Send the fucceffive ills thro' ages down,
And let each weeping father tell his fon
That, deeper ftruck, and more diftinctly griev'd,
He muft augment the forrows he receiv'd.

The child to whofe fuccefs thy hope is bound, 735
Ere thou art fcarce interr'd or he is crown'd,
To luft of arbitrary fway inclin'd,

(That curfed poifon to the prince's mind !)
Shall from thy dictates and his duty rove,
And lofe his great defence, his people's love:
Ill counfell'd, vanquish'd, fugitive, difgrac'd,
Shall mourn the fame of Jacob's ftrength effac'd:
Shall figh the King diminish'd, and the crown
With leffen'd rays defcending to his fon :
Shall fee the wreaths his grandfire knew to reap
By active toil and military fweat,

Pining incline their fickly leaves, and shed
Their falling honours from his giddy head :
By arms or pray'r unable to affuage
Domestic horror and inteftine rage,

Shall from the victor and the vanquifh'd fear,
From Ifrael's arrow and from Judah's fpear:

740

745

750

Shall caft his weary'd limbs on Jordan's flood, [blood. By brothers arms difturb'd, and ftain'd with kindred Hence lab'ring years fhall weep their deftin'd race, Charg'd with ill omens, fully'd with difgrace

Time, by neceffity compell'd, fhall go

Thro' fcenes of war, and epochas of woe:
The empire leffen'd, in a parted stream
Shall lofe its courfe-

:

Indulge thy tears; the Heathen shall blafpheme;
Judah fhall fall, opprefs'd by grief and shame,
And men fhall froin her ruins know her fame.
New Egypts yet and second bonds remain,
A harfher Pharaoh, and a heavier chain.
Again, obedient to a dire command,

Thy captive fons fhall leave the promis'd land;
Their name more low, their fervitude more vile,
Shall on Euphrates' bank renew the grief of Nile.

756

760

765

Thefe pointed fpires that wound the ambient sky, Inglorious change shall in deftruction lie

Low, levell'd with the duft, their heights unknown,

Or measur'd by their ruin. Yonder throne,
For lasting glory built, design'd the seat
Of kings for ever bleft, for ever great,
Remov'd by the invader's barb'rous hand,
Shall grace his triumph in a foreign land :
The tyrant fhall demand yon' facred load
Of gold and veffels set apart to God,
Then by vile hands to common ufe debas'd,
Sall fend them flowing round his drunken feast,
With facriligeoustaunt and impious jest.

771

775

780

785

799

Twice fourteen ages fhall their way complete; Empires by various turns fhall rife and fet, While thy abandon'd tribes fhall only know A diff'rent mafter and a change of woe; With downcaft eyelids, and with looks aghaft, Shall dread the future or bewail the past. Afflicted Ifrael shall fit weeping down, Faft by the ftreams where Babel's waters run, Their harps upon the neighb'ring willows hung, Nor joyous hymn encouraging their tongue, Nor cheerful dance their feet; with toil oppreft, Their weary'd limbs afpiring but to rest. In the reflective stream the fighing bride, Viewing her charms impair'd, abash'd shall hide Her pentive head, and in her lanquid face The bridegroom fhall forefee his fickly race, While pond'rous fetters vex their clofe embrace With irkfome anguifh then your priests fhall mourn Their long-neglected feasts defpair'd return. And fad oblivion of their folemn days: Thenceforth their voices they fhall only raife, Louder to weep. By day your frighted feers Shall call for fountains to express their tears, And with their eyes were floods: by night, from dreams Of opening gulfs, black ftorms, and raging flames,

795

801

805

Starting amaz'd, shall to the people flow
Emblems of heav'nly wrath, and myftic types of

woe.

810

815

820

The captives, as their tyrant fhall require That they should breathe the f ng and touch the lyre, Shall fay, can Jacob's fervile race rejoice, Untun'd the music, and difus'd the voice? What can we play, (they fhall difcourfe) how fing In foreign lands, and to a barb'rous king? We and our fathers, from our childhood bred To watch the cruel victor's eye, to dread The arbitrary lafh, to bend, to grieve, (Outcaft of mortal race) can we conceive Image of ought delightful, soft, or gay? Alas! when we have toil the longfome day, The fulleft blifs our hearts afpire to know, Is but fome interval from active woe; In broken rest and startling fleep to mourn, Till morn the tyrant and the fcourge return: Bred up in grief, can pleasure be our theme? Our endlefs anguifh does not nature claim? Reafon and forrow are to us the fame. Alas! with wild amazement we require If idle Folly was not Pleasure's fire ?

825

830

Madness, we fancy, gave an ill-tim`d birth

To grinning Laughter and to frantic Mirth.
This is the feries of perpetual woe

Which thou, alas! and thine, are born to know.
Illuftrious wretch! repine not nor reply;

$35

View not what Heav'n ordains with reafon's eye;

Too bright the object is, the diftance is too high.
The man who would refolve the work of fate
May limit number and make crooked straight :
Stop thy inquiry, then, and curb thy fenfe,
Nor let duit argue with Omnipotence.
'Tis God who muft difpofe and man fuftain,
Born to endure, forbidden to complain:

$40

Thy fum of life muft his decrees fulfil ;
What derogates from his command is ill
And that alone is good which centres in his will.
Yet that thy lab ring fenfes may not droop,
Loft to delight, and deititute of hope,

845

Remark what I, God's meffenger, aver

From him who neither can deceive nor err.

850

The land, at length redeem'd, shall cease to mourn,

Shall from her fad captivity return :

Sion fhall raife her long-dejected head,`

And in her courts the law again be read:

Again the glorious temple fhall arife,

855

And with new luftre pierce the neighb'ring skies:
The promis'd feat of empire fhall again

Cover the mountain and command the plain;
And from thy race diftinguifh'd, One fhall fpring
Greater in act than victor, more than king;
In dignity and pow'r fent down from heav'n
To fuccour earth. To him, to him, 'tis giv'n
Paffion, and care, and anguish, to destroy;
Thro' him foft peace and plenitude of joy
Perpetual o'er the world redeem'd fhall flow;
No more may man inquire or angel know.

Now, Solomon, rememb'ring who thou art,
Act thro' thy rempant life a decent part :

860

865

Go forth; be ftrong; with patience and with care

Perform and fuffer; to thyfelf severe,

870

Gracious to others, thy defires fuppreft,
Diffus'd thy virtues, firft of men, be best.
Thy fum of duty let too words contain,
0 may they graven in thy heart remain !
Be humble and be juft. The angel faid;
With upward fpeed his agile wings he spread,
Whilft on the holy ground I proftrate lay,
By various doubts impell'd, or to obey
Or to object; at length (my mournful look
Heav'nward erect) determin'd, thus I spoke :
Supreme, all-wife, eternal Potentate!
Sole author, fole difpofer, of our fate!

875

880

Enthron'd in light and immortality,

Whom no man fully fees, and none can fee!
Original of Beings! Pow'r divine!

Since that I live, and that I think, is thine;
Benign Creator! let thy plaftic hand
Difpofe its own effect: let thy command
Reftore, great Father, thy inftructed fon,
And in my act may thy great will be done.

885

890