Exodus; an epic poem

Book I

, A S ARGUMENT. Exordium and invocation — Moses and Aaron denounce the impending plague of flies to Pharaoh ; who, consulting widi the magicians Jannes and Jambres, refuses to release the Israelites — Hymn of the Egyptians to their Deities — It is favourably heard by Abaddon, prince of air ; who endeavours, but vainly, to avert the threatened visitation — The plague of flies (or rather, agreeable to the opinion held by various ancient commentators, of all sorts of horrible beasts) takes place — Pharaoh, dismayed, promises to release the Hebrews; but, on removal of the plague, retracts his promise — Their disappointment, and the speech of Moses inculcating faith and patience, conclude the book. EXODUS.

BOOK I.

Israel from Egypt through the parted deep Securely led (the type of man redeem'd) I enterprise to sing : yet nor invoke The daughters of Mnemosyne and Jove, Nor call from Patara the laureate god That fir'd the Sibyl in Cumæan grot Or Delphic valley. Harps of Solyma Invite me rather, and direct my paths To the perpetual mountains, there to walk With patriarchs and with prophets, there derive From the pure fountain everlasting streams Of truth and wisdom. Oft such vision crowd My slumber, and such musing oft beguile Nocturnal watchings, or awake my soul Earlier than suns in summer, to renew The blissful theme ! And thou, O Teacher, heard a exodus : In Horeb's caverns with the Tishbite seer Conversing, or beheld on Sion hill Filling the temple, or at Chebar's stream Chaldæan, by Esaias and the son SO Of Buzi ; thou without whose every word All light is darkness, and all life is death, Godhead triune; if, such adventurous prayer Offend not, let my heaven-ascending song Commemorate thy justice in the land Of Mizraim ; and to nations yet unborn Salvation and immortal joy resound. 25 Unerring Truth, proceeding Spirit divine, Say what the cause of ruin that o'erw helm'd The potentate of Egypt, with his host And cumbrous battle ?

Wrath retributive, And pity of desponding Israel, long In toil and chains and servitude unjust Detain'd by Pharaoh, whose obdurate heart Defied omniscient poweR Already warn'd Yet unrepenting, on the margent green Of Nile, (where stately Memphis after stood To Goshen's plain oppos'd,) with priestly train, Magians, and warriors, homage he perform'd To the dark-rolling stream : ablution's rites Were ended, and the burning incense now SO 96 40 In honour of the sun and sacred flood Fragrant in clouds arose, when Moses came With Aaron by his side, and in his hand The wonder-working rod. With such regard On Pharaoh fix'd as when a father chides His offspring, thus Heaven's mandate he divulg'd : 45 Why will the king of Egypt yet adore The passive element which ignorance calls Oceanes, and superstitious awe .30 Crouching salutes unspotted and divine ?

Saw not thine eyes that uncon upted wave With reptile millions burden'd and defild ? That deity o'erthrown, when Aaron's hand Made all your waters blood ? Thus saith the Lord : Release my people to the grateful task .3.3 Of sacrifice : else with to-morrow's dawn Fresh miseries will I send : a grievous swarm Of winged plagues, and every loathsome shape Of serpent, beast of ravin, fowls obscene, To deluge all ty realms; while Goshen rests In safe repose. To-morrow shalt thou know That I am God unequall'd and alone. 60 He ceas'd, and Pharaoh with perturbed thought, Frowning his forc'd disdain, thus answer'd stern r 65 Hear this, Egyptian sages, and arise exodus : To vindicate the violated name Of great Osiris. Hear, ye elements, Ye constellations, hear ; you I adjure, For yours the wrong — O patience ! — thou great sun, 70 Forgive me, for thou hear'st the blasphemy, That yet this Hebrew lives.

Base homicide And exile, thou the minister elect Of Power supreme ? where then thy rich attire, Thy proud insignia, chariots, horsemen, arms, 75 Fitting the victor-champion born to bless Myriads enslav'd with liberty and power ? Why shakes not earth, why open not the skies, Why not all nature labouring in the proof Of demigod unfolding to mankind 80 His message high ? To thee what credence due, Forlorn ambassador of gods unknown, Vaunting thy puny miracles I Arise, Jannes and Jambres, speedy to retrieve Your question'd glory. Wherefore thus aghast ? 85 The nations fear me, this immortal stream Beholds me trampling on the necks of kings, To climes remote diffusing peace or war ; And am I now deserted, must I speak Compliance to hereditary slaves go Of occupation loath'd and lineage vile ? 100 105 1!0 115 Forbid it, all ye gods, whose solemn fanes Frequenting, still with gifts and ornaments I load the shrine : ye archimages, chant Your incantations • wave the virtuous wand, Deliver Egypt, and your prince avenge.

