Sir Hudibras his paffing worth,
The manner how he fally'd forth,
His arms and equipage, are shown,
His horfe's virtues, and his own:
Th' adventure of the Bear and Fiddle
Is fung, but breaks off in the middle *.

WHEN civil dudgeon firft grew high,

And men fell out they knew not why;

When

A ridicule on Ronfarde and Davenant. Ver. 1.] To take in dudgeon, is inwardly to refent fome injury or affront, and what is previous to actual fury. It was altered by Mr. Butler, in an edition 1674, to civil fury. Thus it stood in edit. of 1684, 1689, 1694, and 1700. Civil dudgeon was restored in the edition of 1704, and has continued fo ever fince.

Ver. 2.] It may be juftly faid They knew not why; fince, as Lord Clarendon obferves, "The like peace "and plenty, and univerfal tranquillity, was never enjoyed by any nation for ten years together, before "those unhappy troubles began.”

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 durft swear for,
Though not a man of them knew wherefore;
When Gospel-trumpeter, furrounded
With long-ear'd rout, to battle founded;
And pulpit, drum ecclefiaftick,

Was beat with fift instead of a stick;

Then did Sir Knight abandon dwelling,
And out he rode a colonelling.

Ver. 3.] By hard words, he probably means the cant words ufed by the Prefbyterians and fectaries of those times; fuch as Gofpel-walking, Gofpel-preaching, Soul-faving, Elect, Saints, the Godly, the Predeftinate, and the like; which they applied to their own preachers and themselves.

Ver. 11, 12.] Alluding to their vehement action in the pulpit, and their beating it with their fifts, as if they were beating a drum.

Ver. 13.] Our Author, to make his Knight appear more ridiculous, has dreffed him in all kinds of fantastic colours, and put many characters together to finish him a perfect coxcomb.

Ver. 14.] The Knight (if Sir Samuel Luke was Mr. Butler's hero) was not only a Colonel in the Parliament-army, but also Scoutmaster-general in the counties of Bedford, Surrey, &c. This gives us fome light into his character and conduct; for he is now entering upon his proper office, full of pretendedly pious and fanctified refolutions for the good of his country. His

pere

A wight he was, whofe very fight would
Entitle him Mirror 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 fhoulder-blade;
Chief of domestic knights and errant,.
Either for chartel or for warrant;
Great on the bench, great in the saddle,
That could as well bind o'er as fwaddle;
Mighty he was at both of these,

And styl'd of War, as well as Peace.
(So fome rats, of amphibious nature,
Are either for the land or water) :
But here our Authors make a doubt
Whether he were more wife or ftout:
Some hold the one, and fome the other,
But, howfoe'er they make a pother,

15.

20

25

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The

peregrinations are fo confiftent with his office and humour, that they are no longer to be called fabulous or improbable. The fucceeding Cantos are introduced with large prefaces, but here the Poet feems impatient till he get into the defcription and character of his

hero.

Ver. 17, 18.] i. e. He kneeled to the King, when he knighted him, but feldom upon any other occafion. Ver. 22.] Chartel is a challenge to a duel.

Ver. 23.] In, this character of Hudibras all the abuses of human learning are finely fatirized: philofophy, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, metaphyfics, and fchool-divinity.