Of alabaster, topt with golden spires:

There, on the highest pinnacle, he set

The Son of God; and added thus in scorn:

"There stand, if thou wilt stand; to stand upright "Will ask thee skill: I to thy Father's house

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"Have brought thee, and highest placed;-highest is best ;—
"Now show thy progeny; if not to stand,
"Cast thyself down; safely, if Son of God:
"For it is written, 'He will give command
"Concerning thee to his angels: in their hands
66 They shall uplift thee, lest at any time
"Thou chance to dash thy foot against a stone.
To whom thus Jesus: "Also it is written,
"Tempt not the Lord thy God.'" He said, and stood:
But Satan, smitten with amazement, fell.
As when Earth's son, Antæus, (to compare
Small things with greatest,) in Irassa strove
With Jove's Alcides, and, oft foiled, still rose,
Receiving from his mother Earth new strength,
Fresh from his fall, and fiercer grapple joined,
Throttled at length in the air, expired and fell:
So, after many a foil, the Tempter proud,
Renewing fresh assaults, amidst his pride,
Fell whence he stood to see his victor fall.
And as that Theban monster, that proposed
Her riddle, and him who solved it not devoured;
That once found out and solved, for grief and spite
Cast herself headlong from the Ismenian steep:
So, struck with dread and anguish, fell the Fiend;
And to his crew, that sat consulting, brought-
Joyless triumphals of his hoped success—
Ruin, and desperation, and dismay,

Who durst so proudly tempt the Son of God.
So Satan fell ;- and straight a fiery globe
Of angels on full sail of wing flew nigh,
Who on their plumy vans received him soft
From his uneasy station, and upbore,

As on a floating couch, through the blithe air :
Then, in a flowery valley, set him down

On a green bank, and set before him spread

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A table of celestial food, divine
Ambrosial fruits, fetched from the tree of life,
And, from the fount of life, ambrosial drink,
That soon refreshed him wearied, and repaired
What hunger, if aught hunger, had impaired,
Or thirst; and, as he fed, angelic quires
Sung heavenly anthems of his victory
Over temptation and the Tempter proud:

"True image of the Father; whether throned "In the bosom of bliss, and light of light

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Conceiving; or, remote from Heaven, enshrined "In fleshly tabernacle, and human form,

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Wandering the wilderness ;—whatever place, "Habit, or state, or motion,-still expressing "The Son of God, with godlike force endued Against the attempter of thy Father's throne, "And thief of Paradise! Him long of old "Thou didst debel, and down from Heaven cast "With all his army: now thou hast avenged

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Supplanted Adam, and, by vanquishing

'Temptation, hast regained lost Paradise, "And frustrated the conquest fraudulent. "He never more henceforth will dare set foot "In Paradise to tempt; his snares are broke: "For though that seat of earthly bliss be failed, "A fairer Paradise is founded now

"For Adam and his chosen sons, whom thou,

"A Saviour, art come down to reinstall

"Where they shall dwell secure, when time shall be,

"Of Tempter and temptation without fear.

"But thou, infernal serpent! shalt not long

"Rule in the clouds; like an autumnal star,

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"Or lightning, thou shalt fall from Heaven, trod down 620 "Under his feet: for proof, ere this thou feelst

"Thy wound-yet not thy last and deadliest wound

66 By this repulse received, and holdst in Hell "No triumph in all her gates Abaddon rues

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:

Thy bold attempt. Hereafter learn with awe "To dread the Son of God: he, all unarmed, "Shall chase thee, with the terror of his voice,

"From thy demoniac holds,-possession foul,-
"Thee and thy legions; yelling they shall fly,
"And beg to hide them in a herd of swine,
"Lest he command them down into the deep,
"Bound, and to torment sent before their time.-
"Hail, Son of the Most High! heir of both worlds!

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Queller of Satan! On thy glorious work "Now enter; and begin to save mankind!"

Thus they the Son of God, our Saviour meek, Sung victor, and, from heavenly feast refreshed, Brought on his way with joy: he, unobserved, Home to his mother's house private returned.

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SAMSON AGONISTES.,

A DRAMATIC POEM.

SAMSON made captive, blind, and now in the prison of Gaza, there to labour as in a common workhouse, on a festival day, in the general cessation from labour, comes forth into the open air, to a place nigh, somewhat retired, there to sit a while and bemoan his condition: where he happens at length to be visited by certain friends and equals of his tribe, which make the Chorus, who seek to comfort him what they can; then by his old father, Manoah, who endeavours the like, and withal tells him his purpose to procure his liberty by ransom; lastly, that this feast was proclaimed by the Philistines as a day of thanksgiving for their deliverance from the hands of Samson, which yet more troubles him. Manoah then departs to prosecute his endeavour with the Philistian lords for Samson's redemption; who in the meanwhile is visited by other persons; and lastly, by a public officer to require his coming to the feast before the lords and people, to play or show his strength in their presence: he at first refuses, dismissing the public officer with absolute denial to come; at length, persuaded inwardly that this was from God, he yields to go along with him, who came now the second time with great threatenings to fetch him: the Chorus yet remaining on the place. Manoah returns full of joyful hope, to procure ere long his son's deliverance, in the midst of which discourse an Hebrew comes in haste, confusedly at first, and afterward more distinctly relating the catastrophe, what Samson had done to the Philistines, and by accident to himself wherewith the tragedy ends.