"Let godlike Reason, from her fovereign throne,

66

Speak the commanding word-I Will !-and it is

LXI.

[done. "Heavens! can you then thus wafte, in shameful wife, "Your few important days of trial here ? "Heirs of eternity! yborn to rife

"Through endless ftates of being, ftill more near To blifs approaching, and perfection clear, "Can you renounce a fortune so sublime? "Such glorious hopes, your backward fteps to fteer, "And roll, with vileft brutes,through mud and flime? "No! no!-your heaven-touch'd hearts difdain the LXII. [fordid crime!" Enough! enough" they cry'd.--Strait, from the The better fort on wings of transport fly; [crowd, As when amid the lifelefs fummits proud

..

Of Alpine cliffs, where to the gelid sky
Snows pil'd on fnows in wintry torpor lie,
The divine of vernal Phœbus play;

rays

Th' awaken'd heaps, in ftreamlets from on high, Rous'd into action, lively leap away,

Glad-warbling through the vales, in their new being LXIII.

Not lefs the life, the vivid joy ferene,

That lighted up these new-created men,

[gay.

Than that which wings th' exulting spirit clean,
When, juft deliver'd from this fleshly den,

It foaring feeks its native fkies agen;

Volume II.

S

How light its effence! how unclogg'd its powers, Beyond the blazon of my mortal pen !

Even fo we glad forfook these sinful bowers, Even fuch enraptur'd life, fuch energy was ours. LXIV.

LXV.

But far the greater part, with rage inflam'd, Dire-mutter'd curfes, and blafphem'd high Jove. "Ye fons of Hate! (they bitterly exclaim'd) "What brought you to this feat of peace and love? While with kind Nature, here amid the grove, "We país'd the harmless Sabbath of our time, "What to diflurb it could, fell men, emove "Your barbarous hearts? is happiness a crime? "Then do the fiends of hell rule in yon' heaven sub[lime. "Ye impious Wretches!" (quoth the Knight in wrath) "Your happinefs behold!"-Then ftrait a wand He wav'd, an anti-magic power that hath, Truth from illufive falfehood to command. Sudden the landscape finks on every hand; The pure quick streams are marfhy puddles found; On baleful heaths the groves all blacken'd stand, And o'er the weedy, foul, abhorred ground, Snakes,adders,toads,each loathfome creature, crawls [around. And here and there, on trees by lightning fcath'd, Unhappy weights who loathed life yhung, Or in fresh gore and recent murder bath'd,

LXVI.

They weltring lay; or elfe, infuriate flung
Into the gloomy flood, while ravens fung
The funeral dirge, they down the torrent rowl'd:
Thefe, by diftemper'd blood to madness stung,
Had doom'd themselves; whence oft,' when night

control'd

The world, returning hither their fad spirits howl'd.
LXVII.

Mean time a moving scene was open laid;
That lazar-houfe I whilom in my lay
Depainted have, its horrors deep-display'd,
And gave unnumber'd wretches to the day,
Who toffing there in fqualid misery lay.
Soon as of facred light th' unwonted fmile
Pour'd on these living catacombs its ray,
Through the drear caverns ftretching many a mile,
The fick up-rais'd their heads,and dropp'd their woes
LXVIII.

[a-while. "O Heaven! (they cry'd) and do we once more fee "Yon' blessed fun, and this green earth so fair? "Are we from noifome damps of peft-houfe free? "And drink our fouls the fweet ethereal air ? "O thou! or Knight or God! who holdeft there "That fiend, oh! keep him in eternal chains! "But what for us, the children of Despair, "Brought to the brink of hell, what hope remains ? "Repentance does itself but aggravate our pains,"

LXIX.

The gentle Knight, who faw their rueful cafe,
Let fall adown his filver beard fome tears:

Certes (quoth he) it is not even in Grace "T' undo the past, and eke your broken years, "Nathlefs, to nobler worlds Repentance rears, "With humble hope, her eye; to her is given "A power the truly contrite heart that cheers; "She quells the brand by which the rocks are riven; "She more than merely foftens, fhe rejoices Heaven. LXX.

"Then patient bear the fufferings you have earn'd, "And by these sufferings purify the mind : "Let wisdom be by past misconduct learn'd, "Or pious die, with penitence refign'd; "And to a life more happy and refin'd, "Doubt not, you fhall, new creatures, yet arife. "Till then, you may expect in me to find "One who will wipe your forrow from your eyes, "One who will footh your pangs, and wing you to [the fkies." They filent heard, and pour'd their thanks in tears. "For you (refum'd the Knight with ferner tone) "Whofe hard dry hearts th' obdurate demon fears, "That villain's gifts will coft you many a groan; "In dolorous manfion long you must bemoan "His fatal charms, and weep your ftains away; "Till, foft and pure as infant goodness grown,

LXXI.

"You feel a perfect change; then who can fay "What grace may yet fhine forth in Heaven's eternal day ?”

LXXII.

This faid, his powerful wand he wav'd anew:
Inftant, a glorious angel train defcends,
The Charities, to-wit, of rofy hue,

Sweet Love their looks a gentle radiance lends,
And with feraphic flame compassion blends.
At once, delighted, to their charge they fly;
When, lo! a goodly hospital ascends,

In which they bade cach lenient aid be nigh,
That could the fickbed smooth of that fad company.
LXXIII.

It was a worthy edifying fight,

And gives to human-kind peculiar grace,
To fee kind hands attending day and night,
With tender miniftry, from place to place :
Some prop the head; fome, from the pallid face
Wipe off the faint cold dews weak Nature sheds ;
Some reach the healing draught; the whilft, to chase
The fear fupreme, around their soften'd beds
Some holy man by prayer all opening Heaven dif-
LXXIV.

Attended by a glad acclaiming train

Of thofe he refcu'd had from gaping hell,

[preds.

Then turn'd the Knight, and to his hall again
Soft-pacing, fought of Peace the moffy cell;
S iij

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