By inward light; a way as good,

And easy to be understood;

580

But with more lucky hit than those

That use to make the stars depose,

Like Knights o' th' post, and falsely charge

Upon themselves what others forge:

As if they were consenting to

585

All mischiefs in the world men do:

Or, like the Devil, did tempt and sway 'em

To rogueries, and then betray 'em.

They'll search a planet's house, to know

Who broke and robb'd a house below:
Examine Venus, and the Moon,
Who stole a thimble or a spoon;
And tho' they nothing will confess,
Yet by their very looks can guess,
And tell what guilty aspect bodes,
Who stole, and who receiv'd the goods.
They'll question Mars, and, by his look,
Detect who 'twas that nimm'd a cloke:
Make Mercury confess, and 'peach
Those thieves which he himself did teach.
They'll find, i' th' physiognomies

590

595

600

O' th' planets, all men's destinies;

Like him that took the doctor's bill,
And swallow'd it instead o' th' pill:
Cast the nativity o' th' question,

605

And from positions to be guess'd on,

As sure as if they knew the moment

Of natives birth, tell what will come on't.
They'll feel the pulses of the stars,
To find out agues, coughs, catarrhs;
And tell what crisis does divine
The rot in sheep, or mange in swine:
In men, what gives or cures the itch;

610

What makes them cuckolds, poor or rich;
What gains or loses, hangs or saves;

615

What makes men great, what fools or knaves,

But not what wise; for only of those

The stars (they say) cannot dispose,

No more than can the Astrologians.

There they say right, and like true Trojans.

620

Or Knight with Squire, e'er jump more right.

Of which anon we mean to treat;
But ere we venture to unfold
Achievements so resolv'd and bold,
We shou'd as learned poets use,
Invoke the assistance of some muse:
However, criticks count it sillier
Than jugglers talking to familiar.
We think 'tis no grest matter which ;
They're all alike; yet we shall pitch
On one that fits our purpose most,
Whom therefore thus do we accost:

635

640

Thou that with ale, or viler liquors,

645

Did'st inspire Withers, Pryn o, and Vickars,

B' himself, or wit-insuring friend;
The itch of picture in the front,
With bays and wicked rhyme upon't;
All that is left o' th' forked hill,

G55

To make men scribble without skill;

Canst make a poet spite of fate,
And teach all people to translate,
Tho' out of languages in which

They understand no part of speech;
Assist me but this once, I 'nplore,
And I shall trouble thee no more.

600

In western clime there is a town,

665

To those that dwell therein well known;

Therefore there needs no more be said here,

We unto them refer our reader;

For brevity is very good,

When w' are, or are not, understood.
To this town people did repair,

670

On days of market, or of fair,

And, to crack'd fiddle, and hoarse tabor,

In the bear's name, (as is the fashion,
According to the law of arms,

690

To keep men from inglorious harms,)
That none presume to come so near
As forty foot of stake of bear,
If any yet be so fool-hardy,

695

T'expose themselves to vain jeopardy,
If they come wounded off, and lame,
No honour's got by such a maim;

700

Altho' the bear gain much, b'ing bound
In honour to make good his ground,
When he's engag'd, and takes no notice,
If any press upon him, who 'tis;

But let's them know, at their own cost,
That he intends to keep his post..
This to prevent, and other harms,
Which always wait on feats of arms,
(For in the hurry of a fray

'Tis hard to keep out of harm's way.)
Thither the Knight his course did steer,
To keep the peace 'twixt dog and bear;
As he believ'd he was bound to do
In conscience, and commission too;
And therefore thus bespoke the Squire.

705

710

That dog and bear are to dispute;

For so of late men fighting name, Because they often prove the same; (For where the first does nap to be,

725

The last does coincidere;

Quantum in nobis, have thought good,

To save th' expence of Christian blood,

And try if we, by mediation

Of treaty and accommodation,

730

Can end the quarrel, and compose
The bloody duel without blows.
Are not our liberties, our lives,
The laws, religion, and our wives,
Enough at once to lie at stake

For Cov'nant and the Cause's sake?
But in that quarrel dogs and bears,
As well as we must venture theirs?

735

This feud, by Jesuits invented,
By evil counsel is fomented:
There is a Machiavilian plot,
(Tho' ev'ry Nare olfact is not,)
A deep design in't, to divide
The well-affected that confide,
By setting brother against brother,
To claw and curry one another.
Have we not enemies plus satis
That Cane & Angue pejus hate us?

740

745

And shall we turn our fangs and claws
Upon our own selves, without cause?

750

That some occult design doth lic
In bloody q cynarctomachy,

Is plain enough to him that knows

How Saints lead brothers by the nose.

I wish myself a pseudo-prophet,

755

But sure some mischief will come of it;
Unless by providential wit,

Nor for the church, nor for church-lands,

For that church suffer'd martyrdom.
The Indians fought for the truth
Of th' elephant and monkey's tooth,