Infected Sion's daughters with like heat;
Whofe wanton paffions in the facred porch
Ezekiel faw, when, by the vifion led,
His eye 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 lopt off
In his own temple, on the grunfel edge,
Where he fell flat, and fham'd his worshippers:
Dagon his name, fea-monfter, upward man
And downward fish; yet had his temple high
Rear'd' in Azotus, dreaded through the coaft
Of Palestine, in Gath, and Afcalon,
And Accaron, and Gaza's frontier-bounds.

455

460

465

L. 455. Ezekiel,] or Jehezekiel, Heb. i. e. the strength of God. The third of the four great prophets, carried a captive to Babylon with Jechoniah, when he was young; the fon of Buz, a very learned priest.

L. 462. Dagon] VIII. Heb. i. e. a fif. A god of the Syrians and Philistines, who got vaft riches by fifh; which they afcribed to this idol. It was half a fish and half a man.

L. 464. Azotus,] or Afhdod, Heb. i. e. laying wafte; because it was a strong and victorious city; or, Ef, i. c. a fire; and Dod, i. c. the fire of love. A fea-port town in Palestine, between Joppa and Afcalon, twenty-two miles from Jerufalem to the west, and one of the five chief governments of the old Philistines. This city was so strong, that it held out a fiege against Pfamiticus king of Egypt, in the time of Manaffes king of Judah, for twenty-nine years; and fo did alfo the city of Meflina in Sicily, for thirty years, against the Lacedemonians: these are the longest fièges mentioned in history.

L. 465. Gath.] Heb. i. e. a wine-prefs; becaufe much wine was made there, If. lxiii. 2. One of the chief cities of the Philiftines upon the fea, very rich and powerful, diftant from Jerufalem about thirty-four miles to the weft, and famous for the birth-place of that giant Goliah, and others of his huge, terrible family.

Ibid. Afcalon.] Heb. i. e. an ignominious fire; or from Afcalus, a Lydian, who is faid to have founded it. Another of the chief cities of the Philistines on the same sea, thirty miles from Jerufalem to the weft.

L. 466. Accaron,] or Ekron, Heb. i. e. barrenness; because it was -reared in an unfruitful foil. A city on the fouth of Gath, about thirty-fix miles from Jerufalem to the west.

Ibid. Gaza,] now Gazra, Perf. i. e. the place of treasure; besaufe thither Cambyfes of Perfia fent thofe treasures which he had

Him follow'd Rimmon, whofe delightful feat
Was fair Damafcus, on the fertile banks
Of Abbana and Pharphar, lucid ftreams.
He alfo' against the houfe of God was bold:
A leper once he loft, and gain'd a king,
Ahaz, his fottish conqu'ror, whom he drew
God's altar to difparage, and difplace,

47

prepared for the Egyptian war. But it was called fo many ages before, Gen. x. 19. or rather Heb. i. e. a firong tower, being a very strong and rich place; and alfo Conftantia, because Constantine the Great gave it to his fifter Conftantia. It ftands about two miles from the fea on the river Bezor, near Egypt; therefore our author here calls it the frontier-bounds of thofe countries, forty miles from Jerufalem towards the fouth-west, and was one of the best cities the old Philiftines poffeffed.

L. 468, Damafcus.] Heb. i. e. drinking blood; because there Cain flew his brother; or the habitation of Sem, because he dwelt there about, as alfo Adam and Eve, when they were expelled Paradife, as it is reported; or from Eliezer of Damafcus, Abraham's chief fervant, Gen. xv. 2. whom others take to be the founder of it. The metropolis of all Syria, 160 miles from Jerufalem to the north, very beautiful, pleafant, fertile, and well watered by feven rivulets. It is the oldest city upon earth, built foon after the flood, and. was in the early days of Abraham, but now it is forely decayed, and called Damas by the Turks, by a contraction of the old name.

