If cottage were in view, fheep-cote or herd; With chaunt of tuneful birds refounding loud; 290 To reft at noon, and enter'd foon the shade Not ruftic as before, but feemlier clad, As one in city', or court, or palace bred, 300 And with fair fpeech thefe words to him addrefs'd. With granted leave officious I return, In this wild folitude fo long fhould bide But much more wonder that the Son of God 305 Others of some note, Of all things deftitute, and well I know, 299. Not ruftic as before, but Jeemlier clad,] The Tempter is very properly made to change his appearance and habit with the temptation. In the former book, when he came to tempt our Saviour to turn the ftones into bread to fatisfy their hunger, he appeared as a poor old man in rural weeds; but now, when he comes to offer a magnificent entertainment, he is feemlier clad, and appears as a wealthy citizen or a courtier and here with fair Speech he addreffes his words, there it was only with words thus utter'd spake. Thefe leffer particulars have a grace and propriety in them, which is well worthy of the reader's obfervation. : 302. With granted leave] It is true that Satan at parting, in the conclufion of the former book, had afked leave to come again, but all the answer that our Saviour returned was The Thy coming hither, though I know thy fçope, I bid not or forbid; do as thou find'ft Permiffion from above. But as the Tempter muft needs have been a moft impudent being, it was perfectly in character to reprefent him as taking permission for granted leave. 308. The fugitive bond-woman &c.] Hagar, who fled from the face of her miftrefs, Gen. XVI. 6. and is therefore called a fugitive; and her name by interpretation (fays Ainfworth) is a fugitive or ftranger: but her fon was not a fugitive, but an out-caft; so exact was our author in the ufe of his epithets. But then what fhall we fay to the words following, Out-caft Nebaioth? For as Mr. Meadowcourt and others have obferved, Nebaioth was the eldest fon of Ishmael, (Gen. XXV. 13.) and grandfon of Abraham and Hagar. The fugitive bond-woman with her fon Of Ifrael here had famish'd, had not God 310 Rain'd from Heav'n Manna; and that Prophet bold Native of Thebez wand'ring here was fed Twice by a voice inviting him to eat : Of thee these forty days none hath regard, Hagar. He feems here to be put by mistake for Ifhmael. At least it is not ufual to call the father by the name of the fon. 313. Native of Thebez] In the first edition it was falfely printed Thebes, but Thebes (fays Mr. Meadowcourt) was the birth-place of no prophet, except blind Tirefias. However, this reading hath prevailed throughout the editions, though in the table of Errata at the end of the first edition we are defired to correct and read Thebex, the fame as Thefbe, or Thibe, or Tifhbe, the birth-place of the prophet Elijah. There is a Thebez mention'd Judges IX. 50. where Abimelech was flain; and it looks as if our author took that and this to be the fame place. He had before called Elijah the great Thifbite ver. 16. and he might here more confiftently have faid Native of Thibe but he feems to write fometimes, as if he had a mind to make work for commentators. 315 To 313.wand'ring here was fed] It appears that Milton conceived the wildernefs, where Hagar wander'd with her fon, and where the Ifraelites were fed with Manna, and where Elijah retreated from the rage of Jezebel, to be the fame with the wildernefs, where our Saviour was tempted. And yet it is certain, that they were very different places, for the wilderness, where Hagar wander'd, was the wilderness of Beer-fheba Gen. XXI. 14. and where the Ifraelites were fed with Manna was the wilderness of Sin Exod. XVI. 1. and where Elijah retreated was in the wilderness, a day's journey from Beersheba 1 Kings XIX. 4. and where our Saviour was tempted was the wilderness near Jordan: but our author confiders all that tract of country as one and the fame wilderness, tho' diftinguish'd by different names from the different places adjoining. 319. How To whom thus Jefus. What conclud'ft thou hence? They all had need, as I thou feest have none. How haft thou hunger then? Satan reply'd. Owe not all creatures by juft right to thee 319. How haft thou hunger then?] Thefe words feem to be wrong, they being neither an answer to the words preceding, 320 325 Meats And now I know he hungers where no food Is to be found, in the wide wilderness : They all had need, I as thou and ver. 305. feeft have none; nor correfponding to the words of Satan himself juft after, Tell me if food were now before thee fet &c. What if we read therefore, Doft thou not hunger then? There feems to be no occafion for Of all things deititute, and well Not without hunger. But our Saviour had faid They all had need, I as thou feeft have none; and to this Satan replies directly and properly, How haft thou hunger then without having need? 325. Owe not all creatures by juft right to thee Duty and Service, &c.] The Tempter is got into the fame canting, diffembling strain as before, Meats by the Law unclean, or offer'd first To idols, those young Daniel could refuse; Nor proffer'd by an enemy, though who 339 Would fcruple that, with want opprefs'd? Behold Nature asham'd, or better to express, Troubled that thou should'ft hunger, hath purvey'd From all the elements her choicest store To treat thee as befeems, and as her Lord With honour, only deign to fit and eat. beheld 335 In 329.-thofe young Daniel could re fufe; Dan. I. 8. But Daniel purposed in his heart, that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: and the reason asfign'd by commentators is, because in thofe and most other countries they used to offer fome part of what they eat and drank to their Gods; and therefore Daniel refufed to partake of the provifions from the king's table, as of meats offered to idols, and confequently unclean. The poet had before mentioned Daniel at his pulse ver. 278: and Mofes in the mount and Elijah in the wilderness are brought in feveral times, as hiftory affords no inftances of abftinence fo like our Saviour's. 337. He pake no dream,] This 337 Was |