Note 15 — LECTURES ON THE ENGLISH COMIC WRITERS (continued 2)

The following are nearly all I can remember.—

‘Thus stopp’d their fury and the basting

Which towards Hudibras was hasting.’

It is said of the bear, in the fight with the dogs—

‘And setting his right foot before,

He raised himself to shew how tall

His person was above them all.’

‘At this the knight grew high in chafe,

And staring furiously on Ralph,

He trembled and look’d pale with ire,

Like ashes first, then red as fire.’

‘The knight himself did after ride,

Leading Crowdero by his side,

And tow’d him if he lagged behind,

Like boat against the tide and wind.’

‘And rais’d upon his desperate foot,

On stirrup-side he gazed about.’

‘And Hudibras, who used to ponder

On such sights with judicious wonder.’

The beginning of the account of the procession in Part II. is as follows:—

‘Both thought it was the wisest course

To wave the fight and mount to horse,

And to secure by swift retreating,

Themselves from danger of worse beating:

Yet neither of them would disparage

By uttering 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 different noise

Of horns and pans, and dogs and boys,

And kettle-drums, whose sullen dub

Sounds like the hooping of a tub.’