CANTO II.*

THE ARGUMENT.

The saints engage in fierce contests,
About their carnal interests:
To share their sacrilegious preys,
According to their rates of grace;
Their various frenzies to reform,
When Cromwell left them in a storm:
Till, in th' effigy of Rumps, the rabble
Burns all their grandees of the cabal.

CANTO III.

THE ARGUMENT.

The knight and squire's prodigious flight
To quit th' inchanted bow'r by night:
He plods to turn his amorous suit
T'a plea in law, and prosecute;
Repairs to counsel, to advise

'Bout managing the enterprize;
But first resolves to try by letter,

And one more fair address, to get her.
-DISGUIS'D in all the mask of night,
We left our champion on his flight,

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* I insert no part of this Canto except the argument of it, from which it will appear to have relation to subjects which, for reasons already stated, I omit to notice.

At blind-man's-buff, to grope his way,
In equal fear of night and day;

Who took his dark and desp'rate course,
He knew no better than his horse;

And by an unknown devil led,
(He knew as little whither) fled.
He never was in greater need,
Nor less capacity of speed;
Disabled, both in man and beast,
To fly and run away, his best ;
To keep the enemy, and fear,
From equal falling on his rear.

And though with kicks and bangs he ply'd

The further and the nearer side:

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(As seamen ride with all their force,

And tug as if they row'd the horse;

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And when the hackney sails most swift,
Believe they lag, or run adrift ;)

So though he posted e'er so fast,

His fear was greater than his haste :

For fear, though fleeter than the wind,

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Believes 'tis always left behind.
But when the morn began t' appear,
And shift t' another scene his fear;
He found his new officious shade,
That came so timely to his aid,

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And forc'd him from the foe t' escape,
Had turn'd itself to Ralpho's shape,

So like in person, garb, and pitch,

'Twas hard t' interpret which was which.

For Ralpho had no sooner told

The lady all he had t' unfold,
But she convey'd him out of sight,
To entertain th' approaching knight;
And while he gave himself diversion,
T'accommodate his beast and person,
And put his beard into a posture
At best advantage to accost her;
She order'd th' antimasquerade
(For his reception) aforesaid:
But when the ceremony was done,
The lights put out, and furies gone;
And Hudibras, among the rest,
Convey'd away, as Ralpho guess'd;
The wretched caitiff all alone

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And thought, because they oft agreed

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T" appear in one another's stead,
And act the saint's and devil's part,

With undistinguishable art;

They might have done so now, perhaps,
And put on one another's shapes ;

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And therefore, to resolve the doubt,
He star'd upon him, and cry'd out,
What art? my squire, or that bold spright
That took his place and shape to-night?

What made thee, when they all were gone, 149 And none but thou and I alone,

To act the devil, and forbear

To rid me of my hellish fear?

Quoth he, I knew your constant rate,

The dev'l, that is your constant crony,
That only can prevail upon ye:

Else we might still have been disputing,

And they with weighty drubs confuting.

The knight, who now began to find
Th' had left the enemy behind,
And saw no farther harm remain,
But feeble weariness and pain;
Perceiv'd, by losing of their way,

Th' had gain'd th' advantage of the day;
And by declining of the road,

They had, by chance, their rear made good;
He ventur'd to dismiss his fear,

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Quoth he, It was thy cowardice That made me from this leaguer rise; And when I'd half-reduced the place, To quit it infamously base.

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All this, quoth Ralph, I did, 'tis true,

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'Tis plain, you cannot now do worse,

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Than take this out-of-fashion'd course;

To hope, by stratagem, to woo her,

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Or waging battle to subdue her,

Besides, encounters at the bar

Are braver now than those in war,
In which the law does execution
With less disorder and confusion;

The law, that settles all you do,
And marries where you did but woo:
That makes the most perfidious lover
A lady, that's as false, recover:
And if it judge upon your side,
Will soon extend her for

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your

bride;