THE NEW SCIENCE AND POETRY 115 



^jj,M^33 — j^ij gj.g jjgj.g turned to ridicule by this satirist soured by- 

 long deferred hope of advancement. There is evidence that he 

 knew what the virtuosi were doing, but there is no reason to be- 

 lieve that he saw any good in their efforts. His real attitude is 

 hard to determine, as is that of every satirist; but, prima facie, 

 he classed Sidrophel, who is probably the famous almanac-maker 

 Lilly, among the new philosophers and on an equality wdth them. 

 The telescopic investigation of the heavens was to him only a 

 continued study of astrology; physiology was medical quackery; 

 mechanical inventions were mere toys; and geometry was useful 

 for "taking the size of a pot of ale". 



Some new light, however, may be thrown on Butler's satiric 

 motive by his later poems, which deal with the same subject. The 

 Elephant in the Moon was inspired by personal animosity towards 

 Sir Paul Neal, who had persistently declared that Butler w^as not 

 the author of Hudibras. The inference from his declaration was 

 that Butler could not have written such a poem-. This was taken 

 as an affront and was never forgiven. It was well known that the 

 nobleman was a member of the Royal Society; Butler took ad- 

 vantage of this fact in the poem, where he represented Sir Paul 

 Neal and a group of the philosophers as meeting for an observation 

 of the moon through a telescope into which by chance a mouse has 

 crept. Neal sees the mouse in the tube and thinks it an elephant 

 in the moon. The others look and verify his report. Imm^iately 

 they set to work to write up this sensational discovery for the 

 Transactions, but before they have completed the report some boys 

 look into the telescope and identify the mouse. Great disappoint- 

 ment results among the virtuosi at the loss of this sensational 

 story. Finally, they decide to report it even though false, with 

 the understanding that all will swear to its truth. Their position 

 is thus stated, — 



"It is no wonder we're cry'd down. 

 And made the talk of the town 

 That rants and swears, for aU our great 

 Attempts, we have done nothing yet. 

 If ev'ry one have leave to doubt, 

 When some great secret's half made out; 



»Pt. II, c. 2, 343-4. 



