The river yet gave one instruction more ;

And, from the rotting fifh and unconcocted gore (Which was but water just before),

A loathfome hoft was quickly made,

That fcal'd the banks, and with loud noife did. all the country' invade.

As Nilus when he quits his facred bed
(But like a friend he vifits all the land

With welcome presents in his hand)
So did this Living Tide the fields o'erspread:
In vain th' alarmed country tries

To kill their noifome enemies ;

From th' unexhaufted fource ftill new recruits arife..
Nor does the earth thefe greedy troops fuffice,
The towns and houses they poffefs,

The temples and the palaces,

Nor Pharaoh, nor his gods, they fear;
Both their importune croakings hear.
Unfatiate yet, they mount up higher,
Where never fun-born Frog durft to aspire,
And in the filken beds their flimy members place;.
A luxury unknown before to all the watery race!

The water thus her wonders did produce;

As

But both were to no use;

yet the forcerers' mimic power ferv'd for excuse. "Try what the earth will do," said God, and lo! They ftrook the earth a fertile blow,

And

And all the duft did strait to ftir begin;

One would have thought some sudden wind 't had been; But lo! 'twas nimble life was got within!

And all the little springs did move, And every dust did an arm'd vermin prove, Of an unknown and new-created kind,

Such as the magic-gods could neither make nor find. The wretched fhameful Foe allow'd no reft

Either to man or beast.

Not Pharaoh from th' unquiet plague could be,
With all his change of raiments, free;
The devils themselves confefs'd

This was God's hand; and 'twas but just,
To punish thus man's pride, to punish dust with duft.

Lo! the third element does his plagues prepare,
And swarming clouds of infects fill the air;
With fullen noise they take their flight,

And march in bodies infinite;

In vain 'tis day above, 'tis ftill beneath them night.
Of harmful Flies the nations numberless
Compos'd this mighty army's fpacious boast;
Of different manners, different languages;
And different habits, too, they wore,

And different arms they bore;

And fome, like Scythians, liv'd on blood, And some on green, and some on flowery food;

And Accaron, the airy prince, led on this various hoft.

Houses fecure not men, the populous ill

Did all the houses fill:

The country all around

Did with the cries of tortur'd cattle found;
About the fields enrag'd they flew,

And wifh'd the plague that was t' enfue.

From poisonous stars a mortal influence came
(The mingled malice of their flame);
A fkilful angel did th' ingredients take,
And with just hands the fad composure make,
And over all the land did the full vial shake.
Thirst, giddiness, faintnefs, and putrid heats,

And pining pains, and shivering sweats,
On all the cattle, all the beafts, did fall;
With deform'd death the country's cover'd all.
The labouring ox drops down before the plow;
The crowned victims to the altar led

Sink, and prevent the lifted blow:

The generous horfe from the full manger turns his head, Does his lov'd floods and pastures fcorn,

Hates the thrill trumpet and the horn,

Nor can his lifeless noftril please

With the once-ravishing smell of all his dappled mistreffes:
The ftarving sheep refuse to feed,

They bleat their innocent fouls out into air;
The faithful dogs lie gasping by them there;

[reed.

Th' astonish'd fhepherd weeps, and breaks his tuneful

Thus did the beafts for man's rebellion die;

God did on man a gentler medicine try,

And a Disease, for Phyfic, did apply.

Warm

Warm ashes from the furnace Mofes took;
The forcerers did with wonder on him look,
And smil'd at th' unaccustom'd spell,
Which no Egyptian rituals tell :
He flings the pregnant ashes through the air,
And fpeaks a mighty prayer;

Both which the miniftering winds around all Egypt bear. As gentle western blasts with downy wings,

Hatching the tender fprings,.

To th' unborn buds with vital whispers fay,

"Ye living buds, why do ye stay?”

The paffionate buds break through the bark their way: So, wherefoe'er this tainted wind but blew,

Swelling pains and ulcers grew ;.

It from the body call'd all fleeping poisons out,
And to them added new;

A noisome spring of fores, as thick as leaves, did sprout.

Heaven itself is angry next;

(Woe to man, when Heaven is vext!)
With fullen brow it frown'd,

And murmur'd first in an imperfect found :

Till Mofes, lifting up his hand,

Waves the expected fignal of his wand;

And all the full-charg'd clouds in ranged fquadrons

move,

And fill the fpacious plains above ;

Through which the rolling thunder first does play, opens wide the tempeft's noisy way.

And

And

And ftrait a ftony shower

Of monftrous Hail does downwards pour,
Such as ne'er winter yet brought forth,
From all her stormy magazines of the north.
It all the beafts and men abroad did flay,
O'er the defaced corpfe, like monuments, lay;
The houses and ftrong-body'd trees it broke,

Nor afk'd aid from the thunder's stroke ;
The thunder but for terror through it flew,
The hail alone the work could do.

The difmal lightnings all around,

Some flying through the air, fome running on the ground, Some swimming o'er the water's face,

Fill'd with bright horror every place :

One would have thought, their dreadful day to have seen, The very hail, and rain itself, had kindled been.

The infant corn, which yet did fcarce

appear,

Escap'd this general maffacre

Of every thing that grew,

And the well-stor'd Egyptian year

Began to cloathe her fields and trees anew.

[blew,

When lo! a fcorching wind from the burnt countries

And endless legions with it drew
Of greedy Locufts; who, where'er
With founding wings they flew,
Left all the earth depopulate and bare,
As if Winter itself had march'd by there.
Whate'er the Sun and Nile

Gave with large bounty to the thankful foil,

The