Shall serve thy turn.—This stirr'd his spleen
More than the danger he was in,830
The blows he felt, or was to feel,
Although th' already made him reel.
Honour, despight, revenge, and shame,
At once into his stomach came;
Which fir'd it so, he rais'd his arm835
Above his head, and rain'd a storm
Of blows so terrible and thick,
As if he meant to hash her quick.
But she upon her truncheon took them,
And by oblique diversion broke them;840
Waiting an opportunity
To pay all back with usury,
Which long she fail'd not of; for now
The Knight, with one dead-doing blow,
Resolving to decide the fight,845
And she with quick and cunning slight
Avoiding it, the force and weight
He charg'd upon it was so great,
As almost sway'd him to the ground:
Ko sooner she th' advantage found,850
But in she flew; and seconding,
With home-made thrust, the heavy swing,
She laid him flat upon his side,
And mounting on his trunk astride,
Quoth she, I told thee what would come855
Of all thy vapouring, base scum.
Say, will the law of arms allow[1]
I may have grace, and quarter now?
Or wilt thou rather break thy word,
And stain thine honour, than thy sword?860
A man of war to damn his soul,
In basely breaking his parole.
- ↑ Instead of this and the nine following lines (857 to 866), these four stood in the two first editions of 1663.
Shall I have quarter now, you ruflin?
Or wilt thou be worse than thy hufling?
Thou said'st th' wouldst kill me, marry wouldst thou:
Why dost thou not, thou Jack-a-nods thou?
I
