To us y’ apply to pay the scores
Of all your cully’d, past amours;
Act o’er your flames and darts again, 1025
And charge us with your wounds and pain;
Which others influences long since
Have charm’d your noses with and shins;
For which the surgeon is unpaid,
And like to be, without our aid. 1030
Lord! what an am’rous thing is want! 
How debts and mortgages inchant! 
What graces must that lady have
That can from executions save! 
What charms that can reverse extent, 1035
And null decree and exigent! 
What magical attracts and graces,
That can redeem from Scire facias! 
From bonds and statutes can discharge,
And from contempts of courts enlarge! 1040
These are the highest excellencies
Of all your true or false pretences: 
And you would damn yourselves, and swear
As much t’ an hostess dowager,
Grown fat and pursy by retail 1045
Of pots of beer and bottled ale;
And find her fitter for your turn;
For fat is wondrous apt to burn;
Who at your flames would soon take fire,
Relent, and melt to your desire, 1050
And like a candle in the socket,
Dissolve her graces int’ your pocket.

By this time ’twas grown dark and late,
When they heard a knocking at the gate,
Laid on in haste with such a powder, 1055
The blows grew louder still and louder;
Which Hudibras, as if th’ had been
Bestow’d as freely on his skin,
Expounding, by his inward light,
Or rather more prophetick fright, 1060
To be the Wizard, come to search,
And take him napping in the lurch
Turn’d pale as ashes or a clout;
But why or wherefore is a doubt
For men will tremble, and turn paler, 1065
With too much or too little valour. 
His heart laid on, as if it try’d
To force a passage through his side,
Impatient (as he vow’d) to wait ’em,
But in a fury to fly at ’em; 1070
And therefore beat, and laid about,
To find a cranny to creep out. 
But she, who saw in what a taking
The Knight was by his furious quaking,
Undaunted cry’d, Courage, Sir Knight; 1075
Know, I’m resolv’d to break no rite
Of hospitality t’ a stranger;
But, to secure you out of danger,
Will here myself stand sentinel,
To guard this pass ’gainst Sidrophel. 1080
Women, you know, do seldom fail
To make the stoutest men turn tail;
And bravely scorn to turn their backs
Upon the desp’ratest attacks. 
At this the Knight grew resolute 1085
As Ironside and HARDIKNUTE
His fortitude began to rally,
And out he cry’d aloud to sally. 
But she besought him to convey
His courage rather out o’ th’ way, 1090
And lodge in ambush on the floor,
Or fortify’d behind a door;
That if the enemy shou’d enter,
He might relieve her in th’ adventure.