A broken sigh, quoth he, Where am I?
Alive, or dead? or which way came I
Thro' so immense a space so soon?
But now I thought myself i̇' th' moon ;
And that a monster with huge whiskers,
More formidable than a Switzer's,
My body thro' and thro' had drill'd,
And Whachum by my side had kill'd,
Had cross-examin'd both our hose,
And plunder'd all we had to lose;
Look, there he is, I see him now,
And feel the place I am run thro':
And there lies Whachum by my side,
Stone-dead, and in his own blood dy'd.
Oh! oh! with that he fetch'd a groan,
And fell again into a swoon;

Shut both his eyes, and stopt his breath,

And to the life out-acted death,

Believ'd him to be dead as herring.

That Hudibras, to all appearing,

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He held it now no longer safe,

To tarry the return of Ralph,

4

But rather leave him in the lurch:“

Thought he, he has abus'd our church,"

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• Had cross-examin'd both our hose,] Trunk-hose, with pockets to them:

* But rather leave him in the lurch :] The different sects of dissen.. ters left each other in the lurch, whenever an opportunity offered of promoting a separate interest.

5

Thought he, he has abus'd our church,] This and the following lines have been produced by some as an argument to prove that the

Refus'd to give himself one firk,
To carry on the public work;
Despis'd our synod-men like dirt,
And made their discipline his sport;
Divulg❜d the secrets of their classes,
And their conventions prov'd high places;
Disparag❜d their tithe-pigs, as pagan,
And set at nought their cheese and bacon;
Rail'd at their covenant, and jeer'd
Their rev'rend parsons, to my beard;
For all which scandals, to be quit
At once, this juncture falls out fit.
I'll make him henceforth, to beware,
And tempt my fury, if he dare:
He must, at least, hold up his hand,
By twelve freeholders to be scann'd.
Who, by their skill in palmistry,
Will quickly read his destiny,

And make him glad to read his lesson,

Or take a turn for't at the session:9

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poem was enigmatical and figurative; but it only proves that Hudibras represents the presbyterians, and Ralpho the independents.

•And their conventions prov'd high places;] That is, corruptions in discipline-rank popery and idolatry.

7 He must, at least, hold up his hand,] Culprits, when they are tried, hold up their hands at the bar.

• Who, by their skill in palmistry,] From palma. Alluding to the method of telling fortunes by inspection of lines in the palm of the hand.

• And make him glad to read his lesson,

Or take a turn for't at the session :] That is, claim the benefit of

Unless his light and gifts prove truer
Than ever yet they did, I'm sure;
For if he 'scape with whipping now,
'Tis more than he can hope to do:

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clergy, or be hanged. Tom Nash,* a writer of farces-[there are but three dramatic works of his, Dido a tragedy, and two comedies]— in queen Elizabeth's reign, who died before the year 1606, is supposed by Dr. Farmer to satirize Shakspeare for want of learning, in the following words: "I leave,” saith he, "all these to the mercy

* This Tom Nash should not be confounded with Thomas Nash, barrister, of the Inner Temple, who is buried in that church, and has the following inscription:

Depositum Thomæ Nash generosi honesta orti familia in agro Vigorniensi viri charitate humilitate eximii et mire mansueti Græce Latine Gallice et Italice apprime docti plurium (quos scripsit transtulit elucidavit edidit) librorum authoris jure amplectandi interioris templi annos circiter 30 repagularis non solidi minus quam synceri Tho. Nash obiit 25o. Augusti 1648.

I have never seen any of his works, but am informed that the School of Potentates, translated from the Latin, with observations, in octavo 1648, was his, and that he probably wrote the four-fold discourse in quarto 1632. He was a zealous royalist, contrary to the sentiments of his two brothers; the eldest a country gentleman in Worcestershire, of considerable estate, from whom the editor is descended, was very active in supporting the parliament cause, and the government by Cromwell. The younger brother commanded a troop of horse in the parliament service, was member of parliament for the city of Worcester, and an active justice of peace under the Protector: the family quarrel on political accounts, and which was carried on with the greatest animosity, and most earnest desire to ruin each other, together with the decline of the king's affairs, and particularly the execution of his person, so affected the spirits of Mr. Thomas Nash, that he determined not long to survive it. The editor hopes the reader will excuse this periautology and account of his great grand-father, and his two younger brothers :-he at this day feels the effects of their family quarrels and party zeal.

And that will disengage my conscience
Of th' obligation, in his own sense;
I'll make him now by force abide,
What he by gentle means deny'd,.
To give my honour satisfaction.
And right the brethren in the action,
This being resolv'd, with equal speed,
And conduct, he approach'd his steed,
And with activity unwont,

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Essay'd the lofty beast to mount;

"of their mother-tongue, that feed on nought but the crumbs that "fall from the translator's trencher, that could scarcely latinize their "neck verse, if they should have neede." Dr. Lodge calls Nash our true English Aretine: and John Taylor, the water poet, makes an oath by sweete satyriche Nash his urne:" his works, in three volumes quarto, were printed 1600, and purchased for the Royal Library, at an auction in Whitehall, about the year 1785, for thirty pounds.

66

[In the sale of Dr. Wright's Library in 1787, a collection (not an edition) of his works, consisting of twenty-one pieces of various dates, was sold for £12..15. see Dibdin's Bibliomania, p. 534; but if it was bought for the King's Library there must be some error in the Sale Catalogue in attributing all the Tracts to Nash, as there are but ten under his name in the Catalogue of the Royal Library.

As Dr. Nash has here indulged a natural vanity upon a subject more interesting to himself than to the reader of Hudibras, a somewhat similar indulgence, in this edition, may perhaps be pardoned when the incidental mention of the Royal Library occasions it. This truly regal library is now deposited in the British Museum. It was, ab initio, formed under the personal direction of His late Majesty George the third, by sir Frederick Barnard, his librarian, and Mr. George Nicol, his bookseller, and remains an honourable proof of the king's liberal pursuit and love of knowledge, and of the skilful industry of the men he so judiciously employed in its collection.]

Which once atchiev'd, he spurr'd his palfry,
To get from th' enemy and Ralph free;
Left danger, fears, and foes behind,

And beat, at least three lengths, the wind.' 1190

1 And beat, at least three lengths, the wind.]

volucremque fuga prævertitur Eurum.

agente nimbos
Ocyor Euro.