Armageddon. A poem; in twelve books ... The first eight books

Front matter

ARMAGEDDON. 3, $nem. Arm. a ARMAGEDDON. 21 0oem ; IN TWELVE BOOKS. BY THE REV. GEO. TOWNSEND, B. A. OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. THE FIRST EIGHT BOOKS. $av\oi piv ovv Tipfis yf, iis irepl tt)\ikovtwv \eyomts, «ol 7roXu rov TrpoorjKovros ivSfcffTepot, Ta 5< irpcLyfiaTa oil tpav\a vntp Siv Xf^ofify. Did*. SECOND EDITION. LONDON : Printed by A. J. Pulpy, Tooke's Court, Chancery Lone. SOLD BY J. HATCHARD, BOOKSELLER TO THE QUEEN, i 90, PICCADILLY. 1817., DeDtcattom TO HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE. An the Poem of Armageddon, which I have now the honor to lay before your Grace, my great object has been, to represent the God of Nature, as the God of Christianity; to unite his mysterious dispensations with regard to Man, with his government of the Universe ; to reconcile his Justice and his Love ; to show the reasonableness of Chri&- VI tianity, and the necessity of obedience to the divine law.

I submit to your Grace, not a system of Divinity, but the specula tions of Fancy within the regions of Truth, delighting itself with the elevating contem plations connected with our future existence. So fully do I feel the imperfections of my attempt, both as to the plan and execution of the work ; that, not even with the sanc tion of your Grace's distinguished name, could I have ventured to give it to the Pub lic, had I not considered myself bound to subdue every anxious feeling for its success, and make every effort to gratify in some degree the curiosity excited by my late re vered friend Mr. Cumberland ; who had been induced to take the unusual step of publishing some account of my projected work, to rescue me from the possible charge of plagiarism, the degrading imputation, un der which he had himself unjustly labored.

Praise is the anticipated reward of every intellectual exertion. In the benevolence of his heart, Mr. Cumberland bestowed it on me too abundantly, and prematurely : but I fervently hope that any deficiency on my part may be imputed to the true cause, my own inability to support a subject, under which the greatest mental powers must ine vitably sink. My talents were neither equal to my own ambition, nor his zeal to serve me. How truly happy should I now be, could my Friend correct, improve and polish my work ! but the tongue that encouraged and praised me is silent; the hand that welcomed me with rapture is cold ; cold as the heart that would condemn me for thus publicly declaring how much I love his memory, and venerate his name. To the many obligations and acts of kindness shown to me by Mr. Cumberland, I have to add the honor of an introduction to your Grace; and while I gratify my ambition in being allowed to inscribe my Poem to You, I comply likewise with the repeated wish of my departed Friend, who knew and appre ciated your Goodness.

Book I

3Int)ocation, Ere Time intruded on the silent reign Of vast Eternity ; or yonder stars, That roll their splendours thro' th' immense of space, Were called to being by th' Almighty voice ! In primal majesty of light enthroned, TTie Godhead ruled ; and thou, at his right hand, Spirit of Wisdom, Prophecy, and Truth ! Coeval reigning, bad'st Creation live Exulting in its beauties, till the hour (. Invocation.

BOOK I

- That Desolation whelm its burning orbs 10 In fatal ruin : Oh ! inspire my song, To sing that day, the Judgment of Mankind, And all surrounding worlds among the wilds Of Armageddon's Plains, where God shall meet Th' assembled myriads, and pronounce their doom ! 1 5 Pour thy divine irradiance o'er my soul ! Forsake me not ! when language fail to clothe The scenes, that pass as visions on the mind, And fade away, as heaven's resplendent bow Dissolving melts among tie parting clouds : 20 But guide my youthful flight where'er I rove Throughout unseen existence, and the World By man unsung, by Seraph wing unsoared. Declare how Time and Nature had fulfilled Their destined course ; when Heaveu's Eternal King 25 Revealed his will to Asriel, the blest Power Who near the throne had kept perpetual watch, And of th' Almighty mind the secret signs, Commission to the Angels 7

BOOK I.

