Therefore I am return'd, left confidence Of my success with Eve in paradise Deceive you to perfuafion over-fure Of like fucceeding here; I fummon all Rather to be in readiness, with hand Or counsel to affift; lest I who erst Thought none my equal, now be over-match'd. So spake th' old ferpent doubting, and from all With clamour was affur'd their utmost aid At his command; when from amidst them rose Belial, the diffolutest spirit that fell, The sensualeft, and, after Asmodai, The fleshliest incubus; and thus advis'd.
Set women in his eye, and in his walk, Among daughters of men the fairest found; Many are in each region passing fair As the noon sky; more like to goddesses Than mortal creatures, graceful and difcreet, Expert in am'rous arts, enchanting tongues Perfuafive, virgin majesty with mild And sweet allay'd, yet terrible t'approach, Skill'd to retire, and in retiring draw Hearts after them, tangl'd in amorous nets. Such object hath the pow'r to soft'n and tame Severest temper, smooth the rugged'st brow, Enerve, and with voluptuous hope diffolve, Draw out with credulous defire, and lead At will the manliest, refolutest breaft, As the magnetic hardest iron draws. Women, when nothing else, beguil'd the heart Of wifeft Solomon, and made him build,
And made him bow to the gods of his wives. To whom quick answer Satan thus return'd: Belial, in much uneven scale thou weigh'st All others by thy self, because of old Thou thy felf doat'dst on woman-kind, admiring Their shape, their colour, and attractive grace. None are, thou think'st, but taken with such toys. Before the flood thou with thy lusty crew, False-titled fons of God, roaming the earth, Caft wanton eyes on the daughters of men, And coupled with them, and begot a race. Have we not seen, or by relation heard, In courts and regal chambers how thou lurk'dft, In wood or grove by mossy fountain side, In valley or green meadow to way-lay Some beauty rare, Calisto, Clymene, Daphne, or Semele, Antiopa,Prada Or Amymone, Syrinx, many more
Too long, then lay'dst thy scapes on names ador'd, Apollo, Neptune, Jupiter, or Pan, Satyr, or fawn, or filvan? but these haunts Delight not all; among the sons of men,
How many have with a smile made small account Of beauty and her lures, easily scorn'd All her afssaults, on worthier things intent? Remember that Pellean conqueror,
A youth, how all the beauties of the eaft He flightly view'd, and flightly overpass'd; How he firnam'd of Africa dismiss'd In his prime youth the fair Iberian maid. For Solomon, he liv'd at ease, and full
Of honour, wealth, high fare, aim'd not beyond Higher design than to enjoy his statewitty mody Th Thence to the bait of women lay expos dail
But he whom we attempt is wifer far Than Solomon, of more exalted mind, Made and set wholly on th' accomplishment Of greatest things; what woman will you find, Though of this age the wonder and the fame, On whom his leisure will vouchafe an eye Of fond defire? or should she confident, detaw As fitting queen ador'd on beauty's throne, Descend with all her winning charms begirtw T' enamour, as the zone of Venus once Wrought that effect on Jove, so fables tell; How would one look from his majestick brow, Seated as on the top of virtue's hill, Discount'nance her despis'd, and put to rout All her array, her female pride deject, Or turn to rev'rent awe? for beauty stands In th' admiration only of weak minds Led captive; cease t' admire, and all her plumes Fall flat and shrink into a trivial toy, At every fudden flighting quite abafht: Therefore with manlier objects we must try His constancy, with such as have more shew Of worth, of honour, glory, and popular praise, Rocks whereon greatest men have often wreck'd; Or that which only seems to fatisfy Lawful defires of nature, not beyond. And now I know he hungers where no food Is to be found, in the wild wilderness; graincloa
The reft commit to me, I shall let pass No advantage, and his strength as oft assay.
He ceas'd, and heard their grant in loud acclaim; Then forthwith to him takes a chofen band Of spirits likest to himself in guile To be at hand, and at his beck appear, If cause were to unfold some active scene Of various persons each to know his part: Then to the defart takes with these his flight; Where still from shade to shade the son of God After forty days fasting had remain'd, Now hungring first, and to himself thus faid:
Where will this end? four times ten days I've pass'a Wandring this woody maze, and human food Nor tafted, nor had appetite, that faft To virtue I impute not, or count part Of what I fuffer here; if nature need not, Or God fupport nature without repast Though needing, what praise is it to endure? But now I feel I hunger, which declares Nature hath need of what she asks; yet God Can fatisfy that need fome other way, Tho' hunger still remain: so it remain Without this body's wasting, I content me, And from the sting of famine fear no harm, Nor mind it, fed with better thoughts that feed Me hungring more to do my father's will.
It was the hour of night, when thus the fon Commun'd in filent walk, then laid him down Under the hofpitable covert nigh Of trees thick interwoven; there he slept
And dream'd, as appetite is wont to dream, Of meats and drinks, nature's refreshment sweet; He thought, he by the brook of Cherith stood And faw the ravens with their horny beaks
Food to Elijah bringing even and morn,
Tho' rav'nous, taught t'abstain from what they brought:
He faw the prophet also how he fled
Into the defert, and how there he slept Under a juniper; then how awak'd, He found his fupper on the coals prepar'd, And by the angel was bid rise and eat, And eat the second time after repofe,
The strength whereof fufficed him forty days; Sometimes that with Elijah he partook, Or as a guest with Daniel at his pulfe. Thus wore out night, and now the herald lark Left his ground-neft, high tow'ring to defcry The morn's approach, and greet her with his song: As lightly from his graffy couch up rofe Our Saviour, and found all was but a dream; Fafting he went to fleep, and fasting wak'd. Up to a hill anon his steps he rear'd, From whose high top to ken the profpect round, If cottage were in view, sheep-cote or herd; But cottage, herd, or sheep-cote none he faw, Only in a bottom faw a pleasant grove, With chaunt of tuneful birds refounding loud; Thither he bent his way, determin'd there To rest at noon, and enter'd foon the shade High rooft, and walks beneath, and alleys brown, That open'd in the midst a woody scene in
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