Of Egypt, Baal next and Ashtaroth,

And all th' idolatries of Heathen round,

Befides their other worse than heath'nish crimes;
Nor in the land of their captivity

Humbled themfelves, or penitent befought

The God of their forefathers; but fo dy'd
Impenitent, and left a race behind
Like to themselves, diftinguishable scarce
From Gentiles, but by circumcifion vain,
And God with idols in their worship join'd.
Should I of these the liberty regard,
Who freed as to their ancient patrimony,

thel and in Dan, and which the poet calls the deities of Egypt, for it is probable (as fome learned men have conjectured) that Jeroboam having converfed with the Egyptians fet up these two calves in imitation of the two which the Egyptians worshipped, the one called Apis at Memphis the metropolis of the upper Egypt, and the other called Mnevis at Hierapolis the metropolis of the lower Egypt. Baal next and Afhtaroth. Ahab built an altar and a temple for Baal, 1 Kings XVI. 32. and at the fame time probably was introduced the worship of Ashtaroth, the Goddess of the Zidonians, 1 Kings XI. 5. For Jezebel,

420

425

Unhumbled,

Ahab's wife, who prompted him
to all evil, was the daughter of
Ethbaal king of the Zidonians,
1 Kings XVI. 31. And by the
prophets of the groves 1 Kings
XVIII. 19. Mr. Selden under-
ftands the prophets of Afhtaroth or
Aftarte: and the groves under every
green tree 2 Kings XVII. 10.
should be tranflated Ahtaroth un-
der every green tree. See Selden
de Diis Syris Syntag. II. cap. 2.
But for the wickednefs and idola-
try of the Ifraelites, and their re-
jection thereupon, and ftill conti-
nuing impenitent in their cap-
tivity, fee 2 Kings XVII. and the
prophets in feveral places.

Unhumbled, unrepentant, unreform'd,

Headlong would follow'; and to their Gods perhaps

Of Bethel and of Dan? no, let them ferve
Their enemies, who ferve idols with God.
Yet he at length, time to himself best known,
Remembring Abraham, by fome wondrous call
May bring them back repentant and fincere,
And at their paffing cleave th' Affyrian flood,

430. Headlong would follow; and to their Gods perhaps

Of Bethel and of Dan?] There is fome difficulty and obfcurity in this paffage; and feveral conjec

tures and emendations have been

offer'd to clear it, but none, I think, entirely to fatisfaction. Mr. Sympfon would read Headlong would fall off and c. or Headlong would fall, bow and i. e. bowing the A. Sax. participle. But Mr. Calton feems to come nearer the poet's meaning. Whom or what would they follow, fays he? There wants an accufative cafe; and what muft be understood to complete the fense, can never be accounted for by an elleipfis, that any rules or ufe of language will justify. He therefore fufpects, that by fome ill accident or other a whole line may have been loft; and propofes one, which he fays may ferve for a commentary at least, to explain the fense, though it can't be allowed for an emendation.

431

435

While

Their fathers in their old iniquities
Headlong would follow; &c.

Or is not the conftruction thus,
ancient patrimony, and to their Gods
Headlong would follow as to their
perhaps &c?

431. no, let them ferve Their enemies, who ferve idols with God's conftant dealing with the God.] This is agreeable to Jewish nation as recorded in the old Teftament. Thyer.

436. And at their paffing cleave

th' Affyrian flood, &c.] There are feveral prophecies of the reftoration of Ifrael: but in saying that the Lord would cleave th' Affyrian flood, that is the river Euphrates, at their return from Affyria, as he cleft the Red Sea and the river Jordan at their coming from Egypt, the poet feems particularly to allude to Rev. XVI. 12. And the fixth Angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that

the

While to their native land with joy they haste,
As the Red Sea and Jordan once he cleft,
When to the promis'd land their fathers pass'd;
To his due time and providence I leave them. 440

So fpake Ifrael's true king, and to the Fiend
Made answer meet, that made void all his wiles.
So fares it when with truth falfhood contends.

the way of the kings of the east might be prepared: and to Ifa. XI. 15, 16. And the Lord fhall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian fea, and with his mighty wind fhall be shake his hand over the river, and fhall fmite it in the fe

ven ftreams, and make men go over dry-fhod: And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left from Affyria, like as it was to Ifrael in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

The end of the Third Book.