30 y, 40 Untold to others, viewed ; nor was it given To Cherubim or Seraphim, to solve The mystery of God's forewilled decrees, The fixed, impenetrable, stamp of fate : The mandate Asriel knew, the high behest Received, and to the listening hosts exclaimed, Princes, and Cherubim ! ethereal sons Of your Creator's will, our Father's word Omnipotent has passed, that from your ranks A well-selected embassy proceed To every planetary sphere, that bends Reluctant round its sun ; where'er the globes Sweeping the gorgeous fields of light profound Adorn the blue expanse, and speed their course Harmonious, from their azure mountains, bear Th' unnumbered sinless beings that shall hail Their glorious God rejoicing : chiefly ye, That watched o'er that degraded orb, where sin Aud death debased the high-born habitants, To Earth descend ; and with angelic voice, to bear up the Dead to Judgment.

BOOK I.

8 The trump of God, rouse the whole race of man To wait their Saviour's near approach, amid 50 Those distant regions of remoter space, That bound the realms of Nature, and the gates Of these blest mansions ; solitary, waste, Dark, wild, and desolate, which hideous Night And banished Chaos occupy, since God, 55 With mighty voice, had hurled them from their realms, The boundless plain that Seraph foot ne'er trod Of Armageddon : there convey Mankind ; There shall the Judge of men, the Quick, the Dead, Appear, and our assembled hosts shall see 60 That awful day when God shall meet his worlds, And reconcile his Justice and his Love. He said ; and forth, in radiant order ranged, A shining band of Cherubim obey The mandate ; girt with panoply divine, Refulgent, splendid, beauteous, on they come : Not as before, invisible to those si:

BOOK I.

Ministry of Angels. 9 70 i> 80 85 Whose paths they guarded, and whose hearts they read For round our daily toils, our midnight rest, Angels for ever wait unseen, protect Our falling steps, attendant ministers ! With high commission gifted from above ; Angels remark our bosom crimes, and grave The painful record on th' eternal book With tears of sorrow ; Angels note our deeds Acceptable, and wing with purest joy Their speedy way, exulting, when they see, As once in Paradise, Mankind renew Their ancient concord with their parent God. Angels attend the dying bed — sweet peace They whisper to the trembling breast, and calm The restless sufferer ; and, when the soul Bursts from its earthly tenement, convey The raptured spirit in their glad embrace Swift to Jehovah's throne, and joyous name The new possessor of their mutual home, Friend and companion in immortal bliss. Descent of the Angels. 10

BOOK I

Not thus invisible, but in their own Celestial, and primeval glory clad, Afar they beamed " intolerable day" 90 Throughout the concave frame ; as down from Heaven's Self-moving portals, each pursued his flight, Entered created space, and saw the world Of stars, that shone with all their glittering train Of countless spheres : one moment on the shore 95 The realms of Nature bounding, all the hosts Survey Creation's ample fields ; and quick Disparting, each to his appointed orb Flew diverse, and compelled its wondering race To that sublime ascent ; while to the Earth 100 The god-like cherub hasted, with the train Of chosen seraphim, until afar Revolving silent round its orient lord, This pendent ball, its lands, and seas appeared, A shining atom in the wide expanse ! 105 The golden sun, from Europe's lovely plains

BOOK I.

Address to the Moon. 11 110 115 120 125 Declining, decked th' Atlantic's purple wave, And shed upon Columbia's Western coast The vernal dawn ; when, on the downward side Of the still globe, the silver Queen of Night Arose in full-orbed lustre, and began Her path majestic thro' the blue serene, Throwing her silver light o'er half the world, With wealth, and pomp, and vanity, adorned, The fading pageants of unpeopled states, And mouldering empires : Oh ! what fearful scenes Of horror, thro' thy long continued course Of twice three thousand years, hast thou beheld, Pale sovereign of the night ! thy peerless rays Have played in transient softness, o'er the mass Of dark and raging tempests, as they lashed The sounding shores ; have seen them vex the deep With hurricane, and swallow in th' abyss Of maddening waters potent fleets, that rode In stately majesty above, and seemed To conquer Ocean ! thou hast tinged the surge Last Evening of Earth.

