the law of his slaves but I have pass on. Meantime preparations dreamed a dream of the direst import, were made for the consecration of the which I would speak in the ears of temple. The King ascended the Majesty. Defer thy project to a upper steps, with the victim, carried future day; for last night methought by the High Priest, before him. The the spirit of Azur appeared to thy subordinate ecclesiastics were staservant, and threatened thy speedy tioned on the lower round of the dissolution. 'When the King,' she tower, ready, when the signal was exclaimed, 'shall ascend to the height given, to wake the hymn of adoraof his glory, then the people of the tion; and the people, in thronging earth shall behold him living no thousands, gathered on the river and more.' in the avenues around, to fill the air "I will give the interpretation of with their deafening acclamations. thy dream," replied another, "if the But there was One, of whose power ears of Majesty will listen. The all alike were reckless ; who had spirit of Azur spoke only of the as-been, though a silent, yet not an unsumption of our lord, when his soul concerned spectator of the scene; One shall be absorbed by the fire of whose eyes are as a flame of fire, Ahzimanes, and shine forth among running to and fro in creation, and the stars of heaven." "Whose flowing robe the storm cloud is, when he Arises to shake terribly the earth.” The pride of Nebrod had waxed strong in its greatness. In his heart he had said, "I will be like the Most High." He saw the completion of his He saw beneath the veil the machiwishes nigh at hand. As the shep-nations of the King, and resolved to herd of the people, he had extended thwart his designs; and by scattering his domains, till the kingdom of his the people from their centre of union, usurpation was greatly enlarged. He force them to obey those commands had conceived the vast designs of He had early given for their disoverthrowing the Patriarchal insti-persion. tutions, keeping mankind in a state Now had Nebrod gained the sumof close combination, thus resisting mit of the temple, and standing the order for their dispersion, and on its battlements, waved his right making his city the seat of all au- hand, in which was grasped the thority, whose free inhabitants, like sacrificial knife. The watchful priests a horde of lawless chieftains, should beheld the signal,-though scarcely live upon the produce of the world. discernible, in consequence of the Nothing now seemed wanting to the altitude at which he stood,—and the perfecting of his designs, but that he anthem was commenced. himself should be worshipped as a God; and thus by rendering his sway. a theocracy, make his laws binding ardent one, we dedicate our lives! upon the consciences of the people, while he ruled with despotic power at once over their bodies and their souls. The dream of the elder would serve to further his designs, by exciting the superstitions of the populace; and he suffered the interpretation of it to "Glory! glory! Praise to Azura, spirit of primeval fire! To thee, O, Accept and consecrate the temple we have builded to thy honour. Ethereal essence! creator of the soul! let the renovating sun of thy presence enliven the darkness of our distant world; and still bring forth in profusion the bounties of thy land. Let thy constellations, O, Supreme! still irradiate our nights, and direct our wandering eyes into the dark events of futurity ! "Glory! glory! praise be to Nebrod, the son of Jovis Ammon. King of Kings, accept our adoration! Ruler of the earth, as Azur is of heaven! To thee we bring an offering, the offering of our lives, and hail thee, son of Deity, as lord of lords!" Here the anthem was interrupted by the acclamations of the people, who sent up a deafening shout to heaven, " Long live Nebrod! Life to the god of nations !" and between the pauses of the thunder, as though in mockery of its dreadful voice, uprose from earth the shout of blasphemy: "Long live the King! Life to the god of nations!" Now the bowed heavens made manifest more fully the presence of the Lord! Thicker and blacker grew the clouds that spread their terrific gloom above the city; and showers of devastating hail-stones fell over the whole land of Shinar. Earth shook and trembled; and the pyramidical temple, yielding to an internal conflagration, melted like wax at the presence of the Lord. Fain would The heart of Nebrod waxed valiant the priests have persuaded themselves in its pride; and his soul became and the people, that Nebrod had asdrunken with the height it had at- cended into heaven, and these awful tained. Again the song was com- convulsions were the signals of his menced ; but now no longer could assumption; but utterance was denied Almighty vengeance slumber. The to the thoughts that darkly brooded lightnings of His fury leaped from within them, and they gave forth noGod's indignant hand. Just then the thing but a babbling and uncertain King had plunged the knife into the sound. In vain man attempted to heart of his victim; and in the mad-address words of comfort to his neigh ness of his career, he hailed the fire bour; confusion, wild as that of the from heaven as an acceptance of his elements, rested upon their language sacrifice. With the same views the and their thoughts, so that they unpriests and the people beheld the derstood not each other when they descending flames; and again the spake. exclamation rent the heaven, Long live Nebrod! life to the God of nations!" One only shriek was heard in that great city,-the shriek of the agonized Eluna." Another moment undeceived the infatuated monarch. A second flash burst from the cloud that now spread wide its dark wing over the city, and laid him by the side of his victim, a blackened corse.