Book III.--Of the Harmony of the Fathers of the Old and New Testaments.

Now hath the mother, formerly surnamed

Barren, giv'n birth: ¹ now a new people, born

From the free woman, ² joys: (the slave expelled,

Deservedly, with her proud progeny;

5 Who also leaves ungratefully behind

The waters of the living fount, ³ and drinks--

Errant on heated plains--'neath glowing star: ⁴ )

Now can the Gentiles as their parent claim

Abraham; who, the Lord's voice following,

10 Like him, have all things left, ⁵ life's pilgrimage

To enter. "Be glad, barren one;" conceive

The promised people; "break thou out, and cry,"

Who with no progeny wert blest; of whom

Spake, through the seers, the Spirit of old time:

15 She hath borne, out of many nations, one;

With whose beginning are her pious limbs

Ever in labour.

Hers "just Abel" ⁶ was,

A pastor and a cattle--master he;

Whom violence of brother's right hand slew

20 Of old. Her Enoch, signal ornament,

Limb from her body sprung, by counsel strove

To recall peoples gone astray from God

And following misdeed, (while raves on earth

The horde of robber-renegades, ⁷ ) to flee

25 The giants'sacrilegious cruel race;

Faithful in all himself. With groaning deep ⁸

Did he please God, and by deserved toil

Translated ⁹ is reserved as a pledge,

With honour high. Perfect in praise, and found

30 Faultless, and just--God witnessing ¹⁰ the fact--

In an adulterous people, Noah (he

Who in twice fifty years ¹¹ the ark did weave)

By deeds and voice the coming ruin told.

Favour he won, snatched out of so great waves

35 Of death, and, with his progeny, preserved.

Then, in the generation ¹² following,

Is Abraham, whose sons ye do deny

Yourselves to be; who first--race, country, sire,

All left behind--at suasion of God's voice

40 Withdrew to realms extern: such honours he

At God's sublime hand worthily deserved

As to be father to believing tribes

And peoples. Jacob with the patriarchs

(Himself their patriarch) through all his own

45 Life's space the gladdest times of Christ foresang

By words, act, virtue, toil.

Him follows--free

From foul youth's stain--Joseph, by slander feigned,

Doomed to hard penalty and gaol: his groans

Glory succeeds, and the realm's second crown, so

50 And in dearth's time large power of furnishing

Bread: so appropriate a type of Christ,

So lightsome type of Light, is manifest

To all whose mind hath eyes, that they may see

In a face-mirror ¹³ their sure hope.

Himself

55 The patriarch Judah, see; the origin

Of royal line, ¹⁴ whence leaders rose, nor kings

Failed ever from his seed, until the Power

To come, by Gentiles looked for, promised long,

Came.

Moses, leader of the People, (he

60 Who, spurning briefly--blooming riches, left

The royal thresholds,) rather chose to bear

His people's toils, afflicted, with bowed neck,

By no threats daunted, than to gain himself

Enjoyments, and of many penalties

65 Remission: admirable for such faith

And love, he, with God's virtue armed, achieved

Great exploits: smote the nation through with plagues;

And left their land behind, and their hard king

Confounds, and leads the People back; trod waves;

70 Sunk the foes down in waters; through a "tree" ¹⁵

Made ever-bitter waters sweet; spake much

(Manifestly to the People) with the Christ, ¹⁶

From whose face light and brilliance in his own

Reflected shone; dashed on the ground the law

75 Accepted through some few, ¹⁷ --implicit type,

And sure, of his own toils!--smote through the rock;

And, being bidden, shed forth streams; and stretched

His hands that, by a sign, ¹⁸ he vanquish might

The foe; of Christ all severally, all ¹⁹

80 Combined through Christ, do speak. Great and approved,

He ²⁰ rests with praise and peace.

But Joshua,

The son of Nun, erst called Oshea--this man

The Holy Spirit to Himself did join

As partner in His name: ²¹ hence did he cleave

85 The flood; constrained the People to pass o'er;

Freely distributed the land--the prize

Promised the fathers!--stayed both sun and moon

While vanquishing the foe; races extern

And giants' progeny outdrave; razed groves;

90 Altars and temples levelled; and with mind

Loyal ²² performed all due solemnities:

Type of Christ's name; his virtue's image.

What

Touching the People's Judges shall I say

Singly? whose virtues, ²³ if unitedly

95 Recorded, fill whole volumes numerous

With space of words. But yet the order due

Of filling out the body of my words,

Demands that, out of many, I should tell

The life of few.

