To which my Spi'rit afpir'd; victorious deeds 215 Flam'd in my heart, heroic acts, one while To rescue Ifrael from the Roman yoke, Then to fubdue and quell o'er all the earth Brute violence and proud tyrannic power, Till truth were freed, and equity restor’d: Yet held it more humane, more heav'nly first By winning words to conquer willing hearts, And maké persuasion do the work of fear; At least to try, and teach the erring foul Not wilfully mif-doing, but unware Misled; the ftubborn only to fubdue. These growing thoughts my mother foon perceiving By words at times caft forth inly rejoic'd, And said to me apart, High are thy thoughts O Son, but nourish them and let them foar 230 To what highth facred virtue and true worth Can raise them, though above example high; By matchless deeds express thy matchless Sire. For know, thou art no fon of mortal man; Though men esteem thee low of parentage, Thy Father is th' eternal King who rules All Heav'n and Earth, Angels and Sons of men; A messenger from God foretold thy birth Conceiv'd in me a virgin, he foretold
Thou should'st be great and fit on David's throne, And of thy Kingdom there fhould be no end. 241 At thy nativity a glorious quire
Of Angels in the fields of Bethlehem fung To shepherds watching at their folds by night, And told them the Meffiah now was born Where they might see him, and to thee they came, Directed to the manger where thou lay'ft, For in the inn was left no better room: A ftar, not seen before, in Heav'n appearing Guided the wife men thither from the east, To honor thee with incense, myrrh, and gold, By whofe bright course led on they found the place, Affirming it thy ftar new grav'n in Heaven, By which they knew the king of Ifrael born. Just Simeon and prophetic Anna, warn'd By vision, found thee in the temple', and spake Before the altar and the vested priest,
Like things of thee to all that prefent flood. This having heard, ftrait I again revolv'd The law and prophets, searching what was writ 260 Concerning the Meffiah, to our scribes
Known partly, and soon found of whom they spake I am; this chiefly, that my way must lie Through many a hard affay ev'n to the death, Ere I the promis'd kingdom can attain,
Or work redemption for mankind, whofe fins Full weight must be transferr'd upon my head. Yet neither thus difhearten'd or dismay'd, The time prefix'd I waited, when behold
The Baptift (of whose birth I oft had heard, 270
Not knew by fight) now come, who was to come Before Meffiah and his way prepare.
I as all others to his baptifm came,
Which I believ'd was from above; but he Strait knew me, and with loudeft voice proclaim'd 275 andwithloudest Me him (for it was shown him fo from Heaven) Me him whose harbinger he was; and first Refus'd on me his baptifm to confer,
As much his greater, and was hardly won: But as I rofe out of the laving stream, Heav'n open'd her eternal doors, from whence The Spirit descended on me like a dove, And last the sum of all, my Father's voice, Audibly heard from Heav'n, pronounc'd me his, Me his beloved Son, in whom alone
He was well pleas'd; by which I knew the time Now full, that I no more should live obfcure, But openly begin, as best becomes Th' authority which I deriv'd from Heaven. And now by fome strong motion I am led Into this wilderness, to what intent I learn not yet, perhaps I need not know; For what concerns my knowledge God reveals. So fpake our Morning Star then in his rise, And looking round on every fide beheld A pathless desert, dusk with horrid shades; The way he came not having mark'd, return Was difficult, by human steps untrod;
And he still on was led, but with such thoughts Accompanied of things past and to come Lodg'd in his breast, as well might recommend Such folitude before choiceft fociety. Full forty days he pafs'd, whether on hill Sometimes, anon in shady vale, each night Under the covert of some ancient oak,
Or cedar, to defend him from the dew,
Or harbour'd in one cave, is not reveal'd;
Nor tafted human food, nor hunger felt
Till those days ended, hunger'd then at last Among wild beafts: they at his fight grew mild, 310 Nor fleeping him nor waking harm'd, his walk The fiery serpent fled, and noxious worm, The lion and fierce tiger glar'd aloof.
But now an aged man in rural weeds,
Following, as feem'd, the quest of some strayewe, 315 Or wither'd sticks to gather, which might serve Against a winter's day when winds blow keen, To warm him wet return'd from field at eve, He faw approach, who first with curious eye Perus'd him, then with words thus utter'd spake. 320
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
Durst ever, who return'd, and dropt not here His carcass, pin'd with hunger and with drouth. 325 I ask the rather, and the more admire,
For that to me thou seem'ft the man, whom late Our new baptizing Prophet at the ford
Of Jordan honor'd fo, and call'd thee Son Of God; I faw and heard, for we fometimes 330 Who dwell this wild, conftrain'd by want, come forth To town or village nigh (nighest is far) Where ought we hear, and curious are to hear, What happens new; fame also finds us out.
To whom the Son of God. Who brought me hither, Will bring me hence, no other guide I seek. 336 By miracle he may, reply'd the swain,
What other way I fee not, for we here Live on tough roots and stubs, to thirst inur'd More than the camel, and to drink go far, Men to much misery and hardship born; But if thou be the Son of God, command That out of these hard ftones be made thee bread, So fhalt thou fave thyself and us relieve With food, whereof we wretched seldom taste. 345 He ended, and the Son of God reply'd. Think'ft thou fuch force in bread? is it not written (For I difcern thee other than thou feem'ft) Man lives not by bread only, but each word Proceeding from the mouth of God, who fed 350 Our fathers here with Manna? in the mount Mofes was forty days, nor eat nor drank; And forty days Elijah without food
Wander'd this barren wafte; the fame I now:
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