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Paradise Regain’d.

BOOK 1.

I

,Who ere while the happy garden fung
By one man's disobedience loft, now sing

Recover'd Paradise to all mankind
By one man's firm obedience fully try'd
Through all temptation, and the tempter foil'd
In all his wiles, defeated and repuls'd,
And Eden rais'd in the waste wilderness.

5

Thou Spi'rit,who ledit this glorious eremite Into the desert, his victorious field, Against the spiritual foe, and brought'ft him thence. 10 By proof th' undoubted Son of God, inspire, As thou art wont, my prompted song else mute, And bear through highth or depth of nature's bounds With prosperous wing full summ'd, to tell of deeds Above heroic, though in secret done,

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

а

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Now had the

great Proclamer, with a voice
More awful than the sound of trumpet, cry'd
Repentance, and Heav'n's kingdom nigh at hand
To all baptiz'd: to his great baptism flock'd
With awe the regions round, and with them came

B

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From Nazareth the son of Joseph deem'd
To the flood Jordan, came as then obscure,
Unmark'd, unknown; but him the Baptist soon 25
Descry'd, divinely warn’d, and witness bore
As to his worthier, and would have resign'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 descended, while the Father's voice
From Heav'n pronounc'd him his beloved Son.
That heard the Adversary, who roving still
About the world, at that assembly fam'd
Would not he lait, and with the voice divine 35
Nigh thunder-Atruck, th' exalted man, to whom
Such high attest was giv’n, a while survey'd
With wonder, then with envy fraught and rage
Flies to his place, nor refts, but in mid air
To council summons all his mighty peers,

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Within thick clouds and dark ten-fold involv'd,
A gloomy consistory; and them amidst
With looks aghaft and fad he thus bespake.

45

O ancient Pow'rs of air and this wide world,
For much more willingly I mention air,
This our old conqueft, than remember Hell,
Our hated habitation; well ye know
How many ages as the years

of

men,
This universe we have poffefs'd, and rul'd
In manner at our will th' affairs of earth,
Since Adam and his facil confort Eve
Loft Paradise deceiv'd by me, though since
With dread attending,when that fatal wound
Shall be inflicted by the feed of Eve
Upon my head : long the decrees of Heav'n

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60

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Delay, for longeft time to him is short;
And now too soon for us the circling hours
This dreaded time have compass’d, wherein we
Muft bide the stroke of that long-threaten'd wound,
At least, if so we can, and by the head
Broken be not intended all our power
To be infring'd, our freedom and our being,
la this fair empire won of earth and air;
For this ill news I bring, the woman's feed
Destin'd to this is late of woman born:
His birth to our just fear gave no small cause,
But his growth now to youth's full flow's, displaying
All virtue, grace, and wisdom to achieve
Things highest, greatest, multiplies my fear.
Before him a great prophet, to proclame
His coming, is sent harbinger, who all
Invites, and in the confecrated stream
Pretends to wash off fin, and fit them fo
Purified to receive him pure, or rather
To do him honor as their king; all come,

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And he himself among them was baptiz’d,
Not thence to be more pure, but to receive
The testimony' of Heav'n, that who he is
Thenceforth the nations may not doubt; I saw
The prophet do him reverence, on him rising

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Out of the water, Heav'n above the clouds
Unfold her crystal doors, thence on his head
A perfect dove descend, whate'er it meant,
And out of Heav'n the sovran voice I heard,
This is my Son belov'd, in him am pleas'd. 85
His mother then is mortal, but his fire
He,who obtains the monarchy of Heaven,
And what will he not do to advance his Son ?
His first-begot we know, and fore have felt,

1

When his fierce thunder drove us to the deep; 90
Who this is we must learn, for nian he seems
In all his lineaments, though in his face
The glimpses of his Father's glory shine.
Ye see our danger on the utmost edge
Of hazard, which admits no long debate,

95
But muft with something sudden be oppos’d,
Not force, but well-couch'd fraud, well woven snares,
Ere in the head of nations he

appear
Their king, their leader, and fupreme on earth.
I, when no other durft, sole undertook
The dismal expedition to find out
And ruin Adam, and th' exploit perform'd
Successfully.; a calmer voyage now
Will waft me; and the way found prosp'rous once
Induces best to hope of like success.

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100

He ended, and his words impression left
Of much amazement to th' infernal crew,
Distracted and surpriz'd with deep dismay
At these sad tidings; but no time was then
For long indulgence to their fears or grief:
Unanimous they all commit the care
And management of this main enterprize
To him their

great

dictatur, whose attempt
At first against mankind so well had thriv'd
In Adam's overthrow, and led their march
From Hell's deep-vaulted den to dwell in light,
Regents and potentates, and kings, yea Gods
Of many a pleasant realm and province wide.
So to the coast of Jordan he directs
His easy steps, girded with snaky wiles,
Where he might likeliest find this new-declar'd,
This man of men, attelted Son of God,

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Temptation and all guile on him to try;
So to subvert whom he suspected rais'd
To end his reign on earth so long enjoy'd :
But contrary unweeting he fulfillid
The purpos'd counsel pre-ordain'd and fix'd
Of the most High, who in full frequence bright
Of Angels thus to Gabriel siniling spake.

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Gabriel, this day by proof thou shalt behold, zo
Thou and all Angels conversant on earth
With man or men's affairs, how I begin
To verify that folemn message late,
On which I sent thee to the virgin pure
In Galilee, that she should bear a son

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Great in renown, and call’d the Son of God;
Then toldft her doubting how these things could be
To her a virgin, that on her should come
The Holy Ghost, and the pow'r of the Highest
O'er-shadow her: this man born and now up-grown,
To show him worthy of his birch divine

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And high predi&ion, henceforth I expose
To Satan; let him tempt and now affay
His utmost subtlety, because he boasts
And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng 145
Of his apoftasy; he might have learnt
Lefs overweening, since he fail'd in Job,
Whose constant perseverance overcame
Whate'er his cruel malice could invent.
He now shall know I can produce a man

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Of female seed, far abler to refift
All his solicitations, and at length
All his valt force, and drive him back to Hell,
Winning by conquest what the first man loft
By fallacy surpris d. But first I mean

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