The Saints engage in fierce contests
About their carnal interests,
To share their facrilegious preys
According to their rates of Grace:
Their various frenzies to reform,
When Cromwell left them in a storm ;
Till, in th' effige of Rumps, the rabble
Burn all their Grandees of the Cabal.

a

HE learned write, an insect breeze

Is but a mongrel prince of bees, That falls before a storm on cows, And stings the founders of his house,

a

From

This Canto is entirely independent of the adventures of Hudibras and Ralpho: neither of our heroes make their appearance: other characters are introduced, and a new vein of satire is exhibited. The Poet steps out of his road, and skips from the time wherein these

adventures

B 2

The Saints engage in fierce contests
About their carnal interests,
To share their facrilegious preys
According to their rates of Grace :
Their various frenzies to reform,
When Cromwell left them in a storm ;
Till, in th' effige of Rumps, the rabble
Burn all their Grandees of the Cabal,

a

HE learned write, an insect breeze

of

That falls before a storm on cows,
And stings the founders of his house,

From

This Canto is entirely independent of the adventures of Hudibras and Ralpho: neither of our heroes make their appearance: other characters are introduced, and a new vein of satire is exhibited. The Poet steps out of his road, and skips from the time wherein these

B2

5

From whose corrupted flesh that breed
Of vermin did at first proceed.
So, ere the storm of war broke out,
Religion spawn’d a varioụs rout.
Of petulant capricious feets,
The maggots of corrupted texts,
That first run all religion down;.
And after every swarm its own :
For as the Persian Magi once
Upon their mothers got their fons,
That were incapable t' enjoy
That empire any other way;

adventures happened to Cromwell's death, and from thence to the diffolution of the Rump Parliament. This conduct is allowable in a satirist, whose privilege it is to ramble wherever 'ze pleases, and to stigmatize vice, faction, and rebellion, where and whenever he meets with them. He is not tied down to the observance of unity of action, time, or place, though he has hitherto had a regard to such decorums : but now, and here only, he claims the privilege of a satiriit, and deviates from order, time, and uniformity, and deserts his principal actors : he purposely sends them out of the way, that we may attend to a lively representation of the principles and politics of Presbyterians, Independents, and Republicans, upon the dawning of the Restoration. He fets before us a full view of the treachery and underminings of each faction; and fure it is with pleasure we see the fears and commotions they were in upon the happy declenfion of their tyrannical power and government. All these occurrences are fully and faithfully related in this Canto, and the les cral facts are warranted by history,