Excelling human, Princely Dignities,
And Pow'rs! that earft in heaven fat on thrones, 360
Tho' of their names in heav'nly records now
Be no memorial; blotted out and ras'd,
By their rebellion, from the books of life.
Nor had they yet among the fons of EVE
Got them new names; 'till wand'ring o'er the earth,
Thro' GOD's high fufferance for the tryal of man,
By falfities and lies the greatest part
Of mankind they corrupted, to forfake
GOD their Creator, and th' invifible
Glory of him that made them, to transform
Oft to the image of a brute, adorn'd
With gay religions full of pomp and gold,
And Devils to adore for Deities:
Then were they known to men by various names,
And various idols thro' the heathen world.
SAY, Mufe! their names then known; who firft, who
Rouz'd from the flumber, on that fiery couch,
At their great Emp'ror's call, as next in worth
Came fingly where he ftood, on the bare ftrand,
While the promiscuous croud flood yet aloof?
The chief were those, who, from the pit of hell
Roaming to feek their prey on earth, durft fix
Their feats long after next the feat of GOD,
Their altars by his altar, Gods ador'd
Among the nations round, and durft abide
JEHOVAH thund'ring out of SION, thron'd
Between the Cherubim; yea, often plac'd
Within his fanctuary it felf their fhrines,
Abominations! and with cursed things
His holy rites and folemn feasts profan'd,
And with their darkness durft affront his light.
Firft MOLOCH, horrid king, befmear'd with blood
Of human facrifice, and parents tears;
Tho', for the noise of drums and timbrels loud,
Their childrens cries unheard, that paft thro' fire .395
To his grim idol. Him the AMMONITE
Worship'd in RABB A, and her watʼry plain,
In ARGO B, and in BASAN, to the ftream
Of utmoft ARNON. Nor content with fuch
Audacious neighbourhood, the wifest heart
Of SOLOMON he led by fraud, to build
His temple right against the temple of Go D,
On the opprobrious hill; and made his grove
The pleafant valley of HINNOM, TOPHET thence
And black GEHENNA call'd, the type of hell. 405
Next CHEMOS, th' obfcene dread of MOAB's fons
From AROAR to NE BO, and the Wild
Of fouthmoft ABARIM; in HESEBON
And HORONAIM, SEON's realm, beyond
The flow'ry dale of SIB MA, clad with vines;
And ELEALE, to th' ASPHALTIC pool:
PEOR his other name, when he entic'd
ISRAEL in SITTIM, on their march from NILE,
To do him wanton rites, which coft them woe.
Yet thence his luftful Orgies he enlarg'd
Even to that hill of fcandal, by the grove
Of MOLOCH homicide; luft hard by hate;
'Till good JOSIAH drove them thence to hell.
With these came they, who, from the bord'ring flood
Of old EUPHRATES, to the brook that parts 420
ÆGYPT from SYRIAN ground, had general names
Of BAALIM, and ASHTAROTH; thofe male,
These feminine: (For fpirits when they please
Can either sex affume, or both; fo foft
And uncompounded is their effence pure;
Not ty'd or manacled with joint or limb,
Nor founded on the brittle ftrength of bones,
Like cumbrous flesh; but in what shape they chufe, Dilated or condens'd, bright or obfcure,
Can execute their airy purposes,
And works of love or enmity fulfil.)
