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 in the desert.
I, WHO erewhile the happy garden sung By one Man's disobedience lost, now sing Recover'd Paradise to all mankind,
By one Man's firm obedience fully tried Through all temptation, and the tempter foil'd In all his wiles, defeated and repulsed, And Eden raised in the waste wilderness.
Thou Spirit, who ledst this glorious eremite Into the desert, his victorious field,
Against the spiritual foe, and brought'st him thence By proof the undoubted Son of God, inspire, As thou art wont, my prompted song, else mute; And bear, through highth or depth of Nature's bounds, With prosperous wing full summ'd, to tell of deeds Above heroic, though in secret done,
And unrecorded left through many an age; Worthy to have not remain'd so long unsung.
Now had the great Proclaimer, with a voice More awful than the sound of trumpet, cried Repentance, and Heaven's kingdom nigh at hand To all baptized: To his great baptism flock'd With awe the regions round, and with them came
From Nazareth the son of Joseph deem'd To the flood Jordan; came, as then obscure, Unmark'd, unknown; but him the Baptist soon Descried, divinely warn'd, and witness bore As to his worthier, and would have resign'd To him his heavenly office; nor was long His witness unconfirm'd: on him baptized Heaven open'd, and in likeness of a dove The Spirit descended, while the Father's voice From Heaven pronounced him his beloved Son. That heard the Adversary, who, roving still About the world, at that assembly famed Would not be last, and with the voice divine Nigh thunderstruck, the exalted Man, to whom Such high attest was given, awhile survey'd With wonder: then, with envy fraught and rage, Flies to his place, nor rests, but in mid air To council summons all his mighty peers, Within thick clouds and dark tenfold involved, A gloomy consistory; and them, amidst, With looks aghast and sad, he thus bespake:
O ancient Powers of air, and this wide world (For much more willingly I mention air, This our old conquest, than remember Hell, Our hated habitation), well ye know How many ages, as the years of men, This universe we have possess'd, and ruled, In manner at our will, the affairs of earth, Since Adam and his facile consort Eve Lost Paradise, deceived by me; though since With dread attending when that fatal wound,
Shall be inflicted by the seed of Eve
Upon my head. Long the decrees of Heaven Delay, for longest time to him is short; And now, too soon for us, the circling hours This dreaded time have compass'd, wherein we Must bide the stroke 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 infringed, our freedom and our being, In this fair empire won of earth and air), For this ill news I bring, the Woman's Seed, Destined 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 flower, displaying All virtue, grace, and wisdom to achieve
Things highest, greatest, multiplies my fear. Before him a great Prophet, to proclaim His coming, is sent harbinger, who all Invites, and in the consecrated stream Pretends to wash off sin, and fit them, so Purified, to receive him pure, or rather To do him honour as their king: all come, And he himself among them was baptized; Not thence to be more pure, but to receive The testimony of Heaven, that who he is Thenceforth the nations may not doubt; I saw The Prophet do him reverence; on him, rising Out of the water, Heaven above the clouds Unfold her crystal doors; thence on his head A perfect dove descend (whate'er it meant), And out of Heaven, the sovran voice I heard,
PRINTED FOR JOHN SHARPE, DUKE STREET, PICCADILLY.
PARVARD COLLEGE
APR 17 1902
C. & C. Whittingham, College House, Chiswick.
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