BOOK I.

12 That closed the space of their descent, and howled A louder roar, big with the dying shrieks Of the wrecked Mariners, who turn to thee, A sad, farewell, despairing look and drown. Thou, when gaunt Famine, Pestilence, and War, Have swept with severed wing the groaning lands, The wealth of nations, and the pride of states, 'Mid all the terrors of the thundering bolt, And midnight lightnings, flashing thro' the clouds Of heaven ; amid the battle and the storm, Thou, unconcerned, hast held thy stately course, And, heedless of an agonizing world, 130 135 Poured thine expanded beams alike on all ! Now, doomed thyself to ruin ! thou, pale Moon ! Torn from thy monarch Earth, shalt leave thine orb, And hurl thy broken fragments thro' the sky, 140 To rest upon the Comet's burning mass, When, guided by the demon arm, it bends Its flight resistless thro' the solar way. Oh ! thou hast risen on the last night of Earth, Last Evening of Earth. 13

BOOK I.

150 155 lfjO > 165 That, hushed as midnight murderer, approached, And found, tho' long foretold, the human race Yet slumbering o'er the plans of future days, Unfit, and unprepared to meet their Judge Eternal : all things in their wonted train Continued ; passion and debasing vice, Pale guilt, and error, luxury and pride, Bewildered still the millions of mankind ; Youth hoped continual spring, and roved at will In fancy's gayest dream, o'er many a flower Of future pleasure, and of lasting love, Expecting cloudless suns, and spotless joys, The Paradise of life : there manhood pined For glory and renown, and seemed to climb, As fair imagination smiling traced His way, the mountains and the hills of fame : Dim age, with tottering step, and wrinkled brow. Awoke to ponder o'er his useless stores : So pleasure, fame, or riches, sport with man Till the last hour ; unnumbered follies still Last Evening of Earth.

BOOK I.

14 Degrade him ; some with cursing dared blaspheme The coining God ; some, drunkenness, or lust, Loud riot, murder, or revenge, engaged ; While few in calmest contemplation wooed 170 The lore of mild philosophy, or strung To elevated themes the sounding lyre. Some round an aged parent's dying bed, Attending, drop Affection's pious tears, Nor knew their souls united should ascend 175 From Earth ! th' oppressed, the sorrowful, and sad, Implored, in silent prayer, relief, now doomed To rise where care intrudes not ; where th' unjust Shall cease from troubling, and the weary rest. The boasting Infidel, that owned no God, 180 No Judgment, Hell, or Heaven, now conscience-struck Shall see die just rewarded, those whose life He deemed the worst of madness, and their end Devoid of honor ; now with dread beholds Their glorious immortality begin, 185 As starting from his sleep he shuddering views

BOOK I.

The Dead summoned to Judgment. 15 The world in terror, and with fainting heart Hears the pale sinners' first, the saints' last, prayer For mercy ! every mortal bosom beats With fear and trembling, save the Christian soul ; 190 These saw the globe convulsed, the sun concealed In darkness, and the demons, and the host Whose power-girt arm should tear them from the Earth, And waft their wondering spirits beyond the sun, And tranquil smiled in peace ; their hope was fixed 195 On him, whose promise stands, thoJ worlds shall fail ! Now o'er the regions where the pensive Moon Her light displayed, the cherub host appeared, Dividing the blue air ; and every Fiend In silence gazed, as Asriel winged bis way -200 In tempest through the sky ; his burning form Rests on the ground, and on the troubled Sea, His hand he raised to heaven, and sware by Him That ever reigns, the great, th' Almighty God ! " Time is no more ! Arise, and burst your graves, General Resurrection.

