Hudibras · Chapter
Endnotes explained
This chapter consists of endnotes that provide commentary, explanations, and references for various passages in the poem.
What happens
This chapter consists of endnotes that provide commentary, explanations, and references for various passages in the poem. The notes clarify historical, literary, and philosophical allusions, including discussions of figures such as Montaigne, Demosthenes, Pyrrho, Tycho Brahe, and others, as well as explanations of terms and concepts like 'dudgeon,' 'analytic,' 'Cerberus,' and 'Salique law.' The notes also address textual alterations and offer insights into the author's intentions and the context of the work.
Themes in this chapter
Folly of Pedantry
The endnotes display extensive scholarly commentary, including references to obscure classical and philosophical sources, highlighting the pedantic nature of the annotations.
Satire of Ideology
Notes on Pyrrho and the sceptics, as well as the critique of textual alterations, satirize rigid ideological and scholarly positions.
Human Vanity and Self-Deception
The note on Montaigne's cat and the discussion of self-deception in philosophical schools reflect the theme of human vanity.
Characters to notice
- Montaigne
Referenced in a note about his essay where he supposes his cat thought him a fool for playing with her.
- Demosthenes
Mentioned in a note about his defect in pronunciation which he cured by speaking with stones in his mouth.
- Pyrrho
Discussed in a note as the chief of the sceptic philosophers, with details about his life and philosophy.
- Anaxagoras
Mentioned as the disciple of Pyrrho, whom he followed into India.
- Cerberus
Explained in a note as a three-headed dog from poetry, symbolizing past, present, and future.
- Hercules
Referenced in the note on Cerberus, as he tied up the dog and made it follow.
- Bongey
Described as a Franciscan and acquaintance of Friar Bacon, noted for his treatise on Natural Magic.
- Roger Bacon
Mentioned in connection with Bongey and the tradition of the Brazen Head.
Key passages
“Poets are born, not made.”
Poetic talent is innate, not acquired through effort.
This is a common adage referenced in the endnotes.
“I have raised a memorial more lasting than bronze.”
I have created a monument that will outlast bronze.
A classical allusion to the enduring nature of literary works.
“Montaigne, in his Essays, supposes his cat thought him a fool, for losing his time in playing with her.”
Montaigne imagines that his cat considered him foolish for wasting time playing with her.
This note illustrates the theme of human vanity and self-deception.
“Cerberus ; a name which poets give a dog with three heads, which they feigned doorkeeper of hell, that caressed the unfortunate souls sent thither, and devoured them that would get out again; yet Hercules tied him up, and made him follow.”
Cerberus is the three-headed dog of mythology, guardian of the underworld, who was subdued by Hercules.
This note explains the mythological reference to Cerberus.
“Pyrrho was the chief of the sceptic Philosophers, and was at first, as Apollodorus saith, a painter, then became the hearer of Driso, and at last the disciple of Anaxagoras, whom he followed into India, to see the Gymnosophists.”
Pyrrho, the leading sceptic philosopher, began as a painter, studied under Driso, and later followed Anaxagoras to India to observe the Gymnosophists.
This note provides biographical details about Pyrrho and the sceptic school.
