Verùm age, flecte oculos, feenæque adverte recenti.
Continuò immensâ ditione patentia regna
Afpectat; celebrefque urbes, commiftaque rura,
Eductas cœlo turres, portafque fuperbas;
Concurfufque feros, faciefque horrenda minatas
Bella; giganteæ prolis magna offa, animosque
Audentes. Pars tela vibrant; pars effera frænis
Ora premunt fpumantis equi: mora nulla, ruentes
Hinc equites peditesque, aut concurrêre viro vir
Cominus, aut denfas acie explicuere cohortes,
Haud bello ignavas. Aft hinc delecta virorum
Agmina de pratis armenta recentibus arcent
Bucera, præftantes tauros, nitidasque juvencas;
Lanigerumque pecus, querulos cum matribus agnos.
Cuftodes fugere, animâ trepidante, cientque
Auxilia attoniti: pugna inde cruenta; feroces
Confligunt fævo inter fe certamine turmæ :
Quà paftæ nuper pecudes, nunc fquallida tabo
By wisdom and fuperior gifts receiv'd.
But now prepare thee for another scene.
He look'd, and faw wide territory spread
Before him, towns, and rural works between:
Cities of men, with lofty gates and tow'rs;
Concourfe in arms; fierce faces threat'ning wars;
Giants of mighty bone, and bold emprise.
Part wield their arms; part curb the foaming steed;
Single, or in array of battle rang'd,
Both horfe and foot; nor idly muft'ring flood:
One way, a band felect from forage drives
A herd of beeves, fair oxen and fair kine,
From a fat meadow-ground; or fleecy flock,
Ewes and their bleating lambs, over the plain,
Their booty scarce with life the fhepherds fly;
But call in aid; which makes a bloody fray.
With cruel tournament the squadrons join!
Where cattle pastur'd late, now scatter'd lies
Horret ubique armis multoque cadavere tellus,
Heu latè deferta. Arcem obfidione fuperbam
Circumdant alii in caftris, atque ariete crebo
Oppugnant, fcalifque petunt, tacitifve fodinis.
Missilibusque alii telis se mœnibus altis
Defendunt, lapidefque & flammea fulphura jactant;
Hinc atque hinc diræ cædes, & gefta gigantum.
Concilium ex aliâ Præcones parte ciebant
Sceptrigeri in portis, urbisque in limine primo:
Huc venere fenes, confperfi tempora canis ;
Huc bellatores validi coiere; feruntur
Sermones varii: fubitò cum exorta tumultu
Seditio. Vir deinde gravis fefe extulit, ævi
Jam medium emenfus fpatium; qui multa locutus
Fafque nefafque fuper, fuper æqui examine multa,
Pace, fideque, Dei cultu, fummique tremendo
Judicis arbitrio. Simul hunc juvenesque senesque
Rifere; & cæfum laniâffent acribus iris,
With carcaffes and arms, th' infanguin'd field,
Deferted. Others to a city ftrong
Affemble; and harangues are heard: but foon
In factious oppofition; till at last,
Lay nege, incamp'd; by batt'ry, scale and mine, Of middle age one rifing, eminent
Affaulting: others from the wall defend
With dart and jav'lin, ftones, and fulph'rous fire;
On each hand flaughter and gigantic deeds.
In other part the fceptred heralds call
To council, in the city gates; anon
Gray-headed men and grave, with warriors mix'd,
In wife deport, fpake much of right and wrong,
Of juftice, of religion, truth and peace,
And judgment from above: him old and young
Exploded, and had feiz'd with violent hands;
Had not a cloud defcending snatch'd him thence,
Nocte
Sic rabidus furor, & gladii vis dura minacis
Incubuere arvis; nec fpes erat ulla falutis.
Talia profpiciens multùm lacrimabat Adamus, Affatufque ducem, questuque & tristibus infit Lamentis: ah! quæ ifta cohors? Hadisne ministri? Non homines certè; fraternâ cæde rubentis
Crimina qui toties iterant, & funera latè
Funeribus cumulant: adeò fratrem undique frater,
Leto hominem dat homo. Sed quis pius ille, periclis
Quem Deus eripuit, natis pietate periclis?
Dux iterum fic orfa refert: Hæc edita proles
Imparibus, tibi nuper erat quæ cernere, vinclis
Connubii; quà juncta Piis ita fœdere lævo
Impia gens, penitus ftudiis atque indole difcors;
Hinc animis orti immanes, hinc corpore partus.
