What might be public good; myself I thought
Born to that end, born to promote all truth,
All righteous things: therefore above my years,
The law of God I read, and found it sweet,

Made it my whole delight, and in it grew
To such perfection, that ere yet my age

205

Had measured twice six years, at our great feast 210
I went into the temple, there to hear
The teachers of our law, and to propose

What might improve my knowledge or their own; And was admired by all; yet this not all

215

To which my spirit aspired; victorious deeds
Flamed in my heart, heroic acts, one while
To rescue Israel from the Roman yoke,
Then to subdue and quell o'er all the earth
Brute violence and proud tyrannic pow'r,
Till truth were freed, and equity restored:
Yet held it more humane, more heav'nly, first
By winning words to conquer willing hearts,
And make persuasion do the work of fear;
At least to try, and teach the erring soul
Not wilfully misdoing, but unware

Misled; the stubborn only to subdue.

220

225

230

These growing thoughts my mother soon perceiving,
By words at times cast forth, inly rejoiced,
And said to me apart, High are thy thoughts,
O Son, but nourish them and let them soar
To what height sacred virtue and true worth
Can raise them, though above example high;
By matchless deeds express thy matchless Sire.
For know, thou art no son of mortal man;
Though men esteem thee low of parentage,
Thy Father is th' eternal King who rules
All Heav'n and Earth, angels and sons of men;
A messenger from God foretold thy birth
Conceived in me a virgin, he foretold

235

Thou should'st be great, and sit on David's throne, And of thy kingdom there should be no end.

At thy nativity a glorious quire

Of angels in the fields of Bethlehem sung

To shepherds, watching at their folds by night

241

245

And told them the Messiah now was born,
Where they might see him, and to thee they came,
Directed to the manger, where thou lay'st,
For in the inn was left no better room:

A star, not seen before, in Heav'n appearing,
Guided the wise men thither from the East,

250

To honour thee with incense, myrrh, and gold;
By whose bright course led on, they found the place,
Affirming it thy star new grav'n in Heav'n,
By which they knew the King of Israel born.
Just Simeon and prophetic Anna, warn'd
By vision, found thee in the temple, and spake
Before the altar and the vested priest,

Like things of thee to all that present stood.
This having heard, strait I again revolved

255

The Law and Prophets, searching what was writ 260 Concerning the Messiah, to our scribes

Or work redemption for mankind, whose sins'

Known partly, and soon found of whom they spake
I am; this chiefly, that my way must lie
Through many a hard assay, even to the death,
Ere I the promised kingdom can attain,

265

Full weight must be transferr'd upon my head.
Yet neither thus dishearten'd or dismay'd,
The time prefix'd I waited, when behold
The Baptist (of whose birth I oft had heard,

Not knew by sight) now come, who was to come
Before Messiah and his way prepare.

I as all others to his baptism came,

Which I believed was from above; but he

270

Strait knew me, and with loudest voice proclaim'd

Me him (for it was shewn him so from Heav'n) 276

Me him whose harbinger he was, and first

Refused on me his baptism to confer,

As much his greater, and was hardly won;
But as I rose out of the laving stream,

Heav'n open'd her eternal doors, from whence
The Spirit descended on me like a dove;
And last, the sum of all, my Father's voice,

255. Luke ii. 25. 36.

280

271. Jesus and John were relations on the side of their mothers, but having been brought up at a distance, it is concluded from John i. 32. that they were personally unknown to each other.

Audibly heard from Heav'n, pronounced me his,
Me his beloved Son, in whom alone

He was well pleased; by which I knew the time
Now full, that I no more should live obscure,
But openly begin, as best becomes

235

Th' authority which I derived from Heav'n.
And now by some strong motion I am led
Into this wilderness, to what intent

290

I learn not yet, perhaps I need not know;
For what concerns my knowledge, God reveals.

So spake our Morning Star, then in his rise,

And looking round on every side, beheld

205

A pathless desert, dusk with horrid shades;
The way he came not having mark'd, return
Was difficult, by human steps untrod;

And he still on was led, but with such thoughts
Accompanied of things past and to come
Lodged in his breast, as well might recommend
Such solitude before choicest society.
Full forty days he pass'd, whether on hill
Sometimes, anon in shady vale, each night
Under the covert of some ancient oak,
Or cedar, to defend him from the dew,
Or harbour'd in one cave, is not reveal'd;

Nor tasted human food, nor hunger felt,

Till those days ended, hunger'd then at last

300

305

Among wild beasts: they at his sight grew mild, 310 Nor sleeping him, nor waking harm'd, his walk

The fiery serpent fled, and noxious worm,

The lion and fierce tiger glared aloof.

