Once more th' old bait before their eyes she caft.
That and her love they long'd to taste;

And to her luft fhe drew them all at last.

So Reuben (we may read of heretofore) Was led aftray, and had pollution with his father's whore.

XI.

The better to conceal her lewd intent

In fafety from obferving eyes,

Th' old ftrumpet did herself disguise

In comely weeds, and to the city went, Affected truth, much modesty and grace, And (like a worn-out-fuburb-trull) paft there for a new face.

Thither all her lovers flock'd,

And there for her support she found A wight, of whom Fame's trumpet much does found, With all ingredients for his business stock'd, Not unlike him whose story has a place

And every

In th' annals of Sir Hudibras.

Of all her bufinefs he took care,
knave or fool that to her did repair,
Had by him admittance there.

By his contrivance to her did refort
All who had been difgufted at the court.

Thofe whofe ambition had been croft,

Or by ill-manners had preferments lost,

}

Were those on whom the practis'd most her charms, Lay nearest to her heart, and ofteneft in her arms. Intereft in every faction, every fect, she sought;

And to her lure, flattering their hopes, the brought

All

All thofe who use religion for a fashion.

All fuch as practise forms, and take great pains
To make their godlinefs their gains,

And thrive by the distractions of a nation,

She by her art enfnar'd, and fetter'd in her chains.
Through her the Atheist hop'd to purchase toleration,
The rebel power, the beggar'd fpend-thrift lands,
Out of the king's or bishops' hands.

Nay, to her fide at laft fhe drew in all the rude,
Ungovernable, headlong multitude:
Promis'd ftrange liberties, and fure redress
Of never-felt, unheard-of grievances :

Pamper'd their follies, and indulg'd their hopes, With May-day routs, November fquibs, and burning pafteboard popes.

XII.

With her in common luft did mingle all the crew,
Till at the laft the pregnant grew,

And from her womb, in little time, brought forth
This monftrous, moft detefted birth.

Of children born with teeth we 've heard, And fome like comets with a beard; Which feem'd to be fore-runners of dire change: But never hitherto was feen,

Born from a Wapping drab, or Shoreditch quean,
A form like this, fo hideous and fo ftrange.
To help whofe mother in her pains, there came
Many a well-known dame.

The bawd Hypocrify was there,
And madam Impudence the fair:

Dame Scandal with her fquinting eyes,

That loves to fet good neighbours at debate,
And raife commotions in a jealous state,

Was there, and Malice, queen of far-spread lies,
With all their train of frauds and forgeries.
But midwife Mutiny, that bufy drab,

That's always talking, always loud,
Was fhe that first took up the babe,

And of the office most was proud.

Behold its head of horrid form appears:
To fpite the pillory, it had no ears.

When straight the bawd cry'd out, 'twas furely kin
To the bleft family of Pryn.

But Scandal offer'd to depofe her word,
Or oath, the father was a lord.
The nose was ugly, long, and big,
Broad, and fnouty like a pig;

Which fhew'd he would in dunghills love to dig; Lov'd to caft ftinking fatires up in ill-pil'd rhymes, And live by the corruptions of unhappy times.

XIII.

They promis'd all by turns to take him,
And a hopeful youth to make him.
To nurfe he ftraight was fent

To a fifter-witch, though of another fort,

One who profeft no good, nor any meant:
All day the practis'd charms, by night she hardly flept,
Yet in the outcafts of a northern factious town,

A little fmoaky manfion of her own,
Where her familiars to her did refort,

A cell fhe kept.

Hell she ador'd, and Satan was her god;

And many an ugly loathfome toad

Crawl'd round her walls, and croak'd.

Under her roof all difmal, black, and fmoak'd,
Harbour'd beetles, and unwholfome bats,
Sprawling nefts of little cats;

All which were imps the cherish'd with her blood, To make her spells fucceed and good. Still at her shrivel'd breasts they hung, whene'er mankind fhe curft,

And with thefe foster-brethren was our monster nurst. In little time the hell-bred brat

Grew plump and fat,

Without his leading-ftrings could walk,
And (as the forceress taught him) talk.
At feven years old he went to school,
Where first he grew a foe to rule.
Never would he learn as taught,

But still new ways affected, and new methods fought.
Not that he wanted parts

T'improve in letters, and proceed in arts;
But, as negligent as fly,

Of all perverseness brutishly was full,
(By nature idle) lov'd to shift and lie,
And was obstinately dull.

Till, spite of Nature, through great pains, the fot (And th' influence of th' ill genius of our land) At last in part began to understand.

Some infight in the Latin tongue he got;

Could

Could fmatter pretty well, and write too a plain hand. For which his guardians all thought fit,

In compliment to his most hopeful wit,

He fhould be fent to learn the laws,

And out of the good old to raise a damn'd new caufe. XIV.

In which the better to improve his mind,

As by Nature he was bent

To fearch in hidden paths, and things long bury'd find,
A wretch's converfe much he did frequent :
One who this world, as that did him, difown'd,
And in an unfrequented corner, where
Nothing was pleasant, hardly healthful found,
He led his hated life.

Needy, and ev'n of neceffaries bare,

No fervant had he, children, friend, or wife :
But of a little remnant, got by fraud,

(For all ill turns he lov'd, all good detefted, and believ'd no God)

Thrice in a week he chang'd a hoarded groat,
With which of beggars fcraps he bought.

Then from a neighbouring fountain water got, Not to be clean, but flake his thirst. He never bleft himself, and all things elfe he curst. The cell in which he (though but seldom) flept, Lay like a den, uncleans'd, unfwept : And there thofe jewels which he lov'd he kept ; Old worn-out ftatutes, and records

Of common privileges, and the rights of lords.
But bound up by themselves with care were laid

All