论点骑士侍从,在炎热的争端, Within an ace of falling out, Are parted with a sudden fright Of strange alarm, and stranger sight; With which adventuring to stickle, They're sent away in nasty pickle. 'Tis strange how some mens' tempers suit (Like bawd and brandy) with dispute, That for their own opinions stand last Only to have them claw'd and canvast; That keep their consciences in cases, As fiddlers do their crowds and bases, Ne'er to be us'd, but when they're bent To play a fit for argument; Make true and false, unjust and just, Of no use but to be discust; Dispute, and set a paradox Like a straight boot upon the stocks, And stretch it more unmercifully Than HELMONT, MONTAIGN, WHITE, or TULLY, So th' ancient Stoicks, in their porch, With fierce dispute maintain'd their church; Beat out their brains in fight and study, To prove that Virtue is a Body; That Bonum is an Animal, Made good with stout polemic brawl; in which some hundreds on the place Were slain outright; and many a face Retrench'd of nose, and eyes, and beard, To maintain what their sect averr'd; All which the Knight and Squire, in wrath, Had like t' have suffered for their faith, Each striving to make good his own, As by the sequel shall be shown. The Sun had long since, in the lap Of THETIS, taken out his nap, And, like a lobster boil'd, the morn From black to red began to turn, When HUDIBRAS, whom thoughts and aking, 'Twixt sleeping kept all night and waking, Began to rub his drowsy eyes, And from his couch prepar'd to rise, Resolving to dispatch the deed He vow'd to do with trusty speed. But first, with knocking loud, and bawling, He rouz'd the Squire, in truckle lolling; And, after many circumstances, Which vulgar authors, in romances, Do use to spend their time and wits on, To make impertinent description, They got (with much ado) to horse, And to the Castle bent their course, In which he to the Dame before To suffer whipping duly swore; Where now arriv'd, and half unharnest, To carry on the work in earnest, He stopp'd, and paus'd upon the sudden, And with a serious forehead plodding, Sprung a new scruple his head, Which first he scratch'd, and after said - Whether it be direct infringing An oath, if I should wave this swingeing, And what I've sworn to bear, forbear, And so b' equivocation swear, Or whether it be a lesser sin To be forsworn than act the thing, Are deep and subtle points, which must, T' inform my conscience, be discust; In which to err a tittle may To errors infinite make way; And therefore I desire to know Thy judgment e'er we further go. Quoth Ralpho, Since you do enjoin't, I shall enlarge upon the point; And, for my own part, do not doubt Th' affirmative may be made out, But first, to state the case aright, For best advantage of our light, And thus 'tis: Whether 't be a sin To claw and curry your own skin, Greater or less, than to forbear, And that you are forsworn, forswear. But first, o' th' first: The inward man, And outward, like a clan and clan, Have always been at daggers-drawing, And one another clapper-clawing. Not that they really cuff, or fence, But in a Spiritual Mystick sense; Which to mistake, and make 'em squabble In literal fray's abominable. 'Tis heathenish, in frequent use With Pagans and apostate Jews, To offer sacrifice of bridewells, Like modern Indians to their idols; And mongrel Christians of our times, That expiate less with greater crimes, And call the foul abomination, Contrition and mortification. Is 't not enough we're bruis'd and kicked With sinful members of the wicked, Our vessels, that are sanctify'd, Prophan'd and curry'd back and side, But we must claw ourselves with shameful And heathen stripes, by their example; Which (were there nothing to forbid it) Is impious because they did it; This, therefore, may be justly reckon'd A heinous sin. Now to the second That Saints may claim a dispensation To swear and forswear, on occasion, I doubt not but it will appear With pregnant light: the point is clear. Oaths are but words, and words but wind; Too feeble implements to bind; And hold with deeds proportion so As shadows to a substance do. Then when they strive for place, 'tis fit The weaker vessel should submit. Although your Church be opposite To ours as Black Friars are to White, In rule and order, yet I grant, You are a Reformado Saint; And what the Saints do claim as due, You may pretend a title to: But Saints whom oaths and vows oblige, Know little of their privilege; Further (I mean) than carrying on Some self-advantage of their own: For if the Dev'l, to s