Hudibras: Part 3 - Canto Iii Poem Rhyme Scheme

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 3 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Wonderful Women
by Umaru Kanneh Boima
Freedom To Scratch In Peace
by Olute Aete
Happy New Year
by Felix Menda
Human Beings
by Dana Graslie
Lust
by Wisdom Greatness
An Isolated Tree's Song
by Sayeed Abubakar
A Strange Boy
by Sayeed Abubakar
O Soil
by Sayeed Abubakar
No War, No War-monger
by Sayeed Abubakar
Night's Town
by Sayeed Abubakar

Popular Poets

1. Emily Dickinson(2414 poems)
2. Madison Julius Cawein(1231 poems)
3. Ella Wheeler Wilcox(1136 poems)
4. William Wordsworth(1016 poems)
5. Robert Burns(986 poems)
6. Edgar Albert Guest(945 poems)
7. Thomas Moore(849 poems)
8. Robert Service(831 poems)

Samuel Butler

Hudibras: Part 3 - Canto Iii Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Write your comment about Hudibras: Part 3 - Canto Iii poem by Samuel Butler

Recent Interactions*

New Poems

Popular Poets

THE ARGUMENT	A
	-
The Knight and squire's prodigious Flight	B
To quit th' inchanted Bow'r by Night	B
He plods to turn his amorous Suit	C
T' a Plea in Law and prosecute	C
Repairs to Counsel to advise	D
'Bout managing the Enterprise	D
But first resolves to try by Letter	E
And one more fair Address to get her	E
	-
WHO wou'd believe what strange bugbears	D
Mankind creates itself of fears	D
That spring like fern that insect weed	F
Equivocally without seed	F
And have no possible foundation	G
But merely in th' imagination	G
And yet can do more dreadful feats	D
Than hags with all their imps and teats	D
Make more bewitch and haunt themselves	D
Than all their nurseries of elves	D
For fear does things so like a witch	H
'Tis hard t' unriddle which is which	H
Sets up Communities of senses	D
To chop and change intelligences	D
As Rosicrucian virtuosos	D
Can see with ears and hear with noses	D
And when they neither see nor hear	I
Have more than both supply'd by fear	J
That makes 'em in the dark see visions	D
And hag themselves with apparitions	D
And when their eyes discover least	K
Discern the subtlest objects best	L
Do things not contrary alone	M
To th' course of nature but its own	M
The courage of the bravest daunt	N
And turn poltroons as valiant	A
For men as resolute appear	J
With too much as too little fear	J
And when they're out of hopes of flying	O
Will run away from death by dying	O
Or turn again to stand it out	P
And those they fled like lions rout	P
	-
This HUDIBRAS had prov'd too true	Q
Who by the furies left perdue	Q
And haunted with detachments sent	R
From Marshal Legion's regiment	A
Was by a fiend as counterfeit	S
Reliev'd and rescu'd with a cheat	T
When nothing but himself and fear	J
Was both the imp and conjurer	J
As by the rules o' th' virtuosi	D
It follows in due form of poesie	D
	-
Disguis'd in all the masks of night	B
We left our champion on his flight	B
At blind man's buff to grope his way	U
In equal fear of night and day	U
Who took his dark and desp'rate course	D
He knew no better than his horse	D
And by an unknown Devil led	V
He knew as little whither fled	V
He never was in greater need	F
Nor less capacity of speed	F
Disabled both in man and beast	K
To fly and run away his best	L
To keep the enemy and fear	J
From equal falling on his rear	J
And though with kicks and bangs he ply'd	L
The further and the nearer side	L
As seamen ride with all their force	D
And tug as if they row'd the horse	D
And when the hackney sails most swift	L
Believe they lag or run a drift	L
So though he posted e'er so fast	L
His fear was greater than his haste	L
For fear though fleeter than the wind	L
Believes 'tis always left behind	L
But when the morn began t' appear	J
And shift t' another scene his fear	J
He found his new officious shade	L
That came so timely to his aid	L
And forc'd him from the foe t' escape	W
Had turn'd itself to RALPHO's shape	W
So like in person garb and pitch	H
'Twas hard t' interpret which was which	H
	-
For RALPHO had no sooner told	L
The Lady all he had t' unfold	L
But she convey'd him out of sight	L
To entertain the approaching Knight	L
And while he gave himself diversion	G
T' accommodate his beast and person	G
And put his beard into a posture	J
At best advantage to accost her	J
She order'd th' anti masquerade	L
For his reception aforesaid	L
But when the ceremony was done	G
The lights put out and furies gone	X
And HUDIBRAS among the rest	L
Convey'd away as RALPHO guess'd	L
The wretched caitiff all alone	M
As he believ'd began to moan	M
