The
Extacy
.
I.
Mount
,
Mount
,
my
Soul
on
high
,
Cut
thro'
the
spacious
Sky
;
Scale
the
great
Mountainous
heaps
that
be
,
Betwixt
the
upper
World
,
and
thee
.
Stop
not
,
till
thou
the
utmost
Region
know
,
Leave
all
the
Glittering
Worlds
below
:
Then
take
thy
Noble
flight
,
Into
the
sacred
Magazine
of
Light
,
View
the
bright
,
the
Empyrean
Throne
Of
the
great
,
the
Almighty
ONE
.
All
the
Miriades
of
shining
Hosts
survey
,
With
the
seraphick
blazing
Throng
;
Celebrating
their
Eternal
Day
,
With
an
Eternal
Song
.
In
vain
my
dazled
Soul
would
gaze
around
,
(
The
beatifick
Glorys
so
confound
)
It
must
be
quite
disrob'd
,
e'er
tread
this
Holy
Ground
.
II
.
Descend
you
daring
Spirit
,
think
'tis
fair
,
If
thou
may'st
traverse
the
inferior
Air
,
Content
with
humbler
Curiosities
,
View
the
expanded
the
Skies
,
With
radient
Worlds
,
'tis
richly
deck'd
,
By
the
Almighty
Architect
.
Mount
Charles's
Wain
,
Drive
over
all
the
Ætherial
Plain
,
And
to
augment
thy
Speed
,
With
blazing
Comets
lash
the
Restive
Steeds
.
Make
them
neigh
aloud
and
Foam
,
Till
all
the
Sky
a
Milky
way
become
;
What
tho'
they
Fret
and
Rage
,
To
pass
their
wonted
Stage
.
Make
them
Praunce
o'er
all
the
amazing
Place
,
Quite
to
the
empty
Space
,
And
as
ye
go
,
see
what
Inhabitants
there
are
,
In
every
World
,
of
every
Star
;
Their
Shape
,
their
Manners
and
their
State
,
Write
in
Journals
as
ye
go
,
And
to
the
inquiring
Earth
relate
;
By
dropping
it
below
.
When
weary'd
with
your
universal
round
,
Let
the
Sphears
harmonious
sound
,
Refresh
and
Charm
your
Spirits
,
till
they
be
Fit
to
fly
back
to
their
first
ventur'd
one
Immensity
But
oh
!
the
Harmony's
too
soft
,
too
sweet
,
The
Eternal
strains
too
ravishingly
great
,
I
cannot
bear
such
Transports
yet
,
Well
then
,
I'll
leave
these
mighty
heights
and
go
And
over-look
the
little
Globe
below
.
III
.
In
this
Amphibious
Ball
,
is
vast
variety
,
To
entertain
my
Curiosity
:
Here
the
great
Waters
of
the
mighty
deep
,
Their
fixt
amazing
Bounds
do
keep
;
In
vain
they
Rage
and
Roar
,
But
dare
not
touch
on
the
restraining
Shoar
.
Here
finny
Herds
of
th'
smallest
sort
,
Safely
Play
and
Sport
;
Wanton
I'th'
Flood
,
with
no
more
Danger
then
The
Pastimes
of
Leviathan
.
Here
does
in
Triumph
ride
,
The
stately
Trophies
of
Britania's
Pride
:
Her
Ships
which
to
the
Indies
Trade
,
Such
Noble
Fabricks
are
made
;
And
so
numerous
appear
,
The
frighted
Natives
do
our
Traffick
fear
,
And
doubt
we
will
invade
.
Securely
too
in
these
,
They
visit
the
Antipodes
.
From
Britain
they
,
the
courteous
Race
begun
,
A
piece
of
complaisance
unknown
,
To
all
but
civil
Drake
,
and
the
obliging
Sun
.
Neptune
with
pompous
Pride
does
bear
Those
glorious
Terrors
;
Ships
of
War
.
The
floating
Towr's
they
in
Battalia
draw
;
Keep
all
the
circling
Realms
in
awe
.
Yet
these
vast
Bodies
,
the
soft
Waters
bear
:
So
the
great
Bird
of
Jove
,
mounts
in
the
trackless
Air
.
On
the
smooth
Floods
,
the
swelling
Billows
rise
,
As
if
the
liquid
Mountains
touch'd
the
Skies
:
Then
quick
they
plunged
,
with
an
Impetuous
hast
,
And
seem'd
to
speak
Destruction
as
they
pass'd
,
Yet
Arm'd
with
Avarice
and
Curiosities
,
Men
scorn
the
Dangers
,
of
the
threatning
Seas
.
IV
.
Next
on
the
solid
Parts
,
I
cast
my
Eye
,
Did
vast
scorcht
Desarts
spie
;
Which
untamed
Beasts
,
and
Monsters
bred
,
By
them
alone
inhabited
,
I
saw
huge
Mountains
of
uncommon
Earth
,
Some
belcht
with
Terror
forth
;
A
sulpherous
Smoak
,
Loud
as
amazing
Thunder
spoke
,
From
the
unexhausted
Bowels
came
,
Ashes
and
Stones
,
evacuated
by
Flame
;
Remote
from
these
are
frigid
Mountains
too
;
Thick
cloth'd
in
fleecy
Snow
.
Some
by
restringent
Air
congeal'd
as
hard
,
As
if
with
Adamantine
barr'd
:
Stupendious
Rocks
of
hideous
Stones
I
found
,
Whose
dangerous
Heads
,
lean'd
o're
the
threaten'd
Ground
.
