I

PARADISE REGAIN' D.

воок

BOOK I.

Who ere while the happy garden fung,
By one man's disobedience loft, now fing
Recover'd Paradife 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 waste wilderness.

Thou Spi'rit who ledst 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, inspire,
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 baptism flock'd
With awe the regions round, and with them came

35

20

From

From Nazareth the fon of Jofeph deem'd

To the flood Jordan, came as then obscure,
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 witness 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 ftill
About the world, at that assembly fam'd
Would not be last, and with the voice divine
Nigh thunder-ftruck, th' exalted man, to whom
Such high atteft was giv'n, a while survey'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 befpake.

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

25

३०

35

40

4.5

50

With dread attending when that fatal wound
Shall be inflicted by the feed of Eve

Upon my head: long the decrees of Heav'n
Delay, for longest time to him is short;

And now too foon for us the circling hours
This dreaded time have compafs'd, wherein we

Muft bide the stroke of that long threaten'd wound,
At least if fo we can, and by the head

55

60

Broken be not intended all our power

659

༡༠

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 fmall cause,
But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, displaying
All virtue, grace, and wisdom to atchieve
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 saw
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
VOL. II.

L

75

80

A perfect

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 first-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 shine.
Ye fee our danger on the utmost edge
Of hazard, which admits no long debate,
But muft with fomething fudden be oppos'd,

85

90

95

Not force, but well-couch'd fraud, well-woven fnares,

Ere in the head of nations he appear

Their king, their leader, and supreme on earth.

I, when no other durft, fole undertook

The dismal expedition to find out

And ruin Adam, and th' exploit perform'd

Successfully; a calmer voyage now

Will waft me; and the way found prosp'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 these 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 enterprize

100

105

110

To

To him their great dictator, whose attempt
At first against mankind so well had thriv'd
In Adam's overthrow, and led their march
From Hell's deep vaulted den to dwell in light,
Regents and potentates, and kings, yea Gods
Of many a pleasant realm and province wide.
So to the coast of Jordan he directs

His easy steps, girded with snaky wiles,
Where he might likeliest find this new-declar'd,
This man of men, attefted Son of God,
Temptation and all guile on him to try;
So to fubvert whom he suspected rais'd
To end his reign on earth fo long enjoy'd:
But contrary unweeting he fulfill'd

The purpos'd counsel pre-ordain'd and fix'd
Of the most High, who in full frequence bright
Of Angels, thus to Gabriel smiling spake.

Gabriel, this day by proof thou fhalt behold,
Thou and all Angels conversant on earth
With man or mens affairs, how I begin
To verify that folemn meffage late,
On which I fent thee to the Virgin pure
In Galilee, that the fhould bear a fon

Great in renown, and call'd the Son of God;

115

120

Then toldft her doubting how these things could be To her a virgin, that on her fhould come

125

130

135

The Holy Ghoft, and the pow'r of the Highest
O'er-fhadow her: this man born and now up-grown,
To show him worthy of his birth divine
And high prediction, henceforth I expofe