Classic Poem

The Sun had long since in the Lap
Of Thetis, taken out his Nap,
And like a Lobster boyl'd, the Morn
From black to red began to turn.
When Hudibras, whom thoughts and aching
'Twixt sleeping kept all night, and waking,
Began to rouse his drousie 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 rous'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 Duty 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 in his head,
Which first he scratch'd and after said;
Whether it be direct infringing
An Oath, if I should wave this swinging,
And what I've sworn to bear, forbear,
And so b' Equivocation swear;
Or whether 't 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 little, may
Too errors infinite make way:
And therefore I desire to know
Thy Judgement, ere we farther go.

Quoth Ralpho, since you do injoin'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 Mystique sence,
Which to mistake, and make 'em squabble,
In literal fray, 's abhominable;
'Tis Heathenish, in frequent use,
With Pagans, and Apostate Jews,
To offer Sacrifice of Bridewels:
Like modern Indians to their Idols,
And mungrel Christians of our times,
That expiate less with greater Crimes,
And call the foul Abhomination,
Contrition, and Mortification.
Is 't not enough we're bruis'd and kicked,
With sinful members of the wicked;
Our Vessels, that are sanctifi'd,
Profan'd and curri'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 Friers 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 or Vows oblige,
Know little of their Priviledge;
Farther (I mean) than carrying on
Some self-advantage of their own,
For if the Dev'l, to serve his turn,
Can tell Truth; why the Saints should scorn
When it serves theirs, to swear, and lie,
I think, there's little reason why:
Else h' has a greater pow'r than they,
Which 'twere impiety to say.
W' are not commanded to forbear,
Indefinitely, at all to swear.
But to swear idly; and in vain,
Without self-interest or gain.
For, breaking of an Oath, and Lying,
Is but a kind of Self-denying,
A Saint-like virtue, and from hence,
Some have broke Oaths by Providence:
Some, to the Glory of the Lord,
Perjur'd themselves, and broke their word:
And this, the constant Rule and Practise
Of all our late Apostles Acts is,
Was not the Cause at first begun
With Perjury, and carry'd on?
Was there an Oath the Godly took,
But, in due time and place, they broke?
Did we not bring our Oaths in first,
Before our Plate, to have them burst,
And cast in fitter models, for
The present use of Church and War?
Did not our Worthies of the House,
Before they broke the Peace, break Vows?
For having freed us, first, from both
Th' Allegiance and Supremacy Oath;
Did they not, next, compel the Nation,
To take, and break the Protestation?
To swear, and after to recant
The Solemn League and Covenant?
To take th' Engagement, and disclaim it,
Enforc'd by those, who first did frame it?
Did they not swear at first, to fight
For the KING's Safety, and His Right?
And after march'd to find him out,
And charg'd him home with Horse and Foot?
And yet still had the confidence,
To swear it was in his defence?
Did they not swear to live and die
With Essex, and streight laid him by?
If that were all, for some have swore
As false as they, if th' did no more.
Did they not swear to maintain Law,
In which that swearing made a Flaw?
For Protestant Religion Vow,
That did that Vowing disallow?
For Priviledge of Parliament,
In which that swearing made a Rent?
And, since, of all the three, not one
Is left in being, 'tis well known.
Did they not swear, in express words;
To prop and back the House of Lords?
And after turn'd out the whole House-ful
Of Peers, as dang'rous, and unuseful?
So Cromwel with deep Oaths and Vows,
Swore all the Commons out o' th' House,
Vow'd that the Red-coats would disband,
I marry would they at their Command.
And troul'd 'em on, and swore, and swore,
Till th' Army turn'd 'em out of Door;
This tells up plainly, what they thought,
That Oaths and swearing goes for nought.
And that by them th' were onely meant,
To serve for an Expedient.
What was the Publick Faith found out for,
But to slur men of what they fought for?
The Publick Faith, which ev'ry one
Is bound t' observe, yet kept by none;
And if that go for nothing, why
Should Private Faith have such a tye?
Oaths were not purpos'd more than Law,
To keep the Good and Just in aw,
But to confine the Bad and Sinful,
Like Moral Cattle in a Pinfold.
A Saint's of th' heavenly Realm a Peer:
And as no Peer is bound to swear,
But on the Gospel of his Honor,
Of which he may dispose, as Owner;
It follows, though the thing be forgery,
And false, th' affirm, it is no perjury,
But a mere Ceremony, and a breach
Of nothing, but a form of speech,
And goes for no more when 'tis took,
Than mere saluting of the Book.
Suppose the Scriptures are of force,
They're but Commissions of Course,
And Saints have freedom to digress,
And vary from 'em as they please;
Or misinterpret them, by private
Instructions, to all Aims they drive at,
Then why should we our selves abridge
And Curtail our own Priviledge?
Quakers (that like to Lanthorns, bear
Their light within 'em) will not swear.
Their Gospel is an Accidence,
By which they construe Conscience,
And hold no sin so deeply red,
As that of breaking Priscian's head;
(The Head and Founder of their Order,
That stirring Hats held worse than murder)
These thinking th' are obliged to Troth
In swearing, will not take an Oath;
Like Mules, who if th' have not their will
To keep their own pace, stand stock still;
But they are weak, and little know
What Free-born Consciences may do,
'Tis the temptation of the Devil,
That makes all humane actions evil:
For Saints may do the same things by
The Spirit, in Sincerity,
Which other men are tempted to,
And at the Devils instance do;
And yet the Actions be contrary,
Just as the Saints and Wicked vary.
For as on land there is no Beast,
But in some Fish at Sea's exprest;
So in the Wicked there's no Vice,
Of which the Saints have not a spice;
And yet that thing that's pious in
The one, in th' other is a Sin.
Is 't not Ridiculous, and Nonsence,
A Saint should be a slave to Conscience?
That ought to be above such Fancies,
As far, as above Ordinances,
She 's of the Wicked, as I guess,
B' her looks, her language, and her dress,
And though, like Constables, we search
For false Wares, one anothers Church:
Yet all of us hold this for true,
No Faith is to the wicked due;
For Truth is Precious and Divine,
Too rich a Pearl for Carnal Swine.