The Saints engage in fierce contests HE learned write, an infect breeze Tis but a mongrel prince of bees, That falls before a ftorm on cows, From This Canto is entirely independent of the adventures of Hudibras and Ralpho: neither of our heroes make their appearance: other characters are introduced, and a new vein of fatire is exhibited. The Poet steps out of his road, and fkips from the time wherein these adventures B 2 Laid out their apoftolic functions For when, like brethren, and like friends, 55 They came to share their dividends, And every partner to poffefs His church and ftate joint-purchases, In which the ableft Saint, and beft, 60 65 70 This being reveal'd, they now begun 75 With law and confcience to fall on, And 80 And laid about as hot and brain-fick 85 From all affairs of Church and State, 90 Reform'd t'a reformado Saint, And glad to turn itinerant, To troll and teach from town to town, 95 100 To ferve for any fect i' th' nation. The Good old Caufe, which fome believe To be the devil that tempted Eve With knowledge, and does ftill invite 105 Had B 4 Ver, 78.] W. Prynne, a voluminous writer. Had ftore of money in her purse, When he took her for better or worfe : The Independents (whofe first station 110 To preach, and fight, and pray, and murder) No Ver. 118.] The officers and foldiers among the Independents got into pulpits, and preached and prayed as well as fought. Oliver Cromwell was fam'd for a preacher, and has a fermon* in print, intituled, Cromwell's Learned, Devout, and Confcientious Exercife, held at Sir Peter Temple's in Lincoln's Inn-fields, upon Rom. xiii. 1. in which are the following flowers of rhetoric: " Dearly beloved brethren and fifters, it is "true, this text is a malignant one; the wicked and ungodly have abufed it very much; but, thanks be "to God, it was to their own ruin. "But now that I fpoke of Kings, the question is, "Whether, by the higher powers, are meant kings or "commoners? Truly, beloved, it is a very great question among thofe that are learned: for may not "every one that can read obferve, that Paul fpeaks in "the plural number, higher powers? Now, had he "meant fubjectica to a king, he would have said, ""Let every foul be fubject to the higher power," if "he had meant one man; but by this you see he 66 meant *This, however, is now well known to be an imposture. N. |