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

243

Ver. 241.] Mr. Butler, in his description 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 defcribed.

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

3

"Twas bound to fuffer perfecution,
And martyrdom, with refolution;
T'oppose itself against the hate
And vengeance of th' incensed state,
In whose 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 stand fast
As long as Monarchy should laft;

But when the state should hap to reel,
'Twas to submit to fatal steel,

And fall, as it was confecrate,
A facrifice to fall of state,

265

270

Whose thread of life the Fatal Sifters

275

Did twist together with its whiskers,

And twine fo clofe, that Time fhould 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 a treatise in Latin called Chirurgia Nota, in which he teaches the art of ingrafting noses, 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 sympathetic 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 shoulders 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 poife this equally, he bore
A paunch of the fame bulk before,
Which still he had a special care

285

290

295

To keep well cramm'd with thrifty fare

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

Such as a country house affords;

300

With other victual, which anon

We farther fhall dilate upon,

When of his hofe we come to treat,

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

30;

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:

310

Through

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 said, he always chofe
To carry vittle in his hofe,

That often tempted rats and mice
The ammunition to surprise;

315

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.

C 3

'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 hofe,
In which he carry'd as much meat
As he and all the knights could eat,

340

We leave it, and to th' purpose come.

350

He ne'er gave quarter to any fuch.
The trenchant blade, Toledo trufty,
For want of fighting was grown rufty,

360

And ate into itself, for lack

Of fomebody to hew and hack:

The peaceful fcabbard, where it dwelt,
The raucour of its edge had felt;

For of the lower end two handful

It had devoured, 'twas fo manful,

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And