Of league, held forth by Brother Patch,
Against the articles in force

425

Between both Churches, his and ours,

430

435

For which he crav'd the Saints to render
Into his hands, or hang, th' offender;
But they maturely having weigh'd
They had no more but him o' th' trade,
(A man that ferv'd them, in a double
Capacity, to teach and cobble)
Refolv'd to spare him; yet to do
The Indian Hoghan Moghan too
Impartial justice, in his ftead did:
Hang an old Weaver that was bed-rid:
Then wherefore may not you be skipp'd,
And in your room another whipp'd? ·
For all philofophers, but the Sceptic,
Hold whipping may be sympathetic.

It is enough, quoth Hudibras,
Thou haft refolv'd and clear'd the cafe;
And canft, in Confcience, not refuse,

From thy own Doctrine, to raise Use:
I know thou wilt not (for my fake)
Be tender-confcienc'd of thy back:

440

445

Then

Then ftrip thee of thy carnal jerkin,
And give thy outward-fellow a ferking;
For when thy veffel is new hoop'd,
All leaks of finning will be stopp'd.

Quoth Ralpho, you mistake the matter;
For in all fcruples of this nature,
No man includes himself, nor turns
The point upon his own concerns.
As no man of his own felf catches

450

455

The itch, or amorous French aches ;

So no man does himself convince,

By his own doctrine, of his fins :

And though all cry down felf, none means
His own felf in a literal fenfe:
Befides, it is not only foppish,
But vile, idolatrous, and Popish,
For one man out of his own skin
To frisk and whip another's fin;

460

As pedants out of fchool-boys' breeches

465

Do claw and curry their own itches.

But in this cafe it is profane,
And finful too, because in vain;

For we must take our Oaths upon it

You did the deed, when I have done it.
Quoth Hudibras, That 's answer'd foon;

Give us the whip, we 'll lay it on.

Quoth Ralpho, That we may swear true, "Twere properer that I whipp'd you; For when with your confent 'tis done, The act is really your own. 3

470

475

Quoth

480

Quoth Hudibras, It is in vain
(I fee) to argue 'gainst the grain,
Or, like the stars, incline men to
What they're averfe themselves to do:
For, when difputes are weary'd out,
'Tis intereft ftill refolves the doubt:
But fince no reafon can confute ye,
I'll try to force you to your duty;
For fo it is, howe'er you mince it,
As, ere we part, I shall evince it;

And curry (if you stand out) whether
You will or no, your stubborn leather.
Canft thou refufe to bear thy part
I' th' public Work, base as thon art?
To higgle thus, for a few blows,

485

490

To gain thy Knight an opulent spouse,

Whose wealth his bowels yearn to purchase,

Merely for th' intereft of the Churches?

495

And when he has it in his claws,
Will not be hide-bound to the Caufe:
Nor shalt thou find him a curmudgin,
If thou dispatch it without grudging:
If not, refolve, before we go,
That you and I must pull a crow.

500

Ye 'ad beft (quoth Ralpho) as the Ancients

Say wifely, Have a care o' th' main chance,

And Look before you ere you leap;

For As you fow, ye 're like to reap!
And were y' as good as George-a-Green,
I should make bold to turn again;

505

Nor

Nor am I doubtful of the iffue

In a just quarrel, and mine is fo..

Is 't fitting for a man of honour

To whip the Saints, like Bishop Bonner?

A Knight t' ufurp the Beadle's office,

For which y' are like to raise brave trophies?
But I advise you (not for fear,

chance,

But for your own fake) to forbear,
And for the Churches, which may
From hence, to fpring a variance,
And raise among themselves new fcruples,
When common danger hardly couples.
Remember how in arms and politicks

510

5155

We still have worfted all your holy tricks ::

5201

Trepann'd your Party with intrigue,

And took your Grandees down a peg;.
New-model'd th' Army, and cashier'd'
All that to Legion Smec adher'd;
Made a mere utenfil o* your Church,

525;

And after left it in the lurch;

A fcaffold to build up our own,

And when we 'ad done with 't pull'd it down;

Capoch'd your Rabbins of the Synod,

And snapp'd their Canons with a Why-not:

530

(Grave Synod-men, that were rever'd

For folid face, and depth of beard),

Their

Ver. 529.] O'er-reach'd, in all editions but the two firft of 1664, to 1704, inclufive. Capoch'd, restored inlater editions, which fignifies hooded, or blindfolded..

Their Claffick model prov'd a maggot,
Their Direct'ry an Indian pagod;

And drown'd their Difcipline like a kitten,

535

On which they 'ad been fo long a fitting;
Decry'd it as a holy cheat,

Grown out of date and obfolete,

And all the Saints of the firft grafs,

As caftling foals of Balaam's afs.

At this the Knight grew high in chafe,
And, ftaring furiously on Ralph,
He trembled and look'd pale with ire,
Like afhes firft, then red as fire.
Have I (quoth he) been ta'en in fight,
And for fo many moons lain by 't,
And, when all other means did fail,
Have been exchang'd for tubs of ale?

Not but they thought me worth a ransom
Much more confiderable and handsome,
But for their own fakes, and for fear.
They were not safe when I was there;
Now to be baffled by a scoundrel,

549

545

559

An upstart Sectary, and a mongrel,

Such as breed out of. peccant humours

555

Of our own Church, like wens or tumours,

And, like a maggot in a fore,

Would that which gave it life devour;

It

Ver. 543.] This, and the following line, not in the two first editions of 1664. Added 1674.