"And high prediction, henceforth I expofe
( "To Satan; let him tempt and now aflay
His utmost fubtilty, because he boasts
And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng 145
Of his apoftafy; he might have learnt
Lefs overweening, fince he fail'd in Job,
Whofe conftant perfeverance overcame
Whate'er his cruel malice could invent.
He now fhall know I can produce a man
Of female feed, far abler to refift
All his follicitations, and at length
All his vaft force, and drive him back to hell,
Winning by conqueft what the first man loft
By fallacy furpriz'd. But first I mean
To exercife him in the wildernefs,
There he fhall first lay down the rudiments
Of his great warfare, ere I fend him forth
To conquer fin and death, the two grand foes,
By humiliation and strong sufferance:
His weakness fhall o'ercome fatanic strength,
And all the world, and mass of finful flesh;
That all the angels and ætherial powers,
They now, and men hereafter may difcern,
From what consummate virtue I have chofe
This perfect man, by merit call'd my fon,
To earn falvation for the fons of men."
So fpake th' eternal Father, and all heav'n
Admiring ftood a fpace, then into hymns
Burft forth, and in celeftial meafures mov'd
Circling the throne, and finging, while the hand
Sung with the voice, and this the argument.
Victory and triumph to the fon of God,
Now entering his great duel, not of arms,
But to vanquish by wifdom hellifh wiles.
The father knows the fon; therefore fecure
Ventures his filial virtue, though untry'd,
Against whate'er may tempt, whate'er feduce,
Allure, or terrifie, or undermine.
"Be fruftrate all ye ftratagems of hell,
And devilish machinations come to nought.
So they in heav'n their odes and vigils tun'd:
Mean while the fon of God, who yet some days
Lodg'd in Bethabara where John baptiz'd,
Mufing and much revolving in his breast,
How beft the mighty work he might begin
Of Saviour to mankind, and which way first
Publish his god-like office now mature,
One day forth walk'd alone, the Spirit leading,
And his deep thoughts, the better to converse
With folitude, till far from track of men,
Thought following thought, and ftep by step led on,
He entered now the bordering defart wild,
And with dark fhades and rocks environ'd round,
His holy meditation thus purfu'd.
O what a multitude of thoughts at once
Awaken'd in me fwarm, while I confider
What from within I feel myfelf, and hear,
What from without comes often to my ears,
Ill forting with my prefent ftate compar'd.
When I was yet a child, no childish play
To me was pleafing, all my
mind was fet
**Serious to learn and know, and thence to do
What might be public good; myself I thought
Born to that end, born to promote all truth,
All righteous things: therefore above my years,
The law of God I read, and found it fweet,
Made it my whole delight, and in it grew
To fuch perfection, that ere yet my age
Had meafar'd twice fix years, at our great feaft 210 "I went into the temple, there to hear The teachers of our law, and to propose
What might improve my knowlege, or their own;
And was admir'd by all; yet this not all
To which my fpirit afpir'd, victorious deeds
Flam'd in my heart, heroic acts, one while
To refcue Ifrael from the Roman yoke,
to fubdue and quell o'er all the earth "Brute violence and proud tyrannic pow'r, Till truth were freed, and equity restor❜d: Yet held it more humane, more heav'nly, first By winning words to conquer willing hearts, And make perfuafion do the work of fear; At least to try, and teach the erring foul Not wilfully mif-doing, but unaware Mif-led; the ftubborn only to destroy. Thefe growing thoughts my mother foon perceiving By words at times caft forth, inly rejoic'd, And faid to me apart, High are thy thoughts, O fon, but nourish them, and let them foar To what height facred virtue and true worth ¡Can raise them, though above example high; By matchlefs deeds exprefs thy matchless fire, For know, thou art no fon of mortal man, Though men efteem thee low of parentage, Thy father is th' eternal king, who rules All heav'n and earth, angels and fons of men; A meffenger from God fore-told thy birth
Conceiv'd in me a virgin, he fore-told
Thou fhould'st be great and fit on David's throne, 240
And of thy kingdom there fhall be no end.
