Seated as on the top of virtue's hill, 220 Or turn to reverent awe; for beauty ftands toy, 225 At every fudden flighting quite abash'd : Lawful defires of nature, not beyond; 230 And now I know he hungers where no food Is to be found, in the wide wilderness ; No' advantage, and his strength as oft assay. 234 He ceas'd, and heard their grant in loud acclame; Then forthwith to him takes a chofen band Of Spirits likeft to himself in guile 240 Now hungring firft, and to himself thus faid. 244 Where will this end? four times ten days I've pass'd Wand'ring this woody maze, and human food Nor tafted, nor had appetite; that fast To virtue I impute not, or count part Of what I fuffer here; if nature need not, Or God fupport nature without repast 232. wide wilderness;] In moft of the editions it is falfely printed wild wilderness. 244. Now hungring firft,] There feems, I think, to be a little inaccuracy in this place. It is plain by the Scripture account, that our Saviour hungred before the Devil firft 250 Though Though needing, what praife is it to endure? 255 It was the hour of night, when thus the Son 260 Commun'd in filent walk, then laid him down Under the hospitable covert nigh Of Adfidet, et totum prope faucibus 266. Him thought, &c.] We fay now, and more juftly, he thought; but him thought is of the fame conftruction as me thought, and is used by our old writers, as by Fairfax Cant. 13. St. 40. Him thought he heard the foftly whiftling wind. He by the brook of Cherith food, &c. Alluding to the account of Elijah. 1 Kings XVII. 5, 6. He went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan: And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening. As what follows, He faw the Of trees thick interwoven; there he flept, 264 Of meats and drinks, nature's refreshment sweet; He found his fupper on the coals prepar'd, the prophet alfo &c. is in allufion to 1 Kings XIX. 4. &c. But he himfelf went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and fat down under a juniper-tree.- And as he lay and lept under a juniper-tree, behold then, an Angel touched him, and faid unto him, Arife and eat. And he looked, and behold there was a cake baken on the coals, and a crufe of water at his head; and he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the Angel of the Lord came again the fecond time, and touched him, and faid, Arife and eat, be-. caufe the journey is too great for thee. And be arofe, and did eat and drink, and went in the ftrength of that meat forty days and forty nights, unto Horeb the mount of God. And Da 270 And niel's living upon pulfe and water Et quoi quifque ferè studio de vinctus adhæret, tenta magis mens, His very dreams are rightly made I And eat the second time after repose, The strength whereof suffic'd him forty days; Or as a guest with Daniel at his pulfe. 275 Thus wore out night, and now the herald lark Our Saviour, and found all was but a dream, Fafting he went to fleep, and fafting wak'd. Up to a hill anon his steps he rear'd, 285 From whofe high top to ken the profpect round, If ditated much on the word of lines in all his works. Knight's |