Of whom when Gideon, guide

100 Of martial band, keen to attack the foe,

(Not keen to gain for his own family,

By virtue, ²⁴ tutelary dignity, ²⁵ )

And needing to be strengthened ²⁶ in the faith

Excited in his mind, seeks for a sign

105 Whereby he either could not, or could, wage

Victorious war; to wit, that with the dew

A fleece, exposèd for the night, should be

Moistened, and all the ground lie dry around

(By this to show that, with the world, ²⁷ should dry ²⁸

110 The enemies' palm); and then again, the fleece

Alone remaining dry, the earth by night

Should with the self-same ²⁹ moisture be bedewed:

For by this sign he prostrated the heaps

Of bandits; with Christ's People 'countering them

115 Without much soldiery, with cavalry ³⁰

Three hundred--the Greek letter Tau, in truth,

That number is ³¹ --with torches armed, and horns

Of blowers with the mouth: then ³² was the fleece,

The people of Christ's sheep, from holy seed

120 Born (for the earth means nations various,

And scattered through the orb), which fleece the word

Nourishes; night death's image; Tau the sign

Of the dear cross; the horn the heraldings

Of life; the torches shining in their stand ³³

125 The glowing Spirit: and this testing, too,

Forsooth, an image of Christ's virtue was: ³⁴

To teach that death's fierce battles should not be

By trump angelic vanquished before

Th' indocile People be deservedly

130 By their own fault left desolate behind,

And Gentiles, flourishing in faith, received

In praise.

Yea, Deborah, a woman far

Above all fame, appears; who, having braced

Herself for warlike toil, for country's sake,

135 Beneath the palm-tree sang how victory

Had crowned her People; thanks to whom it was

That the foes, vanquisht, turned at once their backs,

And Sisera their leader fled; whose flight

No man, nor any band, arrested: him,

140 Suddenly renegade, a woman's hand--

Jael's ³⁵ --with wooden weapon vanquished quite,

For token of Christ's victory.

With firm faith

Jephthah appears, who a deep-wounding vow

Dared make--to promise God a grand reward

145 Of war: him ³⁶ then, because he senselessly

Had promised what the Lord not wills, first meets

The pledge ³⁷ dear to his heart; who suddenly

Fell by a lot unhoped by any. He,

To keep his promise, broke the sacred laws

150 Of parenthood: the shade of mighty fear

Did in his violent mind cover his vow

Of sin: as solace of his widowed life

For ³⁸ wickedness, renown, and, for crime, praise,

He won.

Nor Samson's strength, all corporal might

155 Passing, must we forget; the Spirit's gift

Was this; the power was granted to his head. ³⁹

Alone he for his People, daggerless,

Armless, an ass-jaw grasping, prostrated

A thousand corpses; and no bonds could keep

160 The hero bound: but after his shorn pride

Forsook him thralled, he fell, and, by his death,--

Though vanquisht,--bought his foes back 'neath his power.

Marvellous Samuel, who first received

The precept to anoint kings, to give chrism

165 And show men-Christs, ⁴⁰ so acted laudably

In life's space as, e'en after his repose,

To keep prophetic rights. ⁴¹

Psalmographist

David, great king and prophet, with a voice

Submiss was wont Christ's future suffering

170 To sing: which prophecy spontaneously

His thankless lawless People did perform:

Whom ⁴² God had promised that in time to come,

Fruit of his womb, ⁴³ a holy progeny,

He would on his sublime throne set: the Lord's

175 Fixt faith did all that He had promised.

Corrector of an inert People rose

Emulous ⁴⁴ Hezekiah; who restored

Iniquitous forgetful men the Law: ⁴⁵

All these God's mandates of old time he first

180 Bade men observe, who ended war by prayers, ⁴⁶

Not by steel's point: he, dying, had a grant

Of years and times of life made to his tears:

Deservedly such honour his career

Obtained.

With zeal immense, Josiah, prince

185 Himself withal, in like wise acted: none

So much, before or after!--Idols he

Dethroned; destroyed unhallowed temples; burned

With fire priests on their altars; all the bones

Of prophets false updug; the altars burned,

190 The carcases to be consumed did serve

For fuel!

To the praise of signal faith,

Noble Elijah, (memorable fact!)

Was rapt; ⁴⁷ who hath not tasted yet death's dues;

Since to the orb he is to come again.

