Hudibras: Part 3 - Canto Iii Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BBCCDDEE DDFFGGDDDDHHDDDDIJDD KLMMNAJJOOPP QQRASTJJDD BBUUDDVVFFKLJJLLDDLL LLLLJJLLWWHH LLLLGGJJLLGXLLMMYYZZ LLLLDDLLLLA2B2DDJJLQ JJUU JJ JJLLLLLLLLC2C2D2D2GG E2E2F2F2LLDDLLJE2LL XME2E2 LLG2MLLE2E2OO LLH2H2UULLE2E2OOLLI2 I2LLJ2J2C2H2DDDDQQGG LLLLLQDDJ2J2QQZZ QQQQQQQE2| 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 |
Samuel Butler
(1)
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Hudibras: Part 3 - Canto Iii is a poem by Samuel Butler. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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