Once more th' old bait before their eyes fhe 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 observing eyes,

Th' old ftrumpet did herself disguise

In comely weeds, and to the city went, Affected truth, much modefty 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 fupport the found A wight, of whom Fame's trumpet much does found, With all ingredients for his business stock'd, Not unlike him whofe ftory has a place

In th' annals of Sir Hudibras.

Of all her bufinefs he took care,

And every knave or fool that to her did repair,
Had by him admittance there.

By his contrivance to her did refort

All who had been disgusted at the court.

Those whofe ambition had been croft,

Or by ill-manners had preferments loft,

Were those on whom the practis'd moft her charms, Lay nearest to her heart, and ofteneft in her arms. Intereft in every faction, every sect, she fought; And to her lure, flattering their hopes, she brought

All

All those 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 spend-thrift lands,
Out of the king's or bishops' hands.

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

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

XII.

With her in common luft did mingle all the crew,
Till at the laft fhe 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 so strange.
To help whofe mother in her pains, there came
Many a well-known dame.

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

D 4

Dame

Dame Scandal with her fquinting eyes,
That loves to fet good neighbours at debate,
And raise commotions in a jealous state,
Was there, and Malice, queen of far-fpread lies,
With all their train of frauds and forgeries.
But midwife Mutiny, that bufy drab,

That's always talking, always loud,
Was the that first took up the babe,
And of the office moft was proud.

Behold its head of horrid form appears:
To spite 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 nofe was ugly, long, and big,
Broad, and fnouty like a pig;

Which fhew'd he would in dunghills love to dig; Lov'd to cast stinking 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 nurse he ftraight was fent

To a fifter-witch, though of another fort,
One who profeft no good, nor any meant:
All day fhe practis'd charms, by night she hardly flept,
Yet in the outcafts of a northern factious town,

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

I

A cell

A cell she kept.

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

And many an ugly loathsome toad
Crawl'd round her walls, and croak'd.

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

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

And with these fofter-brethren was our monfter nurft. In little time the hell-bred brat

Grew plump and fat,

Without his leading-ftrings could walk,
And (as the forcerefs 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 fhift and lie,
And was obftinately dull.

Till, fpite of Nature, through great pains, the fot (And th' influence of th' ill genius of our land) At laft 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 cause. 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 pleafant, 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 else he curft. 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