His tongue was cunning mischief to devise,
And keen of edge for guile's infernal deed,
Satanic craft of vain logomachies.

66

He stood on Sinai, and the chosen seed
Admonished of his Law, in thunder spoken,
And the loud trumpet bade His people heed;
And Him the lightning-terrors girt, in token
Both Curse and Death should swift pursue and smite
The Man by whom their prescript should be broken.
Is not the Sentence just; and mine, by right,

The power of Death?
of Death? What hindereth then that I
Resume my own? if Reason rule, not Might.
The violated Laws for Vengeance cry!

If one-then all. He adored the thing he stole,
And sacrificed, in fond idolatry,

Thereto his sacred and immortal soul,

Dishonouring his Father in the act,

Slaying the Tree that bore him, branch and bole,
Remorseless Matricide, and with the fact

Charging her cold remains-false witness, worse
Than he who from his Neighbour would detract,

* The penitent thief.

His Mother's teaching who did thus rehearse!
What need of more? all these his crime includes-
His Maker's name who doubts he oft would curse,
His Sabbaths break, and have his lustful moods?
Bring me the Thief who can these faults forego-
'Tis clear he coveted another's goods-
What! was the smoking Mountain but a show?
I stand for Moses, and his written law,
And plead it to the letter. Judge thou so!"

While Satan pled, in penitential awe,

The Thief breathed fervently his silent prayer,
Heard by his ear whose eye his spirit saw.

"Satan"-replied the Judge-" Why art thou here? What Sinai claimed did Golgotha fulfil,

And Death e'en died with the Incarnate there.

For Moses' body why disputest still?

God's word hath double edge, destroys to save,

And makes alive e'en while it seems to kill."

Whereat th' Archfiend exclaimed-"Laws then but rave: But by the Form can we the Spirit know,

But by the Letter they expression have

If that uncertain be, must be e'en so

The truth it represents;..for who can see,

The Spirit formless, wordless?..who can show?"

"Yet," said the Word eternal, "Truth shall be
Known by the Spirit only, although read
By the dishonest most dishonestly-
The Spirit of the thing interpreted

Is that which doth interpret, they accord-
If that be faithful, error none need dread-
Get thee behind me, Satan! Thus the Lord

Rebukes thee!"

At these words the Accuser fell

As lightning flashed from heaven; the Heaven

abhorred

From God's right hand evanished into Hell.

XVII.

NOAH.

THEN to that Brand thus plucked from out the fire, The Lord spake-" Stand upon thy feet!"—and lo, The entering Spirit did with life inspire,

And set him on his feet, and, standing so,

The penal swathings of his shame fell down

From off his limbs, which now with glory glow,
Invested with new raiment and a crown,

A mitre fair, on his anointed head;
Angelic garb, and he an angel grown.

Nor heard they not, those Armies of the Dead,
Who vailed o'erpowered before that glorious Throne
Their prostrate brows with reverential dread;

Nor by the Spirit reanimate alone

He rose, but the same spirit pervaded wide,
The adoring Nations; thus they arose, as one,
As one man they arose, and magnified

The triumph of redemption. There might be
Patriarch and Prophet, King and Priest descried—
And thee, who saw a World expire, even thee
O Noah, I beheld-encouraged so,

With thine innumerable Company,

To hope, though great their wickedness and wo, Aiming at heaven by means forbid to men, Odious to Order, whence did Deluge flow.

His lips the Merciful unsealed, and then
He spake and said:

"Oh Lord my God! I kneel
Beneath the Seat of Judgment, now as when
Of ancient time I prayed with fervent zeal,
That thou wouldst spare the World, and pretermit
The penal Deluge. Behold, I appeal

To Thee, O Judge of Earth! Have mercy yet
Upon the Sinners whose imaginings

Were evil, and their hearts on evil set.