* Still unconscious of the fate of their leader, the acclamations of the people were renewed; * It is the opinion of the most learned mythologists, that the tower of Babel was the tomb of Nimrod, and that he was cut off in the prime of life by the visitation of God. Meanwhile unabated was the tem→ pest of God's indignation; darkness covered the land, and gross darkness the people,-enlightened only by the lurid glare of fiery meteors, that shed their appalling beams around. Thus day after day passed on in unmitigated horrors; till unable to withstand these renewed tokens of divine displeasure, or make known to each other in language the thoughts of their minds, they fled in all directions from the fatal spot, scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. Thus the design of the Eternal, which they sought to frustrate, was wholly fulfilled. The unfinished city remained for ages as a monument of their folly. And the apostate sons of the law of his slaves but I have pass on. Meantime preparations dreamed a dream of the direst import, were made for the consecration of the which I would speak in the ears of temple. The King ascended the Majesty. Defer thy project to a upper steps, with the victim, carried future day; for last night methought by the High Priest, before him. The the spirit of Azur appeared to thy subordinate ecclesiastics were staservant, and threatened thy speedy tioned on the lower round of the dissolution. When the King,' she tower, ready, when the signal was exclaimed, ‘shall ascend to the height given, to wake the hymn of adoraof his glory, then the people of the tion; and the people, in thronging earth shall behold him living no thousands, gathered on the river and in the avenues around, to fill the air more.' "I will give the interpretation of with their deafening acclamations. thy dream," replied another, "if the But there was One, of whose power ears of Majesty will listen. The all alike were reckless; who had spirit of Azur spoke only of the as-been, though a silent, yet not an unsumption of our lord, when his soul concerned spectator of the scene: One shall be absorbed by the fire of whose eyes are as a flame of fire, Ahzimanes, and shine forth among running to and fro in creation, and the stars of heaven." "Whose flowing robe the storm cloud is, when he Arises to shake terribly the earth.” The pride of Nebrod had waxed strong in its greatness. In his heart he had said, "I will be like the Most High." He saw the completion of his He saw beneath the veil the machiwishes nigh at hand. As the shep-nations of the King, and resolved to herd of the people, he had extended thwart his designs; and by scattering his domains, till the kingdom of his the people from their centre of union, usurpation was greatly enlarged. He force them to obey those commands had conceived the vast designs of He had early given for their disoverthrowing the Patriarchal insti-persion. beheld the signal,-though scarcely discernible, in consequence of the altitude at which he stood,—and the anthem was commenced. tutions, keeping mankind in a state Now had Nebrod gained the sumof close combination, thus resisting mit of the temple, and standing the order for their dispersion, and on its battlements, waved his right making his city the seat of all au- hand, in which was grasped the thority, whose free inhabitants, like sacrificial knife. The watchful priests a horde of lawless chieftains, should live upon the produce of the world. Nothing now seemed wanting to the perfecting of his designs, but that he himself should be worshipped as a God; and thus by rendering his sway. a theocracy, make his laws binding upon the consciences of the people, while he ruled with despotic power at once over their bodies and their souls. 66 Glory! glory! Praise to Azura, spirit of primeval fire! To thee, O, ardent one, we dedicate our lives! Accept and consecrate the temple we have builded to thy honour. Ethereal essence! creator of the soul! let the renovating sun of thy presence The dream of the elder would serve enliven the darkness of our distant to further his designs, by exciting the world; and still bring forth in prosuperstitions of the populace; and he fusion the bounties of thy land. Let suffered the interpretation of it to thy constellations, O, Supreme! still irradiate our nights, and direct our wandering eyes into the dark events of futurity! and between the pauses of the thunder, as though in mockery of its dreadful voice, uprose from earth the shout of blasphemy: "Long live the King! Life to the god of nations!" "Glory! glory! praise be to Nebrod, the son of Jovis Ammon. King of Kings, accept our adoration! Now the bowed heavens made Ruler of the earth, as Azur is of manifest more fully the presence of heaven! To thee we bring an offer- the Lord! Thicker and blacker grew ing, the offering of our lives, and the clouds that spread their terrific hail thee, son of Deity, as lord of gloom above the city; and showers lords!" of devastating hail-stones fell over