But ere we venture to unfold
Achievements so resolv'd and bold,
We should, as learned poets use,
Invoke the assistance of some muse:
However, critics count it sillier
Than jugglers talking to familiar.
We think 'tis no great matter which;
They're all alike; yet we shall pitch
On one that fits our purpose most,
Whom therefore thus do we accost:
Thou that with ale, or viler liquors,
Didst inspire Withers, Pryn, and Vickars,
And force them, tho' it was in spite
Of nature and their stars, to write;

Who, as we find in sullen writs,

635

640

645

And cross-grain'd works of modern wits, 650
With vanity, opinion, want,

The wonder of the ignorant,
The praises of the author, penn'd
B' himself, or wit-ensuring friend;
The itch of picture in the front,
With bays and wicked rhyme upon't;
All that is left o' th' forked hill,

To make men scribble without.skill;
Canst make a poet spite of fate,
And teach all people to translate,
Tho' out of languages in which
They understand no part of speech;
Assist me but this once, I 'mplore,
And I shall trouble thee no more.

In western clime there is a town,

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Therefore there needs no more be said here;

To those that dwell therein well known;

We unto them refer our reader;

For brevity is very good,

When w' are, or are not, understood.
To this town people did repair,

On days of market, or of fair,

670

646. This Vickars was a man of as great interest and authority in the late Reformation as Pryn or Withers, and as able a poet. He translated Virgil's Æneids into as horrible travesty in earnest, as the French Scaroon did in burlesque, and was only outdone in his way by the politic author of Oceana.

And to crack'd fiddle, and horse tabor,
In merriment did drudge and labour.
But now a sport more formidable
Had rak'd together village rabble;
"Twas an old way of recreating,

675

Which learned butchers call bear-baiting:

A bold advent'rous exercise,

With ancient heroes in high prize:

680

For authors do affirm it came

From Isthmean or Nemean game:

Others derive it from the bear

That's fix'd in northern hemisphere,

And round about the pole does make
A circle like a bear at stake,

685

That at the chain's end wheels about,

And overturns the rabble-rout.

For after solemn proclamation,

In the bear's name (as is the fashion,
According to the law of arms,

690

To keep men from inglorious harms,)
That none presume to come so near
As forty foot of stake of bear,
If any yet be so fool-hardy,

T'expose themselves to vain jeopardy
If they come wounded off, and lame,
No honour's got by such a maim;
Altho' the bear gain much, b'ing bound
In honour to make good his ground,
When he's engag'd, and takes no notice,
If any press upon him, who 'tis ;

But lets them know, at their own cost,
That he intends to keep his post.
This to prevent, and other harms,
Which always wait on feats of arms
(For in the hurry of a fray

"Tis hard to keep out of harms way,)
Thither the Knight his course did steer,
To keep the peace 'twixt dog and bear;
As he believ'd he was bound to do
In conscience, and commission too;

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700

70

71

And therefore thus bespoke the Squire :

We that are wisely mounted higher

Than constables in curule wit,

When on tribunal bench we sit,

Like speculators should foresee,

From Pharos of authority,

Portended mischiefs farther than

Low Proletarian tything-men:

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720

And therefore being inform'd by bruit,

That dog and bear are to dispute;
For so of late men fighting name,
Because they often prove the same
(For where the first does hap to be,
The last does coincidere ;)

Quantum in nobis, have thought good,
To save th' expense of Christian blood,
And try if we by mediation

Of treaty and accommodation,
Can end the quarrel, and compose
The bloody duel without blows.
Are not our liberties, our lives,
The laws, religion, and our wives,
Enough at once to lie at stake

For Cov'nant and the Cause's sake?
But in that quarrel dogs and bears,
As well as we, must venture theirs?
This feud, by Jesuits invented,
By evil counsel is fomented;
Their is a Machiavelian plot
(Tho' every nare olfact it not,)
A deep design in't, to divide
The well-affected that confide,
By setting brother against brother,
To claw and curry one another.
Have we not enemies, plus satis,
That, cane et angue pejus, hate us?

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730

735

740

745

740 This speech is set down as it was delivered by the Knight, in his own words; but since it is below the gravity of heroical poetry to admit of humour, but all men are obliged to speak wisely alike, and too much of 10 extravagant a folly would become tedious and impertinent, the rest of his harangues have only his sense expressed in other words, unless in some few places, where his own words could not be so well avoided.

And shall we turn our fangs and claws
Upon our own selves, without cause?
That some occult design doth lie

In bloody cynarctomachy,

Is plain enough to him that knows How saints lead brothers by the nose. wish myself a pseudo-prophet,

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755

But sure some mischief will come of it;
Unless by providential wit,

Or force, we averruncate it.

For what design, what interest,

Can beast have to encounter beast?

760

They fight for no espoused cause,

Frail privilege, fundamental laws,
Nor for a thorough reformation,
For covenant, nor protestation,

Nor liberty of consciences,

765

Nor Lords and Commons' ordinances;

Nor for the church, nor for church-lands,

To get them in their own no-hands;

Nor evil counsellors to bring

To justice that seduce the king;

770

Nor for the worship of us men,

Though we have done as much for them.

Th' Egyptians worshipp'd dogs, and for

Their faith made internecine war.

775

Others ador'd a rat, and some
For that church suffer'd martyrdom.
The Indians fought for the truth
Of th' elephant and monkey's tooth,

752. Cynarctomachy signifies nothing in the world but a fight between dogs and bears; though both the learned and ignorant agree that in such words very great knowledge is contained: and our Knight, as one, or both of those, was of the same opinion.

758. Another of the same kind, which. though it appear ever so learned and profound, means nothing else but the weeding of corn

778. The History of the White Elephant and the Monkey's Tooth, which the Indians adored, is written by Mons. le Blanc. This monkey's tooth was taken by the Portuguese from those that worshipped it; and though they offered a vast ransom for it, yet the Christians were persuaded by their priests rather to burn it. But as soon as the fire was kindled, all the people present were not able to endure the horrible stink that came from it, as if the fire had been made of the same ingredients

And many, to defend that faith,
Fought it out, mordicus, to death.
But no beast ever was so slight,
For man, as for his God, to fight.

780

They have more wit, alas! and know Themselves and us better than so. who only do infuse

But we,

The rage in them like Boute-feus; 'Tis our example that instils

785

In them th' infection of our ills.

For, as some late philosophers

Have well observ'd, beasts that converse

790

With man take after him, as hogs

Get pigs all th' year, and bitches dogs.

Just so, by our example cattle

Learn to give one another battle.

We read in Nero's time the heathen,

705

When they destroy'd the Christian brethren,

Did sew them in the skins of bears,

And then set dogs about their ears:

From thence, no doubt, th' invention came

800

Of this lewd antichristian game.
To this, quoth Ralpho, Verily

The point seems very plain to me.
It is an antichristian game,
Unlawful both in thing and name.

First, for the name: the word bear-baiting 805
Is carnal, and of man's creating :
For certainly there's no such word
In all the Scripture on record;
Therefore unlawful, and a sin:
And so is (secondly) the thing.
A vile assembly 'tis, that can

No more be prov'd by Scripture than
Provincial, classic, national;

Mere human creature-cobwebs all.

Thirdly, it is idolatrous;

For when men run a whoring thus

with which seamen use to compose that kind of dos which they call stinkards.

810

815

grana

786. Boute-feus is a French word, and therefore it were uncivil to suppose any English person (especially of quality) ignorant of it, or so ill-bred as to need an exposition.