With gesture vehement aud thundering tone The despot ended, and wiUi visage grim Urging immediate answer : prostrate fell Jannes, the master-magian, smooth in speech, But false in heart, enslav'd by servile fear, And thirst of lucre ; glozing he atruu'd To soft dissembling eloquence his tongue. Mightiest of monarchs, the desire and dread Of nations, on the well-appointed state That girds thy throne magnificent, we gaze Till gazing grows to labour, yet our sight Finds no satiety, while rul'd in peace By thine experienc'd sceptre, we admire Thine equity aud sage paternal care. To thee, as present godhead, we devote Our art and service ; to thy bidding task Our utmost faculties, of no mean power By proof evinc'd. When Aaron tuin'd to blood Egyptian streams, th' obsequious element We smote, and colourless pellucid chang'd exodus : To sanguine and opake ; and when he call'd Embodied reptile hosts o'er house and field, We too, with facil imitation, rais'd Th' amphibious croaking race ; but when he brought O'er man and beast the vermin plague, suspense 121 Our mystery fail'd : for to transmute the dust Of Egypt, and with swarms of insects loath'd, Priests, altars, temples, palaces defile, Isis forbade, and blasting our attempt 125 Her dreadful frown assum'd, and name of wrath Tithrambo : her dishonour'd priests she mourns And rites polluted ; hence (her aid withdrawn) Or Typhon's baleful influence triumphs now Predominant in air, or Israel's God, 130 In higher spheres presiding, thwarts our charms.

If then awhile the Deity incens'd Reject our prayer, that while discretion bids Observe occasion, lest importunate, Unseasonable, our petition more 135 Enkindle anger : terrible the wrath Of gods, yet intermission knows, and oft Accepts submission, not with clamour rude But sacred silence urg'd. Awhile release The Hebrew host, detaining flocks and herds 14£ For pledge of their return : such hostage left 150 155 160 165 Will soon recall, and to obedience bend Fire-ey'd sedition : thine auspicious sun (By Pharaoh's own imperial life I swear) From darkness soon emerging shall illume The rosy-mantled morn. Thus Jannes smooth'd His adulating speech : but Pharaoh 'sdeign'd The bland hypocrisy, and fierce reprov'd : Tempt not, dull sycophant, the dangerous car Of kings, who are as gods, and can discern By divination closest-cover'd fraud Of hollow parasite.

What idle cant Hast thou devis'd, or durst thou hope to shake My stedfast soul, that I should contravene Experience and my just prerogative, Or let the people go, who once releas'd Will never more return ? But wherefore thus Waste I rebuke on thee, whose sluggish diought Sleeps in scholastic ease, incapable Of public wisdom ? She her sanctuary, (The vulgar heart despising,) ever builds In breast of monarchs, whose unslumbering eye Wakes for the thankless many. I demand Servants, not counsellors. Thou, Jambres, tell Thy purpose freely : for on thee our hopes Henceforth depend. Osiris thee deputes exodus : 170 175 180 185 191 His wonders to disclose ; and pleasure, wealth, And power shall bless thee to thine heart's desire. Ambitious Jambres heard, and thus replied : O Pharaoh, peerless reign, and live for ever.

Thy servants fable not, but loth confess Our energies in impotence inthrall'd. Yet not for that, nor aught sinister else, Quail I rn resolution, or misprize The deep inv-ntions long of yore deriv'd From Teuthes and the gods. Enchantments new With restless toil explor'd, shall soon redeem The ground of vantage, and th' Egyptian gods Guard thee ; till thou exterminate or bind Rehellion with inextricable chain. Thus he, and Pharaoh thus in brief resum'd : Expect we till the menac'd morrow pass Serene and harml. ss : then shall laughter mock Yon Hebrew's raven note. Seditious slaves, Denial and despite for answer take, Hatred and indignation and disdain, And keen rebuke of injur'd sovereignty. Hence to your burdens, there considerance learn, And policy, to tempt my rage no more. H im Moses answer'd straight : Our warning task Is done, and we retire : weak in ourselves, And ignorant, yet as delegates of Heaven, We magnify our office ; doubt not thou To find our tidings true.

