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; 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 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
285 Consumèd.
Great above all born from seed
Is John whose praises hardly shall we skill
To tell: the washer of the flesh: the Lord’s
Open forerunner; washer, 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! in all
One faith, one dove, one power; the flower of men;