Midnight spectres round him howl:

Before his eyes

In troops they rise;

And feas of horror overwhelm his foul.

Hafte! to Jeffe's fon repair;
He best can sweep the lyre,
Wake the folemn-founding air,

And lead the vocal choir :

On every string foft-breathing faptures dwell,
To foothe the throbbings of the troubled breaft ;
Whofe magick voice can bid the tides of paffion fwell,
• Or lull the raging storm to reft.'

Sunk on his couch, and loathing day,
The heaven-forfaken monarch lay:

To the fad couch the fhepherd now drew near;
And, while th' obedient choir flood round,
Prepar'd to catch the foul-commanding found,
He dropp'd a generous tear.

Thy pitying aid, O God, impart!

For lo, thy poison'd arrows drink his heart!'

The mighty fong from Chaos rose : Around his throne the formless atoms fleep, And drowzy darkness broods upon the deep.→→→ • Confufion, wake!

Bid the realms of Chaos fhake!

• Rouze him from his dread repofe !' Hark! loud Discord breaks her chain":

The hoftile atoms clash with deaf'ning roar ;

Her hoarfe voice thunders thro' the drear domain,

And kindles every element to war

"Tumult cease!

"Sink to peace!to!

Let there be light!"th' Almighty faid :

• And

،

And lo, the radiant fun,
Flaming from his orient bed,

His endless courfe begun!

See, the twinkling Pleïads rife:

Thy ftar, Orion, reddens in the skies;

. While flow around the northern plain,
• Arcturus wheels his nightly wane.',

Thy glories, too, refulgent moon, he fung;
Thy myftick mazes, and thy changeful ray:
O, fairest of the ftarry throng!

• Thy folemn orb of light

• Guides the triumphant car of Night ⚫ O'er filver clouds, and sheds a fofter day!

Ye planets, and each circling constellation,
In fongs harmonious tell your generation!
Oh! while yon radiant feraph turns the spheres,
And on the stedfaft pole-star stands fublime ;
• Wheel your rounds.c

To heavenly founds,

And foothe his fong-enchanted ears • With your celeftial chime.'

In dumb furprize the lift'ning monarch lay ;'
(His woe fufpended by fweet Mufick's (way ;)
And awe-ftruck, with uplifted eye,

Mus'd on the new-born wonders of the fky.

• Lead the foothing verfe along;

He feels, he feels the power of fong!

• Ocean haftens to his bed;

< The lab'ring mountain rears his rock-encumber'd head: Down his fteep and fhaggy fide,

The torrent rolls his thundering tide;

Then smooth and clear, along the fertile plain • Winds his majestick waters to the distant main. 6 Flocks and herds the hills adorn ;

The lark, high foaring, hails the morn.
And while along yon crim fon-clouded fteep
The flow fun steals into the golden deep,
• Hark! the folemn nightingale

Warbles to the woodland dale.

See, defcending angels fhower

< Heaven's own blifs on Eden's bower:
• Peace on Nature's lap repofes;
Pleasure ftrews her guiltless rofes;
Joys divine in circles move,

Link'd with Innocence and Love.

Hail, happy Love, with Innocence combin❜d!
All hail, ye finless parents of mankind !?

They paus'd:the monarch, proftrate on his bed,
Submiffive, bow'd his head; luc

Ador'd the works of boundless power Divine:

Then, anguish-ftruck, he cry'd, (and Imote his breast)

Why, why is Peace the welcome guest

• Of ev'ry heart but mine 42

Now let the folemn numbers flow,

• Till he feel that guilt is woebe'n

Heavenly harp, in mournful ftrain,

O'er yon weeping bower complain:-
• What founds of bitter pangs I hear!
• What lamentations wound mine ear!

In vain, devoted pair, thefe tears ye fhed;
• Peace with Innocence is fed:

The meffengers of Grace depart

• Death glares, and fhakes the dreadful dart !--

Ah, whither fly ye, by yourfelves' abhorr'd,"

To fhun that frowning cherub's fiery fword!-

• Lo!

• Lo!

Haplefs, hapless pair,

Goaded by despair,

Forlorn, thro' defart climes they go!

• Wake, my lyre! can Pity fleep,

When Heaven is mov'd, and angels weep!

Flow, ye melting numbers, flow;

• Till he feel that guilt is woe.'

The king, with pride, and shame, and anguish torn,
Shot fury from his eyes, and fcorn.
The glowing youth,

Bold in truth,

(So ftill fhould virtue guilty power engage)
With brow undaunted met his rage.
See, his cheek kindles into generous fire!
Stern, he bends him o'er his lyre;
And, while the doom of guilt he fings,
Shakes horror from the tortur'd strings.

• What founds of terror and distress

• Rend yon howling wilderness !

The dreadful thunders found!

The forked lightnings flash along the ground!

6

Why yawns that deep'ning gulph below?
Tis for Heaven's rebellious foe!-

Fly, ye fons of Ifrael, flys

• Who dwells in Korah's guilty tents must die !

• They fink!-Have mercy, Lord!-Their cries
In dreadful tumult rife!

• Hark! from the deep their loud laments I hear!
They leffen now, and leffen on the ear!

Now, deftruction's ftrife is o'er!

• The countless hoft

For ever loft!

The gulph is clos'd!—Their cries are heard no more!—

• But

But oh, my lyre! what accents can relate
Sinful man's appointed fate!-

He comes, he comes! th' avenging God! • Clouds and darkness round him roll...

Tremble, earth! ye mountains, nod!

He bows the skies, and shakes the pole.
The gloomy banners of his wrath unfurl'd,
He calls the floods, to drown a guilty world.-.
"Ruin, lift thy baleful head;

"Rouze the guilty world from fleep;

"Lead up thy billows from their cavern'd bed,
"And burst the rocks that chain thee in the deep!"

Now, th' impetuous torrents rife
The hoarfe-afcending deluge roars:
Down rush the cataracts from the skies;
The fwelling waves o'erwhelm the fhores.-
Juft, O God, is thy decree!.

• Shall guilty man contend with thee!
Lo, Hate and Envy, fea-entomb'd,

And Rage with Luft in ruin fleep beno
And fcoffing Luxury is doom'd

To glut the vaft and ravenous deep!

In vain from Fate th' aftonifh'd remnant flies:
Shrink, ye rocks! Ye oceans, rife!"-
The tottering cliffs no more the floods controul;
Sea, following fea, ingulphs the ball:
O'er the funk hills the wat'ry mountains roll,
And wide Destruction fwallows all.-

< Now fiercer let th' empaffion'd numbers glow:
Swell the fong, ye mighty choir !

Wing your dreadful darts with fire!

Hear me, monarch!-Guilt is woe!"

Thus while the frowning fhepherd pour'd along.
The deep impetuous torrent of his fong;

Saul,