THE

AUTHOR'S LIFE.

SAMUEL BUTLER, the Author of this excellent Poem, was born in the parish of Strenfham, in the county of Worcester, and baptized there the 13th of Feb. 1612. His father, who was of the fame name, was an honest country farmer, who had fome fmall eftate of his own, but rented a much greater of the Lord of the Manor where he lived. However, perceiving in this fon an early inclination to learning, he made a shift to have him educated in the free-school at Worcester, under Mr. HENRY BRIGHT; where having .paffed the ufual time, and being become an excellent fchool-fcholar, he went for fome little time to Cambridge, but was

never

matriculated into that University, his father's abilities not being fufficient to be at the charge of an academical education; so that our Author returned foon into his native county, and became clerk to one Mr. Jefferys, of Earl's-Croom, an eminent Justice of the Peace for that County, with whom he lived fome years, in an eafy and no contemptible fervice. Here, by the indulgence of a kind mafter, he had fufficient leifure to apply himself to whatever learning his inclinations led him, which were chiefly hiftory and poetry; to which, for his diverfion, he joined mufic and

painting; and I have feen fome pictures,
faid to be of his drawing, which remained in
that family; which I mention not for the
excellency of them, but to fatisfy the reader
of his early inclinations to that noble art;
for which alfo he was afterwards entirely be-
loved by Mr. SAMUEL COOPER, one of the
moft eminent painters of his time.

He was after this recommended to that
great encourager of learning, ELIZABETH
Countess of Kent, where he had not only
the opportunity to confult all manner of
learned books, but to converfe alfo with
that living library of learning, the great Mr.
SELDEN.

Our Author lived fome time alfo with Sir
SAMUEL LUKE, who was of an ancient family
in Bedfordshire; but, to his dishonour, an
eminent Commander under the Ufurper OLI-
VER CROMWELL: and then it was, as I am
informed, he compofed this loyal Poem.
For, though fate, more than choice, feems
to have placed him in the fervice of a
Knight fo notorious, both in his perfon and
politics, yet, by the rule of contraries, one
may obferve throughout his whole Poem,
that he was most orthodox, both in his religion
and loyalty. And I am the more induced to
believe he wrote it about that time, because
he had then the opportunity to converfe with
thofe living characters of rebellion, none sense,
and hypocrify, which he fo lively and pa-
thetically expofes throughout the whole

Work.

After the restoration of King CHARLES II. those who were at the helm, minding money more than merit, our Author found that verfe in JUVENAL to be exactly verified in himfelf:

Haud facile emergunt, quorum virtutibus obftat
Res angufta domi:

And being endued with that innate modefty, which rarely finds promotion in Princes' courts. He became Secretary to RICHARD Earl of Carbury, Lord Prefident of the Principality of Wales, who made him Steward of Ludlow-Castle, when the Court there was revived. About this time he married one Mrs. HERBERT, a gentlewoman of a very good family, but no widow, as the Oxford Antiquary has reported: the had a competent fortune, but it was most of it unfortunately loft, by being put out on ill fecurities, fo that it was of little advantage to him. He is reported by the Antiquary to have been Secretary to his Grace GEORGE Duke of Buckingham, when he was Chancellor to the University of Cambridge; but whether that be true or no, it is certain, the Duke had a great kindness for him, and was often a benefactor to him. But no man was a more generous friend to him, than that MECENAS of all learned and witty men, CHARLES Lord Buckhurst, the late Earl of Dorfet and Middlefex, who, being himself an excellent poet, knew how to fet a juft value upon the ingenious performances of others, and has often taken care

privately to relieve and fupply the neceffities of thofe, whofe modefty would endeavour to conceal them; of which our Author was a fignal inftance, as feveral others have been, who are now living. In fine, the integrity of his life, the acuteness of his wit, and eafinefs of his converfation, had rendered him most acceptable to all men; yet he prudently avoided a multiplicity of acquaintance, and wifely chofe fuch only whom his difcerning judgment could diftinguish (as Mr. Cow LEY expresseth it)

From the great vulgar or the small.

And having thus lived to a good old age, admired by all, though perfonally known to few, he departed this life in the year 1680, and was buried at the charge of his good friend Mr. LONGUEVIL, of the Temple, in the yard belonging to the Church of St. Paul's Covent-garden, at the west end of the faid yard, on the north fide, under the wall of the faid church, and under that wall which parts the yard from the common highway. And fince he has no monurnent yet fet up for him, give me leave to borrow his epitaph from that of MICHAEL DRAYTON, the poet, as the author of Mr. CowLEY'S has partly done before me :

And though no monument can claim
To be the treasurer of thy name;

This work, which ne'er will die, fhall be
An everlasting monument to thee.

PART I.

CANTO I.

THE ARGUMENT.

Sir Hudibras his paffing worth;
The manner how he fally'd forth.
His arms and equipage are shown;
His horfe's virtues and his own.
Th' adventure of the bear and fiddle
Is fung, but breaks off in the middle.

WHEN civil a dudgeon first grew high,

And men fell out they knew not why;

When hard words, jealoufies and fears
Set folks together by the ears,

And made them fight, like mad or drunk, 5
For dame Religion as for punk;

Whofe honefty they all durft fwear for,

Tho' not a man of them knew where fore;
When gofpel-trumpeter, furrounded

With long-ear'd rout, to battle founded, 1@
And pulpit, drum ecclefiaftick,

Was beat with fift inftead of a flick;

B