66 The Poets and Nature. 



Arriving at Saul's palace, she assumes the form of " Father 

 Benjamin," and approaching the slumbering prince, upbraids 

 him for allowing David, "a boy and minstrel," to steal away 

 his people's love and his crown, and exhorts him to be 

 "whole Saul," and rid himself of the son of Jesse. 



"With that she takes 



One of her worst, her best-beloved, snakes ; 

 ' Softly, dear worm ! soft and unseen/ said she, 

 1 Into his bosom steal, and in it be 

 My viceroy ! ' " 



Cowley, again, speaking of the transformation of Aaron's 

 rod (which he calls " Moses' wand ") says : 



" It gaped and hissed aloud, 

 With flaming eyes survey'd the trembling crowd, 

 And like a basilisk almost looked the assembly dead. 

 Swift fled th' amazed king, the guards before him fled ; " 



which is a curious misreading of Holy Writ, inasmuch 

 as Pharaoh, in the hardness of his heart, only recognised 

 in the miracle one of the commonest tricks of his own court 

 jugglers. Instead of flying amazed before "the Almighty 

 wand," he sent, we are told, for the u magicians of Egypt," 

 who, at his orders, repeated the miracle. Cowley's version 

 of the incident is as follows : 



" Jannes and Jambres stopp'd their fight, 

 And with proud words allay'd th' affright. 

 ' The god of slaves,' said they, ' how can he be 

 More powerful than their master's deity?" 

 And down they cast their rods, 



And muttered secret sounds that charm the servile gods. 

 The evil spirits their charms obey. 

 All in a subtle cloud they snatched the rods away, 

 And serpents in their place the airy jugglers lay. 

 Serpents in Egypt's monstrous land 

 Were ready still at hand, 

 And all at th' Old Serpent's first command : 

 And they, too, gaped, and they, too, hissed, 

 And they their threatening tails did tuist ; 