BOOK I.

Ye slumbering children of the Holy One, And gird the robe of incorruption round ! For lo ! the Morning of the tomb's long night, The spring that ends the winter of the grave, Is come ! Ye guardian spirits ! protect, and guide, 210 Your own selected sons, as Earth and Sea Shall pour their tenants forth : the vine is ripe ; Ye reapers, gather in the clustering grapes ! The wine press is prepared ! ye winds of heaven, Breathe your sweet influence o'er th' awakeuing dead ! 215 Breathe, spirit of God ! at thy command they rise ! Time is no more ! heirs of immortal bliss, Wake from the sleep of death, Arise ! Arise ! " The pause of life was fearful ; as the voice From every rock and mountain, hill and plain, And wilderness, and ocean, echoing wide, Alike suspended hope, and joy, and fear, Ambition, love, and hatred, and the thirst Of gain, the pride, and wants, and cares of man : General Resurrection. 17

BOOK I.

225 230 235 240 The sun was changed to darkness, and the moon To blood : while, mid the war of elements, Despairing Death his final victim seized, Grasping with fainter hand his sceptre-dart, Pining for future prey, and veiled his head In thickest night beyond the solar path. The guardian angels of mankind attend Around the silent graves, where slept the dust Of those their care protected from the birth, Thro' all the changing scenes of life, till Death The suffering mortal claimed : th' infernal tribes, Roused from the world of spirits, joyful hoped To wrest from angel-wings the souls of men, Ere borne to Armageddon's plain they heard Their sentence passed, and, glimmering in the night Of Nature, loud-exulted in her wreck. Lo, from her chequered surface, softly rose A thickening mist, as Earth resigned her stores Of all that once was human ; from the dry Arm. B General Resurrection. 18

BOOK I.

And barren wilderness, from mighty depths Of either Polar sea, where never breath 245 Of heaven had blown upon a freighted bark, The drifted and neglected atoms soared : The lofty mounds that raised by savage hands Concealed their slaughtered dead ; the moss-grown cairns, The sacred temples, the forgotten tombs, 250 Where in oblivion slept the deluged world, With rocks, and vales, dissolved, and crumbling join The gathering cloud of life : while, from the ground, As every atom sought its former mate, And all the good in radiant beauty rose, 255 Immortal and complete, a murmuring sound, Louder and louder swelliug into tones Of deepening thunder, broke : " We come ! We come !" It seemed to say ; and back from Pole to Pole Echoed the sound, as from the dying mist 260 The wondering beings shone : the same they stood In substance, shape, and dignity : alike In splendor and in glory : every form book r. The Spirits of the Dead ascend to Judgment. 19 265 270 275 280 As if of amber flame appeared, begirt With shining robes of heaven : and on the head Of all the smiling millions, that possessed The purer Faith, and died in peace with Him Whose blood alone can save, a beaming light Celestial lustre shed the spirit's dread seal In this great day, when all the heirs of bliss First meet, to part no more ! and, with the Just, Rose, as a spot upon the face of heaven, The self-condemned ; the living trembling saw The Earth dissolve beneath their feet, o'erspread With darkness, that dispersing, as the dew Before the morning sun, revealed the forms, Seen, heard by ali, but, as the light, unfelt.

Thus waking from the dead, the sons of man In silence wait their judge : but the bright train Of hovering angels thro' the fields of air Bear up the mighty host, in order ranged Of every generation, from the sire The Living changed and borne away. book i. 20 Of man, unto the parting soul that left Its mortal clay, and joined the rising dead : A vast, o'erspreading canopy of flame, A radiant atmosphere of fire they shine To all th' astonished living, as they cast A farewell glance to Earth : till with the sky Their purer and etherial forms they blend, And, slowly lessening, die upon the view. And, now the last of that celestial band Was seen no more : again the pealing trump Was heard, to call the living to their doom, And meet their Saviour-Judge ! the listening Earth Seemed as one ear to catch the awful sound, And in a moment, ere the eye could close In terror at the voice, All, All were changed !

The corruptible form of life was clothed 285 290 295 With incorruption, and the mortal wore The robe of immortality ; on high, By arch-angelic power upborne, they soar The glittering way, and join their wondering sires. Ascent to Armageddon.

BOOK I.

21 305 310 315 320 The silent globe its wonted course pursued ; The seasons held their sway, and day and night Continued ; and the birds their sweetest song Trilled softly, grateful to the opening flowers, Wafting their perfume o'er the lonely woods ; And winds and waves obeyed the sovereign voice, That gave them motion first : Man, Man alone, The potent Monarch of this lower realm, Torn from his empire, sought a nobler state 1 Man from the regions of the Earth had flown, And the sun set upon a desert World ! High with their seraph guides th' immortal race Pierce through the concave orient, and the dark Cerulean sky that bounded once the ken Of mortals ; through the star-paved galaxy, That like a brilliant girdle, bossed with gold, Hung on the breast of heaven ; through every sphere, By Fables, or by Fancy named, whose light Had traversed through the empty shores, and beamed Ascent to Armageddon. 22

BOOK I

325 330 335 340 Upon the rolling Earth : thence to the suns Of distant regions, whose unfailing rays Had never struck upon the gaze of man, Or on the stars he sees ; and still beyond, Where flame the orbs amid the blue expanse, That Fancy oft hath soared with daring flight, Whence weak imagination back recoils, With all her weary powers, they wing their way Th' o'erwhelming and immeasurable height, The depth and blaze of being, mind nor tongue Can fancy or describe, until die day Ourselves shall burst the barriers of the grave. Soar the sublime ascent, and to our view The flaming boundaries of the stars appear. Oft from the worlds around them, frequent pass Their sinless and unnumbered habitants, As meteors rising to th' inquiring eye, Alike conducted by Cherubic guides In radiant legions, who their fellows hailed In welcome salutation ; star to star, The Heathen inquire their doom. 23

BOOK I.

The echoing harmony prolonged, of songs That Angels only knew ; and, on the ear Of favored man, immortal rapture poured, Anticipating heaven ; mild as the voice That calmed th' abyss upon Creation's day, And breathed the breath of life upon the void Of Chaos ; listening the celestial strain, The Heathen tribes, with hope and joy inspired, In faltering accents ask their future doom : 345 350 " Spirits of Peace !* they said, " what mighty Power Hath rent the solid Earth, and called us forth To second consciousness of new-made life, Clad in these gorgeous and refulgent forms, Begirt with light ? Say are our visions true ; 355 Is there another world, where we shall live To die no more ; there ever to enjoy The presence of some Deity, whose name On Earth we knew not, but whose power we feel i Or why, all-glorious beings ! soar we now Reply of the Angels to the Heathen.

BOOK I.

24 Through these surrounding orbs ; shall we ne'er rest The wonders of his love to contemplate, And, in communion with some former friend, Admire the God i or, do ye raise our souls To some mysterious theatre, beyond 365 The realms of Nature, where the Lord of All Shall meet us .' Spirits of life ! why soar ye still, And whither do ye bear our w inged souls ? Why wave o'er yonder forms those cloven flames ? Whence are your mighty Powers, tremendous Guides!370 What are ye, speak ; we dare not look on God !" " Heirs of Eternity !" The Angels said, " The God, that called you from the silent grave, Is just and merciful ; his sovereign sway All nature owns, his Name, his Love is great ; Above the Gods ye worshipped, Odin, Thor, Or Jove, or Eastern Bramha ! 'twas his word Created this vast Universe, and Man, 375 And stamped on each his wonders ; and hath raised Reply of the Angels to the Heathen.

