Canaan he now attains; I see his tents
Pitch'd about Sechem, and the neighbouring plain
Of Moreh; there by promise he receives
Gift to his progeny of all that land,

From Hamath northward to the Desert south
(Things by their names I call, thou yet unnamed ;)
From Hermon east to the great western Sea;
Mount Hermon, yonder sea; each place behold
In prospect, as I point them; on the shore
Mount Carmel; here, the double-founted stream,
Jordan, true limit eastward; but his sons
Shall dwell to Senir, that long ridge of hills.
This ponder, that all nations of the earth
Shall in his seed be blessed by that seed

135

141

145

Is meant thy great Deliverer, who shall bruise
The Serpent's head; whereof to thee anon
Plainlier shall be reveal'd. This patriarch bless'd.
Whom faithful Abraham due time shall call,

150

A son, and of his son a grandchild, leaves;
Like him in faith, in wisdom, and renown:

The grandchild, with twelve sons increased, departs From Canaan, to a land hereafter call'd

156

Egypt, divided by the river Nile;

See where it flows, disgorging at seven mouths

Into the sea to sojourn in that land

He comes, invited by a younger son

160

In time of dearth; a son, whose worthy deeds

Raise him to be the second in that realm

Of Pharaoh there he dies, and leaves his race

Growing into a nation, and now grown

Suspected to a sequent king, who seeks

165

To stop their overgrowth, as inmate guests

Too numerous; whence of guests he makes them slaves Inhospitably, and kills their infant males:

Till by two brethren (these two brethren call'd
Moses and Aaron) sent from God to claima

170

His people from enthralment, they return,

With glory and spoil, back to their promised land.

But first, the lawless tyrant, who denies

To know their God, or message to regard,

180

Must be compell'd by signs and judgments dire; 175
To blood ushed the rivers must be turn'd;
Frogs, lice, and flies must all his palace fill
With loathed intrusion, and fill all the land;
His cattle must of rot and murrain die;
Botches and blains must all his flesh emboss,
And all his people; thunder mix'd with hail,
Hail mix'd with fire, must rend the Egyptian sky,
And wheel on the earth, devouring where it rolls;
What it devours not, herb, or fruit, or grain,
A darksome cloud of locusts swarming down
Must eat, and on the ground leave nothing green;
Darkness must overshadow all his bounds,

Palpable darkness, and blot out three days;
Last, with one midnight stroke, all the first-born

185

Of Egypt must lie dead. Thus with ten wounds 190 The river-dragon tamed at length submits

To let his sojourners depart, and oft

Humbles his stubborn heart; but still, as ice

More harden'd after thaw; till, in his rage

Pursuing whom he late dismiss'd, the sea

Swallows him with his host; but them lets pass,

As on dry land, between two crystal walls;

Awed by the rod of Moses so to stand

Divided, till his rescued gain their shore:

195

Such wondrous power God to his saint will lend, 200 Though present in his Angel; who shall go

Before them in a cloud, and pillar of fire;

By day a cloud, by night a pillar of fire;
To guide them in their journey, and remove
Behind them, while the obdurate king pursues
All night he will pursue; but his approach
Darkness defends between till morning watch;
Then through the fiery pillar, and the cloud,
God looking forth will trouble all his host,

205

209

And craze their chariot-wheels: when by command

Moses once more his potent rod extends
Over the sea; the sea his rod obeys;

On their embattled ranks the waves return
And overwhelm their war: the race elect

Safe towards Canaan from the shore advance

215

Through the wild Desert, not the readiest way;

Untrain'd in arms, where rashness leads not on.
This also shall they gain by their delay

In the wide wilderness; there they shall found

Their government, and their great senate choose 225
Through the twelve tribes, to rule by laws ordain'd:
God from the mount of Sinai, whose gray top
Shall tremble, he descending, will himself

In thunder, lightning, and loud trumpets' sound,

Ordain them laws; part, such as appertain

23U

To civil justice; part, religious rites

Of sacrifice; informing them, by types

And shadows, of that destined Seed to bruise
The Serpent, by what means he shall achieve
Mankind's deliverance. But the voice of God
To mortal ear is dreadful: they beseech
That Moses might report to them his will,

235

And terror cease; he grants what they besought,
Instructed that to God is no access

Without Mediator, whose high office now

240

Moses in figure bears; to introduce

One greater, of whose day he shall foretel,

And all the Prophets in their age the times

Of great Messiah shall sing. Thus, laws and rites
Establish'd, such delight hath God in men
Obedient to his will, that he vouchsafes
Among them to set up his tabernacle ;
The Holy One with mortal men to dwell.

245

By his prescript a sanctuary is framed
Of cedar, overlaid with gold; therein
An ark, and in the ark his testimony,
The records of his covenant; over these
A mercy-seat of gold, between the wings
Of two bright Cherubim; before him burn
Seven lamps as in a zodiac representing
The heavenly fires; over the tent a cloud
Shall rest by day, a fiery gleam by night;
Save when they journey, and at length they come,
Conducted by his Angel, to the land

Promised to Abraham and his seed :-the rest
Were long to tell; how many battles fought;
How many kings destroy'd; and kingdoms won;
Or how the sun shall in mid Heaven stand still

A day entire, and night's due course adjourn,

250

255

260

Man's voice commanding, Sun, in Gibeon stand, 265 And thou, moon, in the vale of Aialon,

Till Israel overcome! so call the third

From Abraham, son of Isaac; and from him
His whole descent, who thus shall Canaan win.

Here Adam interposed: O send from Heaven, 270
Enlightener of my darkness, gracious things
Thou hast reveal'd; those chiefly which concern
Just Abraham and his seed; now first I find

Mine eyes true-opening, and my heart much eased;

Erewhile perplex'd with thoughts, what would become Of me and all mankind: but now I see

276

His day, in whom all nations shall be bless'd;

Among them; how can God with such reside?

To whom thus Michael: Doubt not but that sin 285

Will reign among them, as of thee begot,

And therefore was law given them, to evince
Their natural pravity, by stirring up

Sin against law to fight: that when they see
Law can discover sin, but not remove,
Save by those shadowy expiations weak,

290

The blood of bulls and goats, they may conclude

Some blood more precious must be paid for Man,
Just for unjust; that in such righteousness
To them by faith imputed, they may find
Justification towards God, and peace

295

Of conscience; which the law by ceremonies
Cannot appease; nor Man the mortal part
Perform; and, not performing, cannot live.
So law appears imperfect; and but given
With purpose to resign them, in full time,
Up to a better covenant; disciplined

From shadowy types to truth; from flesh to spirit;
From imposition of strict laws to free

300

Acceptance of large grace; from servile fear
To filial; works of law to works of faith.

305

And therefore shall not Moses, though of God
Highly beloved, being but the minister

Of law, his people into Canaan lead;

But Joshua, whom the Gentiles Jesus call,

310

His name and office bearing, who shall quell

The Adversary Serpent, and bring back

Through the world's wilderness long-wander'd Man
Safe to eternal Paradise of rest.

Meanwhile they, in their earthly Canaan placed, 315
Long time shall dwell and prosper; but when sins
National interrupt their public peace,
Provoking God to raise them enemies;
From whom as oft he saves them penitent

By judges first, then under kings; of whom

The second, both for piety renown'd
And puissant deeds, a promise shall receive
Irrevocable, that his regal throne

For ever shall endure; the like shall sing

320