The golden sun Shall sooner fail, and universal night Quench the bright fires that in eternal dance Spangle the firmament, than He who reigns Above all gods to everlasting thron'd, The least of his decrees leave unfulsiU'd. 195 Undaunted here he ended, and w ithdrew, Majestic in humility : his mien 208 Compos'd yet pensive, with compassion dimm'd For woes to come : attendant Aaron walk'd With step irregular ; now his ardent gaze Commerc'd with Heaven, and now with backward glance Reproach'd the courtier throng : his stern aspect 206 Silent, yet lighten'd forth indignant scorn On Pharaoh. He with death-denouncing frown Pursu'd their way : so dark, so ghastly grinn'd, Whom poets feign, the Spirit of the Cape, 210 On G ama's crew what time the Table mount They pass'd, and broke through storm and darkness way Into the seas unknown.

The sable king At length slow turning, with reluctant feet His palace sought, there on the broider'd couch 2 1 5 Lay deep-revolving, and devour'd his heart EXODUS : 220 225 23© 235 84* With solitary care : till luxury call'd To royal banquet, where the name invok'd Of Maneros, to wanton thoughts dispos'd ; While many a priestly hand the sistrum rung, And music's syren lay in day-dreams lull'd The vain besotied soul, and peal'd the name Of guardian fiends in guise heroic veil'd Or godlike, and with impious praise ador'd. From darkness inconceivable, unknown, Surpassing th ught, eternal, infinite, Pervading, quickening all, the strain began With threefold invocation : this the fount Of being they proclaim'd, o'er all supreme, Transcendent, self-deriv'd : next this in power And attributes divine sage Emeph reigns, Wisdom intuitive, unceasing bent In lonely meditation to explore His own conceptions ; last the source of life, Phtha, Ammon, or Osiris known, they hail'd, Maker of all things, aud with boundless good Enriching all, while his peculiar smile Illustrates Egypt and her godlike king.

Nor was th song not varied and adorn'd With Orus, Isis, and her mystic love Victor of Typhon and the monstrous boar ; 250 255 260 265 And how the sire of death, gaunt adversary Of mortals and of gods, with bellowing pain Fell blasted from above, by tempest chas'd, Till buried deep beneath the Casian mount, Where in the lake Sirbonis evermore His baffled wrath exhales : the rescu'd world Rejoices, and the gods securely reign. Thou therefore, on the lotos borne sublime, Prime intellectual, and ye lower thrones, Bubastis and Anubis, and the star Sothis, and ye instinct with deity, Apis and Mnevis ; and ye elements, Ye arched heavens, and everlasting lights, Protect and bless us ; and let every dread That from primæval Menes to the day- New sunk in western deserts e'er appall'd Mankind, on Israel's progeny descend.

Thus warbled they their false philosophy And vows idolatrous, till now the night Unfurl'd her dusky banners, drench'd in dew, Persuading sleep : then gorg'd with sacrifice, Dissolv'd in ease, supine the palace lay. Their vows Abaddon heard, the prince of air, Of rebel thrones the chief; once spher'd in bliss, Ere time and the foundations of the world B EXODUS 270 275 280 285 290 Dismember'd Chaos : in th' empyreal north, Myriads of years, a glorious potentate, He rul'd ; for loftiest contemplation fram'd, Till disobedience wrought him endless woe. Drunk w ith disdain, and in apostasy With Satan leagu'd, in evil hour he rear'd The standard of rebellion : but anon, Pierc'd with ten thousand thunders headlong fell To dungeons loath'd of infinite despair, Where like a sulphurous stream almighty wrath Enkindles hell ; where darkness and the worm Affright, and flames unquenchable consume.

