Are mine by military law,
Of which I will not bate one straw;
The rest, thy life and limbs, once more,

895 Though doubly forfeit, I restore.

Quoth Hudibras, It is too late
For me to treat or stipulate ;
What thou command'st I must obey;
Yet those whom I expung'd to-day,
Of thine own party, I let go,
And
gave

them life and freedom too,
Both Dogs and Bear, upon their parole,
Whom I took prisoners in this quarrel.
Quoth Trulla, Whether thou or they

905 Let one another run away, Concerns not me; but was 't not thou That gave Crowdero

quarter too ? Crowdero whom, in irons bound, Thou bafely threw'st into Lob's pound,

910 Where still he lies, and with regret His generous bowels rage and fret : But now thy carcase shall redeem, And serve to be exchang'd for him.

This

Ver. 913, 914.] This was but an equitable retaliation, though' very disgraceful to one of the Knight's ftation. Is not the Poet to be blamed for bringing his hero to such a direful condition, and for representing him as stript and degraded by a trull ? No, certainly. It was her right, by the law of arms (which the Poet muft observe), to use her captive at her pleasure. Trulla

acted

'K 3

915

920

sake;

925

This said, the Knight did straight submit
And laid his weapons at her feet.
Next he disrob’d his gabardine,
And with it did himself resign.
She took it, and forthwith divesting
The mantle that she wore, faid jefting,
Take that, and wear it for my
Then threw it o'er his sturdy back.
And as the French, we conquer'd once,
Now give us laws for pantaloons,
The length of breeches, and the gathers,
Port-cannons, perriwigs, and feathers;
Juft fo the proud insulting lass
Array'd and dighted Hudibras.

Meanwhile the other champions, yerf
In lurry of the fight disperst,
Arriv’d, when Trulla won the day,
To share i'th' honour and the prey,
And out of Hudibras's hide
With vengeance to be fatisfy'd ;
Which now they were about to pour
Upon him in a wooden shower,
But Trulla thrust herself between,
And striding o'er his back again,

acted more honourably by him than he expected, and generously screened him from a threatening storm, ready to be poured on him by her comrades. With what pomp and folemnity does this famous heroine lead the captive in triumph to the stocks, to the eternal honout of her fix!

She brandishid o'er her head his sword,
And vow'd they should not break her word ; 94.0
She 'ad giv'n him quarter, and her blood,
Or theirs, should make that quarter good ;
For she was bound, by law of arms,
To see him fafe from further harms.
In dungeon deep Crowdero, caft

945
By Hudibras, as yet lay fast,
Where, to the hard and ruthless stones,
His
grcat

heart made perpetual moans ;
Him the resolv'd that Hudibras
Should ransom, and supply his place.

950
This stopp'd their fury, and the bafting
Which towards Hudibras was hasting;
They thought it was but just and right
That what she had atchiev'd in fight
She should dispose of how the pleas'd;

955
Crowdero ought to be releas'd :
Nor could that any way be done :
So well as this she pitch'd upon :
For who a better could imagine ?
This therefore they resolv’d t' engage in.

960 .
The Knight and Squire first they made
Rise from the ground where they were laid,
Then mounted both upon their horses,
But with their faces to the artes.
Orsin led Hudibras's beast,

965
And Talgol that which Ralpho prest;
Whom tout Magnano, valiant Cerdon,
And Colon, waited as a guard on ;

K 4

Alli

970

975

980

All ushering Trulla in the rear,
With th' arms of either prisoner.
In this proud order and array
They put
themselves upon

their

way,
Striving to reach th' inchanted Castle,
Where stout Crowdero' in durance lay still,
Thither with greater speed than shows
And triumph over conquer'd foes
Do use t' allow, or than the Bears,
Or pageants borne before lord-mayors,
Are wont to use, they soon arriv'd,
In order soldier-like contriv’d,
Still marching in a warlike posture,
As fit for battle as for muster.
The Knight and Squire they first unhorse,
And bending ʼgainst the fort their force,
They all advanc'd, and round about
Begirt the magical redoubt.
Magnan' led up in this adventure,
And made way for the rest to enter :
For he was skilful in Black Art,
No less than he that built the fort,
And with an iron mace laid flat
A breach, which straight all enter'd at,
And in the wooden dungeon found
Crowdero laid

upon

the ground:
Him they release from durance base,
Restor'd this Fiddle and his case,
And liberty, his thirsty rage
With luscious vengeance to afluage ;

985

990

995

For

1000

1010

For he no sooner was at large,
But Trulla straight brought on the charge,
And in the self-fame limbo put
The Knight and Squire where he was shut;
Where leaving them in Hockley-i’-th-hole,
Their bangs and durance to condole,
Confin'd and conjur'd into narrow

1005
Enchanted mansion to know sorrow,
In the same order and array
Which they advanc'd, they march'd away:
But Hudibras, who scorn’d to stoop
To Fortune, or be said to droop,
Cheer'd

up

himself with ends of verse, And sayings of philosophers.

Quoth he, Th’ one half of man, his mind,
Is, fui juris, unconfind,
And cannot be laid by the heels,

1015
Whate'er the other moiety feels.
'Tis not restraint, or liberty,
That makes men prisoners or free;
But perturbations that possess
The mind, or equanimities.
The whole world was not half so wide
To Alexander, when he cry'd,
Because he had but one to subdue,
As was a paltry narrow tub to

Diogenes;

102

Ver. 1003.) Where leaving them in Hockley-i'tb'bole. Altered, 1674, to, l' the wretched hole. Rela tored, 1704.