Here the anthem was interrupted the whole land of Shinar. Earth by the acclamations of the people, who sent up a deafening shout to heaven, "Long live Nebrod! Life to the god of nations!" shook and trembled; and the pyramidical temple, yielding to an internal conflagration, melted like wax at the presence of the Lord. Fain would The heart of Nebrod waxed valiant the priests have persuaded themselves in its pride; and his soul became and the people, that Nebrod had asdrunken with the height it had at- cended into heaven, and these awful tained. Again the song was com- convulsions were the signals of his menced ; but now no longer could assumption; but utterance was denied Almighty vengeance slumber. The to the thoughts that darkly brooded lightnings of His fury leaped from within them, and they gave forth noGod's indignant hand. Just then the thing but a babbling and uncertain King had plunged the knife into the sound. In vain man attempted to heart of his victim; and in the mad-address words of comfort to his neigh ness of his career, he hailed the fire bour; confusion, wild as that of the from heaven as an acceptance of his elements, rested upon their language sacrifice. With the same views the and their thoughts, so that they unpriests and the people beheld the derstood not each other when they descending flames; and again the spake. exclamation rent the heaven, " Long live Nebrod! life to the God of nations !" One only shriek was heard in that great city,-the shriek of the agonized Eluna. Another moment undeceived the infatuated monarch. A second flash burst from the cloud that now spread wide its dark wing over the city, and laid him by the side of his victim, a blackened corse. Still unconscious of the fate of their leader, the acclamations of the people were renewed; * Meanwhile unabated was the tem→ pest of God's indignation; darkness covered the land, and gross darkness the people,-enlightened only by the lurid glare of fiery meteors, that shed their appalling beams around. Thus day after day passed on in unmitigated horrors; till unable to withstand these renewed tokens of divine displeasure, or make known to each other in language the thoughts of their minds, they fled in all directions from the fatal spot, scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. Thus the design of the Eternal, which they sought to frustrate, was wholly fulfilled. The unfinished city remained for ages as a monument of their folly. And the apostate sons of Cush no longer could lay claim to HOW CAME I THUS, HOW HERE ?” Shinar as their home.* T. R. SUCH is the all-important question which Milton puts into the mouth of the great ancestor of the human * Some of my readers may probably think race, after he had first essayed, with I am making too free with Scripture history the highest delight, the exercise of by introducing convulsions of the elements at the dispersion. But though not menhis new powers, and apostrophized tioned in the text there are various passages the more striking wonders and beauof Scripture which seem to convey that idea; ties of that creation and that paradise and such things are also mentioned by Hesiod in which he was placed. The situand others of the most approved Etheric was writers. I give one specimen from the ation in which Adam then stood, Sibyls, who were Amonian priestesses, and brought in a moment from the obpossessed of records and traditions which livion of total nothingness, and in had been deposited in their temples; and I the full growth, vigour, and use of all quote it the rather in order for the young to see that maugre all the cavils of the infidels, his powers, bodily and mental,the earliest Heathen writers bear out in their certainly a most extraordinary one, and very difficult to be even imagined by us, who must creep gradually to such manhood as we may possess, through the "mewling" infant, the playful boy, and the heedless youth. traditions the sacred records: "But when the judgments of Almighty God A dread commission from on high was given To the fell whirlwinds, which with dire alarm words Froduced a painful babbling sound. The place Then the realms above, And earth with all its regions; then the sea, And the ground trembled underneath his feet, As the God march'd in terrible array. Still with fresh vigour Jove renewed the And clad in all his bright terrific arms, Press'd on him sore; till by repeated wounds But still, the composition of which the above question forms part, is that of "one John Milton, a schoolmaster;" a man born in the same manner as we ourselves have been, and therefore it is a question which we ourselves may put in our own individual but with no small profit. cases, not only without impropriety, passage, from line 250 to line 282, inclusive, of the eighth Book of Paradise Lost, is worthy of a third, or even a thirtieth perusal. There is much matter for meditation in it, and meditation at once the most spiritstirring and most useful. The whole This is not the only passage in the work which is worthy of this oftenrepeated and carefully-meditative perusal; for Paradise Lost is almost wholly made up of such passages. But we would as soon think of recommending one to take off the edge of his bodily appetite by eating an entire elephant or whale, as to satisfy his intellectual hunger by devouring There is more of Milton at a meal. the "ethereal fire" in it than would |