414
HUDIBRAS.
[PART III.
'Tis but to hazard my pretence,
Where nothing's certain but th' expense;
To act against myself, and traverse
My suit and title to her favours;
And if she should, which heav'n forbid, 525
O'erthrow me, as the fiddler did,
What after-course have I to take,
'Gainst losing all I have to stake?
He that with injury is griev'd,
And goes to law to be reliev'd, 530
Is sillier than a sottish chouse,
Who, when a thief has robb'd his house,
Applies himself to cunning men,
To help him to his goods agen;[1]
When all he can expect to gain, 535
Is but to squander more in vain:
And yet I have no other way,
But is as difficult to play:
For to reduce her by main force
Is now in vain; by fair means, worse; 540
But worst of all to give her over,
'Till she's as desp'rate to recover:
For bad games are thrown up too soon,
Until they 're never to be won;
But since I have no other course, 545
But is as bad t' attempt, or worse,
He that complies against his will,
Is of his own opinion still,
Where nothing's certain but th' expense;
To act against myself, and traverse
My suit and title to her favours;
And if she should, which heav'n forbid, 525
O'erthrow me, as the fiddler did,
What after-course have I to take,
'Gainst losing all I have to stake?
He that with injury is griev'd,
And goes to law to be reliev'd, 530
Is sillier than a sottish chouse,
Who, when a thief has robb'd his house,
Applies himself to cunning men,
To help him to his goods agen;[1]
When all he can expect to gain, 535
Is but to squander more in vain:
And yet I have no other way,
But is as difficult to play:
For to reduce her by main force
Is now in vain; by fair means, worse; 540
But worst of all to give her over,
'Till she's as desp'rate to recover:
For bad games are thrown up too soon,
Until they 're never to be won;
But since I have no other course, 545
But is as bad t' attempt, or worse,
He that complies against his will,
Is of his own opinion still,
- ↑ In Butler's MS. under these lines are many severe strictures on lawyers:More nice and subtle than those wire-drawers
Of equity and justice, common lawyers;
Who never end, but always prune a suit
To make it bear the greater store of fruit.As labouring men their hands, criers their lungs,
Porters their backs, lawyers hire out their tongues.
A tongue to mire and gain accustom'd long,
Grows quite insensible to right or wrong.The humourist that would have had a trial,
With one that did but look upon his dial,
And sued him but for telling of his clock,
And saying, 'twas too fast, or slow it struck.
