FIRST PERIOD.

1.-THE FIRST DAY.

THERE had not here as yet,

Save cavern-shade,

Aught been;

But this wide abyss

Stood deep and dim,

Strange to its Lord,
Idle and useless;

On which looked with his eyes

The King firm of mind,

And beheld those places
Void of joys;

Saw the dark cloud

Lower in eternal night,

Swart under heaven,

Dark and waste,

Until this worldly creation

Through the world existed
Of the Glory-King.

Here first shaped
The Lord eternal,
Chief of all Creatures
Heaven and earth;

The firmament upreared,
And this spacious land
Established,

By His strong Powers,
The Lord Almighty.
The earth as yet was

Not green with grass;
Ocean covered,

Swart in eternal night,
Far and wide,

The dusky ways.

Then was the glory-bright

Spirit of heaven's Guardian

Borne over the deep

With utmost speed:

The Creator of angels bade,

The Lord of life,
Light to come forth
Over the spacious deep.
Quickly was fulfilled

The high King's behest;
For him was holy light
Over the waste,
As the Maker bade.

Then sundered

The Lord of triumphs
Over the ocean-flood
Light from darkness,

Shade from brightness,
Then gave names to both
The Lord of life.
Light was first

Through the Lord's word
Named day;

Beauteous, bright creation!
Well pleased

The Lord at the beginning

The procreative time.

The first day saw

The dark shade

Swart prevailing

Over the wide abyss.

Cadmon, by Benjamin Thorpe.-About 6£0.

2.-THE FALL OF THE REBEL ANGELS.

The All-powerful had
Angel-tribes,

Through might of hand,
The holy Lord,

Ten established,

In whom He trusted well

That they His service
Would follow,

Work His will;

Therefore gave he them wit,

And shaped them with his hands,

The holy Lord.

He had placed them so happily,
One He had made so powerful,
So mighty in his mind's thought,
He let him sway over so much,

Highest after himself in heaven's kingdom.
He had made him so fair,

So beauteous was his form in heaven,
That came to him from the Lord of Hosts,
He was like to the light stars,

It was his to work the praise of the Lord,
It was his to hold dear his joys in heaven,
And to thank his Lord

For the reward that He had bestowed on him

in that light;

Then had He let him long possess it;

But he turned it for himself to a worse thing,

Began to raise war upon Him,

Against the highest ruler of heaven,
Who sitteth in His holy seat.

Dear was he to our Lord,

But it might not be hidden from Him

That His angel began

To be presumptuous,

Raised himself against his Master,
Sought speech of hate,

Words of pride towards him,

Would not serve God,

Said that his body was

Light and beauteous,

Fair and bright of hue:

He might not find in his mind

That he would God

In subjection,

His Lord, serve :

Seemed to himself

That he a power and force

Had greater

Than the holy God
Could have

Of adherents.

Many words spake

The angel of Presumption;

Thought, through his own power,
How he for himself a stronger
Seat might make,

Higher in heaven:

Said that him his mind impelled,
That he west and north

Would begin to work,
Would prepare structures:

Said it to him seemed doubtful
That he to God would

Be a vassal.

"Why shall I toil ?" said he; "To me it is no whit needful To have a superior;

I can with my hands as many Wonders work;

I have great power

To form

A diviner throne,

A higher in heaven.

Why shall I for his favor serve,
Bend to him in such vassalage?

I may be a god as he.

Stand by me strong associates,
Who will not fail me in the strife.
Heroes stern of mood,

They have chosen me for chief,
Renowned warriors!

With such may one devise counsel,
With such capture his adherents;
They are my zealous friends,
Faithful in their thoughts;

I may be their chieftain,
Sway in this realm:

Thus to me it seemeth not right
That I in aught

Need cringe

To God for any good;

I will no longer be his vassal." When the All-powerful it

All had heard,

That his angel devised

Great presumption

To raise up against his Master,
And spake proud words
Foolishly against his Lord,

Then must he expiate the deed,
Share the work of war,

And for his punishment must have
Of all deadly ills the greatest.

So doth every man

Who against his Lord
Deviseth to war,

With crime against the great Ruler.
Then was the Mighty angry,

The highest Ruler of heaven
Hurled him from the lofty seat;

Hate had he gained at his Lord,

His favor he had lost,

Incensed with him was the Good in his mind, Therefore must he seek the gulf

Of hard hell-torment,

For that he had warred with heaven's Ruler.

