THE

FIRST BOOK

O F

PARADISE REGAIN'D.

I

PARADISE REGAIN'D.

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 wafte wilderness.

Thou Spirit who ledft this glorious eremite Into the defert, his victorious field,

Against the spiritual foe, and brought'st him thence 10
By proof th' undoubted Son of God, inspire,
As thou art wont, my prompted fong elfe 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

20

From

From Nazareth the fon of Jofeph deem'd
To the flood Jordan, came as then obfcure,
Unmark'd, unknown; but him the Baptift 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 affembly 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 furvey'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 Paradife deceiv'd by me, though fince

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 fhort;
And now too foon for us the circling hours

55

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
Broken be not intended all our power

60

65

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 juft fear gave no small 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 rifing
Out of the water, Heav'n above the clouds
Unfold her cryftal doors, thence on his head
VOL. II.

L

70

75

80

A perfect