Outcasts of hope and heaven, such recompense The spirits reprobate in torment find ; Save when by flight permissive they attain This upper world, and with infernal guile To tempt mankind, by mutual pact usurp Honours divine : as now Abaddon reign'd In Egypt, and her invocation heard, And with his host exploring all the bounds Of Pharaoh's realm, incessant toil'd t' expel From every pregnant element the seeds Of quick'ning life, if so abortion blank Might bury in her womb each nascent form Of plague and monster, and the morrow's dawn 305 310 315 Beam forth innoxious on the banks of Nile. In vain : for call'd by mighty angels came From the four winds, from water, earth, and sky, Bird, insect, reptile, beast ; with swifter flight Than Eurus tempesting Sicilian deeps. By miracle convey'd, by miracle Supported on the fluid atmosphere, Their phalanx waited till the rising sun Gave signal of release, then darted prone, The scourge and terror of the Memphian plains.

Foremost in whirls the insect millions came, Choaking the breeze ; to hearing, sight, and touch Noxious alike ; the gnat and winged ant ; The gadfly, and the droning scarab race, Close-wedg'd in balanc'd flight with eager speed Sail the hot air ; wasps and the hornet train In clouds descend, as when their fury chas'd The Canaanite, or from Phaselis drove The weeping citizens constiain'd to leave Their triple port, and happy native hills Of Solyma. Far less in multitude The poisonous flies by Oroonoko's wave, Or Mississippi, or the river call'd Of Amazons, from many a barbarous realm Draining unnumber'd floods in sea-like pomp, B EXODUS : 320 crane, 325 330 335 340 Of longitude immense and depth profound. Next with annoyance dire the feather'd tribes Darken'd the sun : flamingos, falcons, herns, The greedy cormorant, the sharp-ey'd kite, The doleful bittern, and the sea-mew gaunt, Red ibis, and the hawk of steadiest wing, Fit symbol of the winds and sacred held Throughout the land of Nile : the clamorous The broad-beak'd pelican, the ostrich tall, The ossifrage and ospray, and the clang Of eagles, fierce as when afar they ken Havoc and battle, when their headlong rage With speed of lightning hurries to the slain.

Nor such alone as whom Norwegia breeds Or Thule, where from beetling precipice, Suspense the peasant plies his dreadful trade, Plundering their eyries ; but of mighty bone, And pennons rival to the condor's plume, Who in the stony girdle pleas'd resides Where winter shivers 'neath the tropic sun On Cotopaxi, and the lonely snows Of Chimboraco ; there the monarch wings The depths of upper air. With eyes on fire Darted the vulture ; next the bird that tends His aged sire (and thence by Egypt's sons AN EPIC P0E.M. 21 345 350 355 360 365 Rever'd, and on the royal sceptre graven) Outstretch'd his length of neck ; nor lagg'd behind The raven, nor the dismal owl whose cries Infest the night : nor he of doubtful form Th' unhallow'd bird of darkness, though to beasts Fitlier perhaps ascrib'd, and by his side The vampyre, kindred plague, that sucks the veins And changes sleep to death : hence hideous tales Of superstition, how the buried corpse, Swollen with dæmoniac life, flits from the tomb Athirst for blood.

Thus æther populous swarm'd, Nor less the ground ; for there cerastes crept, And scorpions, and the worm of varied hues, By Greeks hyæna call'd, the putrid seps, The dry chersydrus, and the hissing viper, And torrid dipsas, swift acontia, The life-benumbing asp, (of kingly power The sign, and figur'd on th' Egyptian crown,) Hot prester, and the deadly basilisk, And amphisbæna, and, then oidy seen, The winged snake ; (though this by some believ'd The shining serpent form in which conceal'd Th' arch-ene;ay in blissful Eden sow'd The tares of sin and death.) Now far and wide The dusty plain resounds with trampling speed u exodus : 37-0 375 380 385 390 Of bestial feet : now leaps, now proudly stalks The panther, conscious of his painted vest, And youthful strength redundant : now remote, And now at hand, the lion's hollow roar Appals the bold : slow from the labouring wave Behemoth snorting rose, portentous shape, His loins and ribs like solid plates of brass, His tail like cedar waving, aud his bones As iron bars.

