They now, and men hereafter may discern,
From what confummate virtue I have chofe
This perfect man, by merit call'd my Son,
To earn falvation for the fons of men.

So fpake th' eternal Father, and all Heaven
Admiring stood a space, then into hymns

In fleshly tabernacle, and human form. That Chrift was perfect man is a partial truth, and ferves to keep the higher perfection of his divine nature, for the prefent, out of fight, without denying or excluding it. It is likewife very truly faid of this perfect man, that he is by merit call'd the Son of God. Juftin Martyr obferves in his fecond Apology [p. 67. Ed. Col.] that Christ, confidered only as man, deferved for his fuperior wifdom to be called the Son of God. Ti de Oss i Inous deyous v, a no noves μovov avbetC, Na pia avi:8 eyed. In either capacity of Ged or Man he had a clame of merit to the title. The Father, fpeaking to his eternal Word in Paradife Loft, III. 308. on his generous undertakings for mankind, faith

and haft been found

By merit more than birthright Son of God. Again, the words confummate virtue are ambi

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guous, and may be referred to the divine nature of Chrift as well as the buman. Their prefent connexion applies them directly to the buman nature: but they had a fecret reference, I conceive, in the poet's meaning to the majefty of that heavenly part of him, which denominates Chrift in the holy Scriptures the wifdom of God and the power (or virtue) of God, es d'uwapi, Dei virtutem, Lat. Vulg. 1 Cor. I. 24. Hunc tamen folum primogenitum divini nominis appellatione dignatus eft, patria fcilicet virtute, ac majeftate pollentem. Effe autem fummi Dei filium, qui fit poteftate maxima præditus, non tantum voces prophetarum, fed etiam Sibyllarum vaticinia demonftrant. Lactantius. Div. Inft. Lib. IV. 6. Cum igitur a prophetis idem manus Dei, & virtus, & fermo dicatur. ibid. 29. Paradise Loft. VI. 713.

Into thee fuch virtue and grace Immenfe I have transfus'd.

Chrift fhow'd his heavenly wifdom upon every trial: but his divine virtue broke out, to the amazement of the tempter, in the laft. Note that the præpofition from

From what confummate virtue

is ufed here as úo and præ, to fignify for or because of. Calton.

168. So fpake th' eternal Father, and all Heaven Admiring food a space,] We cannot but take

Burft forth, and in celestial measures mov'd,
Circling the throne and finging, while the hand
Sung with the voice, and this the argument.

Victory' and triumph to the Son of God
Now entring his great duel, not of arms,
But to vanquish by wisdom hellish wiles.

notice of the great art of the poet in fetting forth the dignity and importance of his fubject. He reprefents all beings as interested one way or other in the event. A council of Devils is fummon'd; an affembly of Angels is held upon the occafion. Satan is the fpeaker in the one, the Almighty in the other. Satan expreffes his diffidence, but ftill refolves to make trial of this Son of God; the Father declares his purpose of proving & illustrating his Son. The infernal crew are diftracted and furpris'd with deep difmay; all Heaven stands a while in admiration. The fiends are filent thro' fear and grief; the Angels burft forth into finging with joy and the affured hopes of fuccefs. And their attention is thus en-gaged, the better to engage the attention of the reader.

Sed poftquam fuerant digiti cum voce locuti, Edidit hæc dulci triftia verba modo. And the word band is ufed by Milton once. again in this poem, and alfo in the Arcades, to distinguish inftrumental harmony from vocal. IV. 254,

There thou fhalt hear and learn the fecret

power

Of harmony in tones and numbers hit
By voice or band.

Arcades, 77.

170

175 The

If my inferior band or voice could hit
Inimitable founds.

I have fometimes indulg'd a fufpicion, that the
poet dictated,
while the barp

Sung with the voice;
but the few authorities alledged put the present
reading out of question.

Calton.

