Since Adam's family, from first to last, Now into one diftinct furvey is caft;

Look round, vain-glorious Muse, and you whoe'er
Devote yourselves to fame, and think her fair;
Look round, and feek the lights of human race,
Whofe fhining acts Time's brightest annals grace;
Who founded fects; crowns conquer'd, or refign'd;
Gave names to nations; or fam'd empires join'd;
Who rais'd the vale, and laid the mountain low;
And taught obedient rivers where to flow;
Who with vaft fleets, as with a mighty chain,
Could bind the madness of the roaring main :
All loft? all undistinguish'd? no-where found?
How will this truth in Bourbon's palace found?
That hour, on which th' Almighty King on high
From all eternity has fix'd his eye,
Whether his right-hand favour'd, or annoy'd,
Continued, alter'd, threaten'd, or destroy'd;
Southern or eastern fceptre downward hurl'd,
Gave north or weft dominion o'er the world;
The point of time, for which the world was built,
For which the blood of God himself was fpilt,
That dreadful moment is arriv'd-

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Aloft, the feats of blifs their pomp display Brighter than brightness, this diftinguish'd day; Lefs glorious, when of old th' eternal Son From realms of night return'd with trophies won: Through heaven's high gates, when he triumphant rode, And shouting angels hail'd the Victor God.

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Horrors,

Horrors, beneath, darkness in darkness, hell
Of hell, where torments behind torments dwell;
A furnace formidable, deep, and wide,
O'er-boiling with a mad fulphureous tide,
Expands its jaws, moft dreadful to furvey,
And roars outrageous for the deftin'd prey.
The fons of light fcarce unappall'd look down,
And nearer press heaven's everlasting throne.

Such is the scene; and one fhort moment's space
Concludes the hopes and fears of human race.
Proceed who dares !--I tremble as I write;
The whole creation fwims before my fight:
I fee, I fee, the Judge's frowning brow;
Say not, 'tis diftant; I behold it now;
I faint, my tardy blood forgets to flow,
My foul recoils at the ftupendous woe;

That woe, those pangs, which from the guilty breast,
In thefe, or words like thefe, fhall be expreft.

"Who burst the barriers of my peaceful grave ? "Ah! cruel death, that would no longer fave, "But grudg'd me e'en that narrow dark abode, "And caft me out into the wrath of God;

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"Where thrieks, the roaring flaine, the rattling chain, "And all the dreadful eloquence of pain,

"Our only fong; black fire's malignant light, "The fole refreshment of the blafted fight. "Muft all those powers, heaven gave me to supply "My foul with pleasure, and bring-in my joy,

"Rife up in arms against me, join the foe,

Senfe, reafon, memory, increase my woe?

"And fhall my voice, ordain'd on hymns to dwell, "Corrupt to groans, and blow the fires of hell? "Oh! must I look with terror on my gain, "And with existence only measure pain? "What! no reprieve, no least indulgence given, 140 "No beam of hope, from any point of heaven! "Ah Mercy! Mercy! art thou dead above? "Is Love extinguish'd in the Source of Love? "Bold that I am, did heaven stoop down to hell? "Th' expiring Lord of life my ransom seal? "Have I not been industrious to provoke? "From his embraces obftinately broke? “Pursued, and panted for his mortal hate, "Earn'd my destruction, labour'd out my fate? "And dare I on extinguish'd Love exclaim?

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"Take, take full vengeance, rouze the slackening flame; "Juft is my lot-but oh! must it transcend

"The reach of time, despair a distant end? "With dreadful growth shoot forward, and arise, "Where thought can't follow, and bold fancy dies! 155 "NEVER! where falls the foul at that dread found? "Down an abyss how dark, and how profound? "Down, down, (I still am falling, horrid pain!) "Ten thousand thousand fathoms ftill remain ; "My plunge but ftill begun-And this for fin? "Could I offend, if I had never been, "But ftill increas'd the fenfelefs happy mafs, "Flow'd in the ftream, or fhiver'd in the grafs ? "Father of mercies! why from silent earth "Didft thou awake, and curfe me into birth,

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165 << Tear

"Tear me from quiet, ravish me from night, "And make a thankless present of thy light? "Push into being a reverse of Thee,

"And animate a clod with misery?

"The beafts are happy; they come forth, and keep 170 "Short watch on earth, and then lie down to sleep. "Pain is for man; and oh! how vast a pain

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"For crimes, which made the God-head bleed in vain? "Annull'd his groans, as far as in them lay, "And flung his agonies, and death, away? "As our dire punishment for ever strong, "Our conftitution too for ever young. "Curs'd with returns of vigour, ftill the fame "Powerful to bear, and fatisfy the flame : "Still to be caught, and still to be pursued! "To perish ftill, and still to be renew'd!

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"And this, My Help! My God! at thy decree ? "Nature is chang'd, and hell should succour me. "And canft Thou then look down from perfect blifs, "And fee me plunging in the dark abyss? "Calling Thee Father, in a sea of fire? "Or pouring blafphemies at Thy defire?

"With mortals anguish wilt Thou raise Thy name, "And by my pangs omnipotence proclaim?

"Thou, who canft tofs the planets to and fro, « Contract not Thy great vengeance to my woe; "Crush worlds; in hotter flames fall'n angels lay; "On me Almighty wrath is cast away.

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"Call back Thy thunders, Lord, hold-in Thy rage, "Nor with a fpeck of wretchedness engage:

IC

"Forg

"Forget me quite, nor stoop a worm to blame;
"But lofe me in the greatness of Thy name.
"Thou art all Love, all Mercy, all Divine,
"And fhall I make those glories cease to shine?
"Shall finful man grow great by his offence,
"And from its course turn back Omnipotence?
"Forbid it! and oh! grant, Great God, at least
"This one, this flender, almost no request;
"When I have wept a thousand lives away,
"When torment is grown weary of its prey,
“When I have rav'd ten thousand years in fire,
"Ten thousand thousand, let me then expire.”

Deep anguish! but too late; the hopeless foul
Bound to the bottom of the burning pool,
Though loth, and ever loud blafpheming, owns
He's juftly doom'd to pour eternal groans;
Enclos'd with horrors, and transfix'd with pain,
Rolling in vengeance, ftruggling with his chain:
To talk to fiery tempefts; to implore

The raging flame to give its burnings o'er;
To tofs, to writhe, to pant beneath his load,
And bear the weight of an offended GOD.

The favour'd of their Judge in triumph move,
To take poffeffion of their thrones above;
Satan's accurs'd defertion to fupply,

And fill the vacant stations of the sky;
Again to kindle long-extinguifh'd rays,

And with new lights dilate the heavenly blaze;

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