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 through the Heathen World.
Say, Muse, their Names then known, who first,
who last,
Rous'd from the flumber, on that fiery Couch,
At thir great Emperors call, as next in worth
Came fingly where he stood on the bare strand,
While the promiscuous croud stood yet aloof?
The chief were those who from the Pit of Hell
Roaming to seek their prey on earth, durft fix
Their Seats long after next the Seat of God,
Their Altars by his Altar, Gods ador'd
Among the Nations round, and durst abide
Jehovah thundring out of Sion, thron'd
Between the Cherubim; yea, often plac'd
Within his Sanctuary it self their Shrines,
Abominations; and with curfed things
His holy Rites, and folemn Feafts profan'd,
And with their darkness durft affront his light.
First Moloch, horrid King besmear'd with blood
Of human facrifice, and parents tears,
Though for the noyfe of Drums and Timbrels loud
Their childrens cries unheard, that past through fire
To his grim Idol. Him the Ammonite
Worshipt in Rabba and her watry Plain,
In Argob and in Bafan, to the ftream
Of utmost Arnon. Nor content with fuch
Audacious neighbourhood, the wisest 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 Vally of Hinnom, Tophet thence And black Gehenna call'd, the Type of Hell. Next Chemos, th' obscene dread of Moabs Sons, From Aroer to Nebo, and the wild
Of Southmoft Abarim; in Hefebon
And Horonaim, Seons Realm, beyond
The flowry Dale of Sibma clad with Vines,
And Eleale to th' Afphaltick 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
Even to that Hill of scandal, by the Grove
Of Moloch homicide, luft hard by hate;
Till good Jofiah drove them thence to Hell.
With these came they, who from the bordring flood
Of old Euphrates to the Brook that parts
Egypt from Syrian ground, had general Names
Of Baalim and Ashtaroth, those male,
These Feminine. For Spirits when they please
Can either Sex affume, or both; fo foft
And uncompounded is their Effence pure,
Not ti'd or manacl'd with joynt or limb,
Nor founded on the brittle strength of bones,
Like cumbrous flesh; but in what shape they choose
Dilated or condens't, bright or obfcure,
Can execute their aerie purposes,
And works of love or enmity fulfill.
For those the Race of Ifrael oft forfook
Their living strength, 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 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 440
Sidonian Virgins paid their Vows and Songs,
In Sion also not unfung, where fstood
Her Temple on th' offenfive Mountain, built
By that uxorious King, whose heart though large,
Beguil❜d by fair Idolatreffes, fell
To Idols foul. Thammuz came next behind,
Whose annual wound in Lebanon allur'd
The Syrian Damfels to lament his fate
In amorous dittyes all a Summers day,
While smooth Adonis from his native Rock
Ran purple to the Sea, fuppos'd with blood
Of Thammuz yearly wounded: the Love-tale
Infected Sions daughters with like heat,
Whose wanton paffions in the sacred Porch
Ezekiel faw, when by the Vision led
His eye furvay'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 Worshipers:
Dagon his Name, Sea Monster, upward Man
451 Ran purple] "Occafioned doubtless by a fort of minium or red earth washed into the river by the violence of the rain." See Maundrell's Travels, p. 34.
And downward Fish: yet had his Temple high
Rear'd in Azotus, dreaded through the Coast
Of Paleftine, in Gath and Afcalon,
And Accaron and Gazas frontier bounds.
Him follow'd Rimmon, whofe delightful Seat
Was fair Damafcus, on the fertil Banks
Of Abbana and Pharphar, lucid streams.
He also against the house of God was bold:
A Leper once he lost and gain'd a King,
Ahaz his fottish Conquerour, whom he drew
Gods Altar to difparage and displace
For one of Syrian mode, whereon to burn
His odious offrings, and adore the Gods
Whom he had vanquisht. After these appear'd
A crew who under Names of old Renown,
Ofiris, Ifis, Orus and their Train
With monstrous shapes and forceries abus'd
Fanatic Egypt and her Priests, to seek
Thir wandring Gods disguis'd in brutish forms
Rather then human. Nor did Ifrael fcape
Th' infection when their borrow'd Gold compos'd
The Calf in Oreb: and the Rebel King
Doubl'd that fin in Bethel and in Dan,
Lik'ning his Maker to the Grazed Ox,
Jehovah, who in one Night when he pass'd
From Egypt marching, equal'd with one stroke
Both her first born and all her bleating Gods.
Belial came laft, then whom a Spirit more lewd
Fell not from Heaven, or more grofs to love
Vice for it felf: To him no Temple stood
Or Altar smoak'd; yet who more oft then hee
In Temples and at Altars, when the Priest
Turns Atheist, as did Elys Sons, who fill'd
With luft and violence the house of God.
In Courts and Palaces he alfo Reigns
And in luxurious Cities, where the noyse
Of riot afcends above thir loftiest Towrs,
And injury and outrage: And when Night
Darkens the Streets, then wander forth the Sons
Of Belial, flown with infolence and wine.
Witness the Streets of Sodom, and that night
In Gibeah, when hofpitable Dores
Yielded thir Matrons to prevent worse rape.
These were the prime in order and in might;
The rest were long to tell, though far renown'd,
Th' Ionian Gods, of Javans Iffue held
Gods, yet confeft later then Heav'n and Earth
Thir boasted Parents; Titan Heav'ns first born 510
With his enormous brood, and birthright seis'd
By younger Saturn, he from mightier Jove
His own and Rheas Son like measure found;
So Jove ufurping reign'd: these first in Creet
And Ida known, thence on the Snowy top
Of cold Olympus rul'd the middle Air
Thir highest Heav'n; or on the Delphian Cliff,
Or in Dodona, and through all the bounds
Of Doric Land; or who with Saturn old
Fled over Adria to th' Hefperian Fields,
And ore the Celtic roam'd the utmost Isles.
All these and more came flocking; but with looks
Down caft and damp, yet fuch wherein appear'd
Obfcure fom glimps of joy, to have found thir chief
Not in despair, to have found themselves not loft
In lofs it felf; which on his count'nance caft
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