Thou shalt be what thou art ordain'd, no doubt;
For angels have proclam'd it, but concealing
The time and means: each act is rightlieft done, 475
Not when it muft, but when it may be best.
If thou obferve not this, be sure to find,
What I foretold thee, many a hard affay
Of dangers, and adverfities, and pains,
Ere thou of Ifrael's fcepter get faft hold;
Whereof this ominous night that clos'd thee round,
So many terrors, voices, prodigies,
May warn thee, as a fure fore-going fign.
So talk'd he while the Son of God went on
And stay'd not, but in brief him answer'd thus. 485
Me worse than wet thou find'st not; other harm
Those terrors, which thou speak'ft of, did me none;
I never fear'd they could, though noifing loud
And threatning nigh; what they can do as figns
Betokening, or ill boding, I contemn
As falfe portents, not fent from God, but thee;
Who, knowing I fhall reign past thy preventing,
Obtrud'ft thy offer'd aid, that I accepting
At least might feem to hold all pow'r of thee,
Ambitious Spi'rit, and wouldst be thought my God,
And storm'ft refus'd, thinking to terrify
Me to thy will; defift, thou art discern'd
And toil'ft in vain, nor me in vain molest.
To whom the Fiend now fwoln with rage reply'd. Then hear, Q Son of David, Virgin-born;
For Son of God to me is yet in doubt:
Of the Meffiah I have heard foretold
By all the Prophets; of thy birth at length
Announc'd by Gabriel with the first I knew,
And of th' angelic fong in Bethlehem field,
On thy birth-night, that fung thee Saviour born.
From that time seldom have I ceas'd to eye
Thy infancy, thy childhood, and thy youth,
Thy manhood laft, though yet in private bred;
Till at the ford of Jordan, whither all
Flock to the Baptift, I among the reft,
Though not to be baptiz'd, by voice from Heaven
Heard thee pronounc'd the Son of God belov❜d.
Thenceforth I thought thee worth my nearer view
And narrower fcrutiny, that I might learn
In what degree of meaning thou art call'd
The Son of God, which bears no fingle sense;
The Son of God I also am, or was,
And if I was, I am; relation stands ;
All men are Sons of God; yet thee I thought
In some respect far higher so declar'd.
Therefore I watch'd thy footsteps from that hour,
And follow'd thee ftill on to this wafte wild;
Where by all best conjectures I collect
Thou art to be my fatal enemy.
Good reason then, if I before-hand feek
To understand my adverfary, who
And what he is; his wisdom, pow'r, intent;
By parl, or composition, truce, or league,
To win him, or win from him what I can.
And opportunity I here have had
To try thee, fift thee, and confefs have found thee
Proof against all temptation, as a rock
Of adamant, and as a center, firm,
To th' utmost of mere man both wife and good, 535
Not more; for honors, riches, kingdoms, glory,
Have been before contemn'd, and may again:
Therefore to know what more thou art than man,
Worth naming Son of God by voice from Heaven,
Another method I must now begin.
So fay'ing he caught him up, and without wing
Of hippogrif bore through the air fublime
Over the wilderness and o'er the plain;
Till underneath them fair Jerufalem,
The holy city, lifted high her towers,
And higher yet the glorious temple rear'd
Her pile, far off appearing like a mount
Of alabaster, topt with golden fpires:
There on the highest pinnacle he fet
The Son of God, and added thus in fcorn.
There stand, if thou wilt ftand; to stand upright,
Will ask thee skill; I to thy Father's house
Have brought thee', and highest plac'd, highest is beft,
Now show thy progeny; if not to stand,
Caft thyself down; fafely, if Son of God:
For it is written, He will give command
Concerning thee to his Angels, in their hands
They shall up lift thee, left at any time
Thou chance to dash thy foot against a stone.
To whom thus Jefus; Alfo it is written,
Tempt not the Lord thy God: he said, and stood:
But Satan fmitten with amazement fell.
As when earth's fon Antæus (to compare
Small things with greateft) in Iraffa ftrove
With Jove's Alcides, and oft foil'd ftill rofe, 65
Receiving from his mother earth new strength,
Fresh from his fall, and fiercer grapple join'd,
Throttled at length in th' air, expir'd, and fell;
So after many a foil the Tempter proud,
Renewing fresh affaults, amidst his pride
Fell whence he ftood to fee his victor fall.
And as that Theban monster that propos'd
Her riddle', and him who folv'd it not, devour'd,
That once found out and folv'd, for grief and spite
Caft herself headlong from th' Ifmenian steep; 575
So ftruck with dread and anguish fell the Fiend,
And to his crew, that fat confulting, brought
Joylefs triumphals of his hop'd fuccefs,
Ruin, and defperation, and difmay,
Who durft so proudly tempt the Son of God.
So Satan fell; and strait a fiery globe
Of Angels on full fail of wing flew nigh,
Who on their plumy vans receiv'd him soft
From his uneafy ftation, and upbore
As on a floting couch through the blithe air,
Then in a flow'ry valley fet him down
On a green bank, and fet before him spread
A table of celeftial food, divine,
Ambrofial fruits, fetch'd from the tree of life,
And from the fount of life ambrofial drink,
That foon refresh'd him wearied, and repair'd
What hunger, if ought hunger had impair'd,
Or thirst; and, as he fed, angelic quires
Sung heav'nly anthems of his victory
Over temptation, and the Tempter proud.
True image of the Father, whether thron'd
In the bofom of blifs, and light of light
Conceiving, or remote from Heaven, infhrin'd
In fleshly tabernacle, and human form,
Wand'ring the wilderness, whatever place,
Habit, or state, or motion, ftill expreffing
The Son of God, with God-like force indued
Against th' attempter of thy Father's throne,
And thief of Paradife; him long of old
Thou didst debel, and down from Heaven caft
With all his army, now thou hast aveng'd
Supplanted Adam, and by vanquishing
Temptation, haft regain'd loft Paradife;
And fruftrated the conqueft fraudulent :
He never more henceforth will dare fet foot
In Paradife to tempt; his fnares are broke:
For though that feat of earthly blifs be fail'd,
A fairer Paradife is founded now
For Adam and his chofen fons, whom thou
A Saviour art come down to re-inftall
Where they shall dwell fecure, when time shall be,
Of Tempter and temptation without fear.
But thou, infernal Serpent, fhalt not long
Rule in the clouds; like an autumnal star
Or lightning thou fhalt fall from Heav'n, trod down
Under his feet: for proof, ere this thou feel'ft
Thy wound, yet not thy laft and deadlieft wound,
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