To whom the rudder of the rump is

The fame thing with the stern and compass.

This fhews how perfectly the

rump

And commonwealth in Nature jump:

1605

For as a fly, that goes to bed,

Refts with his tail above his head;

1610

So, in this mongrel state of ours,

The rabble are the fupreme powers,

That hors'd us on their backs, to show us

A jadish trick at last, and throw us,

The learned Rabbins of the Jews

1615

Write, there's a bone, which they call Luez,

I' th' rump of man, of fuch a virtue,
No force in nature can do hurt to;
And therefore, at the last great day,
All th' other members fhall, they say,
Spring out of this, as from a feed
All forts of vegetals proceed;
From whence the learned fons of Art
Os facrum juftly ftyle that part:

Then what can better reprefent,

Than this rump-bone, the Parliament,
That, after several rude ejections,
And as prodigious refurrections,
With new reverfions of nine lives,
Starts up, and, like a cat, revives?

But now, alas! they're all expir'd,
And th' Houfe, as well as members, fir'd;
Confum'd in kennels by the rout,

With which they other fires put out ;

11620

1625

1630

Condemn'd

Condemn'd t' ungoverning distress,
And paltry, private wretchedness;
Worfe than the devil to privation,
Beyond all hopes of restoration;
And parted, like the body and foul;.
From all dominion and control.

We, who could lately, with a look,
Enact, establish, or revoke;
Whofe arbitrary nods gave law,
And frowns kept multitudes in awe ;
Before the blufter of whofe huff,
All hats, as in a storm, flew off;
Ador'd and bow'd to by the great,
Down to the footman and valet ;
Had more bent knees than chapel-mats,,

And prayers, than the crowns of hats;
Shall now be fcorn'd as wretchedly,
For ruin 's just as low as high:
Which might be fuffer'd, were it all
The horror that attends our fall;
For fome of us have fcores more large
Than heads and quarters can discharge ;.
And others, who, by reftlefs fcraping,
With public frauds, and private rapine,
Have mighty heaps of wealth amass'd,,
Would gladly lay down all at last ;
And, to be but undone, entail

1635

1640

1645

1650.

1655

1660

Their veffels on perpetual jail,

And

Ver. 1661, 1662.] This the Regicides, in general, would have done gladly, but the ringleaders of them

were

And, blefs the devil to let them farms

Of forfeit foul, on no worse terms.

This faid, a near and louder fhout
Put all th' affembly to the rout;
Who now began to outrun their fear,
As horfes do, from those they bear;

1665

But

were executed in terrorem. Those that came in upon proclamation were brought to the bar of the House of Lords, 25th Nov. 1661, to answer what they could say for themselves why judgment should not be executed against them? They feverally alleged, "That, upon

his Majefty's gracious Declaration from Breda, and "the votes of the Parliament, &c. they did render "themselves, being advised that they should thereby "fecure their lives; and humbly crav'd the benefit of "the proclamation, &c." And Harry Martyn briskly added, "That he had never obeyed any proclamation "before this, and hoped he fhould not be hanged for "taking the King's word now." A bill was brought in for their execution, which was read twice, but afterwards dropt, and fo they were all fent to their feveral prifons, and little more heard of. Ludlow, and fome others, efcaped by flying among the Swifs Cantons.

Ver. 1665, 1666.] When Sir Martyn came to this cabal, he left the rabble at Temple-bar; but, by the time he had concluded his difcourfe, they were advanced near Whitehall and Weftminfter. This alarmed our caballers, and perhaps terrified them with the apprehenfion of being hanged or burned in reality, as fome of them that very inftant were in effigy. No wonder, therefore, they broke up fo precipitately, and that each endeavoured to fecure himself. The manner of it is defcribed with a poetical licence, only to embellish this Canto with a diverting catastrophe.

But crowded on with fo much hafte,

Until they'd block'd the paffage fast,
And barricadoed it with haunches

1670

Of outward men, and bulks and paunches,
That with their shoulders strove to squeeze,
And rather fave a crippled piece

Of all their crufh'd and broken members,

1675

Than have them grillied on the embers;
Still preffing on with heavy packs
Of one another on their backs,

As th' horrid cookery of the rabble;
And fear, that keeps all feeling out,
As leffer pains are by the gout,
Reliev'd them with a fresh supply
Of rallied force, enough to fly,
And beat a Tuscan running-horse,
Whofe jockey-rider is all fpurs.

1685

1690

HUDIBRA S,

HUDI BRA S..

PART III.

CANTO III.

W

THE ARGUMENT.

The Knight and Squire's prodigious flight.
To quit th' enchanted bower by night..
He plods to turn his amorous fuit,
T'a plea in law, and profecute:
Repairs to counsel, to advise
'Bout managing the enterprize;
But first refolves to try by letter,

And one more fair addrefs, to get her.

HO would believe what strange bugbears
Mankind creates itself, of fears,
That fpring, like fern, that infect weed,
Equivocally, without feed,

And

Our Poet now refumes his principal fubject: and the reason why he is fo full in the recapitulation of the last adventure of our Knight and Squire is, because we had loft fight of our heroes for the fpace of the longest Canto in the whole Poem: this refpite might probably occafion forgetfulness in fome readers, whofe attention had been fo long fufpended: it was therefore neceffary that a repetition fhould be made of the dark adventure, and that it should be made clear and intelligible to the reader.