o cast,
And on the bright wave fling the trembling mast. [Footnote 2]

'Twas the mid hour, when He, whose accents dread
Still wander'd thro' the regions of the dead,
(MERION, commission'd with his host to sweep
From age to age the melancholy deep)
To elude the seraph-guard that watch'd for man,
And mar, as erst, the Eternal's perfect plan,
Rose like the Condor, and, at towering height,
In pomp of plumage sail'd, deepening the shades of night.
Roc of the West! to him all empire giv'n! [z]
Who bears [Footnote 3] Axalhua's dragon-folds to heav'n; [Footnote 4]
His flight a whirlwind, and, when heard afar,
Like thunder, or the distant din of war!
Mountains and seas fled backward as he pass'd
O'er the great globe, by not a cloud o'ercast
From the ANTARCTICK, from the Land of Fire [Footnote 5]
To where ALASKA'S [Footnote 6] wintry wilds retire;
From mines [Footnote 7] of gold, and giant-sons of earth,
To grotts of ice, and tribes of pigmy birth
Who freeze alive, nor, dead, in dust repose,
High-hung in forests to the casing snows.[a]
Now mid angelic multitudes he flies,
That hourly come with blessings from the skies;
Wings the blue element, and, borne sublime,
Eyes the set sun, gilding each distant clime;
Then, like a meteor, shooting to the main,
Melts into pure intelligence again.

[Footnote 1: F. Col. c.3.]

[Footnote 2: Splendour of the nights in a tropical climate.]

[Footnote 3: Axalhua, or the Emperor. The name in the Mexican
language for the great serpent of America.]

[Footnote 4: As the Roc of the East is said to have carried off the
Elephant. See Marco Polo.]

[Footnote 5: Tierra del Fuego.]

[Footnote 6: Northern extremity of the New World. See Cook's last
Voyage.]

[Footnote 7: Mines of Chili; which extend, says Ovalle, to the Strait
of Magellan. I. 4.]

CANTO VII.
A mutiny excited.

What tho' Despondence reign'd, and wild Affright;
Stretch'd in the midst, and, thro' that dismal night, [b]
By his white plume reveal'd and buskins white, [c]
Slept ROLDAN. When he clos'd his gay career,
Hope fled for ever, and with Hope fled Fear,
Blest with each gift indulgent Fortune sends,
Birth and its rights, wealth and its train of friends,
Star-like he shone! Now beggar'd, and alone,
Danger he woo'd, and claim'd her for his own.
O'er him a Vampire [Footnote 1] his dark wings display'd.
'Twas MERION'S self, covering with dreadful shade. [d]
He came, and, couch'd on ROLDAN'S ample breast,
Each