Page:Redemption, a Poem.djvu/84

 78 REDEMPTION.

And often, in celestial dalliance, Disported with her, as in Paradise "With Eve; but at the unaccustom'd words, Which strong of first Eve's Tempter this bespoke, Leading to thoughts unseemly, vain desires, And pride, the sure precursor of a fall ; Whilst something in his visage caused her dread, Some trace of passion, anger, ill conceal'd Beneath the semblance of angelic form, And foreign to the grace of heav'nly bred. Enraged, the Devil saw the virgin fly, Fain to have follow' d, his fierce spite to wreck On her corporeal, so burn'd his wrath Inane ; but power superior restrain'd. So, when he tempted righteous Job, Satan Had power o'er Sabean and Chaldean bands, O'er winds and storms, o'er pestilential breath, O'er samiel blasts, and light'nings of the heav'ns; But still the edict stood Touch not his life, Nor put thy hand upon his sacred form. So turn'd he from the field of his depulse, Knowing full well that all his powers were vain, Unless the will of whom he sought, facile, His own obeys, yielding its free consent; Temptation to the tempted, when withstood, Inuring good, sole to the tempter harm.

As when beleaguer' d towns, with well built walls, And towers impregnable, are vain assail' d With enginery of war, or fierce onslaught Of the embattled foe, (arts emanant From hell,) some skilful miners delve beneath The soil, and through the disembowel' d earth

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