The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems by John Milton, Burton Raffel

God’s high sufferance) 1584 for the trial 1585 of man
367
      
By falsities and lies the greatest part
368
      
Of mankind they corrupted to forsake
369
      
God their Creator, and th’ invisible
370
      
Glory of Him that made them to transform
371
      
Oft to the image of a brute, adorned
372
      
With gay 1586 religions full of pomp and gold
373
      
And devils to adore for deities
374
      
Then were they known to men by various names
375
      
And various idols through the heathen world
376
      
    Say, Muse, their names then known, who first, who last
377
      
Roused from their slumber on that fiery couch, 1587
378
      
At their great emperor’s call, as next in worth
379
      
Came singly where he stood on the bare strand, 1588
380
      
While the promiscuous 1589 crowd stood yet aloof? 1590
381
      
The chief 1591 were those who, from the pit of Hell
382
      
Roaming to seek their prey on Earth, durst fix 1592
383
      
Their seats, long after, next the seat of God
384
      
Their altars by His altar, gods adored
385
      
Among the nations round, and durst abide 1593
386
      
Jehovah thundering out of Sion, throned
387
      
Between the Cherubim, yea, often placed
388
      
Within His sanctuary itself their shrines
389
      
Abominations!—and with cursèd things
390
      
His holy rites and solemn feasts profaned, 1594
391
      
And with their darkness durst affront 1595 His light
392
      
    First, Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood
393
      
Of human sacrifice, and parents’ tears
394
      
Though, for the noise of drums and timbrels 1596 loud
395
      
Their children’s cries unheard that passed through fire
396
      
To his grim 1597 idol. Him the Ammonite 1598
397
      
Worshipped in Rabba 1599 and her wat’ry plain
398
      
In Argob 1600 and in Basan, 1601 to the stream
399
      
Of utmost Arnon. 1602 Nor content with such

400
      
Audacious 1603 neighborhood, the wisest heart
401
      
Of Solomon he led by fraud to build
402
      
His 1604 temple right against the temple of God
403
      
On that opprobrious 1605 hill, and made his grove
404
      
The pleasant valley of Hinnom, 1606 Tophet 1607 thence
405
      
And black Gehenna 1608 called, the type 1609 of Hell
406
      
    Next Chemos, 1610 th’ obscene 1611 dread 1612 of Moab’s 1613 sons
407
      
From Aroar 1614 to Nebo 1615 and the wild
408
      
Of southmost Abarim, 1616 in Hesebon 1617
409
      
And Horonaim, 1618 Seon’s 1619 realm, beyond
410
      
The flow’ry dale of Sibma 1620 clad with vines
411
      
And Eléalé 1621 to th’ asphaltic pool. 1622
412
      
Peor 1623 his other name, when he enticed
413
      
Israel in Sittim, 1624 on their march from Nile, 1625
414
      
To do him wanton 1626 rites, which cost them woe
415
      
Yet thence his lustful orgies he enlarged
416
      
Ev’n to that hill of scandal, 1627 by the grove
417
      
Of Moloch homicide, lust hard by 1628 hate
418
      
Till good Josiah 1629 drove them thence to Hell
419
      
With these came they who, from the bord’ring flood
420
      
Of old Euphrates 1630 to the brook 1631 that parts
421
      
Egypt from Syrian ground, had general names
422
      
Of Baalim 1632 and Ashtaroth 1633 —those male
423
      
These feminine. For Spirits, when they please
424
      
Can either sex assume, or both, so soft
425
      
And uncompounded 1634 is their essence pure
426
      
Not tied or manacled with joint or limb
427
      
Nor founded 1635 on the brittle strength of bones
428
      
Like cumbrous 1636 flesh, but