The horn'd rhinoceros, The boar and spotted ounce, the bearded pard, The fierce-ey'd bison, furious buffalo, The sharp-quill'd porcupine, and tiger fell, Promiscuous roam'd. The wild ass did not love That time his desert haunts and mountains drear, But swept the plain, with savage scorn deriding Affrighted man : unwieldy in his might, Huge strode the lordly elephant, and seem'd A moving tower ; o'er all the countless throng Pre-eminent, as o'er the tallest bark Some icy mount in hyperborean seas Loose drifting from the pole ; beneath whose lee Navies might moor : so vast the giant length, The base so deep, the nodding crest so high. Thus, while in Goshen's plain th' elect of God Dwelt undisturb'd, resistless vengeance scourg'd 400 405 410 415 The land of Mizraim, with perennial streams Feeding the living deluge : dire the clang, The bellowing dire, and dire the serpent hiss From many a forked tongue : the circling hours Abatement none or intennission brought, Howe'er from early to meridian day, And thence to shadowy eve, with ceaseless toil, Penance and sacrifice, the magian pair All arts essay 'd, while Pharaoh at the rites Assistant stood, accusing fate and hell.

Full fain Abaddon would their vows receive, And by deliverance given exalt his name : But Heaven withstood, and all his vigour held Indissolubly bound. So neither voice Was heard, nor vision seen, nor seraphim Gave answer or assent. Collecting scorn, Impatient Pharaoh long in silence curb'd His struggling tongue; (so looks the sultry south Ere tempest wake the thunder.) Rage at length Found utterance, and with storm on Jambres fell Pernicious boaster, well these miseries Attest thy skill. What monsters scour the ground, What millions vex the sky : the dust vie tread Crawls into noxious life, and thousand plagues Affrighting and tormenting hourly waste b EXODUS : 420 425 430 435 440 My ruin'd realm. Death cover all : for death Were better than dishonour'd thus to live Begirt with shame. Is this the vaunted shield Of tutelary deities ?

Is this T' exterminate resistance, this to bind Rebellion ? Destiny and anguish pour Insufferable ills : but thou the cause Whose boasting lur'd my wisdom to defy Resistless fury : hence these horrors spring ; And soon revenge— Yet think I not of thee, Till widi soft words of promise and of prayer Safety I seek, if safety may be found. So saying, with his beckoning hand he call'd Young Cerpheres, obedient, faithful, swift, His high behests to bear ; at whose approach With soften'd voice he thus exprest his will : Hence, Cerpheres, and with accustom 'd zeal The Hebrew leaders hither call : perchance Acceptance may be won ; our gracious ear May listen, and their venturous suit accord. The mandate, yet scarce ended, Cerpheres Obey'd : while Jannes ey'd the monarch's rage ; O'eraw'd, yet inly not displeas'd to view Jambres obnoxious to disdain ; himself Not sole defaulter.

But with downcast look, 450 455 460 465 (His trembling limbs with chilly sweat bedew'd,) Stood Jambres : so Columbia's sons, when glooms, i And stifling calms, and hollow munn'ring seas, Presage the coming earthquake, wildly gaze In agony. At length with faltering speech The wizard thus began : Dread sovereign, bless My prostrate supplication, aud remit That deadly frown ; nor crush the wretched slave That trembles at thy footstool, and amiss Pays homage, weak and powerless to sustain Thy presence : yet from negligence or sloth Or treason spotless. Witness every power, Osiris, Isis, Orus, and the name ,, J.S13, U1US, Ineffable, which, but in whispers breath'd, Convulses heaven and earth and shuddering depths Of shades below, yet oft by me pronounc'd For Egypt's veal ; while with o'erlabour'd thought I trac'd each symbol, and with endless cares Exhausted life : hence ere meridian hour My day is night, and youth's redundant strength Sunk to decrepitude.

These wasted eyes, These early palsied limbs, these aching brows Untimely furrow'd, speak my studious pain And faithfulness austere. Nor mine the fault (If rightly weigh'd) that now the w ish'd-for aid EXODUS i A7& 475 480 485 490 Descends not at our need : thyself hast heard With what reiterated clamorous cries I wearied all the guardiau gods, and shook The brazen vaults of heaven. In eastern coasts Perhaps e'en now Osiris council holds For our defence ; in ruminating trance Perhaps reclines, or drives from world to world Conspiring Aso : yet from far he hears And hastens to our aid. He hears, he comes, Wading the Red Sea gulfs, or teinpest-wing'd Darts from the pole, with sulphurous bolt to blast Proud Israel, and their fabled bulwark strong Of Deity : our art meanwhile disarms These noisome visitants.

