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And laid about him, till his nose

From thrall of ring and cord broke loose.. 900 Soon as he felt himself enlarg'd,

Through thickest of his foes he charg❜d,

And made way through th' amaz'd crew;
Some he o'erran, and some o'erthrew,
But took none; for by hasty flight

905

He strove t' escape pursuit of Knight:

From whom he fled with as much haste

And dread, as he the rabble chas'd.

In haste he fled, and so did they,

Each and his fear a sev'ral way.

910

Crowdero only kept the field,

Not stirring from the place he held,

Though beaten down, and wounded sore,

I' th' fiddle, and a leg that bore

One side of him, not that of bone,

But much its better, th' wooden one.
He spying Hudibras lie strew'd
Upon the ground, like log of wood,
With fright of fall, supposed wound,
And loss of urine, in a swound,
In haste he snatch'd the wooden limb
That hurt in th' ancle lay by him,

915

And fitting it for sudden fight,

Straight drew it up, t' attack the Knight;

For getting up on stump and huckle,

He with the foe began to buckle,

Vowing to be reveng'd for breach

Of crowd and skin upon the wretch,
Sole author of all detriment

He and his Fiddle underwent.

But Ralpho (who had now begun
T'adventure resurrection

From heavy squelch, and had got up
Upon his legs with sprained crup)

Looking about, beheld pernicion

925

930

935

Approaching Knight from fell musician.

He snatch'd his whinyard up, that fled

When he was falling off his steed,

(As rats do from a falling house,)
To hide itself from rage of blows;

And wing'd with speed and fury flew,
To rescue Knight from black and blue.
Which ere he could achieve, his sconce
The leg encounter'd twice and once;
And now 'twas rais'd to smite again,
When Ralpho thrust himself between.

940

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He took the blow upon his arm,

To shield the Knight from further harm;
And, joining wrath with force, bestow'd
On th' wooden member such a load,

That down it fell, and with it bore
Crowdero, whom it propt before.

To him the Squire right nimbly run,
And setting conqu❜ring foot upon

950

His trunk, thus spoke: What desp❜rate frenzy 955 Made the, thou whelp of sin, to fancy

Thyself and all that coward rabble,

T'encounter us in battle able?

How durst th', I say, oppose thy curship,

'Gainst arms, authority, and worship?

And Hudibras, or me provoke,

Though all thy limbs were heart of oak,

960

And th' other half of these as good

To bear out blows, as that of wood?

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