Irriguos Rabba Batanæaque regna colebat, Argoviique plagis, extremi Arnonis ad undam. Nec fatis; at prolis mox prudentiffima flectens Pectora Davidea, fuafit fua condere fana Templa DEI adversùm, famofo in vertice montis Obfcœni, facram nemoris cui præbuit umbram Hinnonis Vallis jucunda, hinc dicta Tophetus, Hinc & opaca Geenna, Erebi nigrantis Imago. Proximus inde Chemos, cui Gens Moabæa pudendos Sacrabat ritus, Aroarem interque Nebonem, Quáque patent auftrina Abari Deserta, fuperque Hesbona aeriamque Oronaon, regna Sihonis, Trans rofeas Sibma valles veftitaque rura Vitibus, ufque Elealem, Afpbaltique ipfius undas. Dictus & Ille Peor, cum credula corda moveret Ifacidum, fævi fugientum littora Nili,
Ipfius ut colerent aras lafcivaque Sacra, Flebilibus fœcunda malis. Hinc Orgia fœda
To his grim Idol. Him the Ammonite Worship'd in Rabba, and her wat'ry Plain, In Argob, and in Bafan, to the ftream Of utmost Arnon. Nor content with fuch Audacious neighbourhood, the wifeft heart Of Solomon he led by fraud, to build
His Temple right against the Temple of GOD, On that opprobrious Hill; and made his Grove The pleasant Valley of Hinnon, Tophet thence And black Gehenna call'd, the Type of Hell.
Next Chemos, th' obfcene dread of Moab's Sons, From Aroar to Nebo, and the Wild Of Southmoft Abarim; in Hefebon And Horonaim, Seon's Realm, beyond The flow'ry Dale of Sibma, clad with Vines, And Eleale, to th' Afphallic Pool. Peor his other Name, when he entic'd Ifrael in Sittim, on their march from Nile, To do him wanton rites, which coft them woe. Yet thence his luftful Orgies he enlarg'd
Protulit obfcænum ad Montem faltufque Homicidæ Horrendos. Odio en nimiùm conjuncta Libido! Sed templis utrumque fimul fancti ira Jofe Eruit infandis & Tartara mifit ad ima.
His fefe addiderant Comites, Quot littora propter Antiqui Euphratis, fluviumque Egyptia rura Scindentem à Syriis, Baal Aftarote-ve vocati Communi titulo; hic Divis datus, Ille Deabus: Nam capere alterutrum geminofve adjungere fexus Aeriis fas eft Animis: tam ductilis illis
Temperies habilifque vigor, non offea paffis Vincula, uti tardâ carnis qui mole laborant Contexti inter fe multis compagibus artus. Quæque fuas varians formas, ut cuique libido est, Contrahit, extendit; lucem induitur-ve tenebras, Ardentique odio aut dulci exercetur Amore. Hos propter fæpe Ifacidum gens vana, supremi Præfidii immemores fanctis difcedere ab aris
Even to that Hill of fcandal, by the Grove Of Moloch homicide; luft hard by hate; 'Till good Jofiah drove them thence to Hell. With thefe came they, who from the bord'ring flood Of old Euphrates, to the Brook that parts Egypt from Syrian ground, had general Names Of Baalim, and Afhtareth; thofe Male, Thefe Feminine: (For Spirits 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 fulfill.)
For those the Race of Ifrael oft forfook Their living Strength, and unfrequented left
Aufi, monftra Deûm omnigenûm coluere nefandis Ritibus; hinc bello indecori turpique fub hofte Degeneres cecidere. Huic fe intulit ardua turbæ Aftarte, venerata Tyro, Dea credita cœli, Oftentans alto crefcentia vertice latè
Cornua; cui nitidæ per amica filentia lunæ Mollia Sidonia cantârunt vota Puellæ.
