Till tir'd, and taking truce at length, For new recruits of breath and strength, I felt the blows still ply'd as fast, As if they 'ad been by lovers plac'd, In raptures of Platonic lafhing, And chaste contemplative bardashing: When facing hastily about,
To stand upon my guard and scout, I found th' infernal cunning man, And th' under-witch, his caliban, With fcourges, like the furies, arm'd, That on my outward quarters storm'd. In hafte I fnatch'd my weapon up, And gave their hellish rage a stop; Call'd thrice upon your name, and fell Courageously on Sidrophel,
Who now transform'd himself t' a bear, Began to roar aloud, and tear;
When I as furiously prefs'd on,
My weapon down his throat to run, Laid hold on him; but he broke loofe, And turn'd himself into a goose, Div'd under water, in a pond,
To hide himself from being found;
In vain I fought him; but as foon As I perceiv'd him fled and gone,
Prepar'd, with equal haste and rage, His under-forc'rer to engage;
But bravely scorning to defile
My fword with feeble blood, and vile, I judg'd it better from a quick- Set-hedge to cut a knotted stick, With which I furiously laid on; Till, in a harsh and doleful tone,
It roar'd out, o hold, for pity, fir, I am too great a sufferer,
Abus'd as you have been b' a witch, But conjur❜d int' a worse caprich, Who fends me out on many a jaunt, Old houses in the night to haunt, For opportunities t' improve Designs of thievery or love;
With drugs convey'd in drink or meat, All feats of witches counterfeit ;
Kill pigs and geese with powder'd glass, And make it for enchantment pafs; With cow-itch meazle like a leper,
And choke with fumes of Guinea pepper ; 320 Make letchers, and their punks, with dewtry, Commit phantastical advowtry ;
Bewitch hermetic men to run
Stark staring mad with manicon ; Believe mechanic virtuofi
Can raise 'em mountains in Potofi ;
And fillier than the antic fools,
Take treasure for a heap of coals; Seek out for plants with signatures, To quack off universal cures ;
With figures, ground on pains of glass, Make people on their heads to pass; And mighty heaps of coin increase, Reflected from a single piece;
To draw in fools, whose natʼral itches
Incline perpetually to witches,
And keep me in continual fears,
And danger of my neck and ears;
When lefs delinquents have been scourg'd,
And hemp on wooden anvils forg'd, Which others for cravats have worn
About their necks, and took a turn. I pity'd the fad punishment The wretched caitiff underwent,
And held my drubbing of his bones
Too great an honour for poltroons ; For knights are bound to feel no blows From paltry and unequal foes,
Who, when they flash and cut to pieces, Do all with civillest addresses :
Their horfes never give a blow,
But when they make a leg and bow. I therefore spar'd his flesh, and prest him About the witch, with many a question.
Quoth he, for many years he drove A kind of broking-trade in love, Employ'd in all th' intrigues and trust, Of feeble fpeculative luft;
Procurer to th' extravagancy, And crazy ribaldry of fancy,
By those the devil had forfook,
As things below him, to provoke ;
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