Appear of respiration to the just The Woman's Seed, obscurely then foretold, He ended; and thus Adam last reply'd: 540 545 550 555 560 His providence, and on him sole depend, 565 Still overcoming evil, and by small Accomplishing great things, by things deem'd weak Subverting worldly strong, and worldly wise By simply meek; that suffering for truth's sake 570 And to the faithful death the gate of life: To whom thus also th' Angel last reply'd: 575 Thou knew'st by name, and all th' ethereal pow'rs, Let us descend now therefore from this top 580 585 590 595 600 (For by the Woman's seed) on all mankind: That ye may live, which will be many days, Both in one faith unanimous though sad With cause for evils past, yet much more cheer'd 605 He ended, and they both descend the hill; Descended, Adam to the bower where Eve Lay sleeping ran before, but found her waked; And thus with words not sad she him received: Whence thou return'st, and whither went'st, I know: 610 For God is also in sleep, and dreams advise, Which he hath sent propitious, some great good Presaging, since with sorrow and heart's distress Weary'd I fell asleep: but now lead on; I carry hence; though all by me is lost, 615 620 So spake our mother Eve; and Adam heard Well pleased, but answer'd not; for now too nigh 625 Th' Arch-Angel stood, and from the other hill The Cherubim descended; on the ground 630 And gathers ground fast at the labourer's heel The brandish'd sword of God before them blazed 635 Began to parch that temp'rate clime: whereat Our ling'ring parents, and to th' eastern gate Waved over by that flaming brand, the gate With dreadful faces throng'd and fiery arms: Some natural tears they dropt, but wiped them soon: END OF PARADISE LOST. 640 645 649 PARADISE REGAINED. BOOK I. THE ARGUMENT. The subject proposed. Invocation of the Holy Spirit. The poem opens with John baptizing at the river Jordan. Jesus coming there is baptized; and is attested by the descent of the Holy Ghost, and by a voice from heaven, to be the Son of God. Satan, who is present, upon this immediately flies up into the regions of the air: where, summoning his infernal council, he acquaints them with his apprehensions that Jesus is that seed of the woman destined to destroy all their power, and points out to them the immediate necessity of bringing the matter to proof, and of attempting, by snares and fraud, to counteract and defeat the person from whom they have so much to dread. This office he offers himself to undertake; and, his offer being accepted, sets out on his enterprise. In the mean time God, in the assembly of holy angels, declares that he has given up his Son to be tempted by Satan; but foretells that the tempter shall be completely defeated by him: upon which the angels sing a hymn of triumph. Jesus is led up by the Spirit into the wilderness, while he is meditating on the commencement of his great office of Saviour of mankind. Pursuing his meditations he narrates, in a soliloquy, what divine and philanthropic impulses he had felt from his early youth, and how his mother Mary, on perceiving these dispositions in him, had acquainted him with the circumstances of his birth, and informed him that he was no less a person than the Son of God; to which he adds what his own inquiries and reflections had supplied in confirmation of this great truth, and particularly dwells on the recent attestation of it at the river Jordan. Our Lord passes forty days, fasting, in the wilderness; where the wild beasts become mild and harmless in his presence. Satan now appears under the form of an old peasant; and enters into discourse with our Lord, wondering what could have brought him alone into so dangerous a place, and at the same time professing to recognise him for the person lately acknowledged by John, at the river Jordan, to be the Son of God. Jesus briefly replies. Satan rejoins with a description of the difficulty of supporting life in the wilderness; and entreats Jesus, if he be really the Son of God, to manifest his divine power, by changing some of the stones into bread. Jesus reproves him, and at the same time tells him that he knows who he is. Satan instantly avows himself, and offers an artful apology for himself and his conduct. Our blessed Lord severely reprimands him, and refutes every part of his justification. Satan, with much semblance of humility, still endeavours to justify himself; and professing his admiration of Jesus, and his regard for virtue, requests to be permitted at a future time to hear more of his conversation; but is answered, that this must be as he shall find permission from above. Satan then disappears, and the book closes with a short description of night coming on. I WHO ere while the happy Garden sung, Thou Spirit, who led'st this glorious eremite Against the spiritual foe, and brought'st him thence Now had the great Proclaimer with a voice 5 10 15 20 25 |