The country all around

Did with the cries of tortur'd cattle found;
About the fields enrag'd they flew,

And wish'd the plague that was t' enfue.

From poisonous stars a mortal influence came
The mingled malice of their flame);

A fkilful angel did th' ingredients take,
And with just hands the fad composure make,
And over all the land did the full vial fhake.
Thirft, giddinefs, faintnefs, and putrid heats,

And pining pains, and fhivering fweats,
On all the cattle, all the beafts, did fall;
With deform'd death the country's cover'd all.
The labouring ox drops down before the plow;
The crowned victims to the altar led

Sink, and prevent the lifted blow :

The generous horse from the full manger turns his head,
Does his lov'd floods and paftures fcorn,

Hates the fhrill trumpet and the horn,
Nor can his lifeless noftril please

With the once-ravifhing fmell of all his dappled miftreffes:
The ftarving fheep refuse to feed,

They bleat their innocent fouls out into air i
The faithful dogs lie gasping by them there;

[reed.

Th' aftonish'd fhepherd weeps, and breaks his tuneful

Thus did the beafts for man's rebellion die;

God did on man a gentler medicine try,

And a Disease, for Phyfio, did apply.

Warm

Warm afhes from the furnace Mofes took ;
The forcerers did with wonder on him look,
And smil'd at th' unaccustom'd spell,
Which no Egyptian rituals tell :

He flings the pregnant afhes through the air,
And fpeaks a mighty prayer;

Both which the ministering winds around all Egypt bear.
As gentle western blasts with downy wings,

Hatching the tender springs,

To th' unborn buds with vital whispers fay,, "Ye living buds, why do ye ftay?"

The paffionate buds. break through the bark their way So, wherefoe'er this tainted wind but blew,

Swelling pains and ulcers grew;

It from the body call'd all fleeping poisons out,,
And to them added new ;,

A noisome spring of fores, as thick as leaves, did sprout.

Heaven itself is angry next ;.

(Woe to man, when Heaven is vext!)
With fullen brow it frown'd,

And murmur'd first in an imperfect found:
Till Mofes, lifting up his hand,.
Waves the expected signal of his wand;

And all the full-charg'd clouds in ranged fquadrons

move,

And fill the fpacious plains above;

Through which the rolling thunder first does play,
And opens wide the tempeft's noify way.

And

And strait a ftony shower

Of monftrous Hail does downwards pour,
Such as ne'er winter yet brought forth,
From all her stormy magazines of the north.
It all the beasts and men abroad did slay,
O'er the defaced corpfe, like monuments, lay;
The houses and strong-body'd trees it broke,

Nor afk'd aid from the thunder's ftroke;
The thunder but for terror through it flew,
The hail alone the work could do.
The difmal lightnings all around,

Some flying through the air, fome running on the ground,
Some fwimming o'er the water's face,

Fill'd with bright horror every place :

One would have thought, their dreadful day to have seen, The very hail, and rain itself, had kindled been.

The infant

corn, which yet did scarce appear,

Escap'd this general massacre

Of every thing that grew,

And the well-ftor'd Egyptian year

Began to cloathe her fields and trees anew.

[blew,

When lo! a fcorching wind from the burnt countries

And endless legions with it drew
Of greedy Locufts; who, where'er
With founding wings they flew,
Left all the earth depopulate and bare,
As if Winter itself had march'd by there.
Whate'er the Sun and Nile

Gave with large bounty to the thankful soil,

The

The wretched pillagers bore away,

- And the whole Summer was their prey ; Till Mofes with a prayer

Breath'd forth a violent western wind, Which all these living clouds did headlong bear (No ftragglers left behind)

Into the purple fea, and there bestow

On the luxurious fish a feaft they ne'er did know.
With untaught joy Pharaoh the news does hear,

And little thinks their fate attends on him and his fo

near.

What blindness or what darkness did there e'er

Like this undocile king's appear!

What, e'er, but that which now does reprefent
And paint the crime out in the punishment?
From the deep baleful caves of hell below,
Where the old mother Night does grow→
Substantial Night, that does disclaim
Privation's empty name-

Through fecret conduits monftrous shapes arose,
Such as the fun's whole force could not oppose:

They with a folid cloud

All heaven's eclipsed face did shroud; Seem'd, with large wings fpread o'er the fea and earth, To brood up a new Chaos's deformed birth.

And every lamp, and every fire,

Did at the dreadful fight wink and expire,

To th' Empyrean fource all streams of light feem'd to

retire.

The

The living men were in their standing-houses buried;;

But the long Night no flumber knows,

But the short Death finds no repose !

Ten thousand terrors through the darkness fled,.
And gholts complain'd, and spirits murmured';
And Fancy's multiplying fight
View'd all the scenes invisible of Night..

Of God's dreadful anger thefe

Were but the first light fkirmishes ;
The shock and bloody battle now begins,
The plenteous harvest of full-ripen'à fins.
It was the time when the still moon
Was mounted foftly to her noon,

And dewy Sleep, which from Night's secret springs arose,
Gently as Nile the land o'erflows.
When lo! from the high countries of refined day,
The golden heaven without allay—
Whofe drofs, in the creation purg'd'away,
Made up the fun's adulterate ray-

Michael, the warlike prince, does downwards fly,
Swift as the journies of the fight,

Swift as the race of light,

And with his winged will cuts through the yielding

íky.

He pafs'd through many a star, and, as he past,
Shone (like a star in them) more brightly there

Than they did in their sphere.

On a tall pyramid's pointed head he stopp'd at last,
And a mild look of facred pity cast

Down