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A manger his; yet foon enforc'd to fly

Thence into Egypt, till the murd'rous king
Were dead, who fought his life, and missing fill'd
With infant blood the streets of Bethlehem;

From Egypt home return'd, in Nazareth

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Hath been our dwelling many years; his life 80

Private, unactive, calm, contemplative,
Little fufpicious to any king; but now

go

Full grown to man, acknowledg'd, as I hear,
By John the Baptift, and in public shown,
Son own'd from Heaven by his Father's voice; 85
I look'd for fome great change; to honor? no,
But trouble, as old Simeon plain foretold,
That to the fall and rising he should be
Of many in Ifraël, and to a sign
Spoken againft, that through my very foul
A fword shall pierce; this is my favor'd lot,
My exaltation to afflictions high;
Afflicted I may be, it seems, and bleft;
I will not argue that, nor will repine.
But where delays he now? some great intent
Conceals him: when twelve years he scarce had seen,
I loft him, but fo found, as well I faw
He could not lose himself; but went about
His Father's business; what he meant I mus'd,
Since understand; much more his absence now 100
Thus long to fome great purpose he obfcures.
But I to wait with patience am inur'd;

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My

My heart hath been a store-house long of things
And fay'ings 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 son tracing the defert wild,

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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 mission high:
For Satan with fly preface to return

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Had left him vacant, and with speed was gone

Up to the middle region of thick air,
Where all his potentates in council fat;
There without sign of boast, or sign of joy,

Solicitous and blank he thus began.

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Princes, Heav'n's ancient Sons, ethereal Thrones,

Demonian Spirits 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 trouble; such an enemy

Is risen to invade us, who no less

Threatens than our expulfion down to Hell;
I, as I undertook, and with the vote

Consenting in full frequence was impower'd,

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Have found him, view'd him, tasted him, but find
Far other labor 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,

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If he be man by mother's fide at least,

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Deceive ye to perfuafion over-fure
Of like fucceeding here; I summon all
Rather to be in readiness, with hand

Or counsel to assist; lest I who erst
Thought none my equal, now be over-match'd.

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So fpake th' old Serpent doubting, and from all With clamor was assur'd their utmost aid At his command; when from amidst them rose Belial, the diffolutest Spirit that fell, The fenfuallest, and after Afmodai The fleshliest Incubus, and thus advis'd.

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Set woman in his eye, and in his walk,
Among daughters of men the fairest found;
Many are in each region paffing fair
As the noon sky; more like to Goddesses
Than mortal creatures, graceful and difcreet,
Expert in amorous arts, inchanting tongues

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Per

Perfuafive; virgin majesty with mild
And fweet allay'd, yet terrible t' approach,
Skill'd to retire, and in retiring draw
Hearts after them tangled in amorous nets.
Such object hath the pow'r to soft'n and tame
Severest temper, smooth the rugged'st brow,
Enerve, and with voluptuous hope diffolve,
Draw out with credulous defire, and lead
At will the manliest, resolutest breaft,
As the magnetic hardest iron draws.

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Women, when nothing else, beguil'd the heart
Of wifeft Solomon, and made him build,
And made him bow to the Gods of his wives.

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To whom quick answer Satan thus return'd.
Belial, in much uneven scale thou weigh'st
All others by thyself; because of old
Thou thyfelf doat'dst on womankind, admiring 175
Their shape, their color, and attractive grace,
None are, thou think'st, but taken with such toys.

Before the flood thou with thy lufty crew,
False titled fons of God, roaming the earth
Caft wanton eyes on the daughters of men,
And coupled with them, and begot a race.
Have we not seen, or by relation heard,
In courts and regal chambers how thou lurk'st,
In wood or grove by mossy fountain fide,
In valley or green meadow, to way-lay
Some beauty rare, Calisto, Clymene,

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Daphne, Daphne, or Semele, Antiopa,

Or Amymone, Syrinx, many more

Too long, then lay'st thy scapes on names ador'd,

Apollo, Neptune, Jupiter, or Pan,

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Satir, or Faun, or Sylvan? But these haunts

Delight not all; among the fons of men,

How many have with a fmile made fmall account

Of beauty and her lures, easily scorn'd

All her affaults, on worthier things intent?

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Remember that Pellean conqueror,

A youth, how all the beauties of the eaft
He flightly view'd, and flightly overpass'd;
How he firnam'd of Africa dismiss'd
In his prime youth the fair Iberian maid.

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For Solomon, he liv'd at ease, and full

Of honor, wealth, high fare, aim'd not beyond

Higher design than to enjoy his ftate;

Thence to the bait of women lay expos'd:

But he whom we attempt is wifer far

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Than Solomon, of more exalted mind,
Made and fet wholly on th' accomplishment
Of greatest things; what woman will you find,
Though of this age the wonder and the fame,

On whom his leifure will vouchsafe an eye
Of fond defire? or should she confident,
As fitting queen ador'd on beauty's throne,
Defcend with all her winning charms begirt
T'enamour, as the zone of Venus once

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Wrought

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