But now an aged man in rural weeds,

Following, as seem'd, the quest of some stray ewe, 315
Or wither'd sticks to gather, which might serve
Against a winter's day when winds blow keen,
To warm him wet return'd from field at eve,

286. The fulness of time, Gal. iv. 4.
307. Justin reads, some cave.

312. It is well remarked, that the description here given, is founded on a slight expression in St. Mark's gospel, i. 13. in which alone it is found. The various particulars mentioned, are observed by Warburton to be beautifully introduced, as intimating the restoration of man's former state of secure innocence. Worm is a general term for reptile.

314. It is supposed, that Milton took the idea of making Satan appear like an old man from a design by D. Vinkhorn.

He saw approach, who first with curious eye Perused him, then with words thus utter'd spake: 320

Sir, what ill-chance bath brought thee to this place, So far from path, or road of men, who pass

In troop, or caravan? for single none

Durst ever, who return'd, and dropt not here

His carcase, pined with hunger and with drought. 325

I ask the rather, and the more admire,

For that to me thou seem'st the Man whom late

Our new baptizing Prophet at the ford

Of Jordan honour'd so, and call'd thee Son

Of God; I saw and heard, for we sometimes

330

Who dwell this wild, constrain'd by want, come forth

To town or village nigh (nighest is far)

Where ought we hear, and curious are to hear,
What happens new; fame also finds us out.

To whom the Son of God: Who brought me hither,

Will bring me bence; no other guide I seek.

336

By miracle he may, reply'd the swain,

What other way I see not, for we here

Live on tough roots and stubs, to thirst inured

More than the camel, and to drink go far,

340

Men to such misery and hardship born;
But if thou be the Son of God, command

That out of these hard stones be made thee bread,
So shalt thou save thyself and us relieve
With food whereof we wretched seldom taste.
He ended, and the Son of God reply'd:
Think'st thou such force in bread? Is it not written
(For I discern thee other than thou seem'st)
Man lives not by bread only, but each word
Proceeding from the mouth of God, who fed
Our fathers here with manna? in the mount
Moses was forty days, nor ate nor drank;
And forty days Elijah without food
Wander'd this barren waste; the same I now:
Why dost thou then suggest to me distrust,
Knowing who I am, as I know who thou art?
Whom thus answer'd th' Arch-fiend, now undis-
'Tis true, I am that Spirit unfortunate,
Who leagued with millions more in rash revolt
Kept not my happy station, but was driven
With them from bliss to the bottomless deep,

345

350

355

[guised:

360

Yet to that hideous place not so confined
By rigour unconniving, but that oft
Leaving my dolorous prison, I enjoy

Large liberty to round this globe of earth,

365

Or range in th' air, nor from the Heav'n of Heav'ns

Hath he excluded my resort sometimes.

I came among the sons of God, when he
Gave up into my hands Uzzean Job

To prove him, and illustrate his high worth;
And when to all his angels he proposed
To draw the proud king Ahab into fraud
That he might fall in Ramoth, they demurring,
I undertook that office, and the tongues

370

Of all his flatt'ring prophets glibb'd with lies
To his destruction, as I had in charge,
For what he bids I do: though I have lost
Much lustre of my native brightness, lost
To be beloved of God, I have not lost
To love, at least contemplate and admire,
What I see excellent in good, or fair,
Or virtuous, I should so have lost all sense.
What can be then less in me than desire
To see thee and approach thee, whom I know
Declared the Son of God, to hear attent
Thy wisdom, and behold thy godlike deeds?

375

380

385

Men generally think me such a foe

To all mankind: why should I? they to me

Never did wrong or violence; by them

I lost not what I lost, rather by them

390

I gain'd what I have gain'd, and with them dwell

Copartner in these regions of the world,

If not disposer, lend them oft my aid,
Oft my advice by presages and signs,
And answers, oracles, portents and dreams,
Whereby they may direct their future life.
Envy they say excites me, thus to gain
Companions of my misery and woe.

At first it may be; but long since with woe
Nearer acquainted, now I feel by proof,
That fellowship in pain divides not smart,

368. Job i. 6.

372. Fraud; mischief, so used in Par. Lost, ix. 643.
See 1 Kings xxii. 19.

395

400