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HUDIBRA S.

PART I.-CANTO I.

:

HUDIBRAS.

PART I.

CANTO I.

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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-·. ⠀ ⠀・When gospel-trumpeter, surrounded
With long ear'd rout, to battle sounded,
And pulpit, drum ecclesiastick,

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

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A wight he was, whose very sight would
Intitle him, Mirrour of Knighthood;

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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,
Challenge Either for chartel or for warrant?
# justice
.(to a duel)
of peace
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.

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Club 25

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

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,

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