And inftil

Ad future ill;

Mark fatal'ties lurking,
riods fall a working,

out, like the hidden feeds
eafes, into deeds,
hips, enmities, and ftrife,
th' emergencies of life:
oner does he peep into

world, but he has done his do,
Atch'd all difeafes, took all phyfick
hat cures or kills a man that is fick:
Marry'd his punctual dofe of wives,
Is cuckolded, and breaks, or thrives.
There's but the twinkling of a star
Between a man of peace and war;
A thief and justice, fool and knave,
A huffing officer and a flave;
A crafty lawyer and pick-pocket,
A great philofopher and a block head;
A formal preacher and a player,
A learn'd phyfician and manflayer:
As if men from the ftars did fuck
Old-age, difeafes, and ill-luck.
Wit, folly, honour, virtue, vice,
Trade, travel, women, claps, and dice,
And draw, with the firit air they breathe,
Battle and murder, fudden death.
Are not these fine commodities
To be imported from the skies,
And vended here among the rabble,
For ftaple goods and warrantable?
Like money by the Druids borrow'd,
In th' other world to be restored.

Quoth Sidrophel, to let you know
You wrong the art, and artists too,
Since arguments are loft on those
That do our principles oppofe,
I will (although I've done 't before)
Demonftrate to your fenfe once more,
And draw a figure that thall tell you,
What you, perhaps, forget befel you,
By way of horary inspection,

Which fome account our worst erection.
With that he circles draws, and fquares,
With cyphers, aftral characters,
Then looks them o'er to understand them,
Although fet down hab-nab, at random.

Quoth he, This scheme of th' heavens fet,
Difcovers how in fight you met,
At Kingston, with a May-pole idol,

Not true! quoth he; Howe'er you vapour,
I can what I affirm make appear;
945 Whachum fhall justify it t' your face,
And prove he was upon the place :
He play'd the faltinbancho's part,
Transform'd t'a Frenchman by my art;
He ftole your cloak, and pick'd your pocket,

950 Chows'd and caldes'd ye like a blockhead; 1010
And what you loft I can produce,

1016

If you deny it, here i' th'houfe. Quoth Hudibras, I do believe That argument's demonftrative; 955 Ralpho, bear witness, and go fetch us A conftable to feize the wretches; For though they 're both falfe knaves and cheat impoftors, jugglers, counterfeits, I'll make them ferve for perpendiculars, 960 As true as e'er were us'd by bricklayers, They're guilty, by their own confettions, Of felony and at the Seffions,

:

Upon the bench, I will fo handle them, That the vibration of this pendulum 965 Shall make all tailors' yards of one Unanimous opinion;

970

975

A thing he long has vapour'd of,
But now fhall make it out by proof.

Quoth Sidrophel, I do not doubt
To find friends that will bear me out:
Nor have I hazarded my art,

And neck, fo long on the State's part,
To be expos'd, i' th' end, to fuffer
By fuch a braggadocio huffer.

Huffer quoth Hudibras, this sword
Shall down thy falfe throat cram that word.
Ralpho, make hafte, and call an officer,
To apprehend this Stygian sophister;
Mean-while I'll hold them at a bay,
980 Left he and Whachum run away.

990

But Sidrophel, who from th' afpect
Of Hudibras did now erect
A figure worfe portending far
Than that of moft malignant star,

985 Believ'd it now the fittest moment
To fhun the danger that might come on 't,"
While Hudibras was all alone,
And he and Whachum, two to one.
This being refolv'd, he spy'd, by chance,
Behind the door an iron lance,
That many a sturdy limb had gor'd,
And legs, and loins, and fhoulders bor'd;
He fnatch'd it up, and made a pass,
To make his way through Hudibras.
Whachum had got a fire-fork,
With which he vow'd to do his work;
But Hudibras was well prepar'd,
And ftoutly ftood upon his guard:
He put by Sidrophello's thrust,
And in right manfully he rufht;
The weapon from his gripe he wrung,
And laid him on the earth along.

995

And that y' were bang'd both back and fide well;
And, though you overcame the Bear,
The dogs beat you at Brentford fair;
Where sturdy butchers broke your noddle,
And handled you like a fop-doodle.

Quoth Hudibras, I now perceive

You are no conjurer, by your leave:

1000

Ver. 956. Is cuckolded.] Cookolded, in the two fi.ft editions of 166.

Ver. 1010. Caldes'd.] Put the fortune-teller hini.