And tell his story to himself	Y
The Knight mistook him for an elf	Y
And did so still till he began	Z
To scruple at RALPH's Outward Man	Z
And thought because they oft agreed	L
T' appear in one another's stead	L
And act the Saint's and Devil's part	L
With undistinguishable art	L
They might have done so now perhaps	D
And put on one another's shapes	D
And therefore to resolve the doubt	L
He star'd upon him and cry'd out	L
What art My 'Squire or that bold Sprite	L
That took his place and shape to night	L
Some busy indepenent pug	A2
Retainer to his Synagogue	B2
Alas quoth he I'm none of those	D
Your bosom friends as you suppose	D
But RALPH himself your trusty 'Squire	J
Wh' has dragg'd your Dunship out o' th' mire	J
And from th' inchantments of a widow	L
Wh' had turn'd you int' a beast have freed you	Q
And though a prisoner of war	J
Have brought you safe where you now are	J
Which you would gratefully repay	U
Your constant Presbyterian way	U
	-
That's stranger quoth the Knight and stranger	J
Who gave thee notice of my danger	J
	-
Quoth he Th' infernal Conjurer	J
Pursu'd and took me prisoner	J
And knowing you were hereabout	L
Brought me along to find you out	L
Where I in hugger mugger hid	L
Have noted all they said or did	L
And though they lay to him the pageant	L
I did not see him nor his agent	L
Who play'd their sorceries out of sight	L
T' avoid a fiercer second fight	L
But didst thou see no Devils then	C2
Not one quoth he but carnal men	C2
A little worse than fiends in hell	D2
And that She Devil Jezebel	D2
That laugh'd and tee he'd with derision	G
To see them take your deposition	G
	-
What then quoth HUDIBRAS was he	E2
That play'd the Dev'l to examine me	E2
A rallying weaver in the town	F2
That did it in a parson's gown	F2
Whom all the parish take for gifted	L
But for my part I ne'er believ'd it	L
In which you told them all your feats	D
Your conscientious frauds and cheats	D
Deny'd your whipping and confest	L
The naked truth of all the rest	L
More plainly than the Rev'rend Writer	J
That to our Churches veil'd his Mitre	E2
All which they took in black and white	L
And cudgell'd me to under write	L
	-
What made thee when they all were gone	X
And none but thou and I alone	M
To act the Devil and forbear	E2
To rid me of my hellish fear	E2
	-
Quoth he I knew your constant rate	L
And frame of sp'rit too obstinate	L
To be by me prevail'd upon	G2
With any motives of my own	M
And therefore strove to counterfeit	L
The Dev'l a while to nick your wit	L
The Devil that is your constant crony	E2
That only can prevail upon ye	E2
Else we might still have been disputing	O
And they with weighty drubs confuting	O
	-
The Knight who now began to find	L
Th' had left the enemy behind	L
And saw no farther harm remain	H2
But feeble weariness and pain	H2
Perceiv'd by losing of their way	U
Th' had gain'd th' advantage of the day	U
And by declining of the road	L
They had by chance their rear made good	L
He ventur'd to dismiss his fear	E2
That parting's wont to rent and tear	E2
And give the desperat'st attack	O
To danger still behind its back	O
For having paus'd to recollect	L
And on his past success reflect	L
T' examine and consider why	I2
And whence and how they came to fly	I2
And when no Devil had appear'd	L
What else it cou'd be said he fear'd	L
It put him in so fierce a rage	J2
He once resolv'd to re engage	J2
Toss'd like a foot ball back again	C2
With shame and vengeance and disdain	H2
Quoth he it was thy cowardice	D
That made me from this leaguer rise	D
And when I'd half reduc'd the place	D
To quit it infamously base	D
Was better cover'd by the new	Q
Arriv'd detachment then I knew	Q
To slight my new acquests and run	G
Victoriously from battles won	G
And reck'ning all I gain'd or lost	L
To sell them cheaper than they cost	L
To make me put myself to flight	L
And conqu'ring run away by night	L
To drag me out which th' haughty foe	L
Durst never have presum'd to do	Q
To mount me in the dark by force	D
Upon the bare ridge of my horse	D
Expos'd in querpo to their rage	J2
Without my arms and equipage	J2
Lest if they ventur'd to pursue	Q
I might th' unequal fight renew	Q
And to preserve thy Outward Man	Z
Assum'd my place and led the van	Z
	-
All this quoth RALPH I did 'tis true	Q
Not to preserve my self but you	Q
You who were damn'd to baser drubs	Q
Than wretches feel in powd'ring tubs	Q
To mount two wheel'd carroches worse	Q
Than managing a wooden horse	Q
Dragg'd out through straiter holes by th' ears	Q
Eras'd or coup'd for per	E2