Wo to man when Heav'n is vex'd;

It from the body call'd all fleeping poisons out,

And to them added new ;

A noifome fpring of fores as thick as leaves did sprout.

XI.

Heav'n itfelf is angry next;

With fullen brow it frown'd,

190

And murmur'd first in an imperfect found;

'Till Mofes, lifting up his hand,

Waves the expected signal of his wand,

195

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

And fill the fpacious plains above;

[move,

Thro' which the rolling thunder first does play,
And opens wide the tempeft's noisy way:

And straight a ftony shower

200

Of monftrous hail does downwards pour,
Such as ne'er Winter yet brought forth,

From all her ftormy magazines of the North:
It all the beafts and men abroad did flay,

O'er the defaced corpfe, like monuments, lay; 205
The houses and firong-body'd trees it broke,

Nor afk'd aid from the thunder's ftroke:

The thunder but for terrour thro' it flew,

The hail alone the work could do.

The difmal lightnings all around,

210

Some flying thro' the air, fome running on the ground,

Some fwimming o'er the waters' face,

Fill'd with bright horrour every place;

One would have thought their dreadful day to have

feen,

The very hail and rain itself had kindled been. 215

XII

The infant corn, which yet did scarce appear,

Efcap'd this general maffacre

Of every thing that grew,

And the well-ftor'd Egyptian year

Began to clothe her fields and trees anew;

220

When lo! a fcorching wind from the burnt countries

And endless legions with it drew

Of greedy locufts, who, where'er

[blew,

With founding wings they flew,

Left all the earth depopulate and bare,
As if Winter itself had march'd by there,

225

Whate'er the Sun and Nile

Gave with large bounty to the thankful foil,
The wretched pillagers bore away,

And the whole Summer was their prey;

230

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

235

On the luxurious fish a feast 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.

XIII.

What blindness or what darkness did there e'er
Like this undocile king's appear?

Whate'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,
Subftantial Night, that does difclaim

Privation's empty name,

Thro' fecret conduits monftrous fhapes arofe,
Such as the fun's whole force could not oppofe ;
They with a folid cloud

All heav'n's eclipfed face did shroud;

240

245

250

Seem'd with large wingsspread o'er the sea and earth,

To brood up a new Chaos his deformed birth ;
And every lamp, and every fire,

Did, at the dreadful fight, wink and expire,

To th' empyrean fource all ftreams of light feem'd to

retire.

255

The living men were in their standing houses buried; But the long night no flumber knows,

But the fhort death finds no repose.

Ten thoufand terrours thro' the darkness fled,

And ghosts complain'd, and spirits murmured, 26

And fancies multiplying fight

View'd all the scenes invifible of night.

XIV.

Of God's dreadful anger thefe

Were but the first light skirmishes;

The fhock and bloody battle now begins,
The plenteous harveft of full-ripen'd fins.
It was the time when the still moon

Was mounted foftly to her noon,

265

And dewy fleep, which from Night's fecret fprings Gently as Nile the land o'erflows;

[arofe,

When, lo! from the high countries of refined day, 271 The golden heaven without allay,

Whose drofs, in the creation purg'd away,

Made up the fun's adulterate ray,

Michael, the warlike prince, does downwards fly 275 Swift as the journies of the fight,

Swift as the race of Light,

And with his winged will cuts thro' the yielding fky;
He pafs'd thro' many a flar, and as he pass'd
Shone,(like a ftar in them) more brightly there 280
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 caft

Down on the finful land where he was fent

T'inflict the tardy punishment.

285

"Ah! yet," faid he, " yet, stubborn King! repent,

"Whilft thus unarm'd I ftand,

"Ere the keen fword of God fill my commanded

"Suffer but yet thy felf and thine to live;

[hand;

"Who would, alas! believe

290

"That it for man, faid he,

"So hard to be forgiv'n fhould be,
"And yet for God fo cafy to forgive!"

XV.

He spoke, and downwards flew,

And o'er his shining form a well-cut cloud he threw, Made of the blackest fleece of night,

296

And clofe-wrought to keep in the pow`rful light;
Yet wrought fo fine it hinder'd not his flight,

But thro' the keyholes and the chinks of doors,
And thro' the narroweft walks of crooked pores, 300
He pafs'd more swift and free

Than in wide air the wanton fwallows flee:

He took a pointed peftilence in his hand,
The fpirits of thousand mortal poisons made
The ftrongly-temper'd blade,

The fharpeft fword that e'er was laid

305

Upin the magazines of God to fcourge a wicked land;
Thro' Egypt's wicked land his march he took,

And as he march'd the facred first-born strook
Of every womb; none did he fpare;

310

None, from the meanest beast to Cenchre's purple

XVI.

The swift approach of endless night

Breaks ope the wounded fleepers' rolling eyes;

They awake the reft with dying cries,

And darkness doubles the affright.

{heir.

The mixed founds of scatter'd deaths they hear,
And lofe their parted fouls 't wixt grief and fear.
Louder than all the fhrieking women's voice
Pierces this chaos of confused noife;

315