1

The Saints engage in fierce contests
About their carnal interests,
To share their facrilegious preys
According to their rates of Grace:
Their various frenzies to reform,
When Cromwell left them in a storm;
Till, in th' effige of Rumps, the rabble
Burn all their Grandees of the Cabal.

HE learned write, an infect breeze

Tis but a mongrel prince of bees,

That falls before a ftorm on cows,
And ftings the founders of his house,

From

This Canto is entirely independent of the adventures of Hudibras and Ralpho: neither of our heroes make their appearance: other characters are introduced, and a new vein of fatire is exhibited. The Poet steps out of his road, and fkips from the time wherein these adventures

B 2

Laid out their apoftolic functions
On carnal Orders and Injun&tions;
And all their precious Gifts and Graces
On Outlawries and Scire facias;
At Michael's term had many trial,
Worfe than the Dragon and St. Michael,
Where thousands fell, in fhape of fees,
Into the bottomlefs abyss.

For when, like brethren, and like friends,

55

They came to share their dividends,

And every partner to poffefs

His church and ftate joint-purchases,

In which the ableft Saint, and beft,
Was nam'd in truft by all the reft
Το pay their money, and, instead
Of every Brother, pass the deed,
He straight converted all his gifts
To pious frauds and holy shifts,
And fettled all the other shares
Upon his outward man and 's heirs ;
Held all they claim'd as forfeit lands
Deliver'd up into his hands,
And pafs'd upon his confcience
By pre-entail of Providence;
Impeach'd the reft for Reprobates,
That had no titles to eftates,
But by their fpiritual attaints
Degraded from the right of Saints.

60

65

70

This being reveal'd, they now begun

75

With law and confcience to fall on,

And

80

And laid about as hot and brain-fick
As th' Utter barrister of Swanswick;
Engag'd with money-bags, as bold
As men with fand-bags did of old,
That brought the lawyers in more fees
Than all unfanctify'd Trustees;
Till he who had no more to show
I' th' cafe, receiv'd the overthrow ;
Or, both fides having had the worst,
They parted as they met at first.
Poor Prefbyter was now reduc'd,
Secluded, and cashier'd, and chous'd!
Turn'd out, and excommunicate

85

From all affairs of Church and State,

90

Reform'd t'a reformado Saint,

And glad to turn itinerant,

To troll and teach from town to town,
And thofe he had taught up teach down,
And make thofe ufes ferve again
Against the New-enlighten'd men,
As fit as when at firft they were
Reveal'd against the Cavalier;
Damn Anabaptift and Fanatic
As pat as Popish and Prelatic ;.
And, with as little variation,

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100

To ferve for any fect i' th' nation.

The Good old Caufe, which fome believe

To be the devil that tempted Eve

With knowledge, and does ftill invite
The world to mifchief with New Light,

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Had

B 4

Ver, 78.] W. Prynne, a voluminous writer.

Had ftore of money in her purse,

When he took her for better or worfe :
But now was grown deform'd and poor,
And fit to be turn'd out of door.

The Independents (whofe first station
Was in the rear of Reformation,

110

To preach, and fight, and pray, and murder)

No

Ver. 118.] The officers and foldiers among the Independents got into pulpits, and preached and prayed as well as fought. Oliver Cromwell was fam'd for a preacher, and has a fermon* in print, intituled, Cromwell's Learned, Devout, and Confcientious Exercife, held at Sir Peter Temple's in Lincoln's Inn-fields, upon Rom. xiii. 1. in which are the following flowers of rhetoric: " Dearly beloved brethren and fifters, it is "true, this text is a malignant one; the wicked and ungodly have abufed it very much; but, thanks be "to God, it was to their own ruin.

"But now that I fpoke of Kings, the question is, "Whether, by the higher powers, are meant kings or "commoners? Truly, beloved, it is a very great question among thofe that are learned: for may not "every one that can read obferve, that Paul fpeaks in "the plural number, higher powers? Now, had he "meant fubjectica to a king, he would have said, ""Let every foul be fubject to the higher power," if "he had meant one man; but by this you see he 66 meant *This, however, is now well known to be an imposture. N.