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'Twas Presbyterian true blue;

For he was of that stubborn crew

Of errant faints, 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 controverfies by
Infallible artillery;

And prove their doctrine orthodox,
By apoftolic blows and knocks;
Call fire, and fword, and defolation,
A godly, thorough Reformation,

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Which

religion he profeffed was more eligible than that he endeavoured to demolish. Whether the Poet has been juft in the pourtrait must be left to every reader's ebfervation.

Ver. 193, 194.] Where Prefbytery has been eftablifhed, it has been ufually effected by force of arms, like the religion of Mahomet: thus it was established at Geneva in Switzerland, Holland, Scotland, &c. In France, for fome time, by that means, it obtained a toleration much blood was shed to get it established in England; and once, during that Grand Rebellion, it seemed very near gaining an eftablishment here.

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Ver. 195, 196.] Upon thefe Cornet Joyce built his faith, when he carried away the King, by force, from Holdenby: for when his Majefty afked him for a fight of his inftructions, Joyce faid, He should fee them prefently; and fo drawing up his troop in the inward court, Thefe, Sir, (faid the Cornet) are my in"ftructions."

Ver 199, 200.] Many inftances of that kind are given by Dr. Walker, in his Sufferings of the Epifcopal Clergy.

Which always must be carry'd on,
And still be doing, never done;
As if Religion were intended
For nothing elfe but to be mended:
A fect whofe chief devotion lies
In odd perverfe antipathies ;
In falling out with that or this,
And finding fomewhat ftill amifs;
More peevish, crofs, and fplenetick,.
Than dog distract, or monkey fick;
That with more care keep holy-day
The wrong, than others the right way;
Compound for fins they are inclin'd to,
By damning those they have no mind to:
Still fo perverfe and oppofite,
As if they worship'd God for fpite:
The felf-fame thing they will abhor
One way, and long another for:
Free-will they one way difavow,
Another, nothing else allow :

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Ver. 207, 208.] The religion of the Prefbyterians of those times confifted principally in an oppofition to the Church of England, and in quarreling with the most innocent cuftoms then in ufe, as the eating Chriftmas-pies and plum-porridge at Christmas, which they reputed finful.

Ver. 213, 214.] They were fo remarkably obftinate in this refpect, that they kept a faft upon Christmasday.

Ver. 215, 216.] Added in 1674.

All piety confifts therein

In them, in other men all fin:

Rather than fail, they will defy

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That which they love moft tenderly;

Quarrel with minc'd pies, and disparage

Their best and dearest friend, plum-porridge;

Fat pig and goofe itself oppofe,

And blafpheme custard through the nose.
Th' apoftles of this fierce religion,

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Like Mahomet's, were afs and widgeon,

To whom our Knight, by fast instinct
Of wit and temper, was fo linkt,
As if hypocrify and nonfenfe

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Had got th' advowson of his confcience.
Thus was he gifted and accouter'd,

We mean on th' infide, not the outward:
That next of all we shall discuss;

Then liften, Sirs, it follows thus.

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His

Ver. 235, 236.] Dr. Bruno Ryves gives a remarkable inftance of a fanatical confcience in a captain who was invited by a foldier to eat part of a goofe with him; but refufed, because, he said, it was ftolen: but being to march away, he who would eat no ftolen goose, made no fcruple to ride away upon a ftolen mare; for, plundering Mrs. Bartlet of her mare, this hypocritical captain gave fufficient teftimony to the world that the old Pharifee and new Puritan have confciences of the felf-fame temper, "To strain at a gnat, and swallow

66 a camel.

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His tawny beard was th' equal grace
Both of his wifdom and his face;
In cut and dye fo like a tile,
A fudden view it would beguile;
The upper part whereof was whey,

The nether orange, mix'd with grey.
The hairy meteor did denounce

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Ver. 241.] Mr. Butler, in his defcription of Hudibras's beard, feems to have had an eye to Jaques' defcription of the Country Juftice, in Shakespeare's play, As you like it. It may be asked, why the Poet is fo particular upon the Knight's beard, and gives it the preference to all his other accoutrements? The answer feems to be plain; the Knight had made a vow not to cut it till the Parliament had fubdued the King; hence it became neceffary to have it fully defcribed.

Ver. 257. It was monaftic.] Altered to canonic, 1674. Restored, 1704.

'Twas bound to fuffer perfecution,

And martyrdom, with refolution;
T'oppose itself against the hate
And vengeance of th' incensed state,
In whofe defiance it was worn,
Still ready to be pull'd and torn,
With red-hot irons to be tortur'd,
Revil'd, and spit upon, and martyr'd;.
Maugre all which 'twas to ftand fast
As long as Monarchy fhould last;

But when the ftate fhould hap to reel,
"Twas to fubmit to fatal fteel,

And fall, as it was confecrate,

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A facrifice to fall of state,

Whose thread of life the Fatal Sisters

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Did twift together with its whiskers,

And twine fo clofe, that Time fhould never,

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Ver. 281.] Gafper Taliacotius was born at Bononia, A. D. 1553, and was Profeffor of Phyfic and Surgery there. He died 1599. His ftatue ftands in the Anatomy Theatre, holding a nofe in its hand. He wrote a treatife in Latin called Chirurgia Nota, in which he teaches the art of ingrafting nofes, ears, lips, &c. with the proper inftruments and bandages. This book has paffed through two editions.

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