HUDIBRAS.

Tome I.

I

THE ARGUMENT

OF THE FIRST CANTO.

Sir HUDIBRAS his passing worth,
The manner how he sally'd forth;
His arms and equipage are shown;
His horse's virtues, and his own.
Th' adventure of the bear and fiddle
1s sung, but breaks off in the middle.

CANTO I.

WHEN
HEN civil dudgeon first grew high,
And men fell out they knew not why;
When hard words, jealousies and fears,
Set folks together by the ears,

And made them fight, like mad or drunk,
For Dame Religion as for punk,

HUDIBRAS.

SUJET

DU PREMIER CHANT.

Du sieur HUDIBRAS le mérite:
Comment il partit de son gíte:
Armes, harnois du chevalier,
Ses vertus, celles du coursier:
D'ours et violon l'équipée,

Mais qui n'est qu'à moitié contée. (1)

CHANT I.

QUAND les hommes en désarroi

Se brouillaient sans savoir pourquoi ; Quand gros mots, craintes, jalousies (2) Causaient par-tout des batteries,

Et les gens en dissension

Pour la dame religion

Se chamaillaient dans la dispute

Whose honesty they all durst swear for,
Tho' not a man of them knew wherefore;
When gospel-trumpeter, surrounded
With long-ear'd rout, to battle sounded,
And pulpit, drum ecclesiastic,

Was beat with fist, instead of a stick:
Then did Sir Knight abandon dwelling,
And out he rode a colonelling.

A wight he was, whose very sight wou'd Entitle him, Mirror of Knighthood;

That never bow'd his stubborn knee
To any thing but chivalry;
Nor put up blow, but that which laid
Right Worshipful on shoulder-blade:
Chief of domestic knights, and errant,
Either for chartel or for warrant :

3

Great on the bench, great in the saddle,
That could as well bind o'er, as swaddle:
Mighty he was at both of these,
And styl❜d of war as well as peace.
(So some rats, of amphibious nature,
Are either for the land or water.)
But here our authors make a doubt,
Whether he were more wise or stout.
Some hold the one, and some the other;

2