Such as breed out of peccant humours

Of our own church, like wens, or tumours,

555

And like a maggot in a sore,

Would that which gave it life devour;

It never shall be done or said.

With that he siez'd upon his blude;

560

And Ralpho too, as quick and bold,
Upon his basket-hilt laid hold,
With equal readiness prepar'd
To draw and stand upon his guard:
When both were parted on a sudden,
With hideous clamour, and a loud one,
As if all sorts of noise had been

Contracted into one loud din,

Or that some member to be chosen,
Had
got the odds above a thousand,
And, by the greatness of his noise,
Prov'd fittest for his country's choice.
This strange surprisal put the knight
And wrathful squire into a fright:

565

570

And though they stood prepar'd, with fatal 575
Impetuous rancour, to join battle;

Both thought it was the wisest course
To wave the fight, and mount to horse;

567. This has relation to the origin of the poetical notion of the music of the spheres, a notion which, stripped of its poetical dress, is perfectly capable of a satisfactory explanation.

And to secure, by swift retreating,
Themselves from danger of worse beating. 580
Yet neither of them would disparage,

By utt'ring of his mind, his courage;
Which made 'em stoutly keep their ground,
With horror and disdain wind-bound.

And now the cause of all their fear
By slow degrees approach'd so near,
They might distinguish diff'rent noise
Of horns, and pans, and dogs, and boys,
And kettle-drums, whose sullen dub
Sounds like the hooping of a tub.
But when the sight appear'd in view,
They found it was an antic shew;

A triumph, that, for pomp and state,
Did proudest Romans emulate:
For as the aldermen of Rome,
Their foes at training overcome,

And not enlarging territory,

(As some mistaken write in story,) Being mounted in their best array,

585

590

595

Upon a car, and who but they;

600

And follow'd with a world of tall lads,

That merry ditties troll'd, and ballads,

Did ride with many a good-morrow,

Crying, Hey for our town, through the borough; So when this triumph drew so nigh,

They might particulars descry,

605

They never saw two things so pat,
In all respects, as this and that.
First, he that led the cavalcate,
Wore a sow-gelder's flagellate,
On which he blew as strong a levet,
As well-fee'd lawyer on his breviate;
When over one another's heads

610

They charge, three ranks at once, like Swedes.

609. Figure 28 gives a view of the first personage of the procession, whose prototype may be seen (if the south side of the moon be placed uppermost) close to the margin on the left hand, and composed of the paler shadows of the Fig. 28.

moon.

614. The three ranks of Swedes (whose heads consti

Next

pans,

and kettles of all keys,

615

From trebles down to double base.

And after them, upon a nag,
That might pass for a forehand stag,
A cornet rode, and on his staff

A smock-display'd did proudly wave;
Then bagpipes of the loudest drones,
With snuffling broken-winded tones,
Whose blasts of air, in pockets shut,
Sound filthier than from the gut,
And make a viler noise than swine,
In windy weather when they whine.
Next one upon a pair of panniers,

620

625

Full fraught with that which, for good manners, tute the pans, kettles, &c. of line 615,) are made up of the three faces, (situate one over the other, and fronting the contrary way of the figure mentioned in the last note,) which together form the face and body of Ralpho. The lawyer alluded to as one of the three in line 612 is particularly pointed out in Canto 3, Part 3, where a drawing will be given of him.

617. The second person of the procession is drawn in fig. 29, as situate in the moon immediately behind the last figure, and composed of darker shadows.

621. The bagpipes are referable to the same appearance in the moon which stands for the basket-hilt of Hudibras's sword, drawn ante in fig. 5.

627. The man upon the panniers is given in fig. 30, as situate about the center of the moon, its south side being still uppermost.