BOOK I.

25 380 385 390 395 The souls he made ! now to another world We soar ; where you this mighty Lord shall meet ; Him, whom the Grecian sage desired to view, The holy Being who the truth revealed To mortal minds ! Him, shall the Brahmin see, The true Incarnate; and the Persian sage Shall worship Him who gave his God the sun The fount of morning light ! while Northern tribes, No longer dreaming of Valhalla's Halls, Or Odin's triumphs, prostrate at the feet Of Israel's King, confess the source of Truth ! And we, the spirits commissioned from his throne, Though ignorant of his councils, act his will, Rejoicing ; and partake his holy love With all the ransomed good, above whose forms The cloven flames appear, and mark the sons, The favored, and the grateful sons of heaven ! And though on you rest not the Spirit's light, God will not claim obedience to the laws The Heathen never knew ; where much is given, Reply of the Angels to the Heathen. 2 6 book I 400 405 410 415 There, and there only, much shall be required ; Nor will He claim what his own hand denied To mortal man ; though all who heard the Truth, And wilfully despised his sacred word, And spurned his offered mercy, He consign To pain unceasing, in the Hell below, Prepared for those who hate him : Fear not ye, Nor shrink appalled, nor tremble ; God is Just !

Nor did his will create the human soul, And bind that soul in ignorance, to condemn Its darkness, and to triumph in its woe. The virtuous heathen, who the natural law, Engraven upon the hearts of all, obeyed, Some separate kingdom in th' eternal World, Among th' unnumbered mansions of the heavens, Shall share, where God his presence shall impart, And manifest his glory ; there to rest, Full of his love ; there to imbibe the streams Of living knowledge, and refine the soul, Advancing in perfection, till their hopes Arrive at Armageddon. 27

BOOK I.

Their end attain, the bosom of their God. 420 Then, fear ye not ! to meet your sovereign Lord, Hither our flight we bend ; the day is come That Heaven, and Earth, and Hell, before their King Appear ; and all the mysteries of God Revealed, shall speak his Mercy and his Power, 425 And Justice, Love, and Wisdom, harmonize !" They spake : and, to the flaming bounds arrived Of star-filled space, survey the outward coast Of Armageddon, and its concave orb, Reflecting back upon the azure deep 430 Th united light of the deserted Worlds, And the last gleaming sun : there, paused at length, Th' assembled sons of Earth their destined goal Survey, and entering on the fearful waste, Complete their anxious flight : then, loudly rung, 435 Throughout the gloom, the summons, that the guides Before the throne of Deity appear, And join th' angelic Powers, whose arm alike The scene of Judgment.

BOOK I.

28 From other globes th' inhabitants had raised, Announce their great commission was fulfilled, And all the beings of Creation wait 440 On Armageddon's plain their mighty Judge. Swift sped the train, obedient to the word : And man, deserted by their guardian care, Stands on the plain of Judgment, to await His final doom ; as those, who, wrapt in dreams Of horror, wake, and find the vision true, And hail in vain the oblivion of the night, To lull the conscious life and seek the shade Of ill, to lose the dread realities 445 450 Of grief and woe ; so, thousands wish again The dreams of Earth, t' obliterate the sense Of what they were, and hide them from the scenes Around ; for, often by th' ethereal light Of radiance, by the various Angels shed That frequent passed, on every side they view What seemed a waste and desolate abyss, Description ofthe place of Judgment.

BOOK I.

29 460 465 470 475 Embosomed in the realms of Night : and drear And still, as if the banished monarchies Of Silence, and of Chaos, had enthroned Their empires here, and o'er th' unearthly soil Their sceptres wielded, proud, and undisturbed By aught of heavenly birth: vast as the orb, That circles in its breast the world of stars, It seemed ; and desert as if every sun Extinct in darkness, blotted from the face Of Nature, fell : Angelic power prepared The plain, controlled its raging elements, And bade the waste be calm ; yet oft the wild And fearful motion of the dread domain Convulsed the wondering souls ; above, below, The rocks of adamant, the deepened gulphs Unfathomable, and every yawning mass Of mingled waves, and floating continents, Rolled their enormous length, from point to point, With all the sinless worlds, and Adam's sons, Upborne : as, on the troubled sea, are tossed The place of Judgment.

