Came singly where he stood on the bare strand, While the promiscuous croud stood yet aloof? The chief were those who from the pit of hell Roaming to seek their prey on earth, durst fix Their seats long after next the seat of God, Their altars by his altar, gods ador'd Among the nations round, and durst abide Jehovah thundering out of Sion, thron'd Between the cherubim; yea, often plac'd Within his sanctuary itself their shrines, Abominations; and with cursed things His holy rites, and solemn feasts profan'd, And with their darkness durst affront his light. First Moloch, horrid king besmear'd with blood Of human sacrifice, and parents tears,
Though for the noise of drums and timbrels loud Their children's cries unheard, that pass'd through fire To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite Worship'd in Rabba and her watry plain, In Argob and in Basan, to the stream Of utmost Arnon. Nor content with such Audacious neighbourhood, the wisest heart Of Solomon he led by fraud to build
His temple right against the temple' of God On that opprobrious hill, and made his grove The pleasant valley of Hinnon, Tophet thence And black Gehenna call'd, the type of hell. Next Chemos, the 'obscene dread of Moab's sons, From Aroar to Nebo, and the wild
Of southmost Abarim; in Hesebon And Horonaim, Seon's realm, beyond
The flowery dale of Sibma clad with vines, And Eleäle to the Asphaltick pool.
Peor his other name, when he entic'd
Israel in Sittim, on their march from Nile,
To do him wanton rites, which cost them woe. Yet thence his lustful orgies he enlarg'd Even to that hill of scandal, by the grove Of Moloch homicide, lust hard by hate; Till good Josiah drove them thence to hell. With these came they, who from the bordering flood Of old Euphrates to the brook that parts Egypt from Syrian ground, had general names
Of Baälim and Ashtaroth, those male,
These feminine. For spirits when they please
Can either sex assume, or both; so soft
And uncompounded is their essence pure,
Not ty'd or manacled with joint or limb,
Nor founded on the brittle strength of bones,
Like cumbrous flesh; but in what shape they chuse, Dilated or condens'd, bright or obscure,
Can execute their airy purposes,
And works of love or enmity fulfil.
For those the race of Israel oft forsook Their living strength, and unfrequented left His righteous altar, bowing lowly down To bestial gods; for which their heads as low Bow'd down in battel, sunk before the spear Of despicable foes. With these in troop Came Astoreth, whom the Phoenicians call'd Astarte, queen of heaven, with crescent horns; To whose bright image nightly by the moon Sidonian virgins paid their vows and songs, In Sion also not unsung, where stood Her temple on the offensive mountain, built By that uxorious king, whose heart though large, Beguil❜d by fair idolatresses, fell
To idols foul. Thammuz came next behind, Whose annual wound in Lebanon allur'd
The Syrian damsels to lament his fate In amorous ditties all a summer's day; While smooth Adonis from his native rock Ran purple to the sea, suppos'd with blood Of Thammuz yearly wounded: the love-tale Infected Sion's daughters with like heat, Whose wanton passions in the sacred porch Ezekiel saw, when by the vision led His eye survey'd the dark idolatries Of alienated Judah. Next came one
Who mourn'd in earnest, when the captive ark Maim'd his brute image, head and hands lopt off In his own temple, on the grunsel edge, Where he fell flat, and sham'd his worshippers: Dagon his name, sea monster, upward man And downward fish: yet had his temple high Rear'd in Azotus, dreaded through the coast Of Palestine, in Gath and Ascalon,
And Accaron and Gaza's frontier bounds. Him follow'd Rimmon, whose delightful seat Was fair Damascus, on the fertile banks Of Abbana and Pharphar, lucid streams. He also' against the house of God was bold:
A leper once he lost and gain'd a king, Ahaz his sottish conqueror, whom he drew God's altar to disparage and displace
For one of Syrian mode, whereon to burn His odious offerings, and adore the gods Whom he had vanquish'd. After these appear'd A crew who under names of old renown, Osiris, Isis, Orus, and their train
With monstrous shapes and sorceries abus'd Fanatic Egypt and her priests, to seek
Their wandering gods disguis'd in brutish forms Rather than human. Nor did Israel 'scape The infection, when their borrow'd gold compos'd The calf in Oreb: and the rebel king Doubled that sin in Bethel and in Dan, Likening his maker to the grazed ox, Jehovah, who in one night when he pass'd From Egypt marching, equall'd with one stroke Both her first born and all her bleating gods. Belial came last, than whom a spirit more lewd Fell not from heaven, or more gross to love Vice for itself to him no temple stood,
Or altar smok'd; yet who more oft than he
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