Officia intulerit: munus fublime Moyfes
Jam præftat, dux præmiffus, Majoris imago;
Cujus & ipfe diem narrabit, & ordine longo
Læta canent varii Meffiæ tempora vates.

At poftquam fixæ leges, ritufque facrati,
Deinde fuos Pater eximio complexus amore,
Ipfe fuper terris tentoria ponere fancta

Dignatur, celebratque hominum Deus incola fedes.
Hujus ad imperium fingunt facraria cedro

Clara, auroque adoperta: Arcam fimul intus; in arcâ
Fœderis æterni faftos: Pietatis amicæ

Incumbunt adyta ex auro; geminique Cherubes
Advigilant, dextrâ fedem lævâque foventes.

Quin coram ardefcunt feptenæ lampades, orbis
Signiferi formâ, referentes fidera cœli.

Velabit labente die tentoria Nubes,

Nocte, Jubar rutilum; ni, caftra ubi moverit agmen.
Numinis aufpiciis demùm felicibus arva

Without Mediator, whofe high officenow
Mofes in figure bears; to introduce
One greater, of whofe day he shall foretel,
And all the prophets, in their age, the times
Of great Meffiah fhall fing. Thus laws and rites.
Establish'd, fuch delight hath God in men
Obedient to his will, that he vouchsafes
Among them to fet up his tabernacle;
The holy One with mortal men to dwell.

By his prefcript a fanctuary is fram'd
Of cedar, overlaid with gold; therein
An aik, and in the ark his teftimony,
The records of his covenant: over these
A mercy-feat of gold, between the wings.
Of two bright Cherubim: before him burn
Seven lamps, as in a zodiac representing
The heav'nly fires: over the tent a cloud
Shall reft by day, a fiery gleam by night;

Abramo

Abramo promiffa ineunt, fobolique futuræ.

Longa referre mora eft, quot bella horrenda per orbem,
Quot latè domiti reges, populique subacti;

Utque diem totum medio æthere conftiterit fol

Voce jubente Hominis, noctifque recefferit hora :
"Sol, fifte ad Gibeona, in vallibus Ajalonis
Luna, tuos cohibe greffus, dum victor ovârit
"Ifrael:" fic dictus erit, qui lucis in oras
Tertius æthereas Abramo ab principe furget,
Ifacides: omnis quem nomine reddet avito
Progenies, fibi quæ Cananæos vindicet agros.
Lætior hæc paucis demum interfatur Adamus :
O cœlo demiffe, animum qui luce ferenâ
Perfundis, placidâ evolvens gratiffima voce;
Præcipuè, fidum Abramum semenque beatum
Quæ fpectant: jamprimùm acies mihi lumine certo
Clarefcunt; pacemque refert mens, anxia dudum

Save when they journey: and at length they come,
Conducted by his Angel, to the land
Promis'd to Abraham, and his feed-The reft
Were long to tell; how many battles fought;
How many kings destroy'd; and kingdoms won;
Or how the fun fhall in mid-heav'n stand ftill
A day entire, and night's due course adjourn,
Man's voice commanding, "Sun! in Gibeon ftand,
"And thou Moon in the vale of Ajalon,
""Till Ifrael overcome:" fo call the third

VOL. II.

From Abraham, fon of Ifaac; and from him
His whole defcent, who thus fhall Canaan win.
Here Adam interpos'd: O fent from heav'n,
Inlightner of my darknefs! gracious things
Thou haft reveal'd; thofe chiefly, which concern
Juft Abraham, and his feed: now first I find
Mine eyes true op'ning, and my heart much eas'd;
E'erwhile perplex'd with thoughts, what would

become

Of me, and all mankind: but now I fee

Explorans, qui me eventus fobolemque manerent.
Nunc luftrare diem datur Illius, ubere rivo
Perpetua in cunctas qui effundet gaudia gentes.
O malè me dignum hoc dono, quem turpia in aufa
Impulerat frugum vetitarum infana cupido!
Pande tamen, quianam populo, quêis inferat ultro
Se comitem Omnipotens, variâ tot imagine leges
Impofitæ: variæ leges tot crimina monftrant:
His Deus intererit præfens? Cui deinde Michàal :
His certè, quia te genitis, dominabitur audax
Impietas: ideò data lex, nativa animorum
Ut vitia arguerit, pugnante libidine legi.
Hinc ubi jam legem experti fint crimina tantùm
In lucem proferre palam, non demere posse,
Nempe boum oblato aut caprearum fanguine solo;
Agnofcent meritò, magis his pretiofa cruoris
Dona Deo, temeratâ hominum pro ftirpe, ferenda;
Infontem pro fonte animam: ut meritisque alienis

His day, in whom all nations shall be bleft:
Favour un-merited by me, who fought
Forbidden knowledge by forbidden means.
Yet this I apprehend not, why to those,

Will reign among them, as of thee begot:
And therefore was law given them, to evince
Their natural pravity, by stirring up
Sin against law to fight: that when they fee

Among whom God will deign to dwell on earth, Law can discover fin, but not remove,

So many and fo various laws are giv'n:

So many laws argue fo many fins

Among them: how can God with fuch refide?

To whom thus Michael: Doubt not but that fin

Save by thofe fhadowy expiations weak,
The blood of bulls and goats, they may conclude
Some blood more precious must be paid for man;
Juft for unjuft: that in fuch righteousness

Innixi,

Innixi, vivâque fide, veterem inde favorem
Numinis, & puram revocent fibi pectore pacem.
Hanc pacem haud præftant ritus; mandataque nescit
Perficere imbecillus homo; dehinc morte piandum eft.
Lex adeò imperfecta patet; data, dignius olim
Duxerit ut fœdus, poftquam fe temporis ordo
Debitus explêrit. Veri tum fplendor opacas
Excipiet rerum species, carnique fubibit
Spiritus; accedet liberrima gratia, vinclis
Pro rigidis; pro fervili formidine, læta
Natorum in patrem pietas; pro legis acerbis
Officiis, generofa animi monumenta fidelis.
Ergo, minifterium cui lex dat fola, Moyfes,
Hunc quanquam caro egregiè Deus æquus amore
Foverit, haud populos Cananæis inferet oris:
At Jofuas, gentes inter memoratus Iefu,
Ipfius & nomenque ferens munufque, colubri
Hoftilem qui vim franget, falebrofaque mundi

And therefore fhall not Mofes, though of God
Highly belov'd, being but the minister

Of law, his people into Canaan lead;

But Joshua; whom the Gentiles Jefus call;

His name and office bearing, who shall quell

From fhadowy types to truth; from flesh to fpirit; The adverfary-ferpent; and bring back

Per deferta hominem longis erroribus actum
Sancta remittet in otia, & æternam Paradifum.
Terreftrem interea Cananæam uberrima longùm
Arva colent; fauftofque dies ac læta videbunt
Tempora; ni fcelerum illuvies ubi publica pacem
Ruperit, & populis Deus hoftem immiferit ultor:
At teget, orantes veniam; tradetque tuendos
Judicibus primò, dein Regibus. Ille, fecundus
Qui folium ascendet, pariter pietatis honore
Clarus & armorum famâ, irrevocabile lætus
Promiffum accipiet, vel ad ultima fæcula mundi
Manfuram imperii certo fundamine fedem.
Ufque canent eadem concordi carmine Vates;
Venturum excelfo de stemmate Davidis (olli
Namque id nomen erit) Natum, quem fæpius audis
Tu tibi promitti, quondam expectabit Adamus,
Semen fœmineum; cui fcilicet omnia fident

Sæcla; expectabunt reges; regum ultimus ipse

Thro' the world's wilderness long-wander'd man,
Safe to eternal paradise of rest.

Mean-while they, in their earthly Canaan plac'd,
Long time fhall dwell, and profper: but when fins
National interrupt their publick peace,
Provoking God to raise them enemies;
From whom as oft he faves them penitent;
By judges firft, then under kings: of whom

The fecond, both for piety renown'd,
And puiffant deeds, a promise fhall receive
Irrevocable, that his regal throne
For ever shall indure: the like fhall fing
All prophecy, that of the royal stock
Of David, fo I name this king, fhall rife
A fon, the woman's feed to thee foretold;
Foretold to Abraham; as in whom shall truft

Incedet,