This Hudibras observ'd and fretting
Conquest should be so long a-getting,
He drew up all his force into
One body, and that into one blow.
But Talgol wisely avoided it
By cunning sleight; for had it hit,
The upper end of him the blow
Had slit, as sure as that below.
Mean while the incomparable Colon,
To aid his friend, began to fall on :
Him Ralph encounter'd, and straight grew
A dismal combat 'twixt them two;
Th' one arm'd with metal, th' other with wood,
This fit for bruise, and that for blood.
With many a stiff thwack, many a bang,
Hard crab-tree and old iron rang;
While none that saw them could divine
To which side conquest would incline,
Until Magnano, who did envy
That two should with so many men vie,
By subtle stratagem of brain
Performed what force could ne'er attain ;
For he by foul hap, having found
Where thistles grew on barren ground,
In haste he drew his weapon out,
And having cropt them from the root,
He clapp'd them underneath the tail
Of steed, with pricks as sharp as nail.
The angry beast did straight resent
done to his fundament,
The wrong
Began to kick, and fling, and wince,
As if h' had been beside his sense,
Striving to disengage from thistle
That gall'd him sorely under his tail:
Instead of which, he threw the pack
Of squire, and baggage from his back;
And blund'ring still with smarting rump,
the knight's steed such a thump
As made him reel. The knight did stoop, 855
And sat on further side aslope.
This Talgol viewing, who had now
By sleight escap'd the fatal blow,
He rally'd, and again fell to't;
For catching foe by nearer foot,
He lifted with such might and strength,
As would have hurl'd him thrice his length,
And dash'd his brains (if any) out;
But Mars, that still protects the stout,
In pudding-time came to his aid,
And under him the bear convey'd;
The bear, upon whose soft fur-gown
The knight with all his weight fell down.
The friendly rug preserv'd the ground,
And headlong knight, from bruise or wound:
Like feather-bed betwixt a wall,
And heavy brunt of cannon-ball.
As Sancho on a blanket fell,
And had no hurt; ours far'd as well
In body, though his mighty spirit,
B'ing heavy, did not so well bear it.
The bear was in a greater fright,
Beat down and worsted by the knight.
He roar'd, and rag'd, and flung about,
To shake off bondage from his snout.
His wrath inflam'd, boil'd o'er, and from
His jaws of death he threw the foam;
Fury in stranger postures threw him,
And more than ever herald drew him:
He tore the earth, which he had sav'd
From squelch of knight, and storm'd and rav'd,
And vex'd the more, because the harms
He felt were 'gainst the law of arms :
For men he always took to be
His friends, and dogs his enemy;
Who never so much hurt had done him,
As his own side did falling on him;
It griev'd him to the guts, that they
For whom h' had fought so many a fray,
And serv'd with loss of blood so long,
Should offer such inhumane wrong;
Wrong of unsoldier-like condition;
For which he flung down his commission;
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' amazed crew;
Some he o'er-ran, and some o'erthrew,
But took none; for by hasty flight
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.
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 strow'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,
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 croud 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
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 agen,
When Ralpho thrust himself between.
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 conq'ring foot upon
His trunk, thus spoke: What desp❜rate frenzy Made thee, thou whelp of sin, to fancy
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