Sir Hudibras his passing worth,
The manner how he fally'd forth,
His arms and equipage, are shown,
His horse's virtues, and his own :
Th’adventure of the Bear and Fiddle
Is fung, but breaks off in the middle *.
HEN civil dudgeon first grew high,
And men fell out they knew not why;

* A ridicule on Ronsarde and Davenant.

Ver. 1.] To take in dudgeon, is inwardly to resent some injury or affront, and what is previous to actual fury. It was altered by Mr. Butler, in an edition 1674, to civil fury. Thus it stood in edit. of 1684, 1689, 1694, and 1700. Civil dudgeon was restored in the edition of 1704, and has continued so ever since.

Ver. 2.] It may be justly said They knew not why; since; as Lord Clarendon observes, " The like peace and plenty, and * universal tranquillity, was never enjoyed by any nation for ten years together, before those unhappy troubles began."

When

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When hard words, jealoufies, and fears,
Set folks together by the ears,
And made them fight, like mad or drunk,
For Dame Religion, as for punk;
Whose honesty they all durst swear for,
Though not a man of them knew wherefore;
When Gospel-trumpeter, surrounded
With long-ear'd rout, to battle founded;

IO
And pulpit, drum ecclefiaftick,
Was beat with fist instead of a stick;
Then did Sir Knight abandon dwelling,
And out he rode a colonelling,

A wight

Ver. 3.] By bard words, he probably means the cant words used by the Presbyterians and sectaries of those times; such as Gospel-walking, Gospel-preaching, Soul-saving, Elect, Saints, the Godly, the Predestinate, and the like ; which they applied to their own preachers and themselves.

Ver. 11, 12.] Alluding to their vehement action in the pulpit, and their beating it with their filts, as if they were beating a drum.

Ver. 13.] Our Author, to make his Knight appear more vidiculous, has dressed him in all kinds of fantastic colours, and put many characters together to finish him a perfect coxcomb.

Ver. 14.] The Knight (if Sir Samuel Luke was Mr. Butler's hero). was not only a Colonel in the Parliament-army, but also Scoutmaster-general in the counties of Bedford, Surrey, .&c. This gives us some light into his character and conduct; for he is now entering upon his proper office, full of pretendedly pious and sanctified resolutions for the good of his country. His