Page images
PDF
EPUB

Juft heav'ns! is thus thy pride imperial gone?

Is this poor heap of duft the King of Babylon?

II. 3.

Is this the Man, whose nod

Shook kingdoms: whofe inexorable rod

Levell❜d majestic cities? Where He trod,
Famine pursued, and frown'd;

Earth figh'd, and, all around,

Saw her fair fields transform'd to defarts dry;
While, at his crouded prifon's gate,
Grasping the keys of Fate,

Stood ftern Captivity.

Vain Man! behold thy righteous doom;
Behold each neighb'ring monarch's tomb;

The trophied arch, the breathing bust,

The laurel, fhades their facred duft:

While thou, vile Out-cast, on this hostile plain,
Moulder'st, a vulgar corfe, amid the vulgar flain.

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

20. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou haft deftroyed thy land, and flain thy people: the feed of evil doers fhall never be renowned.

21. Prepare flaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rife, nor poffefs the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.

22. For I will rise up against them, faith the Lord of hofts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son and nephew, faith the Lord.

23. I

III. I.

No trophied arch, no breathing bust,

Shall dignify thy trampled duft:

No laurel flourish o'er thy grave.

For why, proud King, thy ruthless hand

[ocr errors][merged small]

And crush'd the subject race, whom kings are born to fave: Eternal Infamy shall blast thy name,

And all thy sons shall share their impious Father's fhame.

III. 2.

Rife, purple Slaughter! furious rise;
Unfold the terror of thine eyes;

Dart thy vindictive shafts around:

Let no strange land a shade afford,

No conquer'd Nations call them Lord;

Nor let their cities rife to curfe the goodly ground.
For thus JEHOVAH fwears; no Name, no Son,
No remnant, fhall remain of haughty Babylon.

III. 3.

[blocks in formation]

23. I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water and I will fweep it with the befom of deftruction, faith the Lord of hofts.

24. The Lord of hofts bath fworn, faying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purpofed, fo fhall it ftand:

25. That I will break the Affyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their fhoulders.

26. This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is ftretched out upon all he nations.

27. For the Lord of hofts hath purposed, and who shall difannul it? and his hand is ftretched out, and who shall turn it back?

III. 3.

Thus faith the righteous Lord:

My Vengeance shall unsheath the flaming sword; O'er all thy realms my Fury fhall be pour'd.

Where yon proud City stood,

I'll spread the ftagnant flood;

And there the Bittern in the fedge shall lurk,
Moaning with fullen strain:

While, fweeping o'er the plain,

Destruction ends her work.

Yes, on mine holy mountain's brow,
I'll crush this proud Affyrian foe.
Th'irrevocable word is fpoke.

From Judah's neck the galling yoke,

Spontaneous falls, fhe fhines with wonted state;

Thus by MYSELF I fwear, and what I fwear is Fate.

FINIS

« PreviousContinue »