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purposes,

       And works of love or enmity fulfil.

       For those the race of Israel oft forsook

       Their Living Strength, and unfrequented left

       His righteous altar, bowing lowly down

       To bestial gods; for which their heads as low

       Bowed down in battle, sunk before the spear

       Of despicable foes. With these in troop

       Came Astoreth, whom the Phoenicians called

       Astarte, queen of heaven, with crescent horns;

       To whose bright image nightly by the moon

       Sidonian virgins paid their vows and songs;

       In Sion also not unsung, where stood

       Her temple on th' offensive mountain, built

       By that uxorious king whose heart, though large,

       Beguiled by fair idolatresses, fell

       To idols foul. Thammuz came next behind,

       Whose annual wound in Lebanon allured

       The Syrian damsels to lament his fate

       In amorous ditties all a summer's day,

       While smooth Adonis from his native rock

       Ran purple to the sea, supposed with blood

       Of Thammuz yearly wounded: the love-tale

       Infected Sion's daughters with like heat,

       Whose wanton passions in the sacred porch

       Ezekiel saw, when, by the vision led,

       His eye surveyed the dark idolatries

       Of alienated Judah. Next came one

       Who mourned in earnest, when the captive ark

       Maimed his brute image, head and hands lopt off,

       In his own temple, on the grunsel-edge,

       Where he fell flat and shamed his worshippers:

       Dagon his name, sea-monster, upward man

       And downward fish; yet had his temple high

       Reared in Azotus, dreaded through the coast

       Of Palestine, in Gath and Ascalon,

       And Accaron and Gaza's frontier bounds.

       Him followed Rimmon, whose delightful seat

       Was fair Damascus, on the fertile banks

       Of Abbana and Pharphar, lucid streams.

       He also against the house of God was bold:

       A leper once he lost, and gained a king—

       Ahaz, his sottish conqueror, whom he drew

       God's altar to disparage and displace

       For one of Syrian mode, whereon to burn

       His odious offerings, and adore the gods

       Whom he had vanquished. After these appeared

       A crew who, under names of old renown—

       Osiris, Isis, Orus, and their train—

       With monstrous shapes and sorceries abused

       Fanatic Egypt and her priests to seek

       Their wandering gods disguised in brutish forms

       Rather than human. Nor did Israel scape

       Th' infection, when their borrowed gold composed

       The calf in Oreb; and the rebel king

       Doubled that sin in Bethel and in Dan,

       Likening his Maker to the grazed ox—

       Jehovah, who, in one night, when he passed

       From Egypt marching, equalled with one stroke

       Both her first-born and all her bleating gods.

       Belial came last; than whom a Spirit more lewd

       Fell not from Heaven, or more gross to love

       Vice for itself. To him no temple stood

       Or altar smoked; yet who more oft than he

       In temples and at altars, when the priest

       Turns atheist, as did Eli's sons, who filled

       With lust and violence the house of God?

       In courts and palaces he also reigns,

       And in luxurious cities, where the noise

       Of riot ascends above their loftiest towers,

       And injury and outrage; and, when night

       Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons

       Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.

       Witness the streets of Sodom, and that night

       In Gibeah, when the hospitable door

       Exposed a matron, to avoid worse rape.

       These were the prime in order and in might:

       The rest were long to tell; though far renowned

       Th' Ionian gods—of Javan's issue held

       Gods, yet confessed later than Heaven and Earth,

       Their boasted parents;—Titan, Heaven's first-born,

       With his enormous brood, and birthright seized

       By younger Saturn: he from mightier Jove,

       His own and Rhea's son, like measure found;

       So Jove usurping reigned. These, first in Crete

       And Ida known, thence on the snowy top

       Of cold Olympus ruled the middle air,

       Their highest heaven; 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' Hesperian fields,

       And o'er the Celtic roamed the utmost Isles.

       All these and more came flocking; but with looks

       Downcast and damp; yet such wherein appeared

       Obscure some glimpse of joy to have found their Chief

       Not in despair, to have found themselves not lost

       In loss itself; which on his countenance cast

       Like doubtful hue. But he, his wonted pride

       Soon recollecting, with high words, that bore

       Semblance of worth, not substance, gently raised

       Their fainting courage, and dispelled their fears.

       Then straight commands that, at the warlike sound

       Of trumpets loud and clarions, be upreared

       His mighty standard. That proud honour claimed

       Azazel as his right, a Cherub tall:

       Who forthwith from the glittering staff unfurled

       Th' imperial ensign; which, full high advanced,

       Shone like a meteor streaming to the wind,

       With gems and golden lustre rich emblazed,

       Seraphic arms and trophies; all the while

       Sonorous metal blowing martial sounds:

       At which the universal host up-sent

       A shout that tore Hell's concave, and beyond

       Frighted the reign of Chaos and old Night.

       All in a moment through the gloom were seen

       Ten thousand banners rise into the air,

       With orient colours waving: with them rose

      

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