have a navel, by reason of the umbilical vessels inserted into it, which from the placenta carry nourishment to children in the womb of their mothers; but it could not be so with our first parents. Besides, it cannot be believed that God gave them navels, which would have been altogether useless, and would have made them subject to a dangerous disease, called an ompha¬ locele." V. 182. Who first made music malleable.] Macrobius, in his second book, relates, that Pythagoras, passing by a smith's shop, found that the sounds from the hammers were either more grave or acute, according to the different weights of hammers. The philosopher, to improve this hint, suspended different weights by strings of the same bigness, and found, in like manner, that the sounds answered to the weights. This being discovered, he found out those numbers which produced sounds that were consonants; and that two strings, of the same substance and tension, the one being double the weight of the other, give that interval which is called diapason, or an eighth. The same was also effected from two strings, of the same length and size, the one having four times the tension of the other. By these steps, from so mean a beginning, did this great man reduce what was before only noise to one of the most delightful sciences, by marrying it to the mathematics, and by that means causing it to be one of the most abstract and demonstrative of sciences. V. 189. "For his religion, &c.] Butler is very exact in delineating his hero's religion; it was necessary that he should be so, that the reader might judge whether he was a proper person to set up for a reformer, and whether the religion he professed was more eligible than that he endeavoured to demolish. 1 V. 191. 'Twas Presbyterian true blue.] Blue was the Presbyterian colour, as it is of the modern Whigs. The phrase “true blue,” probably had its origin in the following circumstance. Previous to the revolution, the colour of the ribbon of the garter was sky blue; but after the accession of William it was altered to its present colour, or dark blue. If this was done in compliment to the Whigs, as we may easily suppose, it is reasonable to conjecture that the Presbyterian blue here alluded to by Butler, was dark blue, in contra-distinction to sky blue, which was the court colour, V. 193-4. Of errant saints, whom all men grant To be the true church-militant:] Wherever presbytery has been established, it has been by force of arms, like the Mahometan religion: thus it was established in Geneva, in Switzerland, Holland, Scotland, &c. By the same means it obtained a toleration for some time in France. Much blood was shed to get it established in England, and once, during the grand rebellion, it seemed very near gaining an establishment here; for, in the years 1645 and 1646, several ordinances of the Lords and Commons in parliament were made for that purpose, and these ordinances for the Presbyterian government and discipline were begun to be put in execution in the cities of London and Westminster, and parts adjacent: but the Independents, by Cromwell's 'artifices, gaining an ascendency in the House of Commons, put a stop to their 'proceedings, and hindered their gaining the settlement they had so long sought for. All fanatics, whether Papists, Mahometans, or Presbyterians, are intolerant, but the Presbyterian fanatic seems the most intolerant of the three, for wherever he has been able to establish his power, he has prescribed all other religions but his own. This was their practice in Scotland, when they had power to do it, and they endeavoured to hinder it in England, whilst they had encouragement from the two houses at Westminster, declaring," that to make a law for toleration was establishing iniquity by law;" and they asserted, “ that a toleration was the appointing a city of refuge in men's consciences for the devil to fly to, a toleration of soul-murder, the greatest murder of all others.” V. 195-6. Such as do build their faith upon The holy text of pike and gun.] Upon these Cornet Joyce built his faith, when he carried away the king by force from Holmby; for when his majesty asked him for a sight of his instructions, Joyce said, he should see them presently; and so drawTMTM ing up his troop of horse in the inner court, "Thèse, Sir,” said the Cornet, are my instructions." 66 By apostolic blows and knocks.] Many instances of this kind are given by Dr. Walker in his sufferings of the episcopal clergy. One of which we shall relate in his own words. “Sunday, 9th of September, 1649, at the church of St. Peter's, Paul's Wharf, Mr. Williams, reading morning service out of the book of Common Prayer, and having prayed for the king (as in that liturgy, established by act of parliament, he is enjoined), six soldiers from St. Paul's church (where they quarter) came, with swords and pistols cocked, into the church, commanding him to come out of the pulpit, which he immediately did, and went quietly with them into the vestry, when presently a party of horse from St. Paul's, rode into the church, with swords drawn, and pistols spanned, crying out, knock the