To Balaam reprobate, a prophet yet You Go
Inspir'd; disdain not fuch accefs to me.

To whom our Saviour with unalter'd brow.
Thy coming hither, though I know thy scope,
I bid not or forbid; do as thou find'st
Permiffion from above: thou can'ft not more.
He added not; and fatan bowing low
His gray diffimulation, disappear'd
Into thin air diffus'd: for now began
Night with her fullen wings to double-shade

The defart, fowls in their clay nefts were couch'd; And now wild beafts came forth the woods to roam.

BOOK II.

MEAN while the new-baptis'd, who yet remain'd

At Jordan with the baptift, and had feen

Him whom they heard so late exprefly call'da benf] Jefus Meffiah Son of God declar'd,

And on that high authority had believ'd;

And with him talk'd, and with him lodg'd, I'mean
Andrew and Simon, famous after known,

With others, though in holy writ not nam'd,
Now miffing him their joy fo lately found,
So lately found, and fo abruptly gone,
Began to doubt, and doubted many days,
And as the days increas'd, increafs'd their doubt:
Sometimes they thought he might only be shews.
And for a time caught up to God, as once
Mofes was in the mount, and missing long

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And the great Thisbite who on fiery wheels
Rode up to heav'n, yet once again to come.
Therefore as those young prophets then with
Sought loft Elijah, fo in each place thefe
Nigh to Bethabara; in Jericho

care

The city of palms, AEnon, and Salem old,
Macharus, and each town or city wall'd
On this fide the broad lake Genezaret,
Or in Perca, but return'd in vain.
Then on the bank of Jordan, by a creek,
Where winds with reeds and ofiers whifp'ring play,
Plain fishermen, no greater men them call,
Clofe in a cottage low together got,

Their unexpected lofs and plaints out-breath'd.
Alas, from that high hope to what relapse
Unlook'd for are we fall'n! our eyes beheld
Meffiah certainly now come, fo long
Expected of our fathers; we have heard

His words, his wisdom full of grace and truth;
Now, now, for fure, deliverance is at hand,
The kingdom fhall to Ifrael be reftor'd:
Thus we rejoic'd, but foon our joy is turn'd
Into perplexity and new amaze:

For whither is he gone, what accident
Hath rapt him from us? will he now retire
After appearance, and again prolong
Our expectation? God of Ifrael,

Send thy Meffiah forth, the time is come;
Behold the kings of th' earth how they opprefs
hy chofen, to what height their pow'r unjust
They have exalted,, and behind them caft.

All fear of thee; arife and vindicate
Thy glory, free thy people from their yoke:
But let us wait; thus far he hath perform'd,
Sent his anointed, and to us reveal'd him
By his great prophet, pointed at and shown
In publick, and with him we have convers'd;
Let us be glad of this, and all our fears

Lay on his providence; he will not fail, MN),
Nor will withdraw him now,, nor will recal,
Mock us with his bleft fight, then fnatch him hences
Soon we shall see our hope, our joy return.

Thus they out of their plaints new hope resume
To find whom at the first they found unfought;
But to his mother Mary, when she saw
Others return'd from baptifm, not her fon,
Nor left at Jordan, tidings of him none;

Within her breast, though calm; her breast, though pure,
Motherly cares and fears got head, and rais'd
Some troubled thoughts, which fhe in fighs thus clad..
O what avails me now that honour high
To have conceiv'd of God, or that falute,
Hail highly favour'd, among women bleft;
While I to forrows am no less advanc'd,
And fears as eminent, above the lot
Of other women, by the birth I bore;
In fuch a season born when fearce a fhed
Could be obtain'd to shelter him or me
From the bleak air; a ftable was our warmth,
A manger his, yet soon enforc'd to fly
Thence into Egypt, till the murd'sous king
Were dead, who fought his life, and miffing fill?

With infant-blood the streets of Bethlehem;
From Egypt home return'd, in Nazareth
Hath been our dwelling many years, his life
Private, unactive, calm, contemplative,
Little fufpicious to any king; but now
Full grawn to man, acknowledg'd, as I hear,
By John the baptist, and in publick shown,
Son own'd from heaven by his father's voice:
I look'd for fome great change; to honour? no,
But trouble, as old Simeon plain foretold,
That to the fall and rifing he should be
Of many in Ifrael, and to a fignat
Spoken against, that through my very foul
A sword shall pierce, this is my favour❜d lot,
My exaltation to afflictions high;
Afflicted I may be, it feems, and bleft;

I will not argue that, nor will repine.
But where delays he now? fome great intent
Conceals him: when twelve years he scarce had feen,
I loft him, but fo found, as well I faw
He could not lofe himself; but went about
His father's bufinefs; what he meant I mus'd,
Since understand; much more his abfence now
Thus long to fome great purpofe he obfcures."
But I to wait with patience am inur'd;
My heart hath been a store-house long of things
And fayings laid up, portending strange events.

Thus Mary pond'ring oft, and oft to mind
Recalling what remarkably had pafs'd
Since firft her falutation heard, with thoughts
Meekly compos'd awaited the fulfilling:

The while her fon tracing the defart wildwel
Sole, but with holieft meditations fed,
Into himself descended, and at once

All his great work to come before him fet§ond
How to begin, how to accomplish beft;
His end of being on earth, and miffion high.
For fatan with fly preface to return

Had left him vacant, and with speed was gone
Up to the middle region of thick air,
Where all his potentates in council fate;
There without fign of boaft, or fign of joy,
Sollicitous and blank he thus began.

Princes, heav'n's ancient fons, æthereal thrones,
Demonian fpirits now, from th' element

Each of his reign allotted, rightlier call'dantages mik
Pow'rs of fire, air, water, and earth beneath,
So may we hold our place and these mild feats low
Without new troubles; such an enemy

Is rifen to invade us, whom no less
Threatens our expulfion down to hell;

I, as I undertook, and with the vote
Confenting in full frequence was impower'd,

Have found him, view'd him, tafted him, but find
Far other labour to be undergon

Than when I dealt with Adam firft of men,

Though Adam by his wife's allurement fell,
However to this man inferior far,

If he be man by mother's fide at least,

With more than human gifts from heav'n adorn'd,

Perfections abfolute, graces divine,

And amplitude of mind to greatest deeds.