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
In all his wiles, defeated and repuls'd,
And Eden rais'd in the waste wilderness.
Thou Spirit, who ledft this glorious Eremite
Into the defart, his victorious field
Against the fpiritual foe, and brought'ft him thence 10
By proof the undoubted Son of God, infpire,
As thou are wont, my prompted fong, elfe mute,
And bear through height or depth of nature's bounds.
With profperous 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 fo long unfung.
Now had the great proclaimer with a voice
More awful than the found of trumpet, cry'd
Repentance, and heaven'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 fon of Jofeph deem'd,
To the flood Jordan came, as then obfcure,
Unmarkt, unknown; but him the baptist foon 25
Defcry'd, divinely warn'd, and witnefs bore
As to his worthier, and would have refign'd
To him his heavenly office, nor was long
His witness unconfirm'd: on him baptiz'd
Heav'n open'd, and in likeness of a dove
The Spirit defcended, while the father's voice
From heav'n pronounc'd him his beloved fon.
That heard the adverfary, who roving still
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 furvey'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.
O antient 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 poffeft, and rul'd
In manner at our will th' affairs of earth,
Since Adam and his facil confort Eve
Loft paradife deceiv'd by me, though fince
With dread attending when that fatal wound
Shall be inflicted by the feed of Eve
Upon my head; long the decrees of heav'n
Delay, for longest time to him is fhort;
And now too foon for us the circling hours
This dreaded time have compaft, wherein we
Muft bide the ftroak of that long threatned wound,
At least if fo 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;
For this ill news I bring, the woman's feed
Deftin'd to this, is late of woman born,
His birth to our juft fear gave no small cause, But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, displaying All virtue, grace, and wisdom to atchieve Things highest, greatest, multiplies my fear. 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 fo Purifi'd 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 teftimony of heav'n, that who he is Thenceforth the nations may not doubt; I faw The prophet do him reverence, on him rifing Out of the water, heav'n above the clouds Unfold her chrystal doors, thence on his head A perfect dove descend, whate'er it meant, And out of heav'n the fov'reign voice I heard, This is my fon belov'd, in him am pleas'd. His mother then is mortal, but his fire, He who obtains the monarchy of heav'n; And what will he not do t' advance his fon? His first-begot we know, and fore have felt, When his fierce thunder drove us to the deep; Who this is we must learn, for man he feems In all his lineaments, though in his face The glimpfes of his father's glory fhine; *Ye fee our danger on the utmoft edge
Of hazard, which admits no long debate,
But muft with fomething fudden be oppos'd,
*Not force, but well couch'd fraud, well woven fnares,
Ere in the head of nations he appear
Their king, their leader, and fupream on earth.
I, when no other durft, fole undertook
The difmal expedition to find out
And ruin Adam, and th' exploit perfarm'd
Successfully; a calmer voyage new
Will waft me; and the way found profp'rous once
Induces beft to hope of like fuccefs.
He ended, and his words impreffion left
Of much amazement to th' infernal crew,
Distracted and furpriz'd with deep difmay
At these fad 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 dictator, whofe attempt
At first against mankind fo 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 coaft of Jordan he directs
His eafie fteps; girded with fnaky wiles,
Where he might likelieft find this new-declar'd,
This man of men, attefted fon of God,
Temptation and all guile on him to try;
So to fubvert whom he fufpected rais'd
To end his reign on earth fo long enjoy'd:
But contrary unweeting he fulfill'd
The purpos'd council pre-ordain'd and fixt
Of the Most High, who in full frequence bright
Of angels, thus to Gabriel fmiling fpake.
Gabriel, this day by proof thou shalt behold, 130 Thou and all angels converfant on earth With man or mens affairs, how I begin To verifie that folemn meffage late, On which I fent thee to the virgin pure
In Galilee, that fhe fhould bear a fon
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 fhould come
The Holy-Ghoft, and the power of the Highest
O'er-fhadow her: this man born and now up-grown,
To fhew him worthy of his birth divine
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