PARADISE REGAIN'D.

MA

BOOK II.

ZAN while the new baptis'd, who yet remain'd
At Jordan with the baptift, and had seen

Him whom they heard fo late exprefly call'd
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, increas'd their doubt:
Sometimes they thought he might be only fhewn,
And for a time caught up to God, as once
Mofes was in the mount, and missing long;
And the great Thisbite who on fiery wheels
Rode up to heav'n yet once again to come.
Therefore as thofe young prophets then with care
Sought loft Elijah, fo in each place these

Nigh to Bethabara; in Jericho

The city of palms, Enon, and Salem old,
Macharus, and each town or city wall'd
On this fide the broad lake Genezaret,
Or in Perea, 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,

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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 wifdom full of grace and truth;
Now, now, for fure, deliverance is at hand,
The kingdom shall 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,

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Send thy Meffiah forth, the time is come;

Behold the kings of th' earth how they opprefs

Thy chofen, to what height their pow'r unjust

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They have exalted, and behind them caft

All fear of thee; arise 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 public, and with him we have convers'd;
Let us be glad of this, and all our fears

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Lay on his providence; he will not fail,

Nor will withdraw him now, nor will recal,

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Mock us with his bleft fight, then snatch him hence:

Soon we shall see our hope, our joy return.

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

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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 lefs advanc'd,
And fears as eminent, above the lot
Of other women, by the birth I bore;
In fuch a feafon born when fcarce a fhed
"Could be obtain'd to fhelter him or me

"From the bleak air; a stable was our warmth,
"A manger his, yet foon enforc'd to fly
"Thence into Egypt, till the murd'rous king
"Were dread, who fought his life, and miffing fill'd
With infant-blood the streets of Bethlehem;
༩་ 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 grown to man, acknowleg'd, as I hear,
By John the baptift, and in public fhown,
"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 fign

Spoken against, that through my very foul

A fword fhall pierce, this is my favour'd lot,
My exaltation to afflictions high;

Afflicted I may be, it feems, and blest;

intent

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I will not argue that, nor will repine.
But where delays he now? fome great
Conceals him: when twelve years he fcarce 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 underftand; much more his abfence now 100 Thus long to fome great purpofe he obfcures.

But I to wait with patience am inur'd;

My heart hath been a ftore-houfe long of things

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And fayings laid up, portending strange events.''
Thus Mary pond'ring oft, and oft to mind
Recalling what remarkably had pass'd
Since first her falutation heard, with thoughts
Meekly compos'd awaited the fulfilling:
The while her fon tracing the defart wild,
Sole, but with holiest meditations fed,
Into himself defcended, and at once
All his great work to come before him fet;
How to begin, how to accomplish best
His end of being on earth, and miffion high.
For Satan with fly preface to return

Had left him vacant, and with fpeed 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.

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"Princes, heav'n's ancient fons, æthereal thrones, "Demonian fpirits now, from th' element "Each of his reign allotted, rightlier call'd

Pow'rs of fire, air, water, and earth beneath,
So may we hold our place and these mild feats 125
Without new troubles; fuch an enemy

Is rifen to invade us, whom no lefs
Threatens our expulfion down to hell;
1, 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 undergone

Than when I dealt with Adam first 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.
Therefore I am return'd, left confidence

Of my fuccefs with Eve in Paradife

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‹‹ Deceive you to perfuafion over-fure << Of like fucceeding here; I fummon all ‹‹ Rather to be in readiness, with hand

Or council to affift; left I who erst

Thought none my equal, now be over-match'd.'
So fpake 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 fenfualeft, and, after Afmodai,

The fleshlieft 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 paffing fair
As the noon fky; more like to goddeffes
Than mortal creatures, graceful and discreet,
Expert in am'rous arts, enchanting tongues
< Perfuafive, virgin majefty with mild

And fweet allay'd, yet terrible t' approach,
Skill'd to retire, and in retiring draw
Hearts after them, tangl'd in amorous nets.
Such fubject hath the pow'r to foft'n and tame
Severeft temper, fmooth the rugged'ft brow,
Enerve, and with voluptuous hope diffolve,
Draw out with credulous defire, and lead
At will the manlieft, refoluteft breast,
As the magnetic hardest iron draws.

Women, when nothing elfe, 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 fcale thou weigh'st

All others by thyfelf, because of old

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Thou thyself doat'dft on woman-kind, admiring 175
Their fhape, their colour, and attractive grace.
None are, thou think'ft, but taken with fuch to, s.
Before the flood thou with thy lufty crew,

Falfe-titled fons of God, roaming the earth,