And that both are so near of kin,
And like in all, as well as fin,

840

That, put them in a bag, and fhake them,
Yourself o' th' fudden would mistake them,

And not know which is which, unless

You measure by their wickedness;

For 'tis not hard t' imagine whether

845

O' th' two is worst, though I name neither.
Quoth Hudibras, Thou offer'ft much,

But art not able to keep touch.

Mira de lente, as 'tis i' th' adage,
Id eft, to make a leek a cabbage;
Thou wilt at best but fuck a bull,

8.50

Or fhear swine, all cry, and no wool;

Ver. 851.] This and the following line thus altered

1674,

Thou canst at best but overstrain

A paradox, and thy own brain.

Thus they continued in the editions 1684, 1689, 1700. Restored in 1704, in the following blundering manner, Thou 'It be at best but such a bull, &c.

and the blunder continued in all the editions till Dr. Gray's.

3

And then what genus rightly doth

Include and comprehend them both?
If animal, both of us may
As juftly pafs for bears as they;
For we are animals no lefs,
Although of different specieses.
But, Ralpho, this is no fit place,
Nor time, to argue out the case:
For now the field is not far off,

860

865

Where we must give the world a proof

Of deeds, not words, and fuch as fuit

Nor fhall they be deceiv'd, unless
We 're flurr'd and outed by fuccefs;
Succefs, the mark no mortal wit,
Or fureft hand, can always hit:

880

For whatfoe'er we perpetrate,

We do but row, w' are fteer'd by Fate,

Which in fuccess oft difinherits,

For fpurious causes, nobleft merits.

Great

Ver.860.Include, &c.] in the two first editions of 1663,

Comprehend them inclufive both.

Ver. 862.] As likely, in the two first editions.

Great actions are not always true fons
Of great and mighty resolutions;
Nor do the bold'st attempts bring forth
Events ftill equal to their worth;
But fometimes fail, and in their stead
Fortune and cowardice fucceed.
Yet we have no great cause to doubt,

885

890

Our actions ftill have borne us out;

Which though they 're known to be so ample,

We need not copy from example;

895

We're not the only perfon durft
Attempt this province, nor the first.
In northern clime a valourous knight
Did whilom kill his Bear in fight,
And wound a Fiddler: we have both
Of these the objects of our wroth,
And equal fame and glory from
Th' attempt, or victory to come.
'Tis fung there is a valiant Mamaluke,

In foreign land yclep'd

900

To whom we have been oft compar'd

905

For perfon, parts, addrefs, and beard;

Both equally reputed ftout,

And in the fame cause both have fought;

He

Ver. 904.] The writers of the General Hiftorical Dictionary, vol. vi. p. 291, imagine, "That the chaẩm "here is to be filled with the words Sir Samuel Luke, "because the line before it is of ten fyllables, and the "measure of the verse generally used in this Poem is "of eight."

He oft in fuch attempts as these
Came off with glory and fuccefs:
Nor will we fail in th' execution,
For want of equal resolution.
Honour is like a widow, won
With brisk attempt and putting on;

910

With entering manfully, and urging;
Not flow approaches, like a virgin.

915

This faid, as erft the Phrygian knight,

So our's, with rufty steel did fmite
His Trojan horse, and just as much
He mended pace upon the touch;

920

But from his empty stomach groan'd

Juft as that hollow beast did found,

And angry anfwer'd from behind,

With brandifh'd tail and blast of wind.
So have I feen, with armed heel,
A wight beftride a Common-weal,

While ftill, the more he kick'd and spurr'd,
The less the fullen jade has stirr'd.

925

HUDIBRAS:

HUDI BRA S.

PART I. CANTO II.

THE

ARGUMENT.

The catalogue and character

Of th' enemies beft men of war,
Whom, in a bold harangue, the Knight
Defies, and challenges to fight:

H' encounters Talgol, routs the Bear,
And takes the Fiddler prifoner,
Conveys him to inchanted castle,

There fhuts him faft in wooden Baftile.

T

HERE was an ancient fage philosopher
That had read Alexander Refs over,
And fwore the world, as he could prove,
Was made of fighting and of love.
Juft fo Romances are, for what else

Is in them all but love and battles?

O' th' first of these w' have no great matter
To treat of, but a world o' th' latter,
In which to do the injur'd right,
We mean in what concerns juft fight,

10

Certes