BOOK I

30 The fleets of man, amid the uproar wild Of gathering storms ; and oft th' o'erarching gloom Descended and returned, and every rock 480 And yawning cave beneath, with slow ascent Appeared to meet th' o'erwhelming shade above : There all around, far as th' immortal ken Could traverse o'er the dreary space, were seen The countless myriads, who, with daundess hearts, Aud souls unspotted, gazed upon the sons Of Earth in silence, wondering at the cry, By them before unheard, of grief, and fear, And anguish, that from many a bursting heart Pierced through th' unbounded deep; in endless files They stood ; serene in native dignity 485 490 Of being, fearless of th' infernal race, That to th' astonished eye their hideous forms, Above the tribes of man, displayed, and howled For vengeance on their heads ; while, as they flew, The beating of their outspread wings was storm, As oft amid the gloom they rose and fell, Descent of the Messiah announced. 31

BOOK I.

500 505 510 515 Now half revealed, now hidden from the view. Long 'in their shadowy legions stood the ranks Of beings, gathered to await their Judge : The clamorous outcry, and the whispered Prayer, The piercing shriek, the sigh, the groan, were hushed In mournful silence ; one oppressive calm Aroused the sleepless horrors of mankind To burning madness : Hope, sweet Hope alone, In every bosom lingered undismayed, Nor left the heart of mail till God announce His dread command : when through the vaulted arch Upborne on fiery wing, an angel form In rapid flight was seen ; and swift as thought Sped o'er the gazing hosts, and loud exclaimed : " God comes to judge the World, and minister True Judgment in his righteousness ! the Lord Descendeth from the Heavens ! Himself is Judge ! " And suddenly a strong and mighty wind The mountains rent, and into pieces brake Descent ofthe Messiah.

BOOK I

, 520 525 530 535 The rocks before the Lord, howling aloud Through the deep caves : not on the winged blast He came, nor on the terrors of the storm, Or earthquake, that o'erthrew the yielding plain Of Armageddon ; not upon the flash, That pouring mid the new-made fragments shone Upon the ruins, melting every rock Before him : beaming with immortal love, The majesty of beauty and the strength Of honor, girt with radiance as a robe Of light, and glorified iu mortal form, The opening Heavens he bowed ; descending slow Borne on his throne of glory to the scene Of Judgment ; streaming fire beneath his feet Its nameless splendors waved, yet not dispersed The darkness, but its gleaming lightnings spread Wide in the front, and darting on the soil Revealed the trembling Nations : round the throne Th' admiring day-spring knew its place, aud threw In floating lustre a serener light Descent of the Messiah.

BOOK I.

33 540 545 550 ■> 555 C Than that of midnight moons ; full o'er his head, The high Pavilion bent, with waters dark And covering clouds encircled, as the sea Blends with the stormy sky at distance seen, Girding the Earth ; Justice and Mercy shone On either side resplendent ; and around Ten thousand times ten thousand of the host Of Cherubim, and mightiest Seraphim, In fiery orbits glowed, with purple light The vaulted arch adorn, and pour abroad The brightness of their beauty ; Oh ! how grand The circling streams of glory ! nor the bow That sealed the covenant, nor the rising suns Of summer, nor the morning star that glides Along th' unclouded azure, can with these Compare : they onwards, as dread whirlwinds, rode Painting the spacious concave with their thrones Of golden lustre : far through all the train, The central light, where the Messiah sat, In spiry flame extends, till full-opposed Arm. Descent if the Messiah.