WHO ere while the happy garden fung,
By one man's disobedience loft, now fing
Recover'd Paradise 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 ledst this glorious eremite
Into the defert, his victorious field,
Against the fpiritual foe, and brought'ft him thence
By proof th' undoubted Son of God, infpire,
As thou art wont, my prompted fong else mute,
And bear through highth or depth of nature's bounds
With profp'rous 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 Proclamer, with a voice
More awful than the found of trumpet, cry'd
Repentance, and Heav'n'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 obscure,
Unmark'd, unknown; but him the Baptist soon 25
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Defcry'd, divinely warn'd, and witness bore
As to his worthier, and would have refign'd
To him his heav'nly office, nor was long
His witne's 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 Son.
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 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 aghaft and fad he thus befpake.
O ancient 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 univerfe we have poffe's'd, 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 short; And now too foon for us the circling hours This dreaded time have compass'd, wherein we Muft bide the stroke of that long threaten'd 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 fmall caufe,
But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, displaying
All virtue, grace, and wisdom to achieve
Things higheft, greateft, multiplies my fear.
Before him a great prophet, to proclame
His coming, is fent harbinger, who all
Invites, and in the confecrated stream
Pretends to wash off fin, and fit them fo
Purified to receive him pure, or rather
To do him honor 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 crystal doors, thence on his head
A perfect dove defcend, what-e'er it meant,
And out of Heav'n the fovran voice I heard,
This is my Son belov'd, in him am pleas'd.
His mother then is mortal, but his fire
He who obtains the monarchy of Heaven,
And what will he not do to' advance his Son?
His firft-begot we know, and fore have felt,
When his fierce thunder drove us to the deep; 90
Who this is we must learn, for man he seems
In all his lineaments, though in his face
The glimpses of his Father's glory fhine.
Ye fee our danger on the utmoft edge
Of hazard, which admits no long debate,
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