L. 469, Abbana,] or Abana; Heb. i. e. ftony; because it runs down mount Libanus among many rocks and ftones, is very rapid,. broad, and turbid; the chief river that runs by the west and fouth fides of Damafcus, and through it, into a great lake hard by. The fish in it are unwholefome.

Ibid. Pharphar,] or Pharpar, Heb. i. e. fructifying. Another of the rivers of Damafcus, or rather one of the three arms of the Abbana, now the Farfar and Chryforrhoes, Gr. i. e. running with gold, because gold is found in the fands of that river. Some fay thefe: are but two branches of the Barraday.

L. 471. Leper.] Fr. Ital. Span. Lat. from the Gr. i. e. a leprous man, full of scabs or fcales; one that is infected with the leprofy, Gr. i. e. a burning, or very hot difenfe. Here, Naaman the Syrian.. This whole history is recorded, 2 Kings v. I.

L. 472, Ahaz.] Heb. i. c. taking possession. An idolatrous king: of Judah, and the father of the good Hezekiah. He was the 14th king, about A. M. 3205, 762 years before Jesus Christ, and reigned fixteen years. He caufed Urijah the chief priest to set up an idolatrous altar, clofe by the altar of God, whereof he took the pattern from that at Damafcus, 2 Kings xvi. 10. which, wass trictly forbidden by the divine law.

For one of Syrian mode, whereon, to burn

His odious offerings, and adore the gods

475

Whom he had vanquifh'd. After thefe appear'd
A crew, who under names of old renown,
Oliris, Ifis, Orus, and their train,

With monftrous fhapes and forceries abus'd

Fanatick Egypt, and her priests, to seek

480

Their wand'ring 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 fin in Bethel and in Dan,
Likening his Maker to the grazed ox,

485

Jehovah; who in one night, when he pass'd

.L.. 478. Ofiris.] X. Egypt. i. e. a great eye; because of his vask wisdom and knowledge. A king and philofopher of Egypt, about A. M. 2500, who first taught the Egyptians husbandry, tillage,, &c. for which they built him a temple at Memphis, and worshipped him under the form of an ox. Some think this was Mizraim,, their father and founder. He is the fame as Bacchus among the Greeks and Romans, and Adam wrapt up in a fable.

Ibid. Ifis.] XI. Egypt. from the Heb. i, e. the woman. The wife of Ofiris, and queen of Egypt, who were both deified after death. Ibid. Orus.] XII. Egypt. from the Heb. i. e. light; the fon of lfis,' another king of Egypt, deified after his death. He represented the fun, prefided over the hours, and was the god of time.

L. 485, Dan.] Heb, i. e. a judge; a city on the north of Canaan, at the foot of mount Libanus, and 104 miles from Jerufalem. It was first called Lefhem, or Lais, i, e. a roaring lion, because many lions abounded thereabout. When the Danites took and demolished it, they called it Dan, in memory of their father, Judg. xviii. 29.

Ibid. Bethel.] Heb. i. e. the house of God; a city in the tribe of Benjamin, eight miles north from Jerufalem. At first it was called Luz, Heb. i. e. a nut tree, because many of them grew thereabout ;. but Jacob called it Bethel, in memory of God's glorious appearance to him there, Gen. xxviii. 19.

L. 487, Jehovah.] It denotes the effence of God, is the peculiar and an ineffable and moft myfterious name of the Deity, and can hardly be tranflated into any language. Ten names are afcribed to. him in the Hebrew, but this is the chief and most expreffive of his infinite nature, if it could be expreffed. See Pfal. lxxxiii. 18. A name that the Jews never pronounced, left it fhould be profan. ed; we tranflate it Lord. Hippocrates ftyles it Euormoun; the great mover of all things..