195 His faith unbroken, then, chastening with stripes

People and frenzied king, (who did desert

The Lord's best service), and with bitter flames

The foes, shut up the stars; kept in the clouds

The rain; showed all collectively that God

200 Is; made their error patent;--for a flame,

Coming with force from heaven at his prayers,

Ate up the victim's parts, dripping with flood,

Upon the altar: ⁴⁸ --often as he willed,

So often from on high rushed fire; ⁴⁹ the stream

205 Dividing, he made pathless passable; ⁵⁰

And, in a chariot raised aloft, was borne

To paradise's hall.

Disciple his

Elisha was, succeeding to his lot: ⁵¹

Who begged to take to him Elijah's lot ⁵²

210 In double measure; so, with forceful stripe,

The People to chastise: ⁵³ such and so great

A love for the Lord's cause he breathed. He smote

Through Jordan; made his feet a way, and crossed

Again; raised with a twig the axe down--sunk

215 Beneath the stream; changed into vital meat

The deathful food; detained a second time,

Double in length, ⁵⁴ the rains; cleansed leprosies; ⁵⁵

Entangled foes in darkness; and when one

Offcast and dead, by bandits'slaughter slain

220 His limbs, after his death, already hid

In sepulchre, did touch, he--light recalled--

Revived.

Isaiah, wealthy seer, to whom

The fount was oped,--so manifest his faith!

Poured from his mouth God's word forth. Promised was

225 The Father's will, bounteous through Christ; through him

It testified before the way of life,

And was approved: ⁵⁶ but him, though stainless found,

And undeserving, the mad People cut

With wooden saw in twain, and took away

230 With cruel death.

The holy Jeremy

Followed; whom the Eternal's Virtue bade

Be prophet to the Gentiles, and him told

The future: who, because he brooded o'er

His People's deeds illaudable, and said

235 (Speaking with voice presaging) that, unless

They had repented of betaking them

To deeds iniquitous against their slaves, ⁵⁷

They should be captived, bore hard bonds, shut up

In squalid gaol; and, in the miry pit,

240 Hunger exhausted his decaying limbs.

But, after he did prove what they to hear

Had been unwilling, and the foes did lead

The People bound in their triumphal trains,

Hardly at length his wrinkled right hand lost

245 Its chains: it is agreed that by no death

Nor slaughter was the hero ta'en away.

Faithful Ezekiel, to whom granted was

Rich grace of speech, saw sinners' secrets; wailed

His own afflictions; prayed for pardon; saw

250 The vengeance of the saints, which is to be

By slaughter; and, in Spirit wrapt, the place

Of the saints' realm, its steps and accesses,

And the salvation of the flesh, he saw.

Hosea, Amos, Micah, Joel, too,

255 With Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, come;

Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,

And Zechariah who did violence

Suffer, and Malachi--angel himself!

Are here: these are the Lord's seers; and their choir,

260 As still they sing, is heard; and equally

Their proper wreath of praise they all have earned.

How great was Daniel! What a man!

What power!

Who by their own mouth did false witnesses

Bewray, and saved a soul on a false charge

265 Condemned; ⁵⁸ and, before that, by mouth resolved

The king's so secret dreams; foresaw how Christ

Dissolves the limbs of kingdoms; was accused

For his Lord's was made the lions' prey;

And, openly preserved ⁵⁹ before all eyes,

270 Rested in peace.

His Three Companions, scarce

With due praise to be sung, did piously

Contemn the king's iniquitous decree,

Out of so great a number: to the flames

Their bodies given were; but they preferred,

275 For the Great Name, to yield to penalties

Themselves, than to an image stretch their palms

On bended knees. Now their o'erbrilliant faith,

Now hope outshining all things, the wild fires

Hath quencht, and vanquisht the iniquitous!

280 Ezra the seer, doctor of Law, and priest

Himself (who, after full times, back did lead

The captive People), with the Spirit filled

Of memory, restored by word of mouth

All the seers' volumes, by the fires and mould ⁶⁰

285 Consumèd.

Great above all born from seed

Is John whose praises hardly shall we skill

To tell: the washer ⁶¹ of the flesh: the Lord's

Open forerunner; washer, ⁶² too, of Christ,

Himself first born again from Him: the first

290 Of the new convenant, last of the old,

Was he; and for the True Way's sake he died,

The first slain victim.