For not o'ersway'd By mercy, but by power superior, spares The Hebrew with promiscuous death to quench Our envied glories. Were he, as he boasts., Vicegerent of Omnipotence, that voice Would conjure up destruction, scorch our streams, Or call from deserts the pestiferous wind At which whole armies faint, and populous realms Are vacancy. Reject him, fear him not ; Nor heed the boastings of a maniac slave. His falsehood ended here : for Moses came And Aaron, while before them lowly crouch'd, 500 505 510 515 Or sudden fled, bird, reptile, insect, beast Of fiercest kind, as erst in Eden's bowers From man's imperial presence they retir'd To covert, or in adulation lick'd His kingly feet. Bewilder'd Pharaoh gaz'd This wonder new ; till recollecting strength, He slowly thus his haughty soul exprest : Tormentors, 't is enough : your baleful art By proof we know : yet for my people's sake Chastisement sleeps, and your suspended toils Three days shall steep in bliss your sluggish host Satiate of ease and plenty, while at large Each in his wonted habitation serves The Lord your God.

Depart, and humbly bless The bounty that fulfils your bold desire. Whom Moses thus bespake : No bounty this, But death inevitable, when our rites Call forth to sacrifice the grazing herd Such as religious custom in your fanes Daily adores ; of these the slaughter dar'd In Egypt's sight would kindle rage and zeal To doom our extirpation. T was the will Of Israel's God that freely we perform A three day's journey in the wilderness, Ere with our vows and firstlings we approach EXODUS : 520 525 530 535 540 The brightness of his presence, and sing praise. Boldly he spake, while to the conscious thought Of Pharaoh memory the voice recall'd Unwelcome heard, that Israel's freedom claim'd, What time by sign of rod to serpent turn'd Jehovah seal'd his bidding. Scarce he curb'd The struggling discontent ; yet under awe As of perdition imminent, compos'd His rage to gentler show ; though care and pride Wrinkled his front, and sighs delay 'd his tongue.

Dissembler, (he began,) thy labour'd arts, To press and supplicate, then fickle loathe The granted boon, in me might well provoke Justice awak'd to scant and abrogate My slighted bounty : yet indulgence pleads Once more to spare. Depart ye, and appease Your vengeful Deity : but sage distrust Prescribes yon narrow limits ; lest your tribes, Grown wanton, break allegiance. First remove, (If in reverted spell such help reside,) These instant miseries ; then with grateful joy Depart, and speedily your vows absolve, (But go not far,) and faithfully return. Then Moses thus : Restriction and control Our pilgrimage receives not from caprice 550 555 560 565 Of mortal, but from Him who all surveys, And measures in the hollow of his hand Empires and worlds : he bondage and release, Departure and return, and time and place, Administers at will : our Shepherd he, And as he leads we follow.

I depart, Not with reverted spell but holy prayer To purge both earth and skies : this destin'd morn The torments brought ; but know, to-morrow's sun Shall rise on their dispersion, vanish'd, lost, Their myriads and their fury seen no more. Then let not Pharaoh, so deliver'd, shrink From promise and from equity ; which kings Inviolably honouring, best maintain Their sanctity of rule. No longer mock Pining expectancy, nor with deceit Pollute the faith monarchal, and incense Celestial power : repentance yet is free, And mercy bids her golden doors unfold Accessible to supplicating sigh Of contrite heart, which by obedience vouch'd Is stronger than confederate worlds to win Sweet influences of bliss : so shalt thou live, And added years of glory swell thy reign. But not for ever will the Sovereign Judge, EXODUS : (Long time though sentence he defer,) endure Offending man, nor with compunctious pangs For ever visit : pardon, now contemn'd, Hereafter may be sought with hourly tears, 570 But sought in vain, when proud impiety Drinks deep the cup of trembling, and each thought Is horror, shame, and perdurable woe.