For those the race of ISRAEL oft forfook
Their living ftrength, and unfrequented left
His righteous altar, bowing lowly down
To beftial Gods; for which their heads as low
Bow'd down in battel, funk before the spear
Of defpicable foes. With these in troop
Came ASTORETH, whom the PHOENICIANS call'd
ASTARTE, queen of heaven, with crefcent horns:
To whofe bright image nightly by the moon,
SIDONIAN virgins paid their vows and fongs;
In SION alfo not unfung, where ftood
Her temple on th' offenfive mountain, built
By that uxorious king, whofe heart, tho' large,
Beguil'd by fair idolatreffes, fell
To idols foul. THAMMUZ came next behind,
Whofe annual wound in LEBANON allur'd
The SYRIAN damfels, to lament his fate
In am'rous ditties all a fummer's day;
While fmooth ADONIS from his native rock
Ran purple to the fea, fuppos'd with blood
Of THAMMUZ yearly wounded: the love-tale
Infected SION's daughters with like heat;
Whose wanton paffions in the facred porch
EZEKIEL faw, when, by the vifion led,
His eyes furvey'd the dark idolatries
Of alienated JUDAH. Next came one
Who mourn'd in earnest, when the captive Ark
Maim'd his brute image, head and hands lop'd off
In his own temple, on the grunfel edge
Where he fell flat, and fham'd his worshippers,
DAGON his name; fea-monster! upward man
And downward fifh: yet had his temple high
Rear'd in AZOTUS, dreaded through the coaft
Of PALESTINE, in GATH, and ASCALON, 465
And ACCARON, and GAZ A's frontier bounds.
Him follow'd RIMMON, whofe delightful feat
Was fair DAMASCUS, on the fertil banks
Of A BBANA, and PHARPHAR, lucid ftreams!
He alfo against the houfe of GOD was bold:
A leper once he loft, and gain'd a king,
A HAZ, his fottish conqueror, whom he drew
GOD's altar to difparage, and difplace
For one of SYRIAN mode, whereon to burn
His odious off'rings, and adore the Gods
Whom he had vanquifh'd. After these appear'd
A crew, who under names of old renown,
OSIRIS, ISIS, OR US, and their train,
With monstrous fhapes and forceries abus'd
Fanatic ÆGYPT, and her priests, to seek
Their wand'ring Gods difguis'd in brutish forms,
Rather than human. Nor did ISRAEL 'fcape
Th' infection, when their borrow'd gold compos'd
The calf in OREB; and the rebel king
Doubled that fin in BETHEL, and in DAN, 485 Lik'ning his Maker to the grazed ox,
JEHOVAH! Who in one night when he pafs'd
From EGYPT marching, equall'd with one ftroke
Both her first-born and all her bleating Gods.
BELIAL came laft, than whom a spirit more lewd
Fell not from heaven, or more grofs to love
Vice for it felf to him no temple ftood,
Or altar finok'd; yet who more oft than he
In temples, and at altars, when the priest
Turns atheift, as did ELI's fons, who fill'd
With luft and violence the houfe of GOD?
In courts and palaces he alfo reigns,
C 3
And in luxurious cities, where the noife
Of riot afcends above their loftiest tow'rs,
And injury, and outrage: and when night
Darkens the ftreets, then wander forth the fons
Of BELIAL, flown with infolence and wine :
Witness the streets of SODOM, and that night
In GIBEAH, when the hofpitable door
Expos'd a matron, to avoid worse rape.
THESE were the prime, in order and in might; The reft were long to tell, tho' far renown'd, Th' IONIAN Gods, of JAVAN'S iffue, held Gods, yet confefs'd later than heav'n and earth, Their boafted parents. TITAN, heav'n's firft-born, With his enormous brood, and birthright feiz'd 511 By younger SATURN: he from mightier JovE, His own and RHEA's fon, like measure found; So Jove ufurping reign'd: thefe first in CRETE, And IDA known; thence on the fnowy top Of cold OLYMPUS rul'd the middle air, Their highest heav'n; or on the DELPHIAN cliff, Or in DODONA, and thro' all the bounds Of DORIC land; or who with SATURN old Fled over ADRIA to th' HESPERIAN fields, 520 And o'er the CELTIC roam'd the utmost ifles.
ALL thefe, and more, came flocking, but with looks Down-caft and damp; yet fuch wherein appear'd Obfcure fome glimpfe of joy, to have found their Chief Not in defpair, to have found themfelves not loft 525 In lofs it felf; which on his count'nance caft Like doubtful hue: but he his wonted pride Soon recollecting, with high words, that bore Semblance of worth, not fubftance, gently rais'd Their fainting courage, and difpell'd their fears. 530
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