See God-Christ! behold

Alike, His Twelve-Fold Warrior-Youth! ⁶³ in all

One faith, one dove, one power; the flower of men;

295 Lightening the world ⁶⁴ with light; comrades of Christ

And apostolic men; who, speaking truth,

Heard with their ears Salvation, ⁶⁵ with their eyes

Saw It, and handled with their hand the late

From death recovered body, ⁶⁶ and partook

300 As fellow-guests of food therewith, as they

Themselves bear witness.

Him did Paul as well

(Forechosen apostle, and in due time sent),

When rapt into the heavens, ⁶⁷ behold: and sent

By Him, he, with his comrade Barnabas,

305 And with the earlier associates

Joined in one league together, everywhere

Among the Gentiles hands the doctrine down

That Christ is Head, whose members are the Church,

He the salvation of the body, He

310 The members' life perennial;

He, made flesh, He, ta'en away for all, Himself first rose

Again, salvation's only hope; and gave

The norm to His disciples: they at once

All variously suffered, for His Name,

315 Unworthy penalties.

Such members bears

With beauteous body the free mother, since

She never her Lord's precepts left behind,

And in His home hath grown old, to her Lord

Ever most choice, having for His Name's sake

320 Penalties suffered. For since, barren once,

Not yet secure of her futurity,

She hath outgiven a people born of seed

Celestial, and ⁶⁸ been spurned, and borne the spleen ⁶⁹

Of her own handmaid; now 'tis time to see

325 This former-barren mother have a son

The heir of her own liberty; not like

The handmaid's heir, yoked in estate to her,

Although she bare him from celestial seed

Conceived. Far be it that ye should with words

330 Unlawful, with rash voice, collectively

Without distinction, give men exemplary

(Heaven's glowing constellations, to the mass

Of men conjoined by seed alone or blood),

The rugged bondman's ⁷⁰ name; or that one think

335 That he may speak in servile style about

A People who the mandates followèd

Of the Lord's Law. No: but we mean the troop

Of sinners, empty, mindless, who have placed

God's promises in a mistrustful heart;

340 Men vanquisht by the miserable sweet

Of present life: that troop would have been bound

Capital slavery to undergo,

By their own fault, if sin's cause shall impose

Law's yoke upon the mass. For to serve God,

345 And be whole-heartedly intent thereon,

Untainted faith, and freedom, is thereto

Prepared spontaneous.

The just fathers, then,

And holy stainless prophets, many, sang

The future advent of the Lord; and they

350 Faithfully testify what Heaven bids

To men profane: with them the giants, ⁷¹ men

With Christ's own glory satiated, made

The consorts of His virtue, filling up

The hallowed words, have stablished our faith;

355 By facts predictions proving.

Of these men

Disciples who succeeded them throughout

The orb, men wholly filled with virtue's breath,

And our own masters, have assigned to us

Honours conjoined with works.

Of whom the first

360 Whom Peter bade to take his place and sit

Upon this chair in mightiest Rome where he

Himself had sat, ⁷² was Linus, great, elect,

And by the mass approved. And after him

Cletus himself the fold's flock undertook;

365 As his successor Anacletus was

By lot located: Clement follows him;

Well known was he to apostolic men: ⁷³

Next Evaristus ruled without a crime

The law. ⁷⁴ To Sixtus Sextus Alexander

370 Commends the fold: who, after he had filled

His lustral times up, to Telesphorus

Hands it in order: excellent was he,

And martyr faithful. After him succeeds

A comrade in the law, ⁷⁵ and master sure:

375 When lo! the comrade of your wickedness,

Its author and forerunner--Cerdo hight--

Arrived at Rome, smarting with recent wounds:

Detected, for that he was scattering

Voices and words of venom stealthily:

380 For which cause, driven from the band, he bore

This sacrilegious brood, the dragon's breath

Engendering it. Blooming in piety

United stood the Church of Rome, compact

By Peter: whose successor, too, himself,

385 And now in the ninth place, Hyginus was,

The burden undertaking of his chair.

After him followed Pius--Hermas his

Own brother ⁷⁶ was; angelic "Pastor" he,

Because he spake the words delivered him: ⁷⁷

390 And Anicetus ⁷⁸ the allotted post

In pious order undertook. 'Neath whom

Marcion here coming, the new Pontic pest,

(The secret daring deed in his own heart

Not yet disclosed,) went, speaking commonly,

395 In all directions, in his perfidy,

With lurking art. But after he began

His deadly arrows to produce, cast off

Deservedly (as author of a crime

So savage), reprobated by the saints,

400 He burst, a wondrous monster! on our view.