One eye was clos'd, surpriz'd by fudden night,
The other trembled ftill with parting light:
The wind admir'd, which her hair loosely bore,
Why it grew ftiff, and now would play no more:
To heaven the lifted up her freezing hands,
And to this day a suppliant pillar ftands :
She try'd her heavy foot from ground to rear,
And rais'd the heel, but her toes rooted there :
Ah, foolish woman! whe must always be
A fight more ftrange than that the turn'd to fee!
Whilft David fed with thefe his curious eye,
The feast is now ferv'd-in, and down they lie.
Moab a goblet takes of maffy gold,

266

265

270

275

Which Zippor, and from Zippor all of old
Quaff'd to their gods and friends: an health goes round
In the brisk grape of Arnon's richest ground.
Whilst Melchor to his harp with wondrous skill
(For fuch were poets then, and should be still)
His noble verse through Nature's fecrets led :
He fung what spirit through the whole mass is spread,
Every-where All; how heavens God's law approve,
And think it reft eternally to move;

How the kind fun ufefully comes and goes,
Wants it himself, yet gives to man repofe;
How his round journey does for ever last,
And how he baits at every fea in hafte:

280

He fung how earth blots the moon's gilded wane, 285
Whilst foolish men beat founding brafs in vain;
Why the great waters her flight horns obey,
Her changing horns, not conftanter than they :

He

He fung how grisly comets hang in air;

Why fword and plagues attend their fatal hair;
God's beacons for the world, drawn up fo far,
To publish ill, and raise all earth to war :
Why contraries feed thunder in the cloud;
What motions vex it, till it roar fo loud:
How lambent fires become fo wondrous tame,
And bear fuch shining winter in their flame:

290

295

What radiant pencil draws the watery bow :
What ties up hail, and picks the fleecy fnow:
What palfy of the earth here shakes fix'd hills
From off her brows, and here whole rivers fpills. 300
Thus did this Heathen Nature's fecrets tell,

305

And fometimes mifs'd the Caufe, but fought it well.
Such was the fauce of Moab's noble feast,
Till night far spent invites them to their reft;
Only the good old Prince stays Joab there,
And much he tells, and much defires to hear:
He tells deeds antique, and the new defires;
Of David much, and much of Saul, enquires.
“Nay, gentle guest !” said he “fince now you 're in,
"The ftory of your gallant friend begin ;

"His birth, his rifing, tell, and various fate,
"And how he flew that man of Gath of late,

310

"What was he call'd? that huge and monftrous man !', With that he stopp'd, and Joab thus began :

"His birth, great Sir! fo much to mine is ty'd, 315 "That praise of that might look from me like pride: "Yet, without boast, his veins contain a flood

"Of th' old Judæan lion's richest blood.

"From

"From Judah Pharez, from him Efrom, came, "Ram, Nashon, Salmon, names spoke loud by fame : "A name no less ought Boaz to appear,

"By whose bleft match we come no ftrangers here : "From him and your fair Ruth good Obed sprung, "From Obed Jeffe, Jeffe, whom Fame's kindest tongue, "Counting his birth, and high nobility, shall 325 "Not Jeffe of Obed, but of David, call, "David, born to him seventh; the fixth births paft "Brave trials of a work more great at laft. "Blefs me! how fwift and growing was his wit! “The wings of Time flagg'd dully after it. "Scarce past a child, all wonders would he fing "Of Nature's law, and power of Nature's king. "His sheep would fcorn their food to hear his lay, "And savage beasts stand by as tame as they; "The fighting winds would stop there, and admire, "Learning consent and concord from his lyre; "Rivers, whose waves roll'd down aloud before, "Mute as their fifh, would liften towards the shore.

33

"'Twas now the time when firft Saul God forfook, "God Saul; the room in 's heart wild paffons took : "Sometimes a tyrant-Frenfy revel'd there, "Sometimes black Sadness, and deep, deep Despair. "No help from herbs or learned drugs he finds, "They cure but fometime bodies, never minds : "Mufic alone thofe ftorms of foul could lay; 345 "Not more Saul them, than mufic they, obey. "David 's now fent for, and his harp must bring; “His harp, that magic bore on every string:

"When Saul's rude paffions did most tumult keep; "With his foft notes they all dropp'd down afleep: 350 "When his dull fpirits lay drown'd in death and night,, "He with quick strains rais'd them to life and light... "Thus chear'd he Saul, thus did his fury 'fwage, "Till wars began, and times more fit for rage. "To Helah plain Philiftian troops are come, "And war's loud noise strikes peaceful mufic dumb. "Back to his rural care young David goes;

355

"For this rough work Saul his ftout brethren chose: "He knew not what his hand in war could do, "Nor thought his sword could cure men's madness too. "Now Dammin 's destin'd for this scene of blood; "On two near hills the two proud armies stood, "Between, a fatal valley stretch'd-out wide, "And death feem'd ready now on either fide; "When lo! their hoft rais'd all a joyful shout,

365

[out,,

"And from the midft an huge and monstrous man stepp'd "Aloud they fhouted at each ftep he took; "We, and the earth itself beneath him, shook "Vaft as the hill, down which he march'd, he' appear'd; "Amaz'd all eyes, nor was their army fear'd. “A young tall 'squire (though then he seem'd not fo) "Did from the camp at firft before him go; "At first he did, but scarce could follow ftrait,

Sweating beneath a shield's unruly weight,

370

"On which was wrought the gods' and giants' fight, "Rare work! all fill'd with terror and delight. "Here a vast hill 'gainft thundering Baal was thrown, "Trees and beafts on 't fell burnt with lightning down; + VOL. II.

L

"One

"One flings a mountain, and its river too,

"Torn up with 't; that rains back on him that threw : "Some from the main to pluck whole islands try; "The fea boils round with flames fhot thick from sky i "This he believ'd, and on his shield he bore,

"And prais'd their strength, but thought his own was

"more.

"The valley now this monfter feem'd to fill;

385

"And we, methoughts, look'd up t'him from our hill. "All arm'd in brafs, the richest drefs of war "(A difmal glorious fight!) he fhone afar; "The fun himself started with fudden fright,

390

To fee his beams return fo difmal bright : "Brafs was his helmet, his boots brass; and o'er "His breaft a thick plate of strong brass he wore ; "His fpear the trunk was of a lofty tree, "Which Nature meant fome tall fhip's maft fhould be "Th' huge iron head fix hundred fhekels weigh'd, 395 "And of whole bodies but one wound it made; "Able Death's worst command to overdo, Deftroying life at once and carcafe too.

400

"Thus arm'd he stood; all direful, and all gay, "And round him flung a fcornful look away : "So, when a Scythian tiger, gazing round, "An herd of kine in fome fair plain has found, Lowing fecure, he fwells with angry pride, "And calls forth all his fpots on every fide; "Then ftops, and hurls his haughty eyes at all, 405 In choice of fome ftrong neck on which to fall;

3

"Almost