From Nazareth the son of Joseph deem'd
To the flood Jordan, came as then obscure,
Unmark'd, unknown; but him the Baptist foon
Defcry'd, divinely warn'd, and witness bore
As to his worthier, and would have resign'd
To him his heav'nly office, nor was long
His witness unconfirm'd: on him baptis'd
Heav'n open'd, and in likeness of a dove
The Spi'rit defcended, while the Father's voice
From Heav'n pronounc'd him his beloved Son.
That heard the Adverfary, who, roving still
About the world, at that affembly fam'd
Would not be laft, and with the voice divine
Nigh thunder-ftruck, th' exalted man, to whom
Such high atteft was giv'n, a while survey'd
With wonder, then with envy fraught and rage
Flies to his place, nor refts, but in mid air
To council fummons all his mighty peers,
Within thick clouds and dark ten-fold involv'd,
A gloomy confiftory; and them amidst
With looks aghaft and fad he thus bespake.
O ancient Pow'rs of air and this wide world,
For much more willingly I mention air,
This our old conqueft, than remember Hell,
Our hated habitation; well ye know
How many ages, as the years of men,
This univerfe we have poffefs'd, and rul'd
In manner at our will th' affairs of earth,
Since Adam and his facil confort Eve
Lost Paradise deceiv'd by me, though fince
With dread attending when that fatal wound
Shall be inflicted by the seed of Eve
Upon my head: long the decrees of Heav'n
Delay, for longest time to him is short;
And now too foon for us the circling hours
This dreaded time have compass'd, wherein we
Muft bide the ftroke of that long threaten'd wound,
At least if fo we can, and by the head
Broken be not intended all our power
To be infring'd, our freedom and our being,
In this fair empire won of earth and air;
For this ill news I bring, the woman's feed
Deftin'd to this, is late of woman born:
His birth to our juft fear gave no small cause,
But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, displaying
All virtue, grace, and wisdom to atchieve
Things higheft, greateft, multiplies my fear.
Before him a great prophet, to proclame
His coming, is fent harbinger, who all
Invites, and in the confecrated stream
Pretends to wash off fin, and fit them fo
Purified to receive him pure, or rather
To do him honor as their king; all come,
And he himself among them was baptiz'd,
Not thence to be more pure, but to receive
The teftimony' of Heav'n, that who he is
Thenceforth the nations may not doubt; I faw
The prophet do him reverence, on him rifing
Out of the water, Heav'n above the clouds
Unfold her crystal doors, thence on his head
VOL. II.
A perfect dove defcend, whate'er it meant,
And out of Heav'n the fov'ran voice I heard,
This is my Son belov'd, in him am pleas'd.
His mother then is mortal, but his fire
He who obtains the monarchy of Heaven,
And what will he not do to' advance his Son?
His firft-begot we know, and fore have felt,
When his fierce thunder drove us to the deep;
Who this is we must learn, for man he feems
In all his lineaments, though in his face
The glimpses of his father's glory fhine.
Ye fee our danger on the utmost edge
Of hazard, which admits no long debate,
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 fupreme 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 fuccefs.
He ended, and his words impreffion left
Of much amazement to th' infernal crew,
Distracted and furpris'd with deep dismay
At these fad tidings; but no time was then
For long indulgence to their fears or grief:
Unanimous they all commit the care
And management of this main enterprize
To him their great dictator, whose attempt
At first against mankind fo well had thriv'd
In Adam's overthrow, and led their march
From Hell's deep vaulted den to dwell in light,
Regents and potentates, and kings, yea Gods
Of many a pleasant realm and province wide.
So to the coaft of Jordan he directs
His eafy fteps, girded with snaky wiles,
Where he might likelieft find this new-declar'd,
This man of men, attefted Son of God,
Temptation and all guile on him to try;
So to fubvert whom he fufpected rais'd
To end his reign on earth fo long enjoy'd:
But contrary unweeting he fulfill'd
The purpos'd counfel pre-ordain'd and fix'd
Of the most High, who in full frequence bright
Of Angels, thus to Gabriel fmiling fpake.
Gabriel, this day by proof thou shalt behold,
Thou and all Angels converfant on earth
With man or mens affairs, how I begin
To verify that folemn meffage late,
On which I fent thee to the Virgin pure
In Galilee, that the fhould bear a fon
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 fhould come
The Holy Ghoft, and the pow'r of the Highest
O'er-shadow her: this man born and now up-grown,
To show him worthy of his birth divine
And high prediction, henceforth I expose
To Satan; let him tempt and now affay
His utmost fubtlety, because he boasts
And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng
Of his apoftafy; he might have learnt
All his vaft force, and drive him back to Hell,
Winning by conqueft what the first man loft
By fallacy furpris'd. But firft I mean
To exercise him in the wilderness,
There he fhall first lay down the rudiments
Of his great warfare, ere I fend him forth
To conquer Sin and Death, the two grand foes,
By humiliation and strong sufferance:
His weakness fhall o'ercome Satanic ftrength,
And all the world, and mafs of finful flesh ;
That all the Angels and ethereal Powers,
They now, and men hereafter may difcern,
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 ftood a fpace, then into hymns
Burft forth, and in celestial measures mov'd,
Circling the throne and finging, while the hand
Sung with the voice, and this the argument.
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