Who ere while the happy garden fung,
By one man's disobedience loft, now fing
Recover'd Paradise to all mankind,
By one man's firm obedience fully try'd
Through all temptation, and the tempter foil'd
In all his wiles, defeated and repuls'd,
And Eden rais'd in the wafte wilderness.
Thou Spi'rit who ledft this glorious eremite
Into the defert, his victorious field,
Against the spiritual foe, and brought'ft him thence 10
By proof th' undoubted Son of God, infpire,
As thou art wont, my prompted fong else mute,
And bear through highth or depth of nature's bounds
With profp'rous wing full fumm'd, to tell of deeds
Above heroic, though in fecret done,
And unrecorded left through many an age,
Worthy t' have not remain'd fo long unfung.
Now had the great Proclamer, with a voice
More awful than the found of trumpet, cry'd
Repentance, and Heav'n's kingdom nigh at hand.
To all baptis'd: to his great baptifm flock'd
With awe the regions round, and with them came
From Nazareth the fon of Jofeph deem'd
To the flood Jordan, came as then obfcure,
Unmark'd, unknown; but him the Baptist foon
Defcry'd, divinely warn'd, and witness bore
As to his worthier, and would have refign'd
To him his heav'nly office, nor was long
His witnefs 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 furvey'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 universe we have poffefs'd, and rul'd
In manner at our will th' affairs of earth,
Since Adam and his facil confort Eve
Loft Paradise deceiv'd by me, though fince
With dread attending when that fatal wound
Shall be inflicted by the feed of Eve
Upon my head: long the decrees of Heaven
Delay, for longest time to him is fhort;
And now too soon 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 so 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 just fear gave no small cause,
But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, displaying
All virtue, grace, and wisdom to achieve
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 rising
Out of the water, Heav'n above the clouds
Unfold her crystal doors, thence on his head
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 seems
In all his lineaments, though in his face
The glimpfes 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 sudden be oppos'd,
Not force, but well-couch'd fraud, well-woven fnares,
Ere in the head of nations he
Their king, their leader, and fupreme on earth.
I, when no other durft, fole undertook
The difmal 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 difmay
At thefe 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 enterprizę
|
