Meanwhile the Knight was making water,
Before he fell upon the matter:
Which having done, the Wizard steps in,
To give him a suitable reception; 520
But kept his bus'ness at a bay,
Till Whachum put him in the way;
Who having now, by Ralpho's light,
Expounded th' errand of the Knight,
And what he came to know, drew near, 525
To whisper in the Conj'rer's ear,
Which he prevented thus: What was't,
Quoth he, that I was saying last,
Before these gentlemen arriv'd?
Quoth Whachum, Venus you retriev'd[1] 530
In opposition with Mars,
And no benign and friendly stars
T' allay the effect.[2] Quoth Wizard, So:
In Virgo? Ha! quoth Whachum, No:[3]
Has Saturn nothing to do in it?[4] 535
One-tenth of's circle to a minute!
'Tis well, quoth he—Sir, you'll excuse
This rudeness I am forc'd to use;
It is a scheme, and face of heaven
As th' aspects are dispos'd this even, 540
I was contemplating upon
When you arriv'd; but now I've done.
Quoth Hudibras, if I appear
Unseasonable in coming here
At such a time, to interrupt 545
Your speculations, which I hop'd
Assistance from, and come to use,
'Tis fit that I ask your excuse.
- ↑ That is, found or observed.
- ↑ Venus, the goddess of love, opposes and thwarts Mars, the god of war, and there is likely to be no accord between them; by which he gives him to understand, that the Knight was in love, and had small hopes of success.
- ↑ Is his mistress a virgin? No, therefore, by inference, a widow.
- ↑ Saturn being the god of time, the wizard by these words inquires how long the love affair had been carried on. Whachum replies, one-tenth of his circle to a minute, or three years; one-tenth of the thirty years in which Saturn finishes his revolution, and exactly the time which the Knight's courtship had been pending.
