But wisest Fate sayes no, XVI The Babe lies yet in smiling Infancy, So both himself and us to glorifie: 150 The wakefull trump of doom must thunder through the deep, With such a horrid clang As on mount Sinai rang XVII While the red fire, and smouldring clouds out brake: The aged Earth agast With terrour of that blast, Shall from the surface to the center shake, When at the worlds last session, The dreadfull Judge in middle Air shall spread his throne. XVIII And then at last our bliss Full and perfect is, But now begins; for from this happy day Th'old Dragon under ground In straiter limits bound, Not half so far casts his usurped sway, And wrath to see his Kingdom fail, Swindges the scaly Horrour of his foulded tail. XIX The Oracles are dumm, No voice or hideous humm Runs through the arched roof in words deceiving. Apollo from his shrine Can no more divine, With hollow shreik the steep of Delphos leaving. 'No nightly trance, or breathed spell, Inspire's the pale-ey'd Priest from the prophetic cell. 160 170 180 XX The lonely mountains o're, And the resounding shore, A voice of weeping heard, and loud lament; From haunted spring, and dale Edg'd with poplar pale, The parting Genius is with sighing sent, With flowre-inwov'n tresses torn The Nimphs in twilight shade of tangled thickets mourn. In consecrated Earth, XXI And on the holy Hearth, The Lars, and Lemures moan with midnight plaint, In Urns, and Altars round, A drear, and dying sound Affrights the Flamins at their service quaint; And the chill Marble seems to sweat, While each peculiar power forgoes his wonted seat. XXII 190 Peor, and Baalim, Forsake their Temples dim, With that twise-batter'd god of Palestine, And mooned Ashtaroth, Heav'ns Queen, and Mother both, Now sits not girt with Tapers holy shine, The Libyc Hammon shrinks his horn, 200 In vain the Tyrian Maids their wounded Thamuz mourn. XXIII And sullen Moloch fled, Hath left in shadows dred, His burning Idol all of blackest hue, In vain with Cymbals ring, They call the grisly king, In dismall dance about the furnace blue; 210 The brutish gods of Nile as fast, Isis and Orus, and the Dog Anubis hast. Nor is Osiris seen XXIV In Memphian Grove, or Green, Trampling the unshowr'd Grasse with lowings loud: Nor can he be at rest Within his sacred chest, Naught but profoundest Hell can be his shroud, In vain with Timbrel'd Anthems dark The sable-stoled Sorcerers bear his worshipt Ark. XXV He feels from Juda's Land The dredded Infants hand, The rayes of Bethlehem blind his dusky eyn; Nor all the gods beside, Longer dare abide, Not Typhon huge ending in snaky twine: Our Babe to shew his Godhead true, Can in his swadling bands controul the damned crew. 220 XXVI So when the Sun in bed, Curtain'd with cloudy red, Pillows his chin upon an Orient wave, The flocking shadows pale, Troop to th'infernall jail, Each fetter'd Ghost slips to his severall grave, And the yellow-skirted Fayes, 230 Fly after the Night-steeds, leaving their Moon-lov'd maze. XXVII But see the Virgin blest, Hath laid her Babe to rest. Time is our tedious Song should here have ending, Heav'ns youngest teemed Star, Hath fixt her polisht Car, Her sleeping Lord with Handmaid Lamp attending: And all about the Courtly Stable, Bright-harnest Angels sit in order serviceable. 240 A Paraphrase on Psalm 114. This and the following Psalm were don WHEN the blest seed of Terah's faithfull Son, And past from Pharian fields to Canaan Land, Of him that ever was, and ay shall last, That glassy flouds from rugged rocks can crush, That by his wisdom did create The painted Heav'ns so full of state. That did the solid Earth ordain That by his all-commanding might, And caus'd the Golden-tressed Sun, The horned Moon to shine by night, He with his thunder-clasping hand, And in despight of Pharao fell, 20 30 40 He brought from thence his Israel. For, &c. 1 The ruddy waves he cleft in twain, The floods stood still like Walls of Glass, While the Hebrew Bands did pass. For, &c. But full soon they did devour The Tawny King with all his power. His chosen people he did bless In the wastfull Wildernes. For, &c. 50 60 17, 21, 25 That] who 1673 |