But let that pafs at present, left
We fhou'd forget where we digreft,
As learned Authors ufe, to whom
350 We leave it, and to th' Purpose come.
His puiffant Sword unto his Side,
Near his undaunted Heart, was ty'd;
With Basket-hilt, that wou'd hold Broth,
And serve for Fight and Dinner both :
355 In it he melted Lead for Bullets,

To shoot at Foes, and fometimes Pullets;

That he is generally look'd upon as the first that ever fate down to a whole roafted Ox, (which was certainly the best way to preferve the Gravy) and it is farther added, that he and his Knights fate about it at his Round Table, and usually confum'd it to the very bones before they would enter upon any debate of moment. (see Dr. King's Art of Cookery, Mr. Pope's Mifcellany Poems, vol. 2. p. 27.)

. 342. But a huge pair of round Trunk Hofe] Don Quixote's advice to Sancho Pancha, when he was going to his Government, (vol. 4, chap. 63, pag. 415) was, not to wear Wide-kneed Breeches, or Trunk'd Hofe; for they became neither Swords-men, nor Men of Business.

. 345-their Nuncheons.] an Afternoon's Repast, see Baily's Dic. .351. His puiffant Sword] See an account of the Sword of Attila King of the Huns, Piftorii Bibliothec. tom. 1. p. 185, 186. of King Arthur's Sword Caliburn, Jeffery of Monmouth's British Hift. part. 2 chap. 4. Robert of Gloucester's Chron p.174. Piftorii Bibliothec. tom. 1. P. 595. Orlando's Sword Durandana. Don Quixote, vol. 3. chap. 26. P. 255. of the Sword of Bevis of Southampton, called Morglay. Gallant Hift. of Bevis of Southampton, chap. 5. VULGAR: vol. 3. N°10. Bibliothec. Pepyfian. Zelidaura Queen of Tartaria, a Dramatic Romance made English, 1679. act 1. p. 19. The Swords of fome ancient Heroes, note upon Shakespear's King Henry IV. 2d part, act 2. vol. 3. P. 477. and Captain Bluff's, in Congreve's Old Batchelour.

353. With Basket-bilt that would hold Broth] Mr. Pope has a Thought much like this, (Mifcel. Poems, vol. 2. p. 17.)

In Days of old our Fathers went to war,
Expecting furdy Blows, and hardy Fare;
Their Beef they often in their Murrion fiew'd,
And in their Bajket hit, their Bev'rage brew'd.

See Chaucer's Squire's Tale, Works, 1602, fol. 23.

To whom he bore fo fell a Grutch,
He ne'er gave Quarter t' any fuch.

The trenchant Blade, Toledo trusty,
360 For want of fighting was grown rusty,
And ate into it self, for lack

Of fome Body to hew and hack.
The peaceful Scabbard where it dwelt,
The Rancour of its Edge had felt :
365 For of the lower End two Handful
It had devoured, 'twas fo manful,
And so much scorn'd to lurk in Cafe,

*.359. The trenchant Blade] A sharp cutting Blade. As by his Belt he wore a long Pavade, (Dagger) And of a Sword, full trenchant was the Blade. Chaucer's Reve's Tale, fol. 14. Sir John Maundeville's Travels, laft edit, chap. 23. p. 303. Shakespear's Timon of Athens, act. 4. vol. 5. p. 276. Skinneri Etymol. Voc. Antiqu. Anglic.

Ibid. Toledo Trufy.] The capital City of new Caftile. The two Cities of Toledo and Bilbao in Spain, were famed for making of Sword-blades, and other Armour.

Thy Bilboe, oft bath'd in the Blood of Foemans,
Like Caius Marius Conful of the Romans.
The mighty Alexander of Macedo,

Ne'er fought as thou haft done with thy Toledo.

(Works of J. Taylor the Water Poet, to Captain O Toole, p. 17.)

. 360. For want of fighting, was grown rufty. Mr. Cotton in his Virgile-Traveflie, b. 4. p. 82. has borrow'd a Thought from hence; defcribing lulus's Drefs, when he attended Queen Dido a hunting, he has the following Lines.

Athwart his brawny Shoulders came

A Bauldriek, made and trimm'd with th' fame:
Where Twibil hung with Basket hilt,
Grown rusty now, but had been gilt,
Or guilty elfe of many a thwack,
With Dudgeon Dagger at his back.

*.379.

(Belt)

See an account of Cowfy's Sword; Beaumont and Fletcher's Elder

Brother, act 5. fc. I.

As if it durft not fhew its Face.

In many defperate Attempts,
370 Of Warrants, Exigents, Contempts,
It had appear'd with Courage bolder
Than Serjeant Bum invading Shoulder.
Oft had it ta'en Poffeffion,
And Pris'ners too, or made them run.
This Sword a Dagger had his Page,
That was but little for his Age:
And therefore waited on him fo,
As Dwarfs
upon Knights Errant do.

375

*. 372. Than Serjeant Bum invading Shoulder.] How wittily does the Poet describe an Arreft? This Thought has been much admired, and has given a hint to two celebrated Writers to improve upon it, in as fine a vein of Satire and Burlefque, as ever appear'd in any Language: I think the Reader cannot be difpleafed to fee them quoted in this place.