36

45

65

And place the bigg'ft to your account;

100

That all thofe ftories that are laid
Too truly to you, and thofe made,

Are now ftill charg'd upon your score,

And leffer authors nam'd no more.
Alas! that faculty betrays
Those fooneft it defigns to raife;
And all your vain renown will spoil,
As guns o'ercharg'd the more recoil;
Though he that has but impudence,
To all things has a fair pretence;

And, put among his wants but shame,
To all the world may lay his claim:
Though you have try'd that nothing 's borne
With greater eafe than public fcorn,

Ver. 86.] Sir Politick Would-be, in "Volpone."

Ver. 91, 92.] Thefe two lines, I think, plainly difcover that Lilly, and not Sir Paul Neal, was here lashed under the name of Sidropbel; for Lilly's fame abroad was indifputable. Mr. Strickland, who was many years Agent for the Parliament in Holland, thus publishes it: "I "came purpofely into the Committee this day,

"

We are now come to the Third Part of Hudibras, which is confiderably longer than either. the First or the Second; and yet can the fevereft critic fay that Mr. Butler grows infipid in his invention, or faulters in his judgment? No; he still continues to fhine in both these ex

to fee the man who is fo famous in thofe parts "where I have fo long continued: I affure 66 you, his name is famous all over Europe. "I came to do him juftice." Lilly is alfo careful to tell us, that the King of Sweden fent him a gold chain and medal worth about 5cl. for mak-cellencies; and, to manifeft the extensiveness of ing honourable mention of his Majefty in one of his almanacks; which, he fays, was tranflated into the language spoke at Hamburgh, and printed, and cried about the ftreets as it was in London.

Thus he trumpets to the world the fame he acquired by his infamous practices, if we may credit his own history.

Ver. 105. Betrays.] Deftroys, in all the editions

I have seen.

his abilities, he leaves no art untried to fpin out these adventures to a length proportionable to his wit and fatire. I dare fay the reader is not weary of him; nor will he be fo at the conclufion of the Poem: and the reafon is evident, because this laft part is as fruitful of wit and humour as the former; and a poetic fire is equally diffused through the whole Poem, that burns every where clearly, and every where irresistibly.

3 [K] 2

Has all his flames and raptures double,

And hangs, or drowns, with half the trouble;

While thote who fillily purfue

The fimple downright way, and true,
Make as unlucky applications,

And steer against the stream their paffions.
Some forge their miftreffes of stars,

And, when the ladies prove averse,

And more untoward to be won

IO

Defcribe the manner of the fray,
And fhew the fpoils he brought away;
His bloody fcourging aggravate,
The number of the blows, and weight;
All which might probably fucceed,
And gain belief he 'ad done the deed:
Which he refolv'd to enforce, and spare
No pawning of his foul to fwear;

15 But, rather than produce his back,
To fet his confcience on the rack;
And, in purfuance of his urging
Of articles perform'd, and fcourging,
And all things elfe, upon his part,
Demand delivery of her heart,

20

25

30

35

40

45

Of th' inns of Court and Chancery, Juftice; 50
Who might, perhaps, reduce his caufe

To th' ordeal trial of the laws,

Where none escape, but fuch as branded

55

Her goods and chattles, and good graces,
And perfon, up to his embraces.
Thought he, the ancient errant knights
Won all their ladies' hearts in fights,
And cut whole giants into fritters,
To put them into anorous twitters;
Whofe ftubborn bowels fcorn'd to yield,
Until their gallants were half kill'd;
But when their bones were drubb'd fo fore,
They durft not wooe one combat more,
The ladies' hearts began to melt,

Subdued by blows their lovers felt,

So Spanish heroes, with their lances,

At once wound bulls, and ladies' fancies;
And he acquires the nobleft fpoufe
That widow's greatest herds of cows;
Then what may I expect to do,
Who've quell'd fo vaft a buffalo?
Meanwhile the Squire was on his way,
The Kight's late orders to obey;
Who fent him for a strong detachment
Of headles, conftables, and watchmen,
T' attack the cunning-man, for plunder
Committed falfely on his lumber;

When he, who had fo lately fack'd
The enemy, had done the fact,

Had rifled all his pokes and fobs

Of gimcracks, whims, and figgumbobs,
Which he by hook or crook had gather'd,
And for his own inventions father'd;
And when they should, at gaol-delivery,
Unriddle one another's thievery,
Both might have evidence enough
To render neither halter-proof:
He thought it defperate to tarry,
And venture to be acceffary;

But rather wifely flip his fetters,
And leave them for the Knight, his betters.
He call'd to mind th' unjust foul play

60 He would have offer'd him that day,
To make him curry his own hide,
Which no beast ever did befide,
Without all poffible evafion,
But of the riding difpenfation:

65 And therefore, much about the hour
The Knight (for reasons told before)
Refolv'd to leave him to the fury
Of justice and an unpack'd jury,

Ver. 34. And us'd, &c.] And us'd as, in edit. 1678.