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I

REGAI N'D.

BOOK I.

Who ere while the happy garden fung,

By one man's disobedience loft, now fing

Recover'd Paradife to all mankind,

By one man's firm obedience fully try'd

Through all temptation, and the tempter foil'd 5
In all his wiles, defeated and repuls'd,
And Eden rais'd in the wafte wildernefs.

Thou Spirit who ledft this glorious eremite
Into the defert, his victorious field,

Against the spiritual foe, and brought'ft him thence 10
By proof th' undoubted Son of God, infpire,
As thou art wont, my prompted fong else mute,
And bear through highth or depth of nature's bounds
With profp'rous wing full fumm'd, to tell of deeds
Above heroic, though in fecret done,

And unrecorded left through many an age,
Worthy t' have not remain'd so long unfung.

Now had the great Proclamer, with a voice

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More awful than the found of trumpet, cry'd
Repentance, and Heav'n's kingdom nigh at hand 20
To all baptiz'd: to his great baptifm flock'd
With awe the regions round, and with them came
From Nazareth the son of Joseph deem'd
To the flood Jordan, came as then obfcure,
Unmark'd, unknown; but him the Baptist soon 25
Descry'd, divinely warn'd, and witness bore
As to his worthier, and would have refign'd,
To him his heav'nly office, nor was long
His witness unconfirm'd: on him baptiz'd
Heav'n open'd, and in likeness of a dove
The spi'rit defcended, while the Father's voice
From Heav'n pronounc'd him his beloved Son.
That heard the Adversary, who roving ftill
About the world, at that affembly fam'd
Would not be laft, and with the voice divine
Nigh thunder-ftruck, th' exalted man, to whom
Such high atteft was giv'n, a while survey'd
With wonder, then with envy fraught and rage
Flies to his place, nor rests, but in mid air
To council fummons all his mighty peers,
Within thick clouds and dark ten-fold involv'd,
A gloomy confistory; and them amidst
With looks aghaft and fad he thus befpake.

O ancient Pow'rs of air and this wide world,
For much more willingly I mention air,
This our old conquest, than remember Hell,

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