Page:Hudibras - Volume 1 (Butler, Nash, Bohn; 1859).djvu/58

8 A Babylonish dialect, Which learned pedants much affect. It was a parti-colour'd dress Of patch'd and pie-bald languages; 'Twas English cut on Greek and Latin, Like fustian heretofore on satin. It had an odd promiscuous tone, As if h' had talk'd three parts in one; Which made some think, when he did gabble, Th' had heard three labourers of Babel; Or Cerberus himself pronounce A leash of languages at once. This he as volubly would vent As if his stock would ne'er be spent: And truly, to support that charge, He had supplies as vast and large; For he could coin, or counterfeit New words, with little or no wit; Words so debas'd and hard, no stone Was hard enough to touch them on. And when with hasty noise he spoke 'em, The ignorant for current took 'em; That had the orator, who once Did fill his mouth with pebble stones When he harangued, but known his phrase, He would have used no other ways. In Mathematics he was greater Than Tycho Brahe, or Erra Pater: