How will it fweat and reek in blood!

How will the fcarlet-glutton be o'ergorged with his

And devour all the mighty feast!

Nothing foon but bones will reft.
God does a folemn facrifice prepare,
But not of oxen nor of rams,

Not of kids nor of their dams,

Not of heifers nor of lambs:

[food!

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The altar all the land, and all men in it the victims

Since, wicked men's more guilty blood to fpare, [are.
The beafts fo long have facrificed been,
Since men their birthright forfeit still by fin,

"Tis-fit at last beafts their revenge fhould have, And facrificed men their better brethren fave.

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III.

So will they fall, fo will they flee,

Such will the creatures' wild diftraction be,

When, at the final doom,

Nature and Time fhall both be flain,

Shall ftruggle with Death's pangs in vain,

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And the whole world their funeral pile become;

The wide-ftretch'd scroll of heav'n, which we

Immortal as the Deity think,

With all the beauteous characters that in it

With fuch deep fenfe by God's own hand were writ, 40
Whofe eloquence tho' we understand not we admire,
Shall crackle, and the parts together shrink
Like parchment in a fire:

Th' exhaufted fun to th' moon no more fhall lend,
But truly then headlong into the fea defcend;
The glitt ring hoft now in fuch fair array,
So proud, fo well appointed, and fo gay,
Like fearful troops in fome strong ambush ta'en,
Shall fome fly routed, and fome fall flain,

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Thick as ripe fruit or yellow leaves in autumn fall, 50 With fuch a violent storm as blows down tree and all. IV.

And thou, O curfed Land!

Whichwilt not see the precipicewhere thou dost stand, Tho' thou ftand'ft juft upon the brink,

Thou of this poifon'd bowl the bitter dregs fhalt drink! Thy rivers and thy lakes fhall fo

With human blood o'erflow,

That they fhall fetch the flaughter'd corpfe away, Which in the fields around unburied lay,

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And rob the beafts and birds to give the fish their prey.
The rotting corpfe shall so infect the air,
Beget fuch plagues and putrid venoms there,
That by thine own dead shall be flain

All thy few living that remain.

As one who buys furveys a ground,

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So the destroying angel mealures it around;
So careful and fo ftrist he is,

Left any nook or corner he should mifs;
He walks about the perishing nation,

Ruin behind him falks and empty Defolation.

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V.

Then fhall the market and the pleading-place

Be chok'd with brambles and o'ergrown with grafs: The ferpents thro' thy ftreets shall roll,

And in thy lower rooms the wolves fhall howl,

And thy gilt chambers lodge the raven and the owl,

And all the wing'd ill-omens of the air,

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Tho' no new ills can be foreboded there.
The lion then fhall to the leopard fay,

Brother Leopard! come away;

Behold a land which God has giv'n us in prey!
Behold a land from whence we fee

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Mankind expuls'd, his and our common enemy!
The brother leopard shakes himself, and does not stay.

VI.

The glutted vultures fhall expect in vain

New armies to be flain;

Shall find at laft the business done,

Leave their confumed quarters, and be gone.
Th' unburied ghosts shall sadly moan,

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The Satyrs laugh to hear them groan:

The evil fpirits that delight

To dance and revel in the mask of night,

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The moon and ftars, their fole fpectators, fhall affright:

And if of loft mankind

Ought happen to be left behind,

If any relicks but remain,

They in the dens shall lurk, beafts in the palaces fhall

reign.

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THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT.

I.

Is this thy brav'ry, Man! is this thy pride!
Rebel to God, and flave to all befide!
Captiv'd by ev'ry thing! and only free
To fly from thine own liberty!

All creatures the Creator faid were thine;

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No creature but might since say man is mine!
In black Egyptian flavery we lie,

And sweat and toil in the vain drudgery

Of tyrant Sin,

To which we trophies raife,and wear out all our breath In building up the monuments of death.

We, the choice race, to God and angels kin!

In vain the prophets and apoftles come

To call us home,

Home to the promis'd Canaan above,

II

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Which does with nourishing milk and pleasant honey And ev'n i' th' way to which we should be fed [flow; With angels' tafteful bread:

But we, alas! the flesh-pots love,

We love the very leeks and fordid roots below. 20

II.

In vain we judgments feel, and wonders see;
In vain did God to defcend hither deign,
He was his own ambassadour in vain,
Our Mofes and our guide himself to be.

We will not let ourselves to go,

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And with worse harden'd hearts do our own Pharaohs Ah! left at laft we perish so,

[grow; Think, ftubborn Man! think of th' Egyptian prince, (Hard of belief and will, but not so hard as thou) 29 Think with what dreadful proofs God did convince The feeble arguments that human pow'r could show; Think what plagues attend on thee,

Who Mofes' God doft now refufe more oft' than Mo

III.

[fes he. "If from fome God you come," said the proud king, With half a fmile and half a frown,

"But what God can to Egypt be unknown?

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"What fign, what pow'rs, what credence do you "Behold his feal! behold his hand!"

[bring?"

Cries Mofes, and cafts down the almighty wand:

Th' almighty wand scarce touch'd the earth,
When, with an undifcerned birth,

Th' almighty wand a ferpent grew,

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And his long half in painted folds behind him drew: Upwards his threat'ning tail he threw,

Upwards he caft his threat'ning head,

He gap'd and hiss'd aloud,

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With flaming eyes survey'd the trembling crowd,
And, like a bafilisk, almost look'd the affembly dead:
Swift fled th'amazed king, the guards before him fled.
IV.

Jannes and Jambres stopp'd their flight,
And with proud words allay'd th' affright.

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