It was a parti-colored dress

Of patched and piebald* languages;
'Twas English cut on Greek and Latin,
Like fustian* heretofore on satin.
It had an odd promiscuous tone,

As if h' had talked three parts in one;
Which made some think when he did gabble
H' had heard three laborers of Babel,
Or Cerberus* himself pronounce
A leash of languages at once.
This he as volubly would vent
As if his stock would ne'er be spent ;
And truly to support that charge,
He had supplies as vast and large;

64

70

61. parti-colored, colored part by part, having various tints and colors.

62. piebald, diversified in color.

63. English... Latin. The leading 66.
men of those times were fond
of appearing learned, and com-
monly mixed Latin and even 69.
Greek terms and phrases with

fustian (a coarse twilled cotton stuff), that the satin in a garment might appear through it. three parts. The expression al

ludes to the old musical catches in three parts.

Cerberus, the three-headed dog at
the entrance to Hades.

their speech. This was es- 70. leash, literally a rope.
pecially the case with the coun-
try justices, of whom Hudibras

was one.

64. Like fustian... satin: that is, like the fashion which formerly ("heretofore") prevailed of

In the technical language of hunting, it signifies three greyhounds, or three creatures of any kind, the hounds in hunting having been in former times held with a rope or string.

pinking or cutting holes in 73. charge, burden, duty.

LITERARY ANALYSIS.-61. It was... dress. What is the figure of speech? (See Def. 20.)

63, 64. Observe how the specific illustrations in these lines carry out the general idea in lines 61 and 62.

64. Like fustian, etc. Explain the comparison.

69. What apposite classical reference is made in this line?

For he could coin or counterfeit
New words, with little or no wit-
Words so debased and hard, no stone
Was hard enough to touch them on;
And when with hasty noise he spoke 'em,
The ignorant for current took 'em,
That had the orator who once

Did fill his mouth with pebble-stones
When he harangued but known his phrase,
He would have used no other ways.
In mathematics he was greater
Than Tycho Brahe or Erra Pater;
For he, by geometric scale,
Could take the size of pots of ale;
Resolve by sines and tangents, straight,
If bread or butter wanted weight;
And wisely tell what hour o' th' day
The clock does strike, by algebra.

81, 82. the orator... pebble-stones. The 86. Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), an emi

allusion is to Demosthenes, who,
to remedy a defect in his articu-
lation, put pebble-stones in his
mouth while practising in speak-
ing.

By

15

nent Danish astronomer.
Erra Pater (the name of an old
astrologer) is meant William
Lilly, also an astrologer and a
contemporary of Butler's.

77, 78, 80. no stone... touch them on... 88. Could . . . ale. As a justice of the

current. The meaning is that

there was no touchstone (a stone

75

peace he had a right to inspect weights and measures.

on which gold and silver were 89. sines and tangents, terms of trigotested) fit to test these " new

nometry.

LITERARY ANALYSIS.-75-80. For he could coin... took 'em. Show the felicitous manner in which the metaphor in this passage is carried out.

80

85-92. In mathematics... algebra. By what device does the author contrive to convey an exceedingly ludicrous idea of Hudibras's mathematical attain ments?

85

98

Besides, he was a shrewd philosopher
And had read every text and gloss over-
Whate'er the crabbed'st author hath
He understood b' implicit faith;
Whatever sceptic could inquire for,
For every why he had a wherefore;
Knew more than forty of them do,
As far as words and terms could go;
All which he understood by rote,
And as occasion served would quote:
No matter whether right or wrong,
They might be either said or sung.
His notions fitted things so well
That which was which he could not tell,
But oftentimes mistook the one
For th' other, as great clerks have done.
He could reduce all things to acts,
And knew their natures by abstracts;
Where entity and quiddity,

The ghosts of defunct bodies, fly;
Where Truth in person does appear,
Like words congealed in northern air.

94. gloss, a commentary.

95. crabbed'st author: that is, the author the most difficult to be understood.

108. clerks, learned men,

109, 110. He could reduce . . . abstracts. "Acts," general notions; "abstracts," the results of the process of abstraction. The old phi

III. entity and quiddity. The school-
men made fine distinctions be-
tween "entity" (essence) and
"quiddity" (nature), on the one
hand, and substance on the
other. The former two might
remain when body had perished,
and hence they were termed
"the ghosts of defunct bodies."

losophers pretended to extract 114. words congealed... air. The refer

notions or ideas out of things,

as chemists extract spirits and

essences.

ence is to a humorous account,
published in Butler's time, of
words freezing in Nova Zembla.

LITERARY ANALYSIS.-93, 94. Point out the hypermeters in these lines. 109-116. He could... fly. Point out the skilful manner in which Butler satirizes the philosophy of the schoolmen.

III-114. Where entity, etc. Of what verb understood are these two clauses the objects?

114. Like words... air. What is the figure of speech? (See Def. 19.)

13th century), who was so deep- 121, 122. nominal and real way: that is,

ly read in what was termed

school divinity that he was
called "Doctor Irrefragabilis,”
or the Irrefragable Doctor.

119. A second Thomas. Thomas Aqui- 124.
nas (1224-1274), a schoolman,
was one of the most learned

men of his time.

120. Dunce.

the ways of the nominalists and realists,two antagonistic schools into which the medieval metaphysicians were divided. Sorbonist, a member of the celebrated French college of the Sorbonne, founded in the reign of St. Louis by Robert Sorbon.

Reference is made to 125, 126. fit for skull... full. It was

Duns Scotus, a learned scholas-
tic theologian, born in Dunse
(Scotland), and died 1308. The
English word dunce is derived

an old notion that lunatics (luna, the moon) were liable to be cra zier than common at the full of the moon.

Point

LITERARY ANALYSIS. 117-128. In school divinity... unfurnished. out any satirical expressions in this description of the theology of the school

men.

125. weave fine cobwebs. What is the figure of speech? (See Def. 20.)

127, 128. in a head... unfurnished. Explain this expression.

II.-RELIGION OF HUDIBRAS.

For his religion, it was fit

To match his learning and his wit:
'Twas Presbyterian true blue;

For he was of that stubborn crew

*

Of errant saints, whom all men grant

To be the true church militant

Such as do build their faith upon
The holy text of pike and gun;
Decide all controversies by
Infallible artillery;

And prove their doctrine orthodox
By apostolic blows and knocks;
Call fire and sword and desolation
A godly thorough reformation,
Which always must be carried on,
And still be doing, never done;

As if religion were intended.

For nothing else but to be mended-
A sect whose chief devotion lies
In odd perverse antipathies ;
In falling out with that or this,
And finding somewhat still amiss;
More peevish, cross, and splenetic
Than dog distract or monkey sick;
That with more care keep holiday
The wrong, than others the right, way;
Compound for sins they are inclined to
By damning those they have no mind to.
Still so perverse and opposite,
As if they worshipped God for spite;

133. errant saints: that is, the Presby terians.

147-170. A sect... nose.

The relig ion of the Presbyterians in those times was accused of consisting principally in an opposition to

the Church of England and to its most innocent customs, as, for example, the eating of Christmas pies and plum porridge at Christmas, which they (the Presbyterians) deemed sinful.