Illam nec filuit lafcivo carmine Sion,
Monte fed Opprobrii Princeps uxorius aras Infames ftatuit, magnam cui mentem animumque Fœmineæ vicere Artes Ritufque profani. Hanc deinde excepit Thammufius, annua cujus Vulnera per Libanum Syria movere puellas Flebilibus fpatium æftivæ, quàm longa, diei Indulgere modis, lentafque ciere querelas; Nativo effufus faxo dum mollis Adonis Iret in Oceanum, Thammusí fanguine dictus Purpureos tingi latices: miferabile carmen
His righteous Altar, bowing lowly down
To beftial Gods; for which their heads as low Bow'd down in Battle, funk before the Spear Of despicable foes. With these in troop Came Aftoreth, whom the Phenicians call'd Aftarte, Queen of Heav'n, with crefcent Horns: To whose bright Image nightly by the Moon Sidonian Virgins paid their Vows and Songs; 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 Summer's day: While smooth Adonis from his native Rock Ran purple to the Sea, fuppos'd with blood
Aure bibunt tenerâ Natæ Sionis, & ipfis Contactas fimilis pervadit flamma medullas. Has adeò infani languentes vulnere amoris Vestibulum ante ipfum, fanctique in limine fani, Afpexit Vates, toto cum Numine plenus Tranflatos aliò cultus & crimina gentis Cerneret ingratæ. Sequitur (Cultoribus ingens Opprobrium) Effigies cui fordida procidit Arcam Ante triumphatam, cladem confeffa pudendam Æde fuâ, & capite & palmis populata recifis; Ore Hominem referens, poftremo corpore Piscem, Portentum æquoreum, Dagon: Sed & Huic quoque ftruxit Azotus delubra; Hunc & venerata nefandis
Terra Palestine Sacris, Gathos, Afcalos, Ecron, Quæque Philiftiadum primo ftat littore Gaza. Excipit Hunc Rimmon, cui fedes læta Damafcus, Et fortunatæ, quas alluit Abbana, ripæ, Quas Pharphar, vitreis lucentia flumina lymphis.
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 Vision led His Eye furvey'd the dark Idolatries Of alienated Judah. Next came One Who mourn'd in earneft, 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, Sea-Moniter, upward Man And downward Fish: yet had his Temple High Rear'd in Azotus, dreaded through the Coast Of Palaeftine, in Gath, and Afcalon, And Accaron, and Gaza's frontier bounds. Him follow'd Rimmon, whofe delightful Seat Was fair Damafcus, on the fertil banks Of Abbana and Pharphar, lucid ftreams.
Ille nec æterni metuit fe opponere templis Numinis; Illum olim fcelerataque fana reliquit Dux scabie exefus: Sed Rex, fed inanis adorat Victor Abaz; demens, qui delubra Omnipotentis Diruit, ut Syriorum aras induceret, & quos Vicerat ipfe Deos. Glomerantes agmine magno His fubiere Cohors, antiquæ nomina famæ Jactantes mentita, Orus, cumque Ifide Ofiris, Carmine qui magico & vanis lufere figuris Sacrificos gentemque Phari, palantia passim Sub pecudum indignis quærentes Numina formis. Nec verò Ifacidum proles intacta; alieno Ipfa auro Vitulum finxit: graviora fed aufus Rex ille in Dani populis populifque Betheli, Haud veritus fanctum prono affimilare juvenco Auctorem, Phariis omnes qui nocte fub unâ Primitias uteri lethali ftraverat ictu,
Commixtafque Hominum Spes balantumque Deorum.
He also against the House of GOD was bold: A Leper once he loft, and gain'd a King, Abaz, 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 vanquish'd. After these appear'd A crew, who under Names of old Renown, Ofiris, Ifis, Orus, and their Train,
With monstrous fhapes and forceries abus'd
Fanatic Egypt and her Priefts, to feek Their wandring Gods, difguis'd in brutish forms Rather than human. Nor did Ifrael 'Scape Th' infection, when their borrow'd Gold compos'd The calf in Oreb; and the Rebel King Doubled that Sin in Bethel, and in Dan, Lik'ning his Maker to the Grazed Ox, Jehovah, who in one Night when He pafs'd From Egypt marching, equal'd with one stroke Both her first born and all her bleating Gods,
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