398
HUDIBRAS.
[PART III.
And while he gave himself diversion,
T' accommodate his beast and person, 80
And put his beard into a posture
At best advantage to accost her,
She order'd th' anti-masquerade,
For his reception, aforesaid:
But, when the ceremony was done, 85
The lights put out, the furies gone,
And Hudibras, among the rest,
Convey'd away, as Ralpho guess'd,[1]
The wretched caitiff, all alone,
As he believ'd, began to moan, 90
And tell his story to himself;
The Knight mistook him for an elf;
And did so still, till he began
To scruple at Ralph's outward man,
And thought, because they oft agreed 95
T' appear in one another's stead,
And act the saint's and devil's part,
With undistinguishable art,
They might have done so now, perhaps,
And put on one another's shapes; 100
And therefore, to resolve the doubt,
He star'd upon him, and cry'd out,
What art? my Squire, or that bold sprite
That took his place and shape to-night?[2]
Some busy independent Pug, 105
Retainer to his synagogue?
Alas! quoth he, I'm none of those
Your bosom friends, as you suppose,
But Ralph himself, your trusty Squire,
Who 's dragg'd your donship out o' the mire,[3] 110
T' accommodate his beast and person, 80
And put his beard into a posture
At best advantage to accost her,
She order'd th' anti-masquerade,
For his reception, aforesaid:
But, when the ceremony was done, 85
The lights put out, the furies gone,
And Hudibras, among the rest,
Convey'd away, as Ralpho guess'd,[1]
The wretched caitiff, all alone,
As he believ'd, began to moan, 90
And tell his story to himself;
The Knight mistook him for an elf;
And did so still, till he began
To scruple at Ralph's outward man,
And thought, because they oft agreed 95
T' appear in one another's stead,
And act the saint's and devil's part,
With undistinguishable art,
They might have done so now, perhaps,
And put on one another's shapes; 100
And therefore, to resolve the doubt,
He star'd upon him, and cry'd out,
What art? my Squire, or that bold sprite
That took his place and shape to-night?[2]
Some busy independent Pug, 105
Retainer to his synagogue?
Alas! quoth he, I'm none of those
Your bosom friends, as you suppose,
But Ralph himself, your trusty Squire,
Who 's dragg'd your donship out o' the mire,[3] 110
- ↑ It is here said that Ralpho guessed his master was conveyed away, and that he believed himself to be all alone when he made his lamentation: but this must be a slip of memory in the poet, for some parts of his lamentations are not at all applicable to his own case, but plainly designed for his master's hearing: such are ver. 1371, &c., of Part iii. c. i. In satirical poetry absolute consistency is not indispensable.
- ↑ Sir Hudibras, we may remember, though he had no objection to consult with evil spirits, did not speak of them with much respect.
- ↑ 3 The word Don is often used to signify a knight. In the old editions previous to 1710 it is spelt dun; the reading here is Dunship.
