Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

The courage of the braveft daunt,

And turn poltroons as valiant:

For men as refolute appear

With too much, as too little fear;

And, when they're out of hopes of flying,.
Will run away from death, by dying;

Or turn again to stand it out,

And those they fled, like lions, rout.

This Hudibras had prov'd too true,
Who, by the furies, left perdue,

And haunted with detachments, fent
From Marshal Legion's regiment,
Was by a fiend, as counterfeit,
Reliev'd and refcu'd with a cheat,
When nothing but himself, and fear,
Was both the imps and conjurer;
As by the rules o' th' virtuofi,
It follows in due form of poesie.

[blocks in formation]

25

30

35

40

Disguis'd in all the masks of night,

We left our champion on his flight,
And blind man's buff, to grope his way,
In equal fear of night and day;
Who took his dark and defp'rate course,
He knew no better than his horse;
And by an unknown devil led,

He knew as little whither, fled,

He never was in greater need,
Nor less capacity of speed;
Disabled, both in man and beast,
To fly and run away, his best;

To keep the enemy, and fear,

From equal falling on his rear.

And though, with kicks and bangs he ply'd,
The further and the nearer fide;

As feamen ride with all their force,

45

50

55

And tug as if they row'd the horse,

60

And when the hackney fails more swift,
Believe they lag, or run adrift;

So, tho' he posted e'er so fast,

His fear was greater than his hafte :

For fear, though fleeter than the wind,
Believes 'tis always left behind.
But when the morn began t' appear,
And shift t' another scene his fear,
He found his new officious fhade,
That came fo timely to his aid,

65

70

And forc'd him from the foe t' escape,

Had turn'd itself to Ralpho's shape,

So like in perfon, garb, and pitch,

'Twas hard t' interpret which was which.

For Ralpho had no sooner told

The Lady all he had t' unfold,
But she convey'd him out of fight,

To entertain th' approaching knight;

75

And while he gave himself diverfion,
T'accommodate his beaft and perfon,
And put his beard into a posture
At best advantage to accost her,
She order'd th' anti-masquerade,
For his reception aforesaid :

For when the ceremony was done,
The lights put out, the furies gone,
And Hudibras, among the rest,
Convey'd away, as Ralpho guess'd,
The wretched caitiff, all alone,
As he believ'd, began to moan,
And tell his story to himself,

The Knight miftook him for an elf;

And did so still, till he began

80

85

90

To fcruple at Ralph's outward man,

And thought, because they oft' agreed
T' appear in one another's stead,

95

And act the faint's and devil's part,
With undistinguishable art,

They might have done fo now, perhaps,

And put on one another's shapes ;
And therefore, to refolve the doubt,
He star'd upon him, and cry'd out,
What art? my Squire, or that bold sprite
That took his place and shape to night?
Some bufy independent pug,

Retainer to his fynagogue?

100

105

Alas! quoth he, I'm none of those

Your bofom friends, as you suppose,

But Ralph himself, your trufty Squire,

Who 'as dragg'd your donship out o' th' mire, And from th' enchantments of a widow,

Who'ad turn'd you int' a beast, have freed you; And, tho' a prisoner of war,

Have brought you safe, where now you are;

« AnteriorContinuar »