Edg'd with poplar pale, The parting Genius is with fighing fent; With flowr-inwoven treffes torn 185 [mourn. The Nymphs in twilight fhade of tangled thickets In confecrated earth, And on the holy hearth, XXI. 190 The Lars, and Lemures moan with midnight plaint; In urns, and altars round, A drear and dying found Affrights the Flamens at their fervice quaint; And the chill marble seems to sweat, While each peculiar Pow'r forgoes his wonted feat. Peor and Baälim XXII. Forfake their temples dim, With that twice batter'd God of Palestine; 195 Alluding to the ftory of a voice proclaming that the great Pan was dead, and immediately was heard a great groaning and lamentation. See more to this purpose in Plutarch's treatife De oraculorum defectu. And and Night Spirits. Flamens, priests. leftine;] Dagon, who was twice batter'd by Samfon, Jud. XVI. and by the ark of God, 1 Sam. V. Our author is larger in his account 191. Lars and Lemures] Houfhold Gods of these deities in the first book of the Para And mooned Afhtaroth, Heav'n's queen and mother both, Now fits not girt with tapers holy shine; The Lybic Hammon fhrinks his horn, 200 [mourn. In vain the Tyrian maids their wounded Thammuz And fullen Moloch fled, XXIII. Hath left in fhadows dread His burning idol all of blackeft hue; In vain with cymbals ring They call the grisly king, In difmal dance about the furnace blue; The brutifh Gods of Nile as faft, Ifis and Orus, and the dog Anubis haste. Nor is Ofiris feen XXIV. In Memphian grove or green, 205 210 Trampling 201. Heav'n's queen and mother both,] She was called regina cæli and mater Deúm. See Selden. dife Loft, and thither we must refer our reader 212. the dog Anubis] Virg. Æn. VIII. 21.5. the Trampling the unfhowr'd grass with lowings loud: Nor can he be at reft Within his facred cheft, Nought but profoundeft Hell can be his shroud; In vain with timbrel'd anthems dark 216 The fable-ftoled forcerers bear his worshipt ark. 220 XXV. He feels from Juda's land The dreaded Infant's hand, The rays of Bethlehem blind his dusky eyn; Nor all the Gods befide, Longer dare abide, Not Typhon huge ending in fnaky twine: Our babe to show his Godhead true, 225 Can in his fwadling bands controll the damned crew. Pillows his chin upon an orient wave, The flocking shadows pale Troop to th' infernal jail, Each fetter'd ghoft flips to his several grave, And the yellow-skirted Fayes 235 Fly after the night-steeds,leaving their moon-lov'd maze. But fee the Virgin bleft XXVII. Hath laid her Babe to reft, Time is our tedious fong should here have ending: Heav'n's youngest teemed star Hath fix'd her polish'd car, 240 Her fleeping Lord with handmaid lamp attending: And all about the courtly stable Bright-harnest Angels fit in order serviceable. 244. Bright-barneft] Dreft, arm'd, accoutred. Arnefe in Italian is a general name for all kinds of habits and ornaments. Richardson. Harness is used for armour in our tranflation of The the Bible. I Kings XX. 11. Let not him that It X X IV. The PASSION. I. Rewhile of music, and ethereal mirth, ER Wherewith the stage of air and earth did ring, And joyous news of heav'nly Infant's birth, In wintry solstice like the shorten'd light Soon fwallow'd up in dark and long out-living night. II. For now to forrow muft I tune my fong, And fet my harp to notes of faddest woe, 5 10 Which on our dearest Lord did seise ere long, Dangers, and fnares, and wrongs, and worse than fo, Which he for us did freely undergo: Most perfect Hero, try'd in heaviest plight Of labors huge and hard, too hard for human wight! It appears from the beginning of this poem,. that it was compofed after, and probably foon after, the ode on the Nativity. He 22. Thefe latest fcenes] So it is in the fecond edition of 1673; in the former of 1645 it is Thefe latter fcenes.. 26. Loud |