'Twas gold the catholic religion planted, Which, had they wanted gold, they still had wanted.

The Oxford antiquary afcribes to our author two pamphlets, supposed falsly, as he says, to be William Pryn's; the one intitled, Mola Afinaria: Or, The unreasonable and infupportable burthen, pressed upon the shoulders of this groaning nation, etc. London, 1659. in one fheet quarto. The other, two Letters, from John Audland, a Quaker, to Will. Pryn; the other Pryn's anfwer; in three fleets in folio, 1672.

one

I have also seen a fmall poem, of one sheet in quarto, on Du Vall, a notorious highwayman, faid to be wrote by our author; but how truly, I know not.

P. 15

R Martin Soul.

HUDI BRAS.

The ARGUMENT of

The FIRST CANTO.

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.

W

CANTO I.

HEN civil dudgeon first grew high,
And men fell out they knew not why;

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

Who made the

When civil dudgeon, etc.] Dudgeon. alterations in the last edition of this poem, I know not, but they are certainly sometimes for the worse; and I cannot believe the author would have changed a word fo proper in that place, as dudgeon is, for that of fury, as it is in the last editions: to take in dudgeon, is inwardly to refent fome injury or affront, a fort of grumbling in the gizzard, and what is previous to actual fury.

B 2

5 Ard made them fight, like mad or drunk, For dame religion as for punk;

Whofe honefty they all durft fwear for,
Though not a man of them knew wherefore:
When gefpel-trumpeter, furrounded

10 With long-ear'd rout, to battle founded,
And pulpit, drum ecclefiaftic,

15

Was beat with fift, instead of a stick :
Then did Sir Knight abandon dwelling,
And out he rode a colonelling,

A wight he was, whofe very fight wou'd
Entitle him, mirrour of knighthood;
That never bow'd his ftubborn knee
To any thing but chivalry;

Nor put up blow, but that which laid
20 Right-worshipful on fhoulder-blade:
Chief of domeftic knights and errant,
Either for chartel or for warrant :
Great on the bench, great in the faddle,
That could as well bind o'er, as fwaddle;
25 Mighty he was at both of these,

And ftil'd of war as well as peace. (So fome rats, of amphibious nature, Are either for the land or water.) But here our authors make a doubt, 30 Whether he were more wife or fout; Some hold the one, and fome the other: But howfoe'er they make a pother,

24 That could as well, etc.] Bind over to the feflions, as being a justice of the peace in his country, as well as colonel of a regiment of foot in the parliament's army, and a committee-man.