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

his eye upon the Latin divinitus,
from Heaven, fince the word di-
vinely in our language fcarce ever
comes up to this meaning. Milton
ufes it in much the fame fense in
Paradife Loft. VIII. 500.

She heard me thus, and though
divinely brought. Thyer.

41. Within thick clouds &c] Mil-
ton in making Satan's refidence to
be in mid air, within thick clouds
and dark, feems to have St. Auftin
in his eye, who speaking of the re-
gion of clouds, ftorms, thunder &c
lays ad ifta caliginofa, id eft,
ad hunc aerem, tanquam ad carce--
rem, damnatus eft diabolus &c.
Enarr. in Pf. 148. S. 9. Tom. 5.
p. 1677. Edit. Bened. Thyer.

know

40

45

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
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;

50

55

And now too foon for us the circling hours
This dreaded time have compafs'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 infring'd, our freedom and our being,
In this fair empire won of earth and air;

60

For this ill news I bring, the woman's feed
Deftin'd to this, is late of woman born:

65

His birth to our just fear gave no small cause,

But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, displaying

All virtue, grace, and wisdom to achieve

· Things highest, greatest, 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,

fpeeches in his former council, and therefore has affign'd the best reafon he could for not making any in this.

74. Purified to receive him pure,] Alluding to the Scripture expreffion 1 John III. 3. And every man that bath this hope in him, purifieth himfelf even as he is pure.

83. A perfect dove defcend,] He had expreffed it before ver. 30. in likeness of a dove, agreeably to

70

75 And

St. Matthew, the Spirit of God defcending like a dove, III. 16. and to St. Mark, the Spirit like a dove defcending upon him, I. 10. But as Luke fays, that the Holy Ghoft defcended in a bodily fhape, III. 22. the poet fuppofes with Tertullian, Auftin, and others of the fathers, that it was a real dove, as the painters always reprefent it.

91. Who this is we must learn,] Our author favors the opinion of

thofe

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
A perfect dove defcend, whate'er it meant,
And out of Heav'n the fovran 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 feems

those writers, Ignatius and others among the Ancients, and Beza and others among the Moderns, who believed that the Devil, tho' he might know Jefus to be fome extraordinary perfon, yet knew him not to be the Meffiah, the Son of God: and the words of the Devil If thou be the Son of God feem to exprefs his uncertainty concerning that matter. The Devils indeed afterwards knew him and pro

80

85

In

clamed him to be the Son of God, but they might not know him to be fo at this time, before this temptation, or before he had enter'd upon his public miniftry, and manifefted himself by his miracles. And our author, who makes the Devil to hear the voice from Heaven This is my beloved Son, ftill makes him doubt in what fenfe Jefus was fo called. See IV. 514.

thence

In all his lineaments, though in his face
The glimpfes of his father's glory shine.
Ye fee our danger on the utmoft edge

Of hazard, which admits no long debate,

But must with something fudden be oppos'd,

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

100

The difmal expedition to find out

And ruin Adam, and th' exploit perform'd

Successfully; a calmer voyage now

Will waft me; and the way found profp'rous once

Induces beft to hope of like fuccefs.

105

He

We'll ftrive to bear it for your worthy fake,

To th' extreme edge of hazard.

Milton applies this title.very pro113. To him their great dictator,] tion, as the authority he is now perly to Satan in his prefent fituavefted with is quite dictatorial, and the expedition on which he is going of the utmoft confequence to the fall'n Angels. Thyer.

119. So to the coaft of Jordan he
directs
His eafy fteps, girded with fnaky

wiles,] For as Lightfoot obferves Vol. II. P. 299. the wildernefs,