Still as his tender fide he prickt, With arm'd heel, or with unarm'd, kickt; 450 455 We'll call him fo; if not, plain Raph; (For rhyme the rudder is of verses, With which, like fhips, they fteer their courses.) An equal stock of wit and valour 465 He had laid in, by birth a tailor. The mighty Tyrian queen, that gain'd With fubtle fhreds a tract of land, Ver. 457.] Sir Roger L'Eftrange (Key to Hudibras) fays, This famous Squire was one Ifaac Robinson, a zealous butcher in Moor-fields, who was always contriving fome new querpo cut in church government: but, in a Key at the end of a burlesque poem of Mr. Butler's, 1706, in folio, p. 12. it is obferved, "That Hudibras's Squire was one Pemble a tailor, and one of "the Committee of Sequeftrators." Did Whom they destroy'd both great and small. 475 As the bold Trojan knight, feen hell, Not with a counterfeited pafs Of golden bough, but true gold-lace: The Knight's, but of another kind, 480 And he another way came by't; Some call it Gifts, and fome New-light; 485 Of study, industry, or brains. But in the carriage crack'd and broken; Like commendation nine-pence crookt To look a gift-horfe in the mouth, 490 Ver. 485.] His wits were fent bim, in all editions to 1704 inclufive. Ver. 487, 488.] Until the year 1696, when all money, not milled, was called in, a ninepenny piece of filver was as common as fixpences or fhillings, and these ninepences were usually bent as fixpences commonly are now, which bending was called, "To my love, and From my love ;" and fuch ninepences the ordinary fellows gave or fent to their sweethearts as tokens of love. And And very wifely would lay forth For faints themselves will sometimes be, 495 Of gifts that coft them nothing, free. By means of this, with hem and cough, He could deep myfteries unriddle, 500 For as of vagabonds we say, That they are ne'er befide their way, Still they are fure to be i' th' right. 'Tis a dark-lantern of the Spirit, 505 Which none fee by but those that bear it ; To dive, like wild-fowl, for falvation, And fish to catch regeneration. This light infpires and plays upon 515 The nofe of faint, like bag-pipe drone, And fpeaks, through hollow empty foul, As through a trunk, or whispering-hole, Ver. 511.] Alluding to Ralpho's religion, who was, probably, an Anabaptift or Dipper. Such Such language as no mortal ear Which they at fecond-hand rehearse, 520 Into small poets fong infuse, Through reed or bag-pipe, verfe for verse. Thus Ralph became infallible 525 As three or four-legg'd oracle, The ancient cup, or modern chair; Spoke truth point blank, though unaware. For myftic learning, wondrous able In magic, talifman, and cabal, As far as Adam's first green breeches; Ideas, atoms, influences; And much of Terra Incognita, 530 535 Th' intelligible world, could fay; Ver. 546.] Alluding to the Philofopher's Stone. He He understood the speech of birds As well as they themselves do words; Could tell what fubtleft parrots mean, 550 What member 'tis of whom they talk When they cry Rope, and Walk, knave, walk. He'd extract numbers out of matter, And keep them in a glass, like water, Of fovereign power to make men wise; 555 For, dropt in blear thick-fighted eyes, They'd make them fee in darkest night, He had Firft Matter seen undrest: And feen quite through, or elfe he ly'd; 560 565 570 Ver. 573.] The rebellious clergy would in their prayers pretend to foretel things, to encourage people in their rebellion. I meet |