Flamed in my heart, heroic acts; one while These growing thoughts my mother soon perceiving, And said to me apart:-High are thy thoughts, O Son, but nourish them, and let them soar To what highth sacred virtue and true worth 220 225 230 235 All heaven and earth, angels and sons of men: Thou shouldst be great, and sit on David's throne, 240 And of thy kingdom there should be no end. At thy nativity, a glorious quire Of angels, in the fields of Bethlehem, sung To shepherds, watching at their folds by night, And told them the Messiah now was born, 245 Where they might see him, and to thee they came, A star, not seen before, in heaven appearing, Guided the wise men thither from the east, 250 To honour thee with incense, myrrh, and gold; By whose bright course led on they found the place, Known partly, and soon found, of whom they spake 241. There should be no end. Luke i. 32. 33. 257. The vested priest. The epithet vested is singularly proper, because the 255 260 vestments of the Jewish priest were en joined and particularly described by God himself. Ex. xxviii. 43. Through many a hard assay, ev'n to the death, 265 270 I, as all others, to his baptism came, Which I believed was from above; but he Straight knew me, and with loudest voice proclaim'd 275 Me him, (for it was shown him so from Heaven) Me him, whose harbinger he was; and first Refused on me his baptism to confer, As much his greater, and was hardly won: 280 Heaven open'd her eternal doors, from whence He was well pleased; by which I knew the time I learn not yet; perhaps I need not know; So spake our Morning Star, then in his rise, And he still on was led, but with such thoughts 266. Whose sins, &c. Isa. liii. 6. 285 290 295 300 305 pear that they ever afterwards conversed together.-NEWTON. 294. Morning star. See Rev. xxii. 16. 271. Not knew by sight. Though Jesus and John the Baptist were related, yet they were brought up in different coun- 306. Dew. Maundrell, in his travels, tries, and bad no manner of intimacy or when within a little more than half a acquaintance with each other. John the day's journey from this mountain, says, Baptist says expressly, (John i. 31,)" and "we were sufficiently instructed by expe I knew him not." He did not so much rience what the holy Psalmist means by as know him by sight till our Saviour the dew of Hermon,' our tents being as came to his baptism; and it does not ap-wet with it as if it had rained all night." Or harbour'd in one cave, is not reveal'd; Following, as seem'd, the quest of some stray ewe, Perused him, then with words thus utter'd spake: Sir, what ill chance hath brought thee to this place So far from path or road of men, who pass In troop or caravan? for single none I ask the rather, and the more admire, 310 315 320 325 His carcass, pined with hunger and with drouth. For that to me thou seem'st the man, whom late Of Jordan honour'd so, and call'd the Son Of God: I saw and heard, for we sometimes 330 Who dwell this wild, constrain'd by want, come forth Where aught we hear, and curious are to hear To town or village nigh, (nighest is far) What happens new; fame also finds us out. To whom the Son of God:-Who brought me hither, 335 Will bring me hence; no other guide I seek. What other way I see not; for we here Live on tough roots and stubs, to thirst inured More than the camel, and to drink go far, 340 Men to much misery and hardship born: But, if thou be the Son of God, command That out of these hard stones be made thee bread; So shalt thou save thyself, and us relieve With food, whereof we wretched seldom taste. 345 Think'st thou such force in bread? Is it not written, 310. Wild beasts. Mark i. 13. 314. But now an aged man. As the Scriptures are entirely silent about what personage the Tempter assumed, the Poet was at liberty to indulge his own fancy, and nothing I think could be better conceived for his present purpose, or more likely to prevent suspicion or fraud.-THYER. 350 330, &c. I saw and heard, &c. All this is finely in character with the assumed person of the Tempter, and tends, at the same time, to give more effect to the preceding descriptions.-DUNSTER, 339. Stubs, (not shrubs as Thyer proposes.) is undoubtedly the right word as connected with roots. Our fathers here with manna? in the mount Why dost thou then suggest to me distrust, 355 Knowing who I am, as I know who thou art? Whom thus answer'd the arch-fiend, now undisguised: 'Tis true, I am that spirit unfortunate, Who, leagued with millions more in rash revolt, Kept not my happy station, but was driven 360 With them from bliss to the bottomless deep; Yet to that hideous place not so confined By rigour unconniving, but that oft, Leaving my dolorous prison, I enjoy Large liberty to round this globe of earth, 365 Or range in the air; nor from the heaven of heavens Gave up into my hands Uzzean Job, To prove him and illustrate his high worth; Or virtuous; I should so have lost all sense: 370 375 380 385 To all mankind: why should I? they to me Never did wrong or violence; by them I lost not what I lost, rather by them 390 I gain'd what I have gain'd, and with them dwell, Copartner in these regions of the world, 356. Knowing who I am. See line 385. 258. 'Tis true. Satan's instantaneous avowal of himself here, has a great and fine effect. It is consistent with a cer tain dignity of character which is given 395 in general, through the whole of Paradise Lost.-DUNSTER. 372. The proud king Ahab. See 1 Kings xxii. 20, 21, and 22. Companions of my misery and woe. At first it may be; but, long since with woo This wounds me most; (what can it less?) that man, To whom our Saviour sternly thus replied:- Who boast'st release from hell, and leave to come To all the host of heaven: the happy place By thee are given, and what confess'd more true 404. This wounds me most. Very art ful: as he could not acquit himself of envy and mischief, he endeavours to soften his crimes by assigning this cause of them.-WARBURTON. 428. In four hundred mouths. See 1 Kings xxii. 6. 435. Double sense. The ancient oracles were famed for giving such answers as could be turned either way. Thus, when Cyrus was about to invade Croesus' dominions, the latter applied to the Oracle at Delphi, to know what to do. The oracle gave answer, "If Croesus crosses the Halys" (the eastern boundary of his dominions) "a large kingdom will be destroyed." He interpreted this to mean Cyrus' kingdom, and so crossed the Ha lys, and gave him battle. But being utterly defeated, he learned too late that the answer of the credit-saving oracle could be interpreted the other way. 439. Instruct for instructed. So ii. 399. Suspect for suspected. |