So warning, from the royal courts he past, And in the calm of sacred solitude 575 With heart and voice and bended knee made suit That gracious intermission might disperse The present miseries. Nor unheeded rose His orisons : for at the midnight hour, From the third empyrean's concave bright, 580 Acraziel, sweetest of the seraph choir, Coinmission'd flew, and on firm-balane'd wing O'ershadow'd ere Hyperion's rise this orb Terrestrial, and with hand uplifted high And solemn adjuration, gave command : 585 Ye winged messengers, ye reptile tribes, Ye beasts of ravin, hence : quaternion ye Of elements, perform your Maker's will, And let deliver'd Egypt cease to groan. This heard the plum'd ethereal tribes, and fled, 590 Chas'd by impetuous winds that rudely swept The chambers of mid air ; with them involv'd The insect legions fled : amain below The steaming soil dirough every pore transpir'd Light exhalations, mineraltainted flame, 595 Blasting the reptile host, whose myriads slain The trembling earth in many a fissure deep Yawning entomb'd : meanwhile a buoyant veil Of congregated waters dense and dark Swept o'er die land, and as on floating plain 600 The bestial nations bore to distant wilds, Or to the storms of ocean headlong hurl'd. Pale Egypt thus respir'd, and loud uproar Of woe and horror sunk with instant change To solitary, silent, and serene. 605 Meantime by Amram's sons in quadrate rank'd The Hebrews stood : impatient as their seed Long after, by Euphrates when they wept, But sudden found by ordinance divine The happier dawn arising of return 6 10 To Zion hill.

Already they accus'd Delav, and murmuring scarce endur'd the pain Of expectation : numerous their array As wandering fowl assembling to pursue Through Zodiac signs the sun. At length with voice Welcome as shade in summer Moses call'd: 6l6 exodus: 620 625 630 635 640 Children of Israel, yonder passing cloud With joy behold ; there fly the monster plagues That late distemper'd Egypt : promise binds The despot to -release us : what remains But instant to depart this house of woe ? He spake, and in tumultuous rapture they For march prepar'd : the hollow-murmuring sound Of herds and bleating flocks, and busy tongues, Spread far and wide ; and with the hasty tread Of feet unnumber'd all the fertile plain Re-echoing shook, and thick'ning clouds of dust Obscur'd the day : which when the tyrant saw, Hate, policy, and pride, dark venom shed Through his ambitious bosom.

To confirm Each worst intent, Mesochris his first-born „ In torrent eloquence of rage declaims : O shame to Egypt ! thus the menial tribes Exulting shall proclaim in distant lands How Pharaoh and his host confounded stood By magic sleight. Unconquerable sire, Forbid this dire abasement, break the yoke Of promise rash and vain ; disgraceful given, But kept pernicious : which religious zeal Absolves, or strong emergency o'er-rules. No promise lawful, when to rebels pledg'd, 655 660 665 Nor faith to rebels due. My father, king, Autocracy divine, awake, and cast Thy superstitious scruples to the winds. So counsell'd he, aud Pharaoh, prone to ill, Drank in the base suggestion, and in haste Remanded to their burdens and their task The sojourners of Goshen; they enrag'd, Beset the sons of Amram, with loud cries Upbraiding baffled hope, and succour oft Pretended, long withheld : their frenzy scarce T' accuse eternal Providence refrain'd. Loud was the storm, till Moses with sedate Grave admonition (like o'erspreading oil On troubled waves,) of myriads as of one The clamour quell'd, and in their hearts install'd Recover'd confidence and faith serene.

Seed of the faithful patriarch, (from descent Addition since ye claim, and Abraham boast Your great progenitor,) that lineage high Injoins you the resemblance to maintain Of ancestorial virtue, lest reproach Brand the degenerate offspring. If your praise Commemorate Terah's son, like him erect Faith's altar in each bosom, and present Oblation better than of sheep or kine c EXODUS : 670 675 680 685 690 Or summer-swelling spicery, fruits and balm, Oblation of affiance and repose On prophecies of ancient times declar'd And ratified of old, when from the plains Of Haran, from his friends and father's house, To distant lands unseen Jehovah's word The patriarch call'd, and forth the patriarch came, Unknowing whither : then with wandering feet That found no rest, he travers'd goodly realms, Thy future portion, Israel ; then were all Thy fortunes plain foretold : thy servitude In Egypt, thy deliverance, and thy reign In Canaan, 'midst the vineyards and the dales Flowing with milk and honey.