Not wilfully misdoing, but unaware Misled; the stubborn only to subdue, [ceiving These growing thoughts my mother soon per. By words at times cast forth, inly rejoic'd, And said to me apart, High are thy thoughts, O son, but nourish them, and let them soar To what highth sacred virtue and true worth Can raise them, though above example high: By matchless deeds express thy matchless Sire, For know, thou art no son of mortal man; Though men esteem thee low of parentage, Thy father is the eternal King who rules All heaven and earth, angels and sons of men; A messenger from God foretold thy birth Conceiv'd in me a virgin; he foretold Thou shouldst be great, and sit on David's throne, And of thy kingdom there shall be no end. At thy nativity, a glorious quire Of angels, in the fields of Bethlehem, sung To shepherds, watching at their folds by night, And told them the Messiah now was born, Where they might see him; and to thee they came, Directed to the manger where thou layest, For in the inn was left no better room: A star, not seen before, in heaven appearing, Guided the wise men thither from the East, To honour thee with incense, myrrh, and gold; By whose bright course led on they found the place, Affirming it thy star, new-graven in heaven, By which they knew the king of Israel born. Just Simeon and prophetic Anna, warn'd By vision, found thee in the temple, and spake, Before the altar and the vested priest, Like things of thee to all that present stood."
" This having heard, straight I again revolv'd The law and prophets, searching what was writ Concerning the Messiah, to our scribes Known partly, and soon found of whom they spake I am; this chiefly, that my way must lie
Through many a hard assay, even to the death, Ere I the promis'd kingdom can attain, Or work redemption for mankind, whose sins Full weight must be transferr'd upon my head. Yet, neither thus dishearten'd, nor dismay'd, The time prefix'd I waited; when behold The Baptist, (of whose birth 1 oft had heard, Not knew by sight,) now come, who was to come Before Messiah, and his way prepare! 1, as all others, to his baptism came, Which I believ'd was from above; but he **Smight knew me, and with loudest voice proclaim Me him, (for it was shown him so from heaven,) Me him, whose harbinger he was; and first Refus'd on me his baptism to confer, As much his greater, and was hardly won : But, as I rose out of the laving stream, Heaven open'd her eternal doors, from whence The Spirit descended on me like a dove; And last, the sum of all, my Father's voice, Audibly heard from heaven, pronounc'd me his, Me his beloved Son, in whom alone He was well pleas'd; by which I knew the time Now full, that I no more should live obscure, But openly begin, as best becomes The authority which I deriv'd from heaven. And now by some strong motion I am led Into this wilderness, to what intent) I learn not yet; perhaps I need not know, For what concerns my knowledge God reveals."
So spake our Morning-star, then in his rise,
And, looking round, on every side beheld A pathless desert, dusk with horrid shades; The way he came not having mark'd, return Was difficult, by human steps untrod;" And he still on was led, but with such thoughts Accompanied of things past and to come Lodg'd in his breast, as well might recommend Such solitude betore choicest, society.
Full forty days he pass'd, whether on hilt Sometimes, anon on shady vale, each night Under the covert of some ancient oak, Or cedar, to defend him from the dew, Or harbour'd in one cave, is not reveal'd; Nor tasted human food, nor hunger felt, Till those days ended: hunger'd then at last Among wild beasts: they at his sight grew mild, Nor sleeping him nor waking harm'd; his walk The fiery serpent fled and noxious worm, The lion and fierce tiger glar'd aloof; But now an aged marn in rural weeds, Following, as seem'd, the quest of some stray ewe, Dr wither'd sticks to gather, which might serve Against a winter's day, when winds blow keen, To warm him wet return'd from field at eve, He saw approach, who first with curious eve Perus'd him, then with words thus utter'd spake :
"Sir, what ill chance hath brought thee to this So far from path or road of men, who pass [place, In troop or caravan ? for single none Durst ever, who return'd, and dropt not here His carcass, pin'd with hunger and with drought. I ask the rather, and the more admire
For that to me thou seem'st the man, whom late Our new baptizing prophet at the for (Of Jordan honour'd so, and call'd the Son Of God: I saw and heard, for we sometimes Who dwell this wild, constrain'd by want, com
To town or village nigh, (nighest is far,). Where aught we hear, and curious are to hear, What happens new; fame also finds us out.
To whom the Son of God: Who brought me
Will bring me hence; no other guide I seek." " By miracle he may," replied the swain; What other way I see not; for we here Live ou tough roots and stubs, to thirst inur'd
More than the camel, and to drink go far, Men to much misery and hardship born But, if thou be the Son of God, cominand That out of these hard stones be made thee bread So shalt thou save thyself, and us relieve With food, whereof we wretched seldom taste." He ended, and the Son of God replied: [ten, *Think'st thou such force in bread? Is it not writ. (For I discern thee other than thou seem'st,) Man lives not by bread only, but each word Proceeding from the mouth of God, who fed Our fathers here with manna? In the mount Moses was forty days, nor eat nor drank; And forty days Elijah, without food, Wander'd this barren waste: the same I now: Why dost thou then suggest to me distrust, Knowing who I am, as I know who thou art ?"
Whom thus answer'd the arch fiend, now un
"'Tis true I am that spirit unfortunate, Who, leagued with millions more in rash revolt, Kept not my happy station, but was driven With them from bliss to the bottomless deep Yet to that hideous place not so confin'd By rigour unconniving, but that oft Leaving my dolorous prison, I enjoy.. Large liberty to round this globe of earth, Or range in the air; nor from the heaven of heavens Hath he excluded my resort sometimes. I came among the sons of God, when he Gave up into my hands Uzzean Job To prove him, and illustrate his high worth; And, when to all his angels he propos'd To draw the proud king Ahab into fraud, That he might fall in Ramoth, they demurring, I undertook that office, and the tongues Of all his flattering prophets glibb'd with lies To his destruction, as I had in charge; For what he bids I do. Though I have lost
Much lustre of my native brightness, lost To be belov'd of God, I have not lostat o To love, at least contemplate and admire What I see excellent in good, or fair to is Or virtuous; I should so have lost all sense: What can be then less in me than desire To see thee, and approach thee, whom I know Declar'd the Son of God, to hear attent Thy wisdom, and behold thy godlike deeds? Men generally think me much a foe a rill To all mankind; why should I? they to me Never did wrong or violence, by them 1 lost not what I lost, rather by them I gain'd what I have gain'd, and with them dwell Copartner in these regions of the world, If not disposer; lend them oft my aid, Oft my advice by presages and signs, wo, And answers, oracles, portents, and dreams, Whereby they may direct their future life. Envy, they say, excites me, thus to gain Companions of my misery and woe.relu At first it may be, but long since with woe Nearer acquainted, now I feel by proof 13.14 That fellowship in pain divides no smart39 Nor lightens aught each man's peculiar load.. Small consolation then, were man adjoin'd This woundsme most, (what can it less?) that man, Man fallen, shall be restor'd; I I never more."
To whom our Saviour sternly thus replied: "Deservedly thou grievest, compos'd of lies From the beginning, and in lies wilt end; Who boast'st release from hell, and leave to come Into the heaven of heavens: thou comest indeed As a poor miserable captive thrall Comes to the place where he before had sat Among the prime in splendour, now depos'd, Ejected, emptied, d, gaz'd, unpitied, shunn' A spectacle of ruin or of scorn
To all the host of heaven the happy place
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