Besides, he was a shrewd philosopher
And had read every text and gloss over-
Whate'er the crabbed'st author hath
He understood b' implicit faith;
Whatever sceptic could inquire for,
For every why he had a wherefore;
Knew more than forty of them do,
As far as words and terms could go;
All which he understood by rote,
And as occasion served would quote:
No matter whether right or wrong,
They might be either said or sung.
His notions fitted things so well
That which was which he could not tell,
But oftentimes mistook the one
For th' other, as great clerks have done.
He could reduce all things to acts,
And knew their natures by abstracts;
Where entity and quiddity,

The ghosts of defunct bodies, fly ;
Where Truth in person does appear,

Like words congealed in northern air.

94. gloss, a commentary.

95. crabbed'st author: that is, the au

thor the most difficult to be
understood.

108. clerks, learned men.

109, 110. He could reduce . . . abstracts. "Acts," general notions; "abstracts," the results of the process of abstraction. The old phi

III. entity and quiddity. The schoolmen made fine distinctions between "entity" (essence) and “quiddity” (nature), on the one hand, and substance on the other. The former two might remain when body had perished, and hence they were termed "the ghosts of defunct bodies."

losophers pretended to extract 114. words congealed... air. The refer

notions or ideas out of things,

as chemists extract spirits and

essences.

ence is to a humorous account, published in Butler's time, of words freezing in Nova Zembla.

LITERARY ANALYSIS.-93, 94. Point out the hypermeters in these lines. 109-116. He could... fly. Point out the skilful manner in which Butler satirizes the philosophy of the schoolmen.

III-114. Where entity, etc. Of what verb understood are these two clauses the objects?

114. Like words... air.

What is the figure of speech? (See Def. 19.)

13th century), who was so deep- 121, 122. nominal and real way: that is,

ly read in what was termed

school divinity that he was
called "Doctor Irrefragabilis,"
or the Irrefragable Doctor.

119. A second Thomas. Thomas Aqui- 124.
nas (1224-1274), a schoolman,
was one of the most learned

men of his time.

120. Dunce.

the ways of the nominalists and realists,two antagonistic schools into which the medieval metaphysicians were divided. Sorbonist, a member of the celebrated French college of the Sorbonne, founded in the reign of St. Louis by Robert Sorbon. It was

Reference is made to 125, 126. fit for skull... full.
Duns Scotus, a learned scholas-
tic theologian, born in Dunse
(Scotland), and died 1308. The
English word dunce is derived

an old notion that lunatics (luna,
the moon) were liable to be cra.
zier than common at the full of
the moon.

LITERARY ANALYSIS. 117-128. In school divinity... unfurnished.

Point

out any satirical expressions in this description of the theology of the school.

men.

125. weave fine cobwebs. What is the figure of speech? (See Def. 20.)

127, 128. in a head... unfurnished. Explain this expression.

II.-RELIGION OF HUDIBRAS.

For his religion, it was fit

To match his learning and his wit:
'Twas Presbyterian true blue;
For he was of that stubborn crew
Of errant saints, whom all men grant

To be the true church militant-
Such as do build their faith upon
The holy text of pike and gun;
Decide all controversies by
Infallible artillery ;

And prove their doctrine orthodox
By apostolic blows and knocks;
Call fire and sword and desolation
A godly thorough reformation,
Which always must be carried on,
And still be doing, never done;

As if religion were intended

For nothing else but to be mended-
A sect whose chief devotion lies

In odd perverse antipathies ;

In falling out with that or this,
And finding somewhat still amiss;
More peevish, cross, and splenetic
Than dog distract or monkey sick;
That with more care keep holiday
The wrong, than others the right, way;
Compound for sins they are inclined to
By damning those they have no mind to.
Still so perverse and opposite,
As if they worshipped God for spite;

133. errant saints: that is, the Presbyterians.

The relig ion of the Presbyterians in those times was accused of consisting principally in an opposition to

147-170. A sect... nose.

the Church of England and to its most innocent customs, as, for example, the eating of Christmas pies and plum porridge at Christmas, which they (the Presbyterians) deemed sinful.

130

135

140

145

150

155

CHARACTERIZATION BY TAINE.'

1. After the Bible, the book most widely read in England is the Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan. The reason is that the basis of Protestantism is the doctrine of salvation by grace, and

History of English Literature, by H. A. Taine, translated by Van Laun, vol. i. p. 398 et seq.