"Wise, hardy, secret, lib'ral of his purse : "A fool is nauseous, but a coward worse: "No bragging coxcomb, yet no baffled knight. "How dar'st thou talk of love, and dar'st not 135

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fight?

"How dar'st thou tell thy dame thou art affear'd? "Hast thou no manly heart: and hast a beard ?" If aught from fearful dreams may be divin'd, They signify a cock of dunghill kind.

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“All dreams, as in old Galen I have read, 140 "Are from repletion and complexion bred; "From rising fumes of indigested food,

"And noxious humours that infect the blood: "And sure, my lord, if I can read aright, "These foolish fancies, you have had to-night, "Are certain symptoms (in the canting stile) "Of boiling choler, and abounding bile; "This yellow gall that in your stomach floats, Engenders all these visionary thoughts. "When choler overflows, then dreams are bred "Of flames, and all the family of red; "Red dragons, and red beasts, in sleep we view, "For humours are distinguish'd by their hue ;"From hence we dream of wars and warlike things, "And wasps and hornets with their double wings.

151

"Choler adust congeals our blood with fear, 156 "Then black bulls toss us, and black devils tear. "In sanguine, airy dreams, aloft we bound. "With rheums oppress'd, we sink in rivers "drown'd."

"More I could say, but thus conclude my

"theme,

160

"The dominating humour makes the dream. Cato was in his time accounted wise, "And he condemns them all for empty lies. "Take my advice, and when we fly to ground, "With laxatives preserve your body sound, 165 "And purge the peccant humours that abound. "I should be loth to lay you on "And though there lives no 'pothecary near, "I dare for once prescribe for your disease, "And save long bills, and a damn'd doctor's

"fees.

bier;

170

"Two sov'reign herbs which I by practice know, "And both at hand, (for in our yard they grow,) "On peril of my soul shall rid you wholly "Of yellow choler, and of melancholy :

"You must both purge and vomit; but obey, 175 "And, for the love of heav'n, make no delay. "Since hot and dry in your complexion join, "Beware the sun when in a vernal sign; "For, when he mounts exalted in the ram, "If then he finds your body in a flame,

Replete with choler, I dare lay a groat, "A tertian ague is at least your lot.

"Perhaps a fever (which the Gods forefend)

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180

May bring your youth to some untimely end: "And therefore, sir! as you desire to live,—185 "A day or two before your laxative,

"Take just three worms, nor under nor above, "Because the Gods unequal numbers love. "These digestives prepare you for your purge; "Of fumetery, centaury, and spurge, 190 "And of ground-ivy add a leaf or two,

"All which within our yard or garden grow. "Eat these, and be, my Lord, of better cheer; "Your father's son was never born to fear." 194 • Madam,' quoth he, grammercy for

your care; But Cato, whom you quoted, you may spare: 'Tis true, a wise and worthy man he seems, And (as you say) gave no belief to dreams: • But other men of more authority,

And, by th' immortal powers, as wise as he, 200 Maintain, with sounder sense, that dreams for'bode;

For Homer, plainly, says they come from God. Nor Cato said it: but some modern fool

Impos'd, in Cato's name, on boys at school.

'Believe me, Madam, morning dreams foreshow Th' events of things, and future weal or woe: 206 Some truths are not by reason to be try'd, 'But we have sure experience for our guide. 'An ancient author, equal with the best,

Relates this tale of dreams among the rest. 210 'Two friends or brothers, with devout intent, • On some far pilgrimage together went. It happen'd so, that, when the sun was down, • They just arriv'd by twilight at a town;

That day had been the baiting of a bull, 'Twas at a feast, and every inn so full,

215

That no void room in chamber, or on ground;
And but one sorry bed was to be found:

And that so little it would hold but one,

225

Though till this hour they never lay alone. 220 'So were they forc'd to part; one stay'd behind; His fellow sought what lodging he could find: At last he found a stall where oxen stood, And that he rather chose than lie abroad. 'Twas in a farther yard without a door; But, for his ease, well litter'd was the floor. His fellow, who the narrow bed had kept, Was weary, and without a rocker slept : Supine he snor'd; but in the dead of night, He dreamt his friend appear'd before his sight, Who, with a ghastly look and doleful cry, 231 Said, "Help me, brother, or this night I die: "Arise, and help, before all help be vain, "Or in an ox's stall I shall be slain."

Rous'd from his rest, he waken'd in a start, "Shiv'ring with horror, and with aking heart;236 'At length to cure himself by reason tries; 'Tis but a dream, and what are dreams but lies? • So thinking, chang'd his side, and clos'd his eyes. 'His dream returns; his friend appears again: 240 "The murderers come, now help, or I am slain:" ''Twas but a vision still, and visions are but vain. • He dreamt the third: but now his friend appear'd Pale, naked, pierc'd with wounds, with blood besmear'd:

"relief is late,

247

"Thrice warn'd! awake," said he; "The deed is done; but thou revenge my fate: Tardy of aid, unseal thy heavy eyes, "Awake, and with the dawning day arise: "Take to the western gate thy ready way,

"For by that passage they my corpse convey: 250 "My corpse is in a tumbril laid, among "The filth and ordure, and inclos'd with dung: "That cart arrest, and raise a common cry; "For sacred hunger of my gold, I die :"

• Then shew'd his grisly wound: and, last, he • drew

A piteous sigh; and took a long adieu,

255

'The frighted friend arose, by break of day, And found the stall where late his fellow lay. Then of his impious host inquiring more, • Was answer'd that his guest was gone before : 260 "Mutt'ring he went," said he, "by morning-light, "And much complain'd of his ill rest by night." This rais' suspicion in the pilgrim's mind;

• Because all hosts are of an evil kind,

And oft, to share the spoils, with robbers, join'd.

270

His dream confirm'd his thought: with trou

'bled look

• Strait to the western gate his way he took;

There, as his dream foretold, a cart he found,

• That carry'd compost forth to dung the ground. This when the pilgrim saw, he stretch'd his

' throat,

275

And cry'd out, "murder !" with a yelling note: