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Printed by R. E. and are to be fold by
Randal Taylor near Stationers-Hall.

M DC LXXXVIII,

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10

Paradife Regain'd.

I

BOOK. I.

Who e're while the happy Garden fung,
By one man's Difobedience 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
In all his wiles, defeated and repuls't,
And Eden rais'd in the waft Wilderness.

Thou Spirit who ledit this glorious Eremite Into the Defart, his Victorious Field

Against the Spiritual Foe, and brought'ft him thence By proof the 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 profperous wing full fumm'd to tell of deeds Above Heroic, though in fecret done,

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

Now had the great Proclaimer with a voice
More awful than the found of Trumpet, cri'd
20 Repentance, and Heaven's Kingdom nigh at hand
To all Baptiz'd: to his great Baptifm flock'd

With awe the Regions round, and with them came
From Nazareth the Son of Jofeph deem'd

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To the flood Jordan, came as then obscure,
Unmarkt, unknown; but him the Baptist foort ::
Defcri'd, divinely warn'd, and witness bore
As to his worthier, and would have resign'd
To him his Heavenly Office, nor was long
His witness unconfirm'd: on him baptiz'd
30 Heaven open'd, and in likeness of a Dove
The Spirit defcended, while the Fathers 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 attest was given, a while survey'd
With wonder, then with envy fraught, and rage,
Flies to his place, nor refts, but in mid air
To Council fummons all his mighty Peers,
Within thick Clouds and dark ten-fold involv'd,
A gloomy Confiftory; and them amidst
With looks agaft and fad he thus befpake.

40

O ancient Powers of Air and this wide world,
For much more willingly I mention Air,
This our old Conquest, than remember Hell
Our hated habitation; well ye know
How many Ages, as the
of men,
This Universe we have poffeft, and rul'd
5° In manner at our will th' affairs of Earth,
Since Adam and his facil confort Eve

years of

Loft Paradise deceiv'd by me, though fince
With dread attending when that fatal wound
Shall be inflicted by the Seed of Eve
Upon my head, long the decrees of Heav'n
Delay, for longest time to him is short;

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And now too foon for us the circling hours

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This dreaded time have compaft, wherein we Muft bide the stroak of that long threatn'd wound, 60 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. In this fair Empire won of Earth and Air, sul For this ill news I bring, the Woman's feed Deftin'd to this, is late of Woman born, SASUT His Birth to our juft fear gave no fmall caufe, But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, displaying All vertue, grace, and wisdom to atchieve Things higheft, greateft, multiplies my fear. 70 Before him a great Prophet, to proclaim His coming, is fent Harbinger, who all Invites, and in the Confecrated stream Pretends to wash off fin, and fit them so Purified to receive him pure, or rather To do him honour as their King; all come, And he himself among them was Baptiz'd, Not thence to be more pure, but to receive The Testimony of Heaven, that who he is Thenceforth the Nations may not doubt; I faw 80 The Prophet do him reverence, on him rising Out of the Water, Heav'n above the Clouds. Unfold her Crystal Doors, thence on his head c A perfect Dove descend, what e're it meant, And out of Heav'n the Soveraign voice I hear This is my Son belov'd, in him am pleas'd; 362 His Mother then is mortal, but his Sire,

He who obtains the Monarchy of Heav'n,

L

And what will he not do to advance his Son T His first-begot we know, and fore have felt,qa

90 When his fierce thunder drove us to the deep

B

Who

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