H U D I B R A S.

PART 1.-CANTO I.

H UD I B R A S.

PART 1.

CANTO 1.

The Argument.

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
Is sung, but breaks off in the middle.

When 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 ;
Whose honesty they all durst swear før,
Tho' not a man of them knew wherefore :

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B

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When gospel-trumpeter, surrounded
With long ear'd rout, to battle sounded, 10
And pulpit, drum ecclesiastick,
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 would 15
Intitle him, Mirrour 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 : 20

Chief of domestic knights and errant, challenge Either for chartel or for warrant : la dern)

Great on the bench, great in the saddle,
That could as well bind o'er as swaddle
Mighty he was at both of these, club 25
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.

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Some hold the one, and some the other,
But howsoe'er, they make a pother ;

Hiustice

of peace

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The diff'rence was so small, his brain
Outweigh'd his rage but half a grain ;
Which made some take him for a tool
That knaves do work with, call'd a fool.
For't has been held by many, that
As Montaigne, playing with his cat,
Complains she thought him but an ass,
Much more she would Sir Hudibras,
(For that's the name our valiant Knight
To all his challenges did write.)
But they're mistaken very much,
'Tis plain enough he was no such.
We grant, although he had much wit,
H' was very shy of using it;
As being loath to wear it out,
And therefore bore it not about:
Unless on holidays, or so,
As men their best apparel do.
Beside, 'tis known he could speak Greek
As naturally as pigs squeak :
That Latin was no more difficile,
Than for a blackbird 'tis to whistle.
Being rich in both, he never scanted
His bounty unto such as wanted ;

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a

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