rogues on the head, shoot them, kill them; and presently shot at random at the crowd of unarmed men, women, and children, shot an old woman into the head, and wounded grievously about forty more, whereof many were likely to die, frighted women with child, and rifled and plundered away their cloaks, hats, and other spoils of the Egyptians, and carried away the minister to Whitehall, prisoner." V. 207-8. A sect whose chief devotion lies In odd perverse antipathies.] The religion of the Presbyterians of those times consisted principally in an opposition to the church of England, and in quarrelling with the most innocent customs then in use, as the eating Christmas pies and plumb porridge at Christmas, which they reputed sinful. V. 210. And finding somewhat still amiss.] Butler, in his remains, describes the Puritan to the same purpose, in his character of a fanatic. "His head is full of fears and fictions, His conscience form'd of contradictions, But fancies every thing that is, For want of mending much amiss." They were at that time much of the temper and disposition of those Disciplinarians in Queen Elizabeth's days, four classes of whom complained to the Lord Treasurer Burleigh against the liturgy then in use. He inquired whether they wished it quite taken away? They answered, no! He then desired them to make a better. The first class made one agreeable to the Geneva form; this the second disliked, and corrected in six hundred particulars; this corrected liturgy had the misfortune to be rejected by the third class; and ว what the third had resolved on was found fault with by the fourth. Queen Elizabeth, alluding to the contradictions and dissensions which prevailed among themselves, was often heard to say, that she knew very well what would content the Catholics, but that she could never learn what would content the Puritans. V. 213-14. That with more care keep holiday The wrong, than others the right way.] The Puritans were so remarkably obstinate in this respect, that they kept a fast upon Christmas day, and made an ordinance for abolishing that and other saints' days. It was observed by a writer in those times, upon the changing Christmas-day into a fast, in the year 1644, that this was the first time since the apostles that there was any fast kept upon that day in the Christian church; and because many would not fast, they sent soldiers into their houses a littlé before dinner to visit their kitchens and ovens, who carried away their meat, and eat it, though it was a fast-day, because they were exempted from fasting, provided they made others fast. -}} V. 227-8. Quarrel with minc'd pies, and disparage Their best and dearest friend, plumb porridge.] The folly of the Puritans in this respect is humorously bantered by the author of a poem entitled “Sir John Birkenhead revived.” "All plumbs the prophets' sons despise They would at that time declare a man incapable of serving in parliament for having bays in his windows, or a mince pie at Christmas. V. 232. Like Mahomet's, were ass.] Mahomet, in his night journey to Heaven, is fabled to have rode upon an ass. V.232. Like Mahomet's, were ass and wigeon.] When Mahomet fled from Mecca, he got into a cave at Mount Thur, where he laid three days, to avoid the search of his enemies. Two pigeons laid their eggs at the entrance, and a spider covered the mouth of it, which made them search no further. It is also reported of this impostor, that he had a tame pigeon which used to pick seeds out of his ear, in order that the vulgar might think it whispered and inspired him, V. 235-6, As if hypocrisy and nonsense Had got the advowson of his conscience.] Advowson, in law, is the right of patronage, or presenting to a vacant benefice. In the Mercurius Rusticus, a loyal publication of those times, is the following remarkable instance of a fanatical conscience, in a captain, who was invited by a soldier to eat part of a goose with him, but refused, because he said it was stolen; but being to march away, he, who would eat no stolen goose, made no scruple to ride away upon a stolen mare. For plundering Mrs. Bartlet of her mare, this hypocritical captain gave sufficient testimony to the world, that the old Pharisee and new Puritan have consciences of the self-same temper, "to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel." How would such wretches have fared under the discipline of Charles XII. King of Sweden, who commanded two brave soldiers to draw lots for their lives, and him to be shot upon whom the lot fell, for taking some milk and curds from a child; and a dragoon to be shot upon the spot for ill-using his host, who attempted to prevent his killing some fowls? 9 V. 241. His tawny beard, &c.] Butler, in his description of Hudibras's beard, seems to have had an eye to Shakspeare's Justice, in the seven ages of man, "with eyes severe, and beard of formal cut;" or the allusion may be to some round-head knight, who had made a vow not to cut his beard till the parliament had subdued the king. "This worthy knight was one that swore He would not cut his beard, Till this ungodly nation was i And most devoutly wore |