His tawny beard was th' equal grace
Both of his wifdom and his face;
In cut and dye so like a tile,
A fudden view it would beguile;
The upper part whereof was whey,
The nether orange, mix'd with grey.
The hairy meteor did denounce
The fall of fceptres and of crowns;

245

With grifly type did reprefent

Ver. 241.] Mr. Butler, in his defcription of Hudibras's beard, feems to have had an eye to Jaques' defcription of the Country Juftice, in Shakespeare's play, As you like it. It may be asked, why the Poet is fo particular upon the Knight's beard, and gives it the preference to all his other accoutrements? The answer feems to be plain; the Knight had made a vow not to cut it till the Parliament had fubdued the King; hence it became neceffary to have it fully described.

Ver. 257. It was monaftic.] Altered to canonic, 1674. Reftored, 1704.

'Twas bound to fuffer perfecution,
And martyrdom, with refolution
Toppose itself against the hate
And vengeance of th' incensed state,
In whofe defiance it was worn,
Still ready to be pull'd and torn,
With red-hot irons to be tortur'd,
Revil'd, and fpit upon, and martyr'd;
Maugre all which 'twas to ftand fast
As long as Monarchy should laft;

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And twine fo clofe, that Time should never,

Ver. 281.] Gafper Taliacotius was born at Bononia, A. D. 1553, and was Profeffor of Phyfic and Surgery there. He died 1599. His ftatue ftands in the Anatomy Theatre, holding a nofe in its hand. He wrote freatife in Latin called Chirurgia Nota, in which he teaches the art of ingrafting nofes, ears, lips, &c. with the proper inftruments and bandages. This book has paffed through two editions.

C &

Cut fupplemental noses, which
Would last as long as parent breech,
But when the date of Nock was out,
Off dropt the fympathetic snout.
His back, or rather burthen, show'd
As if it stoop'd with its own load;
For as Æneas bore his fire

Upon his fhoulders through the fire,
Our Knight did bear no less a pack
Of his own buttocks on his back;
Which now had almoft got the upper-
Hand of his head for want of crupper:
To poise this equally, he bore

A paunch of the fame bulk before,

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290

295

Which still he had a special care

To keep well cramm'd with thrifty fare;

As white-pot, butter-milk, and curds,

Such as a country house affords ;

308

With other victual, which anon

We farther fhall dilate upon,

When of his hose we come to treat,

The cupboard where he kept his meat.
His doublet was of sturdy buff,

305

And though not fword, yet cudgel-proof,

Whereby 'twas fitter for his use,

Who fear'd no blows but fuch as bruife.

His breeches were of rugged woollen, And had been at the fiege of Bullen; To old King Harry fo well known, Some writers held they were his own:

Through

310

Through they were lin'd with many a piece
Of ammunition bread and cheese,

And fat black-puddings, proper food
For warriors that delight in blood:
For, as we faid, he always chofe
To carry vittle in his hofe,

That often tempted rats and mice
The ammunition to surprise;

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320

And when he put a hand but in
The one or t' other magazine,

They ftoutly in defence on 't ftood,

And from the wounded foe drew blood,

And till th' were storm'd and beaten out,

325

Ne'er left the fortify'd redoubt:

And though knights-errant, as fome think,

Ver. 319.] This and the feven following lines are not in the two first editions of 1663, and added in that of 1674.

'Tis false; for Arthur wore in hall
Round table like a farthingal,
On which, with fhirt pull'd out behind,
And eke before, his good knights din'd;
Though 'twas no table some suppose,
But a huge pair of round trunk hose,
In which he carry'd as much meat
As he and all the knights could eat,

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We leave it, and to th' purpose come.

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