Deep
in
Earths
center
,
far
from
human
sight
,
I
search'd
with
intellectual
Light
;
(
Pierc'd
to
the
gloomy
Ray
,
Where
subterrenean
Fires
,
in
silence
play
,
Like
the
faint
Glimps
of
an
imprison'd
Day
.
)
Where
unmolested
Streams
with
gentle
force
,
Press
,
to
their
Primeveal
source
;
And
sometimes
upward
,
gush
thro'
poreous
Earth
,
Give
to
the
healing
Baths
,
a
useful
Birth
;
)
In
its
more
wealthy
parts
,
the
Minerals
lay
,
And
ponderous
Mettals
,
shining
Nerves
display
:
In
her
bright
Bowels
,
radient
Gems
remains
,
Till
cruel
Man
dissects
,
and
rends
her
Saphir
vains
.
With
Grief
and
Wonder
I
behold
,
The
Noble
,
but
mischevious
Gold
;
Oh
!
with
what
Toil
,
and
mighty
Pain
,
Men
the
inchanting
Mettle
gain
.
This
Tyrant
Clay
Lords
it
o'er
human
kind
,
Tho'
they
themselves
in
dirt
,
at
first
the
Monarch
find
;
Lets
their
Stupidity
,
no
more
upbraid
,
Who
worshipp'd
Gods
,
which
their
own
Hands
had
made
,
Since
we're
by
Gold
to
greater
Crimes
betray'd
.
Our
Country
,
Faith
,
Friends
,
Honour
for
its
sold
,
Nay
,
Heaven
and
Love
,
is
sacrafic'd
to
Gold
;
We're
worse
Idolaters
,
than
they
,
Who
only
Homage
gave
;
since
we
mischeviously
obey
.
V.
Then
the
habitable
World
appear'd
,
By
Art
,
vast
Towns
and
pompous
Temples
fear'd
The
pleasing
Fields
,
awhile
detain'd
my
sight
With
a
serene
delight
:
The
flowry
Meads
,
with
various
Colours
dy'd
,
And
smiling
Nature
,
in
her
verdant
Pride
;
Here
ancient
Woods
,
and
blooming
Groves
,
(
Fit
recesses
,
for
celestial
Loves
,
)
Where
purling
Streams
,
glide
with
delightful
hast
,
On
whose
cool
Banks
,
are
spreading
Willows
plac'd
:
The
chearful
Birds
sing
on
the
shading
Bough
,
In
such
glad
Notes
,
as
Nature
did
bestow
.
The
bleating
Flocks
and
Herds
,
o'erspread
the
Plains
,
And
recompence
the
joyful
Peasants
pains
.
Here
the
unenvy'd
Village
stood
,
Rais'd
of
native
Clay
,
and
neighbouring
Wood
.
The
Inhabitants
as
void
of
Pride
,
or
Art
,
Blest
with
plain
Diet
,
and
an
honest
Heart
;
These
Plow'd
the
Ground
,
and
Sow'd
the
pregnant
Grain
,
Reap'd
joyfully
;
the
plentious
Crop
again
:
Innocent
Slaves
,
to
whose
rude
Care
we
owe
,
The
chief
supports
of
Life
,
and
utmost
needs
below
.
Remoter
helps
are
Springs
to
Luxury
,
Rich
Wines
and
Spices
,
and
the
Tyrian
die
,
Do
not
our
Wants
,
but
Wantonness
supply
.
Here
in
his
humble
Cott
,
the
Rustick
lies
,
Knows
not
the
Curse
,
of
being
Great
or
Wise
;
Ambition
,
Treachery
,
and
Fear
,
Are
Strangers
here
.
Secure
and
quiet
they
go
plodding
on
,
Happy
,
because
too
mean
to
be
undone
.
VI
.
Then
I
espy'd
from
far
,
Troops
of
shining
Men
,
ingag'd
in
War
,
Their
artful
Weapons
,
are
with
Rage
imploy'd
,
And
Man
,
by
Man
,
is
Savagely
destroy'd
:
Poor
mercenary
Slaves
they
die
,
But
seldom
know
for
why
;
Oh
!
what
Confusions
here
I
cannot
bear
,
These
horrid
Groans
that
reach
my
distant
Ear
From
slaugher'd
heaps
,
of
dying
Accents
there
.
Sometimes
wast
Towns
in
Flames
appear
,
Huge
Castles
mount
,
and
shatter
in
the
Air
,
But
ah
!
what
pity
'tis
,
Mankind
should
Glory
in
such
Arts
as
these
;
Then
to
the
populous
Cities
,
I
repair'd
,
Found
they
were
little
less
insnar'd
;
Tho'
not
Alarm'd
with
mighty
noise
of
Wars
,
Yet
curs'd
with
grating
,
private
Jars
,
Envy
and
Strife
,
Self-Interest
,
and
Deceits
,
Extravagance
and
Noise
,
her
Fate
compleats
.
Then
I
survey'd
the
splendid
Court
,
Found
pageant
Follies
,
Revelling
and
Sport
,
Base
Falshood
,
Lust
,
Ambition
,
Emnity
,
Soft
wanton
Intervals
,
and
Luxury
,
Destructive
Flattery
,
and
hateful
Pride
,
And
all
the
City
Sins
beside
.
Thinks
I
,
what
shall
I
do
,
If
I
must
live
again
below
,
For
I
remember'd
that
I
had
been
there
,
And
a
return
to
Earth
,
did
fear
.
Grant
ye
bless'd
Powers
,
said
I
,
If
I
must
downwards
fly
;
I
may
Descend
upon
the
blooming
Plain
,
Bless'd
with
the
harmless
Nymph
,
and
humble
Swain
,
There
let
me
ever
undisturb'd
remain
.