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Of his apoftafy; he might have learnt
Lefs overweening, fince he fail'd in Job,
Whose constant perfeverance overcame
Whate'er his cruel malice could invent.
He now shall know I can produce a man

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Of female feed, far abler to resist

All his folicitations, and at length

All his vaft force, and drive him back to Hell,
Winning by conqueft what the first man loft
By fallacy furpris'd. But first I mean
To exercife him in the wilderness,

155

There

ture, for the prefent, out of fight, without denying or excluding it. It is likewife very truly faid of this perfect man, that he is by merit call'd the Son of God. Juftin Martyr obferves in his fecond Apology [p.67. Ed. Col.] that Chrift, confidered only as man, deserved for his fuperior wisdom to be called the Son of God. 'TG Se Oer & Inous λ= γομεν, ει και κοινώς μόνον αντ θρώπ θ, δια σοφιαν αξιο πιθ

163. That all the Angels and ethereal Powers, &c] Not a word is faid here of the Son of God, but what a Socinian would allow. His divine nature is artfully concealed under a partial and ambiguous representation; and the Angels are firft to learn the mystery of the incarnation from that important conflict, which is the fubject of this poem. They are feemingly invited to behold the triumphs of the man Chrift Jefus over the enemy of man- eye. In either capacity of kind; and these surprise them with the glorious discovery of the God

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God or Man he had a clame of merit to the title. The Father, fpeaking. to his eternal Word in Paradife Loft, III. 308. on his generous undertakings for mankind, faith

· and hast been found By merit more than birthright Son of God,

There he shall firft lay down the rudiments

Of his great warfare, ere I send him forth
To conquer Sin and Death, the two grand foes,
By humiliation and strong sufferance:
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His weakness shall o'ercome Satanic strength,
And all the world, and mass of finful flesh;
That all the Angels and ethereal Powers,
They now, and men hereafter may discern,
From what confummate virtue I have chose
This perfect man, by merit call'd
my Son,
To earn falvation for the fons of men,

Again, the words confummate virtue are ambiguous, and may be referred to the divine nature of Chrift as well as the human. Their prefent connexion applies them directly to the human nature: but they had a fecret reference, I conceive, in the poet's meaning to the majefty of that heavenly part of him, which denominates Chrift in the holy Scriptures the wisdom of God and the power (or virtue) of God, ☺es Swaμir, Dei virtutem, Lat. Vulg. 1 Cor. I. 24. Hunc tamen folum primogenitum divini nominis appellatione dignatus eft, patria fcilicet virtute, ac majeftate pollentem. Effe autem fummi Dei filium, qui fit poteftate maxima præditus, non tantùm voces prophetarum, fed etiam Sibyllarum vaticinia deVOL. I.

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So fpake th' eternal Father, and all Heaven
Admiring stood a space, then into hymns
Burst forth, and in celestial measures mov❜d,
Circling the throne and finging, while the hand
Sung with the voice, and this the argument.
Victory' and triumph to the Son of God
Now entring his great duel, not of arms,

168. So spake th' eternal Father,

and all Heaven

upon

Admiring food a space,] We cannot but take notice of the great art of the poet in fetting forth the dignity and importance of his fubject. He reprefents all beings as interested one way or other in the event. A council of Devils is fummon'd; an affembly of Angels is held the occafion. Satan is the fpeaker in the one, the Almighty in the other. Satan expreffes his diffidence, but ftill refolves to make trial of this Son of God; the Father declares his purpofe of proving and illuftrating his Son. The infernal crew are diftracted and furpris'd with deep difmay; all Heaven ftands a while in admiration. The fiends are filent thro' fear and grief; the Angels burft forth into finging with joy and the affured hopes of fuccefs. And their attention is thus engaged, the better to engage the attenwhile the hand

tion of the reader.

171.

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But to vanquish by wisdom hellish wiles.
The Father knows the Son; therefore fecure
Ventures his filial virtue, though untry'd,
Against whate'er may tempt, whate'er feduce,
Allure, or terrify, or undermine.

Be fruftrate all ye ftratagems of Hell,
And devilish machinations come to nought.

while the harp

Calton.

Sung with the voice;
but the few authorities alledged put
the prefent reading out of queftion.
174. Now entring his great duel,]
There is, I think, a meannefs in
the customary sense of this term
that makes it unworthy of these
fpeakers and this occafion; and yet
it is obfervable, that Milton in his
Paradife Loft makes Michael ufe
the very fame word where he is
fpeaking to Adam of the fame
thing. XII. 386.

To whom thus Michael. Dream
not of their fight,
As of a duel, &c.

The Italian duello, if I am not
miftaken, bears a stronger fenfe,
and this, I fuppofe, Milton had in
view.

Thyer.

If it be not a contradiction, it is inaccurate at leaft in Milton, to make an Angel fay in one place, Dream not of their fight as of a duel; and afterwards to make the Angels

175

180

So

exprefs it by the metaphor of a duel, Now entring his great duel.

He lays the accent on the laft fyl175. But to vanquish by wisdom] lable in vanquish, as elsewhere in triumph; and in many places, in my opinion, he imitates the Latin and Greek profody, and makes a vowel long before two confonants.

Fortin.

176. The Father knows the Song therefore fecure

Ventures bis filial virtue, though

faid by the Angels, if they also had untry'd] Could this have been

known this Son to be the eternal

Word, who created all things; and who had before driven this Tempter, and all his Powers out of Hea ven? The incarnation was generally believed by the Fathers to have been a fecret to Angels, till they learned it from the Church. See Huetii Origeniana. Lib. 2. Cap. 2. Quæft. 5. 18. As to the time and means of their information, Milton feems to be particular. Calton.

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So they in Heav'n their odes and vigils tun'd:
Mean while the Son of God, who yet fome days
Lodg'd in Bethabara where John baptiz'd,
Mufing and much revolving in his breast,
How best the mighty work he might begin

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Of Saviour to mankind, and which way firft
Publish his God-like office now mature,

One day forth walk'd alone, the Spirit leading,
And his deep thoughts, the better to converse 190
With folitude, till far from track of men,

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Thought

called mattins. Mr. Sympson proposes a flight alteration,

their odes in vigils tun'd,

that is, each watch when reliev'd
fung fo and fo: but as we have ex-
plain'd the word, there seems to be
no occafion for any alteration.
183.

who yet fome days Lodg'd in Bethabara where John

baptiz'd,] The poet, I prefume, faid this upon the authority of the first chapter of St. John's Gofpel, where feveral particulars, which happened feveral days together, are related concerning the Son of God, and it is faid. ver. 28. These things were done in Bethabara beyond fordan, where John was baptizing.

189. One day forth walk'd alone,

the Spirit leading,

And his deep thoughts,] This is wrong pointed in all the editions thus,

One

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