174. Now entring his great duel,] There is, I think, a meannefs in the customary fenfe of this term that makes it unworthy of thefe fpeakers and this occafion; and yet it is obfervable, that Milton in his Paradife Loft makes Michael ufe the very fame word where he is fpeaking to Adam of the same thing. XII. 386.

To whom thus Michael.
their fight,
As of a duel, &c.

Dream not of

The Father knows the Son; therefore fecure
Ventures his filial virtue, though untry'd,
Against whate'er may tempt, whate'er feduce,
Allure, or terrify, or undermine.

Be frustrate 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 Son of God, who yet fome days. Lodg'd in Bethabara where John baptiz'd, Mufing and much revolving in his breast,

180

185 How

Mean while the Son of God-] How nearly does the poet here adhere to the fame way of fpeaking he had used in Paradife Loft on the

the accent on the last fyllable in vanquish, as
elsewhere in triumph; and in many places, in
my opinion, he imitates the Latin and Greek,
profody, and makes a vowel long before two fame occafion. III 416.
confonants.

Fortin.

176. The Father knows the Son; therefore Secure

Ventures his filial virtue, though untry'd, ] Could this have been faid by the Angels, if they also had known this Son to be the eternal Word, who created all things; and who had before driven this Tempter, and all his Powers out of Heaven? The incarnation was generally believed by the Fathers to have been a fecret to Angels, till they learned it from the Church. See Huetii Origeniana. Lib. 2. Cap. 2. Quæft. 5. 18. As to the time and means of their information, Milton feems to be particular.

Calton.

182. So they in Heav'n their odes and vigils · tun'd:

Thus they in Heav'n above the starry fphere
Their happy hours in joy and hymning fpent.
Mean while &c. Thyer.

182.

their odes and vigils tun'd:] This is a very uncommon expreffion, and not eafy to be understood, unless we fuppofe that by vigils the poet meant thofe fongs which they fung while they kept their watches. Singing of hymns is their manner of keeping their wakes in Heaven. And I fee no reason why their evening fervice may not be called vigils, as the morning fervice is called mattins. Mr. Sympson proposes a flight alteration, their odes in vigils tun'd,

that is, each watch when reliev'd fung fo and fo:

How beft the mighty work he might begin
Of Saviour to mankind, and which way first
Publish his God-like office now mature,

190

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 step by step led on,
He enter❜d now the bord'ring defert wild,

And with dark fhades and rocks environ'd round,
His holy meditations thus purfu'd.

fo: but as we have explain'd the word, there feems to be no occafion for any alteration.

183.

who yet some days

Lodg'd in Betbabara where John baptiz'd, ] The poet, I prefume, faid this upon the authority of the first chapter of St. John's Gofpel, where feveral particulars, which happened feveral days together, are related concerning the Son of God, and it is faid ver 28. Thefe things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

189. One day forth walk'd alone, the Spirit leading,

And bis deep thoughts,] This is wrong point

ed in all the editions thus,

One day forth walk'd alone, the Spirit leading;

And his deep thoughts, &c.

But at most there fhould be only a comma af

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O

ter leading, for the conftruction is, his deep thoughts leading as well as the Spirit. And as Mr. Thyer obferves, what a fine light does. Milton here place that text of Scripture in, where it is faid, that Jefus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, and how excellently adapted to embellish his poem! He adheres ftrictly to the infpir'd historian, and yet without any fort of profanation gives it a turn which is vastly poetical.

191. – till far from track of men,

Thought following thought, &c] I hope it won't be thought too light to obferve, that our author might probably in these lines have in view his favorite romances, where the mufing knights are often defcrib'd lofing themselves in forefts in this manner. Thyer.

O what a multitude of thoughts at once
Awaken'd in me fwarm, while I confider
What from within I feel myself, and hear
What from without comes often to my ears,
Ill forting with my present state compar'd!
When I was yet a child, no childish play
To me was pleasing; all my mind was set
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

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