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Upon a pillow, set so close with thorns,

That might not held another prickle still.
Accordingly, the saddest human look

Had hope in't; faint, indeed, but still 'twas hope.
But why excuse the misery of earth?

Say it was dismal, cold, and dark, and deep,
Beyond the utterance of strongest words;
But say that none remembered it, who saw
The eye of beings damned for evermore,
Rolling, and rolling, rolling still in vain,
To find some ray, to see beyond the gulf
Of an unavenued, fierce, fiery, hot,

Interminable, dark Futurity!

And rolling still, and rolling still in vain !

Thus stood the reprobate beneath the shade Of terror, and beneath the crown of love,

The good; and there was silence in the vault

Of heaven and as they stood and listened, they

:

heard,

Afar to left, among the utter dark,

Hell rolling o'er his waves of burning fire,

And thundering through his caverns, empty then,

As if he preparation made, to act

The final vengeance of the fiery Lamb.

And there was heard, coming from out the Pit, The hollow wailing of Eternal Death,

And horrid cry of the undying Worm.

The wicked paler turned, and scarce the good Their colour kept; but were not long dismayed. That moment, in the heavens, how wondrous fair! The angel of Mercy stood, and on the bad, Turning his back, over the ransomed threw His bow, bedropped with imagery of love, And promises on which their faith reclined. Throughout, deep, breathless silence reigned again; And on the circuit of the upper spheres, A glorious seraph stood, and cried aloud, That every ear of man and devil heard, "Him that is filthy, let be filthy still; Him that is holy, let be holy still." And suddenly, another squadron bright, Of high archangel glory, stooping, brought

A marvellous bow,-one base upon the Cross,

The other, on the shoulder of the Bear

They placed, from south to north, spanning the heavens,

And on each hand dividing good and bad,

Who read, on either side, these burning words, Which ran along the arch in living fire,

And wanted not to be believed in full:

"As ye have sown, so shall ye reap this day."

THE

COURSE OF TIME.

BOOK X.

ARGUMENT.

Prayer and thanksgiving of the Author.-Solemn dedication of his labours.-Supplication for the Divine Influence.-The Bard resumes. The Judgment-Day-What it really was.-The redeemed and the reprobate still standing as described in Book IX.-Universal calm of Earth waiting her doom.-The trumpet sounded by Michael.-Gathering of the heavenly hosts, and arrival around the New Jerusalem of the inhabitants of other regions of space.-Description of these multitudes of immortals. -All wait silent and adoring.—Address of the Almighty from the cloud. The destiny of man pronounced concluded.—The ways of Heaven unfolded and vindicated.-Address of the Father to the Eternal Son.-The Son of God comes to Judgment. How the righteous beheld his coming.-The Judge on the Great White Throne. The heavenly hosts ranged around. —The Book opened.—Men read their names rejoicing or despairing. Sentence pronounced. The profound stillness of universal life and space. The wrath of God.-The seven last Thunders. The reprobate driven beyond the Gulf.-Second Death and the undying Worm.-The Wall of fire closed round the wicked. Eternity of punishments.-The destruction of the globe. Imagery of the final conflagration pointed out. The Judge approves the righteous.-Hymn to God and the Lamb. -The Eternal Union of the Church with Christ.-The finished work of the Messiah.-Conclusion.

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