Hudibras and Sidrophel, plate eight from Hudibras

Hudibras, a satirical narrative poem akin to Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote, was written by the English poet and author Samuel Butler during the second half of the 17th century. The text mocks the Puritan movement and the political atmosphere surrounding the English Civil War (1641–51). Intended to ridicule the extravagances of the Puritans, the story follows the bumbling, ne’er-do-well knight Hudibras and his squire on their quest to do right. In this scene, Hudibras visits the astrologer Sidrophel to seek a way to obtain the hand of a woman he is courting. It is apparent from Hudibras’s angry demeanor that the horoscope Sidrophel has cast for the knight is full of unfavorable omens.