Who ere while the happy garden fung,
By one man's disobedience lost, now sing Recover'd Paradife to all mankind,
By one man's firm obedience fully try'd Through all temptation, and the tempter foil'd 5 In all his wiles, defeated and repuls'd, And Eden rais'd in the wafte wilderness.
Thou Spirit who ledst this glorious eremite Into the defert, his victorious field,
Against the spiritual foe, and brought'ft him thence 10 By proof th' 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 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 baptism 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, Unmark'd, unknown; but him the Baptist soon 25 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 witness unconfirm'd: on him baptiz'd Heav'n open'd, and in likeness of a dove The spi'rit 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 assembly 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 aghaft and fad he thus bespake.
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
This universe we have possess'd, and rul'd In manner at our will th' affairs of earth, Since Adam and his facil confort Eve Loft Paradise 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 compass'd, wherein we Must bide the stroke of that long threaten'd wound, 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; For this ill news I bring, the woman's feed Deftin'd to this, is late of woman born: His birth to our just fear gave no small cause, 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, his sent 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,t Not thence to be more pure, but to receive eidi The teftimony' of Heav'n, that who he ist al Thenceforth the nations may not doubt; I fawre The prophet do him reverence, on him rifing 80 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 first-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 shine. Ye fee our danger on the utmost edge
Of hazard, which admits no long debate, But must with something 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 fupreme on earth. I, when no other durft, fole undertook The dismal expedition to find out
And ruin Adam, and th' exploit perform'd
Successfully; a calmer voyage now Will waft me; and the way found profp'rous once Induces beft to hope of like fuccess.
He ended, and his words impreffion left Of much amazement to th' infernal crew, Distracted and furpris'd with deep dismay At these sad 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, whose attempt At first against mankind so 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, ye Gods Of many a pleasant realm and province wide. So to the coast of Jordan he directs His easy steps, girded with fnaky wiles, Where he might likelieft find this new-declar'd, This man of men, attefted Son of God, Temptation and all guile on him to try; So to fubvert whom he suspected rais'd To end his reign on earth fo long enjoy'd: But contrary unweeting he fulfill'd
The purpos'd counsel pre-ordain'd and fix'd Of the most High, who in full frequence bright Of Angels, thus to Gabriel smiling spake.
Gabriel, this day by proof thou shalt behold, 130
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