At thy nativity a glorious quire
Of angels in the fields of Bethlehem fung
To fhepherds watching at their folds by night,
And told them the Meffiah now was born,
Where they might fee him, and to thee they came;
Directed to the manger where thou lay'st,
For in the inn was left no better room:
A ftar, not feen before in heav'n appearing
Guided the wife men thither from the east,
To honour thee with ineenfe, myrrh, and gold,
By whofe bright courfe led on they found the place,
Affirming it thy ftar new grav'n in heav'n,
By which they knew the king of Ifrael born.
Juft Simeon, and prophetic Anna, warn'd
By vifion found thee in the temple, and fpake
Before the altar and the vested priest,
Like things of thee to all that present flood:
This having heard, ftraight I again revolv'd
The law and prophets, searching what was writ 260
Concerning the Meffiah, to our scribes
Known partly, and foon found of whom they fpake
I am; this chiefly, that my way
Through many a hard affay even to the death,
Ere I the promis'd kingdom can attain,
(Or work redemption for mankind, whofe fins
Full weight must be transferr'd upon my head.
Yet neither thus difhearten'd or difmay'd,
The time prefix'd I waited, when behold!
The baptift (of whofe birth I oft had heard,
Not knew by fight) now come, who was to come
Before Meffiah and his way prepare.
I as all others to his baptifm came,
Which I believ'd was from above; but he
Straight knew me, and with loudeft voice proclaim'd 275
Me him (for it was fhewn him fo from heav'n)
4Me him whofe harbinger he was; and first
Refus'd on me his baptifm to confer,
As much his greater, and was hardly won:
But as I rofe out of the laving ftream,.
Heav'n open'd her eternal doors, from whence
The fpirit defcended on me like a dove,
And laft the fum of all, my father's voice,
Audibly heard from heav'n, pronounc'd me his,
Me his beloved fon, in whom alone
He was well pleas'd; by which I knew. the time
Now full, that I no more fhould live obscure,
But openly begin, as beft becomes
The authority which I deriv'd from heav'n.
And now by fome strong motion I am led
Into this wilderness, to what intent
I learn not yet, perhaps I need not know;
For what concerns my knowlege God reveals.
So fpake our morning ftar, then in his rife,
And looking round on every fide beheld
A pathless defart, dusk with horrid shades;
The way
he came not having mark'd, return
Was difficult, by human fteps untrod;
And he still on was led, but with fuch thoughts
Accompanied of things paft and to come
Lodg'd in his breaft, as well might recommend
Such folitude before choiceft fociety.
Full forty days he pafs'd, whether on hill
Sometimes, anon in fhady vale, each night
Under the covert of fome antient oak,
Or cedar, to defend him from the dew,
Or harbour'd in one cave, is not reveal'd;
Nor tafted human food, nor hunger felt
Till those days ended, hunger'd then at last
Among wild beafts: they at his fight grew mild, 310
Nor fleeping him nor waking harm'd, his walk
The fiery ferpent fled, and noxious worm,
The lion and fierce tiger glar'd aloof.
But now an aged man in rural weeds,
Following, as feem'd, the queft of föme ftray ewe, 315
Or wither'd sticks to gather; which might ferve
Against a winter's day when winds blow keen,
To warm him wet return'd from field at eve,
He faw approach, who first with curious eye
Perus'd him, then with words thus utter'd fpake. 320
Sir, what ill chance has brought thee to this place
So far from path or road of men, who pass
In troop or caravan, for fingle none
Durft ever, who return'd, and dropt not here
His carcafs, pin'd with hunger and with drought. 325
I afk the rather, and the more admire,
For that to me thou feem'ft the man, whom late
Our new baptizing prophet at the ford
*Of Jordan honour'd fo, and call'd the fon
Of God; I faw and heard, for we fometimes
Who dwell this wilde, constrain'd by want, come forth
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