The Adamus exul of Grotius; or The Prototype of Paradise Lost — page 44: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Yu Eve. Satan. A TRAGEDY.—ACT. IV. \ 27 Ah! the foe is hasting on To the stern work of blood and tears; The dread ordeal is begun Which wakes our longings and our fears. Will these glorious beings foil The keen temptation, or be cast To grief and suffering and harsh toil ? Soon the trial will be past ! ACT IV. What animal is this that coils and winds His oblique course toward me? How he rears Aloft his scaly, mottled head ; and forth Launches his triple tongue: his glittering eye Glares with an indescribable fire, that burns And scintillates, and seems to scorch my soul With horrible fascination. Now his neck, Burnished with many-flashing gold, he bends, And swells his purple breast, whereon bright stars Flash, dazzling with strange lustre. Now he rests His cheek upon his flexile neck, and Jooks In cautious calmness round him; while, behind, His length of tail against the opposing light Burns like a fallen comet. Whatsoe’er His name or nature, this way straight he comes, And spreads his mazy labyrinths athwart My chosen path, and with his spiral coils Surrounds me. Lo, he lifts his sparkling head, And doth address himself to motion like As he would speak ;—I wonder if he can! Ay, I can speak : my tongue shall ne'er be dumb In thy fair service. Goddess, Queen of Earth ! I do protest my soul’s best homage due: And it delights me well thus to have fallen Beneath so exquisite a regency Of love and beauty; and with me no less, Whate’er the involving amplitude of air Contains of choice or precious. For we all (Though not with equal eloquence of voice) Rejoice in such a princess. Lady fairest, "Tis sweet to obey maternal majesty Like thine ; to bow to godlike human sway, Not cruel, insolent tyrants. Here, indeed, Reason doth rule our rulers; and her rule - Is freedom and delight. One thing alone Doth much amaze thy subjects—that the Power Sometimes invoked as Giver of all good ~ GORMGOOO@ @ <S (c@