In all his lineaments, though in his face Of hazard, which admits no long debate, 95 But muft with fomething 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 supreme 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 success. 100 105 He ended, and his words impreffion left nefs, where our Saviour underwent his forty days temptation, was on the fame bank of Jordan where the baptifm of John was, St. Luke witnefling it, that Jefus being now baptized ὑπεσρεψεν απο To lopdave, returned from Jordan, namely from the fame tract, whereby he came thither. His eafy steps, for here was not that danger and difficulty as in his first expedition to ruin mankind. It is faid in reference to what he had spoken before, I, when no other durft, fole un dertook The difmal expedition to find out And ruin Adam 110 115 -a calmer voyage now Will waft me &c. His His easy steps, girded with fnaky wiles, 120 Where he might likelieft find this new-declar'd, 125 The purpos'd counsel pre-ordain'd and fix'd 120.-girded with fnaky wiles,] The imagery very fine, and the circumftance extremely proper. Satan is here figured engaging on a great expedition, fuccinct, and his habit girt about him with a girdle of Inakes; which puts us in mind of the inftrument of the fall. Warburton. 122. This man of men, attefted Son of God,] The phrafe is low and idiotic; and I wish the poet had rather written This man, of Heav'n attefted To and Heaven of Heavens are truly grand expreffions: but then there is an idea of greatnefs in the words themselves to fupport the dignity of the phrafe; which is wanting in Milton's man of men. Calton. 129. thus to Gabriel Smiling Spake,] This fpeech is properly addrefs'd to Gabriel particularly among the Angels, as he seems to have been the Angel particularly employed in the embaffies and tranfactions relating to the Gospel. Gabriel was fent to inform Daniel of the famous prophecy of the feventy weeks; Gabriel notified the In the holy Scriptures God of Gods, conception of John the Baptift to To verify that folemn meffage late, On which I sent thee to the Virgin pure In Galilee, that she should bear a fon 135 Great in renown, and call'd the Son of God; Then toldft her doubting how these things could be To her a virgin, that on her should come 141 The Holy Ghost, and the pow'r of the Highest his father Zacharias, and of our bleffed Saviour to his virgin mother. And the Jewish Rabbi's fay, that Michael was the minister of feverity, but Gabriel of mercy : and accordingly our poet makes Gabriel the guardian angel of Paradife, and employs Michael to expel our first parents out of Paradife and for the fame reason this Speech is directed tó Gabriel in particular. And God's being reprefented as fmiling may be juftified not only by the Heathen poets, as Virg. Æn. I. 254• Olli fubridens hominum fator atque deorum ; Of his apoftafy; he might have learnt Of female feed, far abler to refift All his vaft force, and drive him back to Hell, 163. That all the Angels and ethereal Powers, &c.] Not a word is faid here of the Son of God, but what a Socinian would allow. His divine nature, is artfully concealed under a partial and ambiguous reprefentation; and the Angels are firft to learn the mystery of the incarnation from that important conflict, which is the fubject of this poem. They are feemingly invited to behold the triumphs of the man Chrift Jefus over the enemy of mankind; and thefe furprise them with the glorious difcovery of the God. infhrin'd 150 155 There ture, 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 Chrift, confidered only as man, deserved for his superior wisdom to be called the Son of God. Y de Deu i Inous deγομενΘ, ει και κοινως μόνον άνθρωπος, δια σοφίαν αξίω τίω Θες λεγεσθαι. In either capacity of God or Man he had a clame of merit to the title. The Father, fpeaking to his eternal Word in Paradife Loft, III. In fleshly tabernacle, and human 308. on his generous undertakings form. That Chrift was perfect man is a partial truth, and ferves to keep the higher perfection of his divine na for mankind, faith and haft been found By merit more than birthright Son of God. Again, |