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And various idols through the Heathen world. 375

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Say, Mufe, their names then known, who first, whe Rous'd from the lumber, on that fiery couch, [last, At their great Emp'ror's call, as next in worth Came fingly where he stood on the bare strand, While the promifcuous croud food yet aloof. The chief were those who from the pit of hell, Roaming to feek their prey on earth, durft fix Their feats long after next the feat of God, Their altars by his altar, gods ador'd Among the nations round, and durft abide Jehovah thund'ring out of Sion, thron'd Between the Cherubim; yea, often plac'd Within his fanctuary itself their fhrines, Abominations; and with curfed things His holy rites and folemn feafts profan'd, And with their darkness durft affront his light. First Moloch, horrid king, befmear'd with blood Of human facrifice, and parents tears,

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Though for the noife of drums and timbrels loud Their childrens cries unheard, that pafs'd thro' fire To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite

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Worfhipp'd in Rabba and her wat'ry plain,
In Argob and in Bafan, to the ftream
Of utmost Arnon. Nor content with fuch
Audacious neighbourhood, the wifeft heart
Of Solomon he led by fraud to build
His temple right against the temple' of God
On that opprobrious hill, and made his grove
The pleasant valley' of Hinnom, Tophet thence
And black Gehenna call'd, the type of hell.
Next Chemos, th' obfcene dread of Moab's fons,
From Aroar to Nebo, and the wild
Of fouthmoft Abarim; in Hefebon
And Horonaim, Seon's realm, beyond

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The

The flow'ry dale of Sibma, clad with vines,
And Eleälé, to th' Afphaltic pool..

Peor his other name, when he entic'd

Ifrael in Sittim, on their march from Nile,

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To do him wanton rites, which coft them woe.
Yet thence his luftful orgies he enlarg'd
Ev'n to that hill of fcandal, by the grove
Of Moloch homicide; luft hard by hate;
Till good Jofiah drove them thence to hell.

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With these came they, who from the bord'ring flood Of old Euphrates to the brook that parts

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Egypt from Syrian ground, had general names.
Of Baälim and Afhtaroth; thofe male,

These feminine. For fpirits when they please
Can either fex affume, or both; so soft

And uncompounded is their effence pure;

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Not ty'd or manacled with joint or limb,

Nor founded on the brittle frength of bones,

Like cumbrous flesh; but in what fhape they chufe Dilated or condens'd, bright or obfcure,

Can execute their aery purposes,

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And works of love or enmity fulfil.

For thofe the race of Ifrael oft forfook

Their living Strength, and unfrequented left
His righteous altar, bowing lowly down

To beftial gods; for which their heads as low
Bow'd down in battle, funk before the spear
Of defpicable foes. With thefe in troop
Came Aftoreth, whom the Phoenicians call'd
Aftarte, queen of heav'n, with crefcent horns;
To whole bright image nightly by the moon
Sidonian virgins paid their vows and fongs;
In Sion alfo not unfung, where stood
Her temple on th' offenfive mountain, built
By that uxorious king, whofe heart, tho' large,

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Beguil'd

Beguil'd by fair idolatreffes, fell

To idols foul. Thammuz came next behind,
Whofe annual wound in Lebanon allur'd
The Syrian damfels, to lament his fate
In amorous ditties all a summer's day,

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While fmooth Adonis from his native rock
Ran purple to the fea, fuppos'd with blood

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Of Thammuz yearly wounded: the love tale
Infected Sion's daughters with like heat,
Whose wanton paffions in the facred porch
Ezekiel faw, when, by the vifion led
His eye furvey'd the dark idolatries
Of alienated Judah. Next came one,