He rejected him then from his favor,

And cast him into hell,

Into the deep parts,

Where he became a devil:

The fiend with all his comrades

Fell then from heaven above,

Through as long as three nights and days,

The angels from heaven into hell;

And them all the Lord transformed to devils,
Because they his deed and word
Would not revere;

Therefore them in a worse light,
Under the earth beneath,

Almighty God

Had placed triumphless
In the swart hell;
There they have at even,
Immeasurably long,
Each of all the fiends,
A renewal of fire;
Then cometh ere dawn
The eastern wind,
Frost bitter cold,

Ever fire or dart;
Some hard torment

They must have,

It was wrought for them in punishment,

Their world (life) was changed:

For their sinful course

He filled hell with the apostates.

The angels continued to hold The heights of heaven's kingdom, Those who ere God's pleasure executed; The others lay fiends in the fire,

Who ere had had so much

Strife with their Ruler:

Torment they suffer,
Burning heat intense,
In midst of hell

Fire and broad flames;
So also the bitter reeks,
Smoke and darkness,

For that they the service

Of God neglected,

Them their folly deceived;

The angel's pride

They would not the All-powerful's

But we now suffer chastisement in hell,

Which is darkness and heat,-
Grim, bottomless;

God hath us himself

Swept into these swart mists,

Thus he cannot us accuse of any sin

That we against him in the land framed evil;
Yet hath he deprived us of the light,
Cast us into the greatest of all torments:
We may not for this execute vengeance,
Reward him with aught of hostility,
Because he hath bereft us of the light.
He hath now devised a world
Where he hath wrought man
After his own likeness,

With whom he will re-people

The kingdom of heaven with pure souls;
Therefore must we strive zealously
That we on Adam, if we ever may,

And likewise on his offspring, our wrongs repair,

Corrupt him there in his will,

If we may it in any way devise.

Now I have no confidence farther in this bright state,

That which he seems long destined to enjoy, That bliss with his angel's power.

We cannot that ever obtain,

That we the mighty God's mind weaken;
Let us avert it now from the children of men,
That heavenly kingdom, now we may not

have it;

That to me is in my mind so painful,
Rueth in my thought,

That they heaven's kingdom
For ever shall possess.
If any of you may
With aught so turn it,
That they God's word
Through guile forsake,

Soon shall they be the more hateful to him;
If they break his commandment,

Then will he be incensed against them; Afterwards will the weal be turned from them, And for them punishment will be prepared,Some hard lot of evil.”

Cadmon, by Benjamin Thorpe.-About GCO.

Trees stood,

That were without
Laden with fruit,-
With produce covered;

As them the powerful God,
High King of Heaven,
With his hands had set,

That there the child of man

Might choose

Of good and evil,—

Every man

Of weal and woe.

The fruit was not alike;

The one so pleasant was,
Fair and beautiful,
Soft and delicate,-
That was Life's tree;

He might for ever
After live,

Be in the world,

Who of this fruit tasted,
So that him after that
Age might not impair,
Nor grievous sickness;
But he might ever be
Forthwith in joys,
And his life hold;

The favor of heaven's King
Here in the world have,
To him should be decreed
Honours in the high heaven

When he goeth hence.

Then was the other

Utterly black,

Dim and dark,

That was Death's tree,

Which much of bitter bare.

Both must know

Every mortal,

Evil and good;

Waned in this world,

He in pain must ever,

With sweat and with sorrows,
After live

Whoe'er should taste

Of what on this tree grew;
Age should from him take
Of bold deeds

The joys, and of dominion,
And death be him allotted.

A little while he should
His life enjoy,

Then seek of lands

With fire the swartest;

To fiends should minister

Where of all perils is the greatest

To people for a long season.

That the foe well knew;

The devil's dark messenger,
Who warred with God,

Cast him then into a worm's body,
And then twined about

The tree of death.
Through devil's craft,
There took of the fruit,

And again turned him thence

To where he knew the handiwork

Of heaven's King to be:

Began then ask him,

With his first word

The enemy with lies,
"Cravest thou aught,
Adam, up with God?

I on his errand hither have
Journeyed from far;

Nor was it now long since

That with himself I sat, [journey,
When he me bade to travel on this

Bade that of this fruit thou eat,
Said that thy power and strength
And thine understanding

Would become greater,
And thy body

Brighter far,

Thy form more beauteous;

Said that to thee of my treasure need
Would not be in the world.

Now thou hast willingly
Wrought the favor
Of heaven's King,
Gratefully served
Thy Master,

Hast made thee dear with thy Lord

I heard him thy deeds and words
Praise in his brightness,
And speak about thy life.
So must thou execute
What hither, into this land,
His angels bring.

In the world are broad
Green places,

And God ruleth

In the highest

Realm of heaven.

The All-powerful above

Will not the trouble

Have himself