HUDIBRAS

PART II. CANTO III.

VOL. II.

B

THE ARGUMENT.

The Knight, with various doubts possest,
To win the Lady goes in quest

Of Sidrophel the Rosy-crucian,

To know the dest'nies' resolution:

With whom being met, they both chop logic

About the science astrologic.

"Till falling from dispute to fight,

The Conjurer's worsted by the Knight.

HUDIBRAS.

CANTO III.1

DOUBTLESS the pleasure is as great
Of being cheated, as to cheat ;a
As lookers-on feel most delight,
That least perceive a juggler's flight,
And still the less they understand,
The more th' admire his slight of hand.
Some with a noise, and greasy light,
Are snapt, as men catch larks by night,

5

As the subject of this canto is the dispute between Hudibras and an astrologer, it is prefaced by some reflections on the credulity of men. This exposes them to the artifices of cheats and impostors, not only when disguised under the characters of lawyers, physicians, and divines, but even in the questionable garb of wizards and fortune-tellers.

2 Doubtless the pleasure is as great

Of being cheated, as to cheat;] Swift, in the Tale of a Tub, (digression on madness) places happiness in the condition of being well deceived, and pursues the thought through several pages. Aristippus being desired to resolve a riddle, replied, that it would be absurd to resolve that which unresolved afforded so much pleasure. cui sic extorta voluptas,

Et demptus per vim mentis gratissimus error.
Hor. lib. ii. epist. ii. 140.

3 Some with a noise, and greasy light,

Are snapt, as men catch larks by night,] The first line alludes to the morning and evening lectures, which, in those times of pretended reformation and godliness, were delivered by candle-light, in many churches, for a great part of the year. To maintain, and frequent these, was deemed the greatest evidence of religion and sanctity. The gifted preachers were very loud. The simile, in the