Adventures ceafing, Knight and Squire
T'wards their respective homes retire:
The manner how they lodge their arms,
And how forc'd back by fresh alarms ;
Their refolution to repair
To Court, and what fucceeded there.
FTER fierce wars, and hot difputes,
As e'er fell out 'twixt brutes and brutes;
After much waste of blood and treafure,
Robbing and plund'ring without mea-
After both fides had took fuch pains,
To knock out one another's brains.
And after they had fought fo long
For dame Religion 'till they had none;
A lucky hit brought things about,
That they fell in as they fell out.
Our worthy knight, Sir Hudibras,
Of such deep fenfe and forefight was,
That he well knew his furious zeal
For anarchy and common-weal,
His worship muft to ruin bring,
Should providence restore the king;
He therefore, but with great compunction,
Refolves to quit of war the function,
And to abandon colonelling,
And home return to peaceful dwelling,
But first he thus bespoke the fquire,
Ralph, I'm fure thou will't admire
When I have told thee my intention,
Which I have fixt beyond prevention.
Quoth Ralph, I wish it mayn't repent
Your worship, you're fo fully bent:
'Tis hard to judge, before we know,
But ftubborn people ne'er want wo;
And I dare wage a broken pate,
That 'tis fome mischief 'gainst the state,
Which you thus folemnly intend;
But if it be, excufe your friend
And fervant, Sir, for verily
The Thing feems wond'rous plain to me,
That there is fome defign now brewing,
That will involve us all in ruin.
Quoth Hudibras, I hope you'll own,
To take me up before I'm down,
Is not the proper way to find
It out, when fomething's in the wind;
Nor is it good breeding, with fubmiffion,
To judge and cenfure on fufpicion :
But, Ralph, fince you have had a fhare,
With me in all my feats of war,
Stood kick and cuff, and went my halves
In dreadful fights 'midft clubs and staves,
And have on all occafions fhewn
A valour equal to my own;
I will excufe you this, and all
Your other faults in general.
Quoth Ralph, I thank you for your pardon, Tho' at the fame time, me 'tis hard on, To be excluded from a fecret,
As if you thought I mean't to break it ;
Adventures ceafing, Knight and Squire
T'wards their respective homes retire:
The manner how they lodge their arms,
And how fore'd back by fresh alarms;
Their refolution to repair
To Court, and what fucceeded there.
FTER fierce wars, and hot difputes,
As e'er fell out 'twixt brutes and brutes;
After much waste of blood and treasure,
Robbing and plund'ring without mea-
After both fides had took fuch pains,
- To knock out one another's brains.
And after they had fought fo long
For dame Religion 'till they had none;
A lucky hit brought things about,
That they fell in as they fell out.
Our worthy knight, Sir Hudibras,
Of fuch deep fenfe and forefight was,
That he well knew his furious zeal
For anarchy and common-weal,
His worship muft to ruin bring,
Should providence reftore the king;
He therefore, but with great compunction,
Refolves to quit of war the function,
And to abandon colonelling,
And home return to peaceful dwelling,
But first he thus bespoke the fquire,
Ralph, I'm fure thou will't admire
When I have told thee my intention,
Which I have fixt beyond prevention.
Quoth Ralph, I wish it mayn't repent
Your worship, you're fo fully bent:
'Tis hard to judge, before we know,
But ftubborn people ne'er want wo;
And I dare wage a broken pate,
That 'tis fome mifchief 'gainst the state,
Which you thus folemnly intend;
But if it be, excufe your friend
And fervant, Sir, for verily
The Thing feems wond'rous plain to me,
That there is fome design now brewing,
That will involve us all in ruin.
Quoth Hudibras, I hope you'll own,
To take me up before I'm down,
Is not the proper way to find
It out, when fomething's in the wind;
Nor is it good breeding, with fubmiffion,
To judge and cenfure on fufpicion :
But, Ralph, fince you have had a share,
With me in all my feats of war,
Stood kick and cuff, and went my halves
In dreadful fights 'midst clubs and staves,
And have on all occafions fhewn
A valour equal to my own;
I will excufe you this, and all
Your other faults in general.
Quoth Ralph, I thank you for your pardon, Tho' at the fame time, me 'tis hard on,
To be excluded from a fecret,
As if you thought I mean't to break it ;
I have been trufted heretofore
With all your fecrets o'er and o’er,
And that I fhould be now poftpon'd.
Is very hard it must be own'd.
At this the knight began to fly
Into a paffion and talk high;
Ralpho, if you will give me leave,
Says he, I would you undeceive,
The refolution I have fixt
With your own sentiments is mixt.
You faid just now that there was brewing
Some project to procure our ruin ;
Why truly I believe the same,
And that the faints will come to shame;
If prefbyter and independant
Fall out and fight, then there's an end on't,
Down goes the rump, and restoration
Will be the only word in fashion.
Now, Ralph, as ev'ry one that's wife,
Does his own prefervation prize,
I to myself fhould be unjust,
Should I neglect to be the firft
Made my retreat, which may perhaps
Preferve me against after-claps.
Self-prefervation I'll be bold,
Than chivalry itself's more old,
And has more fervice done by far
Than knighthood, both in peace and war. Quoth Ralpho, who could hold no longer, Altho' I am no good states-monger,
Yet I begin to fmell a rat,
And what your worship would be at.
You have, I find, fome little guilt,
For chriftian blood devoutly fpilt,
Some inward checks and throws of conscience,
Which, ftrictly speaking, are all nonsense;
And thofe have prefs'd you on fo far,
That you refolve to quit the war.
To quit the war I grant indeed,
As cafes ftand, you ought with speed,
As 'tis a proper way to fence,
Against revolts of providence:.
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