And fo much scorn'd to lurk in cafe, As if it durft not show its face. In many defperate attempts Of warrants, exigents, contempts, It had appear'd with courage bolder Than Serjeant Bum invading shoulder: And prifoners too, or made them run. In th' holsters, at his faddle-bow, Two aged pistols he did stow, 370 375 380 3.85 399 395 And fometimes catch them with a snap, As cleverly as th' ableft trap: They were upon hard duty still, To guard the magazine i' th' hose 400 From two-legg'd and from four-legg'd foes. With fo much vigour, strength, and heat, That he had almost tumbled over 415 With his own weight, but did recover, By laying hold on tail and mane, Which oft he us'd instead of rein. But now we talk of mounting steed, Before we further do proceed, It doth behove us to fay fomething Of that which bore our valiant bumkin. I would fay eye, for h' had but one, 420 425 He He was well ftay'd, and in his gait 430 435 Nor trod upon the ground fo foft; And as that beast would kneel and stoop 440 For that was hidden under pad, And breech of Knight gall'd full as bad : 445 His ftrutting ribs on both fides show'd Which on his rider he would flurt, 450 Still as his tender fide he prickt, With arm'd heel, or with unarm'd, kickt; For Hudibras wore but one fpur, As wifely knowing could he ftir To active trot one fide of 's horse, The other would not hang an arfe. 455 A Squire A Squire he had whose name was Ralph, 460 And when we can, with metre safe, We'll call him fo; if not, plain Raph; (For rhyme the rudder is of verses, With which, like fhips, they fteer their courfes.) Of golden bough, but true gold-lace: His Ver. 457.] Sir Roger L'Eftrange (Key to Hudibras). fays, This famous Squire was one Ifaac Robinfon, a zealous butcher in Moor-fields, who was always contriving fome new querpo cut in church government: but, in a Key at the end of a burlefque poem of Mr. Butler's, 1706, in folio, p. 12. it is obferved, "That "Hudibras's Squire was one Pemble a tailor, and one of the Committee of Sequeftrators.” His knowledge was not far behind The Knight's, but of another kind, 480 And he another way came by't; Some call it Gifts, and fome New-light; A liberal art, that cofts no pains 485 But in the carriage crack'd and broken; Like commendation nine-pence crookt With-"To and from my love"-it lookt. By means of this, with hem and cough, He Ver. 485.] His wits were fent him, in all editions to 1704 inclufive. Ver. 487. 488.] Until the year 1696, when all money, not milled, was called in, a ninepenny piece of filver was as common as fixpences or fhillings, and thefe ninepences were ufually bent as fixpences com monly are now, which bending was called, "To my love, and From my love;" and fuch ninepences the ordinary fellows gave or fent to their sweethearts as tokens of love. |