And load my shoulders with a willing freight.
Whate'er befals, your life shall be my care;
One death, or one deliv'rance, we will share.
My hand shall lead our little son; and you,
My faithful consort, shall our steps pursue.

337 a -- For ARTHUR, &c.] Who this Arthur was and whether
any ever reigned in Britain, has been doubted heretofore, and is
by some to this very day. However, the history of him, which
makes him one of the nine worthies of the world, is a subject,
sufficient for the Poet to be pleasant upon.

359 b -- Toledo trusty, &c.] The capital city of New Castile,
Spain, with an archbishopric and primacy. It was very famous,
amongst other things, for tempering the best metal for swords,
as Damascus was and perhaps may be still.

389 c But left the trade, as many more
Have lately done, &c.
Oliver Cromwell and Colonel Pride had been both brewers.

433 d That CAESAR's Horse, who, as Fame goes,
Had corns upon his Feet and Toes.
Julius Caesar had a horse with feet like a man's. Utebatur equo
insigni; pedibus prope humanis, modum digitorum ungulis
fissis. [He rode a horse with this distinction; it had feet like a
man's, having the hooves split like toes] Suet. in Jul. Cap. 61.

467 c The mighty Tyrian Queen, that gain'd
With subtle Shreds a Tract of Land.