Dame Scandal with her fquinting eyes,

That loves to fet good neighbours at debate,
And raise commotions in a jealous state,

Was there, and Malice, queen of far-fpread lies,
With all their train of frauds and forgeries.
But midwife Mutiny, that busy drab,

That's always talking, always loud,

Was fhe that first took up the babe,
And of the office moft was proud.

Behold its head of horrid form appears :
To fpite the pillory, it had no ears.

When straight the bawd cry'd out, 'twas surely kin
To the bleft family of Pryn.

But Scandal offer'd to depofe her word,
Or oath, the father was a lord.
The nofe was ugly, long, and big,
Broad, and fnouty like a pig;

Which fhew'd he would in dunghills love to dig; Lov'd to caft ftinking fatires up in ill-pil'd rhymes, And live by the corruptions of unhappy times.

XIII.

They promis'd all by turns to take him,
And a hopeful youth to make him.
To nurse he straight was sent

To a fifter-witch, though of another fort,

One who profest no good, nor any meant:
All day the practis'd charms, by night she hardly flept,
Yet in the outcafts of a northern factious town,

A little fmoaky mansion of her own,
Where her familíars to her did resort,

I

A cell

A cell fhe kept.

Hell fhe ador'd, and Satan was her god;

And many an ugly loathsome toad

Crawl'd round her walls, and croak'd.

Under her roof all difmal, black, and smoak'd,
Harbour'd beetles, and unwholsome bats,
Sprawling nefts of little cats;

All which were imps she cherish'd with her blood, To make her spells fucceed and good. Still at her fhrivel'd breasts they hung, whene'er mankind fhe curft,

And with these fofter-brethren was our monster nurst. In little time the hell-bred brat

Grew plump and fat,

Without his leading-ftrings could walk,
And (as the forcerefs taught him) talk.
At feven years old he went to school,
Where first he grew a foe to rule.

Never would he learn as taught,

But still new ways affected, and new methods fought.
Not that he wanted parts

T'improve in letters, and proceed in arts;
But, as negligent as fly,

Of all perverseness brutifhly was full,
(By nature idle) lov'd to shift and lie,
And was obstinately dull.

Till, fpite of Nature, through great pains, the fot (And th' influence of th' ill genius of our land) At last in part began to understand.

Some infight in the Latin tongue he got;

Could

Could fmatter pretty well, and write too a plain hand. For which his guardians all thought fit,

In compliment to his most hopeful wit,

He fhould be fent to learn the laws,

And out of the good old to raise a damn'd' new cause. XIV.

In which the better to improve his mind,

As by Nature he was bent

To fearch in hidden paths, and things long bury'd find,
A wretch's converfe much he did frequent :
One who this world, as that did him, difown'd,
And in an unfrequented corner, where

Nothing was pleasant, hardly healthful found,
He led his hated life.

Needy, and ev'n of neceffaries bare,

No feryant had he, children, friend, or wife:
But of a little remnant, got by fraud,

(For all ill turns he lov'd, all good detefted, and believ'd no God)

Thrice in a week he chang'd a hoarded groat, With which of beggars fcraps he bought. Then from a neighbouring fountain water got,

Not to be clean, but flake his thirst.

He never bleft himself, and all things elfe he curft.
The cell in which he (though but feldom) flept,
Lay like a den, uncleans'd, unfwept :
And there thofe jewels which he lov'd he kept;
Old worn-out ftatutes, and records

Of common privileges, and the rights of lords.
But bound up by themselves with care were laid

}

All

All the acts, refolves, and orders, made
By the old long Rump-parliament,

Through all the changes of its government:
From which with readiness he could debate
Concerning matters of the state,

All down from goodly forty-one to horrid forty-eight.

XV.

His friendship much our monster fought By inftinct, and by inclination too :

So without much ado

They were together brought.

To him obedience Libel fwore, and by him was he taught.

He learnt of him all goodness to deteft ;

To be afham'd of no difgrace;

In all things but obedience to be beast ;
To hide a coward's heart, and fhew a hardy face.
He taught him to call government a clog,
But to bear beatings like a dog:

T' have no religion, honefty, or fenfe,
But to profefs them all for a pretence.

Fraught with thefe morals, he began
To compleat him more for man :
Distinguish'd to him in an hour

'Twixt legislative and judicial power;
How to frame a commonwealth,
And democracy, by stealth;
To palliate it at first, and cry
'Twas but a well-mixt monarchy,
And treason falus populi ;

}

Into

Into rebellion to divide the nation,
By fair committees of affociation;

How by a lawful means to bring

In arms against himself the king,
With a distinguishing old trick,

'Twixt perfons natural and politic;

How to make faithful fervants traitors
Thorough-pac'd rebels legiflators,
And at laft troopers adjutators.

Thus well inform'd, and furnish'd with enough
Of fuch-like wordy, canting stuff,

Our blade fet forth, and quickly grew
A leader in a factious crew.

Where-c'er he came, 'twas he firft filence broke.
And fwell'd with every word he spoke,

By which becoming faucy grace,

He gain'd authority and place :

By many for preferments was thought fit,
For talking treafon without fear or wit;

For opening failings in the ftate;

For loving noify and unfound debate,

And wearing of a mystical green ribband in his hat.
XVI.

Thus, like Alcides in his lion's skin,
He very dreadful grew.

But, like that Hercules when Love crept in,
And th' hero to his diftaff drew,

His foes that found him faw he was but man:

So when my faithlefs Clio by her fnare

Had brought him to her arms, and I furpriz'd him there, At once to hate and scorn him I began;

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