I

It was the Winter wilde,

While the Heav’n-born-childe, 30

All meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies;

Nature in aw to him

Had doff’t her gawdy trim,

With her great Master so to sympathize:

It was no season then for her 35

To wanton with the Sun her lusty Paramour.

II

Onely with speeches fair

She woo’s the gentle Air

To hide her guilty front with innocent Snow,

And on her naked shame, 40

Pollute with sinfull blame,

The Saintly Vail of Maiden white to throw,

Confounded, that her Makers eyes

Should look so neer upon her foul deformities.

III

But he her fears to cease, 45

Sent down the meek-eyd Peace,

She crown’d with Olive green, came softly sliding

Down through the turning sphear,

His ready Harbinger,

With Turtle wing the amorous clouds dividing, 50

And waving wide her mirtle wand,

She strikes a universall Peace through Sea and Land.

IV

No War, or Battails sound

Was heard the World around:

The idle spear and shield were high up hung; 55

The hooked Chariot stood

Unstain’d with hostile blood,

The Trumpet spake not to the armed throng,

And Kings sate still with awfull eye,

As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was by. 60

V

But peacefull was the night

Wherin the Prince of light

His raign of peace upon the earth began:

The Windes, with wonder whist,

Smoothly the waters kist, 65

Whispering new joyes to the milde Ocean,

Who now hath quite forgot to rave,

While Birds of Calm sit brooding on the charmed wave.

VI

The Stars with deep amaze

Stand fixt in stedfast gaze, 70

Bending one way their pretious influence,

And will not take their flight,

For all the morning light,

OrLucifer that often warn’d them thence;

But in their glimmering Orbs did glow, 75

Untill their Lord himself bespake, and bid them go.

VII

And though the shady gloom

Had given day her room,

The Sun himself with-held his wonted speed,

And hid his head for shame, 80

As his inferiour flame,

The new-enlightn’d world no more should need;

He saw a greater Sun appear

Then his bright Throne, or burning Axletree could bear.

VIII

The Shepherds on the Lawn, 85

Or ere the point of dawn,

Sate simply chatting in a rustick row;

Full little thought they than,

That the mightyPan

Was kindly com to live with them below; 90

Perhaps their loves, or els their sheep,

Was all that did their silly thoughts so busie keep.

IX

When such musick sweet

Their hearts and ears did greet,

As never was by mortall finger strook, 95

Divinely-warbled voice

Answering the stringed noise,

As all their souls in blisfull rapture took:

The Air such pleasure loth to lose,

With thousand echo’s still prolongs each heav’nly close. 100

X

Nature that heard such sound

Beneath the hollow round

OfCynthia’s seat, the Airy region thrilling,

Now was almost won

To think her part was don, 105

And that her raign had here its last fulfilling;

She knew such harmony alone

Could hold all Heav’n and Earth in happier union.

XI

At last surrounds their sight

A Globe of circular light, 110

That with long beams the shame-fac’t night array’d,

The helmed Cherubim

And sworded Seraphim

Are seen in glittering ranks with wings displaid,

Harping in loud and solemn quire, 115

With unexpressive notes to Heav’ns new-born Heir.

XII

Such Musick (as ‘tis said)

Before was never made,

But when of old the sons of morning sung,

While the Creator Great 120

His constellations set,

And the well-balanc’t world on hinges hung,

And cast the dark foundations deep,

And bid the weltring waves their oozy channel keep.

XIII

Ring out ye Crystall sphears, 125

Once bless our human ears,

(If ye have power to touch our senses so)

And let your silver chime

Move in melodious time;

And let the Base of Heav’ns deep Organ blow, 130

And with your ninefold harmony

Make up full consort to th’ Angelike symphony.

XIV

For if such holy Song

Enwrap our fancy long,

Time will run back, and fetch the age of gold, 135

And speckl’d vanity

Will sicken soon and die,

And leprous sin will melt from earthly mould,

And Hell itself will pass away,

And leave her dolorous mansions to the peering day. 140

XV

Yea Truth, and Justice then

Will down return to men,

Th’ enameldArras of the Rainbow wearing,

And Mercy set between,

Thron’d in Celestiall sheen, 145

With radiant feet the tissued clouds down stearing,

And Heav’n as at som festivall,

Will open wide the Gates of her high Palace Hall.

XVI

But wisest Fate sayes no,

This must not yet be so, 150

The Babe lies yet in smiling Infancy,

That on the bitter cross

Must redeem our loss;

So both himself and us to glorifie:

Yet first to those ychain’d in sleep, 155

The wakefull trump of doom must thunder through the deep,

XVII

With such a horrid clang

As on mountSinai rang

While the red fire, and smouldring clouds out brake:

The aged Earth agast 160

With terrour of that blast,

Shall from the surface to the center shake,

When at the worlds last session,

The dreadfull Judge in middle Air shall spread his throne.

XVIII

And then at last our bliss 165

Full and perfect is,

But now begins; for from this happy day

Th’ old Dragon under ground,

In straiter limits bound,

Not half so far casts his usurped sway, 170

And wrath to see his Kingdom fail,

Swindges the scaly Horrour of his foulded tail.

XIX

The Oracles are dumm,

No voice or hideous humm

Runs through the arched roof in words deceiving. 175

Apollo from his shrine

Can no more divine,

With hollow shreik the steep ofDelphos leaving.

No nightly trance, or breathed spell,

Inspire’s the pale-ey’d Priest from the prophetic cell. 180

XX

The lonely mountains o’re,

And the resounding shore,

A voice of weeping heard, and loud lament;

From haunted spring and dale

Edg’d with poplar pale, 185

The parting Genius is with sighing sent,

With flowre-inwov’n tresses torn

The Nimphs in twilight shade of tangled thickets mourn.

XXI

In consecrated Earth,

And on the holy Hearth, 190

TheLars, andLemures moan with midnight plaint,

In Urns, and Altars round,

A drear, and dying sound

Affrights theFlamins at their service quaint;

And the chill Marble seems to sweat, 195

While each peculiar power forgoes his wonted seat.

XXII

Peor, andBaalim,

Forsake their Temples dim,

With that twise-batter’d god ofPalestine,

And moonedAshtaroth, 200

Heav’ns Queen and Mother both,

Now sits not girt with Tapers holy shine,

The LibycHammon shrinks his horn,

In vain theTyrian Maids their woundedThamuz mourn.

XXIII

And sullenMoloch fled, 205

Hath left in shadows dred.

His burning Idol all of blackest hue,

In vain with Cymbals ring,

They call the grisly king,

In dismall dance about the furnace blue; 210

The brutish gods ofNile as fast,

Isis andOrus, and the DogAnubis hast.

XXIV

Nor isOsiris seen

InMemphian Grove, or Green,

Trampling the unshowr’d Grasse with lowings loud: 215

Nor can he be at rest

Within his sacred chest,

Naught but profoundest Hell can be his...