From Egypt marching, equall'd with one ftroke
Both her firft-born and all her bleating gods.
Belial came laft, than whom a fpi'rit more lewd
Fell not from heaven, or more grofs to love
Vice for itself to him no temple stood
Or altar fmok'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 house of God?
In courts and palaces he allo reigns,
And in luxurious cities, where the noise
Of ri'ot afcends above their loftieft towers,
And injury and outrage: and when night.
Darkens the streets, 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, though far renown'd,

490

495

500

505

L. 495. Eli,] or Heli; Heb. i. e. offering, or lifting up; a judge and high priest of Ifrael, about A. M. 2840. He was a good man, but too indulgent to his fons, Hophni and Phinehas, which was their destruction, I Samuel ii. 22, 23. He judged Ifrael forty years, and died fuddenly, being ninety-eight years old, I Sam. iv. 15, 18.

L 503. Sodom,] or Sedom; Heb. i. e. a plain field; the capital of feveral cities in the plains of Jordan, which God destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven, as a juft vengeance upon their idolatry, luxury, and fuch wickedness as the laws of God made to be punished with the most ignominious death, Gen. xix. 24. Obf. That plain was called Pentapolis, Gr. i. e. five cities, because there were fo many cities in it, viz. Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Zoar.

L. 504, Gibeah,] or Gibeon; Heb. i. e. a hill; a metrapolitan city of the tribe of Benjamin, fituated upon a mountain four miles from Jerufalem towards the north. The citizens were fons of Belial, moft abominable and wicked wretches, without the leaft fear of God. This was the birth-place of Saul the first king of Ifrael.

L. 508, Javan.] Heb. i. e. making fad. He was the fourth fom

Th' Ionian gods, of Javan's iffue held

Gods, yet confess'd later than Heav'n and Earth,
Their boafted parents: Titan, Heav'n's firft-born, 510
With his enormous brood, and birthright seiz'd
By younger Saturn; he from mightier Jove,
His own and Rhea's fon, like measure found;
So Jove ufurping reign'd: these 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,

515

of Japheth, and the grandson of Noah. He and his posterity first peopled that part of Greece which was called Jonia from him. So Alexander the Great is called the king of Javan, Dan. viii. 21. See Gen. x. 2. And the Tartars call Greece Javan from hence.

L. 510, Titan.] XIV. Heb. i. e. born of the earth; because he and all these other gods were faid to be born of heaven and earth. 'This fable fignifies the fun.

L. 512. Saturn.] XV. Heb. i. e.. hid; Lat. i. e. a fower, orfull of years, i. e. old; the most ancient of all the heathen gods, the youngest fon of heaven and earth, whom the poets made the grandfather of all the gods, and father of Jupiter. In the Greek, Kronos, i. e. the god of time.

L. 513. Rhea.] XVI. Gr. i. e, flowing. The daughter of heaven and earth, the wife and fifter of Saturn, the mother of Jupiter; fhe is alfo called Sylvia and Iha. This fable reprefents Eve and the earth, which floweth with abundance of all goods things, for the ufe and comfort of mankind.

L. 514, Crete.] Heb i. e. an archer; because these people were excellent archers. At firft it was called Curete, from the Curetes, Gr. i. e. fhorn; because they cut off all the hair of their heads; they came from Palestine. The Greeks called it Hekatomopolis, i. e. the island with 100 cities.

L. 515. Ida.] Lat. from the Gr. i. e. a prospect; because upon it one had a fair view of the whole island of Crete, the adjacent countries and feas.

L. 516. Olympus..] Lat. from the Gr. i. e. all-shining, clear, and ferene. It is the name of feveral mountains; but here, of that between Theffaly and Macedon, fo high, that no clouds or darknefs appeared upon it; and it was covered with fnow; therefore, it is called cold. The poets ufed it for heaven, and faid, that Jupiter reigned there; therefore, he is called Jupiter Olympius..

L. 517. Delphian,] of Delphi, from adelphoi, Gr. i. e. brothers; because Apollo and Bacchus, both fons of Jupiter, were worshipped there; or from Delphos, the founder of it. It was very ancient, and flourished 100 years before the Trojan war. The first,.