Page:The genuine remains in verse and prose of Mr. Samuel Butler (1759), volume 1.djvu/59

Make them suspect, our Sculs are brittle,^[1]
220 And hold too much Wit, or too little:
Nor shall our Speculations, whether
An Elder-stick will save the Leather
Of Schoolboy's Breeches from the Rod,
Make all we do appear as odd.
225 This one Discovery's enough,
To take all former Scandals off—
But, since the World's incredulous
Of all our Scrutinies, and us;
And with a Prejudice prevents
230 Our best and worst Experiments;
(As if th' were destin'd to miscarry,
In consort try'd, or solitary)
And since it is uncertain, when
Such Wonders will occur agen,
235 Let us as cautiously contrive,
To draw an exact Narrative

selves of the most fertile Subject of Fancy; and indeed it has been with respect to these terrible Men, that I have made this long Digression. I acknowledge that we ought to have a great Dread of their Power: I confess I believe, that new Philosophy need not (as Cæsar) fear the Pale, or the Melancholy, as much as the Humourous, and the Merry: For they perhaps by making it ridiculous, because it is new, and because they themselves are unwilling to take Pains about it, may do it more Injury than all the Arguments of our severe and frowning dogmatical Adversaries." See Sprat's History, p. 417.

1. 215. Nor new invented Chariots draw.] This and the three following Verses are very nearly verbatim inserted in Hudibras's heroical Epistles to Sidrophel, besides several others here and there in this Poem, which it will be unnecessary to point out to the Admirers of Butler.—It is very usual with him to introduce a Verse or two almost literally the same into different Compositions.