HUDI BRA S.

IN THREE PARTS.

PART III. CANTO II.

THE

ARGUMENT.

The Saints engage in fierce contests
About their carnal interefts,

To share their facrilegious preys
According to their rates of Grace:
Their various frenzies to reform,
When Cromwell left them in a storm;
Till, in th' effige of Rumps, the rabble
Burn all their Grandees of the Cabal.

HE learned write, an infect breeze

and an infect bre

Is but a mongrel prince of bees, That falls before a ftorm on cows,

And ftings the founders of his house,

From

This Canto is entirely independent of the adventures of Hudibras and Ralpho: neither of our heroes make their appearance: other characters are introduced, and a new vein of fatire is exhibited. The Poet fteps out of his road, and fkips from the time wherein thefe adventures

B 2

From whofe corrupted flesh that breed
Of vermin did at first proceed.
So, ere the storm of war broke out,
Religion spawn'd a various rout
Of petulant capricious fects,
The maggots of corrupted texts,
That first run all religion down,
And after every fwarm its own:
For as the Perfian Magi-once

Upon their mothers got their fons,
That were incapable t' enjoy

That empire any other way;

adventures happened to Cromwell's death, and from thence to the diffolution of the Rump Parliament. This conduct is allowable in a fatirift, whofe privilege it is to ramble wherever he pleases, and to ftigmatize vice, faction, and rebellion, where and whenever he meets with them. He is not tied down to the obfervance of unity of action, time, or place, though he has hitherto had a regard to fuch decorums: but now, and here only, he claims the privilege of a fatirist, and deviates from order, time, and uniformity, and deferts his principal actors: he purposely fends them out of the way, that we may attend to a lively reprefentation of the principles and politics of Prefbyterians, Independents, and Republicans, upon the dawning of the Reftoration. He fets before us a full view of the treachery and underminings of each faction; and fure it is with pleafure we fee the fears and commotions they were in upon the happy declenfion of their tyrannical power and government. All thefe occurrences are fully and faithfully related in this Canto, and the al facts are warranted by history.

So Prefbyter begot the other

Upon the Good Old Cause, his mother,

Then bore them, like the devil's dam,
Whofe fon and husband are the fame;
And yet no natural tie of blood,
Nor intereft for the common good,
Could, when their profits interfer'd,
Get quarter for each other's beard:
For when they thriv'd they never fadg'd,
But only by the ears engag'd;

Like dogs that snarl about a bone,
And play together when they've none;
As by their trueft characters,

Their conftant actions, plainly' appears.
Rebellion now began, for lack

Of zeal and plunder, to grow flack;
The Cause and Covenant to leffen,
And Providence to be out of feafon :
For now there was no more to purchase

But all divided, shar'd, and gone,
That us'd to urge the Brethren on;

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O' th' King's revenue, and the Church's,

Which forc'd the stubborn'st for the Caufe,
To cross the cudgels to the laws,

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That what by breaking them they 'ad gain'd,

By their fupport might be maintain'd;

Like thieves, that in a hemp-plot lie,

Laid out their apoftolic functions
On carnal Orders and Injunctions;
And all their precious Gifts and Graces
On Outlawries and Scire facias ;

At Michael's term had many trial,
Worse than the Dragon and St. Michael,
Where thousands fell, in fhape of fees,

Into the bottomlefs abyss.

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For when, like brethren, and like friends,

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They came to share their dividends,

And every partner to poffefs

His church and ftate joint-purchases,
In which the ableft Saint, and best,
Was nam'd in truft by all the reft
Το pay their money, and, instead
every Brother, pass the deed,
He ftraight converted all his gifts
To pious frauds and holy shifts,
And fettled all the other shares

Of

Upon his outward man and 's heirs ;
Held all they claim'd as forfeit lands
Deliver'd up into his hands,
And pass'd upon his confcience
By pre-entail of Providence;
Impeach'd the rest for Reprobates,
That had no titles to eftates,
But by their fpiritual attaints
Degraded from the right of Saints..

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This being reveal'd, they now begun
With law and confcience to fall on,

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And