Unseen amid the throng. So violence
Proceeded, and oppreffion, and sword-law,
Through all the plain, and refuge none was found.
Adam was all in tears, and to his guide
Lamenting turn'd full fad: O! what are these?
Death's minifters, not men! who thus deal death
Inhumanly to men: and multiply
Ten thoufand-fold the fin of him who flew
His brother: for of whom fuch maffacre
Make they, but of their brethren; men of men?
But who was that just man, whom had not heav'n
Refcu'd, had in his righteousness been loft?
To whom thus Michael: These are the product
Of thofe ill-mated marriages thou faw'ft;
Where good with bad were match'd; who of
themselves
Abhor to join and by imprudence mix'd,
Produce prodigious births of body or mind.
Such were these giants; men of high renown:
For in thofe days might only fhall be admir'd;
Talia confpecti nuper portenta gigantes,
Sic famâ memorati: illis nam fola cluebit
Temporibus rabies violens, mentita colorem
Virtutis: bellis domitare ferocibus, urbes
Obruere, ac populos paffim, fpolia ampla referre
Cædem inter ftragemque immanem, ea summa feretur
Gloria; magnificis patriâ plaudente triumphis,
Victores latè incedent, gentifque patroni
Humanæ, divi, divûmque invicta propago;
Ah! vaftatores potiùs, peftefque vocandi.
Is terris clarefcet honos: digniffima famâ
Quæ fuerint, premet obfcuris nox dira tenebris.
Ille autem, lucis de te qui feptimus oras
Inviset, quem folum inter tot millia juftum
Agmina vidisti; furiisque hoftilibus actum,
Auderet quoniam turbâ colere unus in omni
Justitiam, et vera in mediis malè grata profari,
"Ut Deus in terras quondam defcenderit ultor,
And valor, and heroic virtue, call'd:
To overcome in battel, and fubdue
Nations, and bring home spoils with infinite
Man-flaughter, fhall be held the highest pitch
Of human glory; and for glory done
Of triumph, to be ftyl'd great conquerors,
Patrons of mankind, Gods, and fons of Gods:
Deftroyers rightlier call'd, and plagues of men.
Thus fame fhall be atchiev'd, renown on earth;
And what most merits fame, in filence hid.
But he, the seventh from thee,whom thou beheldst
The only righteous in a world perverse,
And therefore hated, therefore so befet
With foes, for daring fingle to be juft,
And utter odious truth, that God would come
To judge them with his faints: him the most High
Stipatus latè divis:" Illum omnipotens Rex,
Ambrofiâ raptum in nebulâ fuper aftra quadrigis
Aligeris, cœlo, te confpiciente, recepit:
Scilicet ut major fato, immunifque fepulcri,
Regna voluptatis liquidæ fanctæque falutis
Incolat, & propiora Dei confortia jactet.
Vidifti quæ dona piis: quæ fontibus iræ
Immineant, en ifta tibi fpectacula pandent.
Refpexit; rerumque oculis nova forma patebat :
Clangore horrifono cefsârat ahenea belli
Vox furere; inque vicem ludi & fubiere lepores,
Luxus, fefta, chori, fremitus: connubia miscent
Præcipites, proftrant-ve, ut fert furiosa libido;
At neque adulteriis parcunt dirifque rapinis,
Quà fòrs cunque trahit confpectæ gratia formæ:
Crebrescunt cyathi, & civilia prælia fervent.
Ingreditur tandem Senior pietate verendus ;
Acribus objurgat dictis; & voce feverâ
Rap'd in a balmy cloud with winged fteeds,
Did, as thou faw'ft, receive; to walk with God
High in falvation, and the climes of blifs,
Exempt from death: to fhew thee what reward
Awaits the good; the reft what punishment:
Which, now direct thine eyes, and foon behold.
He look'd, and faw the face of things quite
chang'd:
The brazen throat of war had ceas'd to roar;
All now was turn'd to jollity and game,
To luxury and riot, feast and dance;
Marrying, or prostituting, as befel,
Rape or adultery, where paffing fair
Allur'd them thence from cups to civil broils.
At length a reverend Sire among them came,
And of their doings great dislike declar'd,
And teftify'd against their ways: he oft
Frequented their affemblies, whereso met,
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