Thomas Humphry Ward, ed. The English Poets. 1880–1918.rnVol. III. The Eighteenth Century: Addison to Blake
John Byrom (16921763)On the Origin of Evil
E
Is but the skeleton of good
Divested of its flesh and blood.
Within its hidden secret source,
It is the good’s own strength and force.
In human form divinely fair,
Although an evil when laid bare;
A shining good while all conspire,
But, separate, dark raging ire;
Which then admits no ill, nor hath,
But, if alone, it would be wrath;
In which the evil can be none
Till unity of good is gone:—
The greatest good, to wit, Free Will,
Becomes the origin of ill.
The very Heaven where good ones dwell
Became the apostate spirits’ hell;
A force without a love and light
They found, and felt its evil might.
Of good and evil, when he ate
Died to his first thrice-happy state,
Which, in harmonious union all,
Were Paradise before his fall,
Revives its faded image, then
Will all be Paradise again.