John Milton - Paradise Lost and Its Sequel, Paradise Regained (Illustrated Edition)

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 bordring flood

Of old Euphrates to the Brook that parts

Egypt from Syrian ground, had general Names

Of Baalim 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 ti’d or manacl’d with joynt or limb,

Nor founded on the brittle strength of bones,

Like cumbrous flesh; but in what shape they choose

Dilated or condens’t, bright or obscure,

Can execute their aerie purposes,

And works of love or enmity fulfill.

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 Heav’n, 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 th’ 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 dittyes all a Summers 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 Sions daughters with like heat,

Whose wanton passions in the sacred Porch

Ezekiel saw, when by the Vision led

His eye survay’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 of

In his own Temple, on the grunsel edge,

Where he fell flat, and sham’d his Worshipers:

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 fertil 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 Conquerour, whom he drew

Gods Altar to disparage and displace

For one of Syrian mode, whereon to burn

His odious offrings, and adore the Gods

Whom he had vanquisht. 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

Thir wandring Gods disguis’d in brutish forms

Rather then human. Nor did Israel scape

Th’ infection when their borrow’d Gold compos’d

The Calf in Oreb: and the Rebel King

Doubl’d that sin in Bethel and in Dan,

Lik’ning his Maker to the Grazed Ox,

Jehovah, who in one Night when he pass’d

From Egypt marching, equal’d with one stroke

Both her first born and all her bleating Gods.

Belial came last, then whom a Spirit more lewd

Fell not from Heaven, or more gross to love

Vice for it self: To him no Temple stood

Or Altar smoak’d; yet who more oft then hee

In Temples and at Altars, when the Priest

Turns Atheist, as did Elys Sons, who fill’d

With lust and violence the house of God.

In Courts and Palaces he also Reigns

And in luxurious Cities, where the noyse

Of riot ascends above thir loftiest Towrs,

And injury and outrage: And when Night

Darkens the Streets, then wander forth the Sons

Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.

Witness the Streets of Sodom, and that night

In Gibeah, when hospitable Dores

Yielded thir Matrons to prevent worse rape.

These were the prime in order and in might;

The rest were long to tell, though far renown’d,

Th’ Ionian Gods, of Javans Issue held

Gods, yet confest later then Heav’n and Earth

Thir boasted Parents; Titan Heav’ns first born

With his enormous brood, and birthright seis’d

By younger Saturn, he from mightier Jove

His own and Rhea’s Son like measure found;

So love usurping reign’d: these first in Creet

And Ida known, thence on the Snowy top

Of cold Olympus rul’d the middle Air

Thir highest Heav’n; or on the Delphian Cliff,

Or in Dodona, and through all the bounds

Of Doric Land; or who with Saturn old

Fled over Adria to th’ Hesperian Fields,

And ore the Celtic roam’d the utmost Isles.

All these and more came flocking; but with looks

Down cast and damp, yet such wherein appear’d

Obscure som glimps of joy, to have found thir chief

Not in despair, to have found themselves not lost

In loss it self; which on his count’nance cast

Like doubtful hue: but he his wonted pride

Soon recollecting, with high words, that bore

Semblance of worth not substance, gently rais’d

Their fainted courage, and dispel’d their fears.

Then strait commands that at the warlike sound

Of Trumpets loud and Clarions be upreard

His mighty Standard; that proud honour claim’d

Azazel as his right, a Cherube tall: