermin wretched, Could thine impertinence find out 670 No work t' employ itself about, 675 No fubtle queftion rais'd among 680 685 695 708 Thofe out-o'-their wits, and thofe i' th' wrong! O' th' times, the land and water faints, Where thou might'ft ftickle, without hazard To us to be thus troublesome, 705 Of outrage to thy hide and mazzard, And not, for want of bufinefs come 710 To interrupt our better fort Of difputants, and spoil our fport? No itolen pig, nor plunder'd goofe, 715 690 For which thou ftatute might'ft alledge, Ver. 673-676..] The threatening punishment and within a yard or two of being quartered; "but as to being banged, it was a compliment we "had no occafion for, and therefore defired them to take it back again, and keep it in their own hands, til they had an opportunity to make use "of it."-I had no fooner fpoke thefe words, "but they fell upon me like thunder, ftript my cattle in a twinkling, and beat me black and blue with my own oak-branches." Ver. 683, 684] It may be afked, Why Talgol was the first in aufwering the Knight, when it feems more imcumbent upon the Bearward to make a defence? Probably Talgol might then be a Cavalier; for the character the Poet has given him doth not infer the contrary; and his anfwer carries ftrong indications to juftify the conjecture. Ver. 604. Is lam'd, and tir'd in balting bitber. Thus it stands in the two first editions of 1663. At this the Knight grew high in wroth, And girt with trufty fword and spur, [740 Ver. 732.] To keep within its lodging. Edit. 1674, 1684, 1689, 1694, 1700, Reftored to the prefent reading 1704. Ver. 741.] Hudibras fhewed lefs patience upon this than Don Quixote did upon a like occafion, where he calmly diftinguishes betwixt an affront and an injury. The Knight is irritated at the fatirical anfwer of Talgol, and vents his rage ina manner exactly fuited to his character; and when his paffion was worked up to a height too great to be expreffed in words, he immediately falls into action; but, alas! at his firft entrance inta it, he meets with an unlucky difappointment; an omen that the fuccefs would be as indifferent as the cause in which he was engaged. |