XX. "And then he set up such a headless howl, "That all the saints came out, and took him in; "And there he sits by St Paul, cheek by jowl; "That fellow Paul-the parvenù! The skin "Of Saint Bartholomew, which makes his cowl "In heaven, and upon earth redeem'd his sin "So as to make a martyr, never sped "Better than did this weak and wooden head. XXI. "But had it come up here upon its shoulders, "There would have been a different tale to tell: "The fellow feeling in the saints beholders "Seems to have acted on them like a spell, "And so this very foolish head heaven solders "Back on its trunk: it may be very well, "And seems the custom here to overthrow "Whatever has been wisely done below." XXII. The Angel answer'd," Peter! do not pout; "The king who comes has head and all entire, "And never knew much what it was about"He did as doth the puppet-by its wire, "And will be judged like all the rest, no doubt: "My business and your own is not to inquire "Into such matters, but to mind our cue "Which is to act as we are bid to do." XXIII. While thus they spake, the angelic caravan, Cleaving the fields of space, as doth the swan Some silver stream (say Ganges, Nile, or Inde, Halted before the gate, and in his shroud Seated their fellow-traveller on a cloud. XXIV. But bringing up the rear of this bright host A Spirit of a different aspect waved His wings, like thunder-clouds above some coast Eternal wrath on his immortal face, And where he gazed a gloom pervaded space. XXV. As he drew near, he gazed upon the gate XXVI. The very cherubs huddled altogether, Like birds when soars the falcon; and they felt A tingling to the tip of every feather, And form'd a circle like Orion's belt Around their poor old charge; who scarce knew whither His guards had led him, though they gently dealt With royal manes (for by many stories, And true, we learn the angels all are Tories.) XXVII. As things were in this posture, the gate flew Of many-coloured flame, until its tinges Aurora borealis spread its fringes O'er the North Pole; the same seen, when ice-bound, By Captain Parry's crews, in "Melville's Sound." XXVIII. And from the gate thrown open issued beaming XXIX. 'Twas the archangel Michael: all men know I really can't say that they much evince XXX. Michael flew forth in glory and in good; A goodly work of him from whom all glory And good arise; the portal past-he stood; Before him the young cherubs and saint hoary, (I say young, begging to be understood By looks, not years; and should be very sorry To state, they were not older than Saint Peter, But merely that they seem'd a little sweeter.) XXXI. The cherubs and the saints bow'd down before Of Essences angelical, who wore The aspect of a god; but this ne'er nurst Pride in his heavenly bosom, in whose core No thought, save for his Maker's service, durst Intrude, however glorified and high; He knew him but the viceroy of the sky. XXXII. He and the sombre silent Spirit met- Than destiny to make the eternal years Their date of war, and their "Champ Clos" the spheres. XXXIII. But here they were in neutral space: we know And that "the Sons of God," like those of clay, XXXIV. And this is not a theologic tract, To prove with Hebrew and with Arabic If Job be allegory or a fact, But a true narrative; and thus I pick From out the whole but such and such an act As sets aside the slightest thought of trick. "Tis every tittle true, beyond suspicion, And accurate as any other vision. |