Who mourn'd in earneft, when the captive ark
Maim'd his brute image, head and hands lopt off
In his own temple, on the grunfel edge,
Where he fell flat, and fhain'd his worfhippers:
Dagon his name, fea-monster, upward man
And downward fifh: yet had his temple high
Rear'd in Azotus, dreaded through the coaft
Of Palestine, in Gath and Afcalon,
And Accaron and Gaza's frontier bounds.
Him follow'd Rimmon, whofe delightful feat
Was fair Damafcus, on the fertile banks
Of Abbana and Pharphar, lucid ftreams.
He also against the houfe of God was bold:
A leper once he loft, and gain'd a king,
Ahaz, his fottish conqu'ror, whom he drew
God's altar to difparage, and difplace,
For one of Syrian mode, whereon to burn
His odious offerings, and adore the gods
Whom he had vanquish'd. After thefe appear'd
A crew,

who, under names of old renown,

Ofiris, Ifis, Orus, and their train,

With monstrous shapes and forceries abus'd

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Fanatic

Fanatic Egypt, and her priests, to seek

Their wand'ring gods difguis'd in brutish forms
Rather than human. Nor did Ifrael 'scape

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Th' infection, when their borrow'd gold compos'd
The calf in Oreb; and the rebel king
Doubled that fin in Bethel and in Dan,
Likening his Maker, to the grazed ox,
Jehovah; who, in one night, when he pafs'd
From Egypt marching, equall'd with one stroke
Both her firft-born and all her bleating gods.
Belia' came last, than whom a spirit more lewd 490
Fell not from heav'a, or more grofs to love
Vice for itself to him no temple stood
Or altar fmok'd; yet who more oft than he
In temples and at altars, when the priest
Turns atheist, as did Eli's fons, who fill'd
With luft and violence the houfe of God?
In courts and palaces he alfo reigns,
And in luxurious cities, where the noise
Of ri'ot afcends above their loftieft towers,
And injury and outrage: and when night
Darkens the streets, then wander forth the fons
Of Belial, flown with infolence and wine.
Witness the streets of Sodom, and that night
In Gibeah, when the hofpitable door
Expos'd a matron to avoid worse rape.

These were the prime in order and in might ;
The reft were long to tell, though far renown'd,
Th' Ionian gods, of Javan's iffue held

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Gods, yet confefs'd later than Heav'n and Earth,
Their boafted parents: Titan, Heav'n's firft-born, 510
With his enormous brood, and birth-right seiz'd
By younger Saturn; he from mightier Jove,
His own and Rhea's fon, like measure found;
So Jove ufurping reign'd: These first in Crete

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And

And Ida known; thence on the fnowy top
Of cold Olympus rul'd the middle air,
Their highest heav'n; or on the Delphian cliff,
Or in Dodona, and through all the bounds
Of Doric land; or who with Saturn old
Fled over Adria to th' Hefperian fields,
And o'er the Celtic roam'd the utmost ifles.

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All these and more came flocking; but with looks
Down-caft and damp, yet fuch wherein appear'd
Obfcure fome glimpse of joy, to' have found their chief
Not in defpair, to have found themselves not lat 535
In lofs itfelf; which on his count'nance cast
Like doubtful hue: but he his wonted pride
Soon recollecting, with high words, that bore
Semblance of worth, not fubftance, gently rais'd
Their fainting courage, and difpell'd their fears. 530
Then ftrait commands that at the warlike found
Of trumpets loud and clarions be uprear'd
His mighty ftandard: that proud honour claim'd
Azazel as his right, a cherub tall;

Who forthwith from the glittering staff unfurl'd
Th' imperial enfign, which, full high advanc'd,
Shone like a meteor ftreaming to the wind,
With gems and golden luftre rich imblaz'd,
Seraphic arms and trophies; all the while
Sonorous metal blowing martial founds:
At which the univerfal hoft up fent

A fhout, that tore Hell's concave, and beyond
Frighted the reign of Chaos and old Night.
All in a moment through the gloom were feen
Ten thousand banners rife into the air
With orient colours waving: with them rofe
A forest huge of spears; and thronging helms
Appear'd, and ferried fhields in thick array,
Of depth unmeafurable: anon they move

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