The Metaphysical Sectarian Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFGHHII JJKLMMAANNOPCCQRHHHH EESTCCUUCCHHVVTWXX YYEECCCZ YYA2B2C2C2IACCAAEEHH D2D2CEC2C2MMEEEECCEE CCE2E2CCCCHHCCE2F2CC CCC2C2EEEECCC2C2HE was in Logick a great Critick | A |
Profoundly skill'd in Analytick | A |
He could distinguish and divide | B |
A Hair 'twixt South and South West side | B |
On either which he would dispute | C |
Confute change hands and still confute | C |
He'd undertake to prove by force | D |
Of Argument a Man's no Horse | D |
He'd prove a Buzard is no Fowl | E |
And that a Lord may be an Owl | E |
A Calf an Alderman a Goose a Justice | F |
And Rooks Committee men and Trustees | G |
He'd run in Debt by Disputation | H |
And pay with Ratiocination | H |
All this by Syllogism true | I |
In Mood and Figure he would do | I |
- | |
For Rhetorick he could not ope | J |
His mouth but out there flew a Trope | J |
And when he hapned to break off | K |
I'th middle of his speech or cough | L |
H'had hard words ready to shew why | M |
And tell what Rules he did it by | M |
Else when with greatest Art he spoke | A |
You'd think he talk'd like other folk | A |
For all a Rhetoricians Rules | N |
Teach nothing but to name his Tools | N |
His ordinary Rate of Speech | O |
In loftiness of sound was rich | P |
A Babylonish dialect | C |
Which learned Pedants much affect | C |
It was a parti colour'd dress | Q |
Of patch'd and pyball'd Languages | R |
'Twas English cut on Greek and Latin | H |
Like Fustian heretofore on Sattin | H |
It had an odd promiscuous Tone | H |
As if h' had talk'd three parts in one | H |
Which made some think when he did gabble | E |
Th' had heard three Labourers of Babel | E |
Or Cerberus himself pronounce | S |
A Leash of Languages at once | T |
This he as volubly would vent | C |
As if his stock would ne'r be spent | C |
And truly to support that charge | U |
He had supplies as vast and large | U |
For he could coyn or counterfeit | C |
New words with little or no wit | C |
Words so debas'd and hard no stone | H |
Was hard enough to touch them on | H |
And when with hasty noise he spoke 'em | V |
The Ignorant for currant took 'em | V |
That had the Orator who once | T |
Did fill his Mouth with Pebble stones | W |
When he harangu'd but known his Phrase | X |
He would have us'd no other ways | X |
- | |
In Mathematicks he was greater | Y |
Then Tycho Brahe or Erra Pater | Y |
For he by Geometrick scale | E |
Could take the size of Pots of Ale | E |
Resolve by Signes and Tangents straight | C |
If Bread or Butter wanted weight | C |
And wisely tell what hour o'th day | C |
The Clock does strike by Algebra | Z |
- | |
Beside he was a shrewd Philosopher | Y |
And had read every Text and gloss over | Y |
What e're the crabbed'st Author hath | A2 |
He understood b'implicit Faith | B2 |
What ever Sceptick could inquere for | C2 |
For every why he had a wherefore | C2 |
Knew more then forty of them do | I |
As far as words and terms could go | A |
All which he understood by Rote | C |
And as occasion serv'd would quote | C |
No matter whether right or wrong | A |
They might be either said or sung | A |
His Notions fitted things so well | E |
That which was which he could not tell | E |
But oftentimes mistook the one | H |
For th'other as Great Clerks have done | H |
He could reduce all things to Acts | D2 |
And knew their Natures by Abstracts | D2 |
Where Entity and Quiddity | C |
The Ghosts of defunct Bodies flie | E |
Where Truth in Person does appear | C2 |
Like words congeal'd in Northern Air | C2 |
He knew what's what and that's as high | M |
As Metaphysick wit can fly | M |
In School Divinity as able | E |
As he that hight Irrefragable | E |
Profound in all the Nominal | E |
And real ways beyond them all | E |
And with as delicate a Hand | C |
Could twist as tough a Rope of Sand | C |
And weave fine Cobwebs fit for skull | E |
That's empty when the Moon is full | E |
Such as take Lodgings in a Head | C |
That's to be lett unfurnished | C |
He could raise Scruples dark and nice | E2 |
And after solve 'em in a trice | E2 |
As if Divinity had catch'd | C |
The Itch of purpose to be scratch'd | C |
Or like a Mountebank did wound | C |
And stab her self with doubts profound | C |
Onely to shew with how small pain | H |
The sores of faith are cur'd again | H |
Although by woful proof we find | C |
They always leave a Scar behind | C |
He knew the Seat of Paradise | E2 |
Could tell in what degree it lies | F2 |
And as he was dispos'd could prove it | C |
Below the Moon or else above it | C |
What Adam dreamt of when his Bride | C |
Came from her Closet in his side | C |
Whether the Devil tempted her | C2 |
By a High Dutch Interpreter | C2 |
If either of them had a Navel | E |
Who first made Musick malleable | E |
Whether the Serpent at the fall | E |
Had cloven Feet or none at all | E |
All this without a Gloss or Comment | C |
He would unriddle in a moment | C |
In proper terms such as men smatter | C2 |
When they throw out and miss the matter | C2 |
Samuel Butler
(1)
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