Behind him ftalks

Another Monster, not unlike himself,
Sullen of Afpect, by the Vulgar call'd
A Catchpole, whofe polluted hands the Gods
With hafte incredible and Magic Charms
Erft have endu'd, if he his ample Palm
Shou'd haply on ill-fated Shoulder lay
Of Debtor, ftrait his Body, to the touch
Obfequicus, (as whilom Knights were went)
To fome Inchanted Cafile is convey'd,
Where Gates impregnable, and coercive Chains
In Durance ftriat detain him, till in form

Of Money, Pallas fets the Captive free. Phillips's Splendid Shilling. "As for Tipfaffe the youngest Son, he was an honeft fellow; but. "his Sons, and his Sons Sons have all of them been the vericft Rogues living; 'tis this unlucky Branch has stock'd the Nation with that "fwarm of Lawyers, Attorneys, Serjeants, and Bailiffs, with which "the Nation is over-run-Tipftaffe being a feventh Son us'd to "to cure the King's Evil; but his rafcally Defcendants are fo far "from having that healing Quality, that by a touch upon the "Shoulder, they give a Man fuch an ill habit of body, that he can never come abroad afterwards." Tatler No 11. (Mr. B.)

66

. 378. As Dwarfs upon Knights Errant do] A thing frequently

men

It was a serviceable Dudgeon,

380 Either for Fighting or for Drudging.
When it had stabb'd, or broke a Head,
It would scrape Trenchers, or chip Bread.
Toast Cheese or Bacon, tho' it were

To bait a Mouse-trap, 'twould not care.
385 'Twould make clean Shoes, and in the Earth
Set Leeks and Onions, and so forth.
It had been 'Prentice to a Brewer,
Where this and more it did endure
But left the Trade, as many more
390 Have lately done on the fame fcore.
In th' Holsters at his Saddle-bow

;

mentioned by Romance Writers. fee Amadis de Gaul, and Amadis of Greece; or the Knight of the Burning Sword.

379. It was a ferviceable Dudgeon.] Curio fpeaking of the Juftice (fee Coxcomb, a&t 5. Beaumont and Fletcher's Works in folio, 1679, part. 2. p. 334.) fays, "and his Juftice be as fhort as his Me

mory, a Dudgeon Dagger will ferve him to mow down Sin with"all." Baily fays, that Dudgeon Dagger fignifies a Small Dagger; and in this fenfe it is ufed by our Post. The great Gun at Guynes in Henry 6th's time was called Dygeon. fee Higden's Polychronicon by Treviza, lib. ult. cap. 20. fol. 336.

.382. It would fcrape Trenchers.] Hudibras's Dagger, puts me in mind of Scrub, Squire Sullen's Servant, (fee Farquhar's Beaux Stratagem) who had a new Office and Employment for every day of the Week: "a Monday (fays he) I drive the Coach, of a Tuesday I drive "the Plow, on Wednesday I follow the Hounds, a Thursday I dun "the Tenants, on Friday I go to Market, on Saturday I draw Wares rants, and on Sunday I draw Beer."

.383. Toaft Cheese.] Like Corporal Nims's Sword: (Shakespear's King Henry V. act 2. vol. 4. p. 20.) "I dare not fight, (fays he) but "I will wink and hold out mine iron; it is a fimple one, but what "though it will toaft cheese, and it will endure cold as another "man's Sword will, and there's an end."

.387. It had been Prentice to a Brewer, &c.] A banter upon O.Cromwell, (and others) who though ofa good Family,was a Brewer

at

Two aged Pistols he did stow,
Among the Surplus of such meat

As in his Hofe he cou'd not get.

395 These wou'd inveigle Rats with th' Scent,
To forage when the Cocks were bent;
And fometimes catch 'em with a Snap,
As cleverly as th' ableft Trap.
They were upon hard Duty still,
400 And ev'ry Night stood Centinel,
To guard the Magazine i'th' Hose
From two-legg'd and from four-legg'd Foes.
Thus clad and fortify'd, Sir Knight,

From peaceful Home fet forth to fight.

at Huntington; to which Mr. Butler alludes, (in his Poem, intitled, Oliver's Court, see Remains.)

Who fickler than the City Ruff,

Gan change his Brewer's Coat to Buff,
His Dray-cart to a Coach, the Beaft
Into two Flanders Mares at leaft:
Nay hath the art to murder Kings,
Like David, only with his Slings.

He is girded likewife by the Author of a Poem, intitled, Sir John
Birkenhead reviv'd, p 36.

'Tis Nol's old Brew-house now I fwear,

The Speaker's but his Skinker,

Their Members are like th' Council of War,

Carmen, Pedlars, Tinkers.

See two Songs intitled, The Protecting Brewer, and The Brewer. Coll. of loyal Songs, vol. 1. N° 72, 85. reprinted in 1731. And the Writer of a Tract, intitled, A Parly between the Ghofts of the late Protector, and the King of Sweden in Hell, 1660, p. 12, merrily observes, that having form'd a Confpiracy against Beelzebub, "They met in a cer"tain Blind Dog-hole, where a poor Fellow fold Cock-Ale for Sixpence a Bottle, and Three Pipes of Gunpowder instead of Tobacco, "for Two-pence: this Man the Protector had ferv'd with Drink, when "he was a Brewer," fee Walker's Hift. of Independency, part 1. p. 32.

.402.-Four-leg'd foes.] Mice and Rats, fee Homer's Battle of the Frogs and Mice, Archdeacon Parnell's Translation. p. 49, 50, &c.