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And eat the second time after repofe,

The ftrength whereof fuffic'd him forty days;
Sometimes that with Elijah he partook,

Or as a gueft with Daniel at his pulfe.

Thus wore out night, and now the herald lark

275

Left his ground-neft, high tow'ring to defcry 280 The morn's approach, and greet her with his fong: As lightly from his graffy couch up rofe

Our Saviour, and found all was but a dream,

Fafting he went to fleep, and fafting wak'd.
Up to a hill anon his fteps he rear'd,
From whofe high top to ken the profpect round,

285

If

ditated much on the word of lines in all his works. Knight's God. Tale. 1493.

278. Or as a guest with Daniel

at his pulfe.] Mr. Sympfon propofes to read, Or was a guest

&C.

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The mery lark, meffengere of

the day,

Salewith in her fong the morow

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If cottage were in view, fheep-cote or herd;
But cottage, herd, or sheep-cote none he saw,
Only' in a bottom faw a pleasant grove,

With chaunt of tuneful birds refounding loud; 290
Thither he bent his way, determin'd there

To reft at noon, and enter'd foon the fhade
High rooft, and walks beneath, and alleys brown,
That open'd in the midst a woody scene;

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Nature's own work it feem'd (nature taught art) 295
And to a fuperftitious eye the haunt
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Of Wood-Gods and Wood-Nymphs; he view' it
When fuddenly a man before him stood,

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Not ruftic as before, but feemlier clad,

As one in city', or court, or palace bred,

300

And with fair speech these words to him addrefs'd.

With granted leave officious I return,

But much more wonder that the Son of God

In this wild folitude so long should bide

Of all things deftitute, and well I know,
Not without hunger. Others of fome note,
As story tells, have trod this wilderness;

299. Not ruftic as before, but

feemlier clad,] The Tempter is very properly made to change his appearance and habit with the temptation. In the former book, when he came to tempt our Saviour to turn the stones into bread to fatisfy their hunger, he appeared as a poor old man in rural weeds; but now, when he comes to offer a magnificent entertainment, he is feemlier clad, and appears as a wealthy citizen or a courtier and here with fair speech he addreffes his words, there it was only with words thus utter'd fpake. Thefe leffer particulars have a grace and propriety in them, which is well worthy of the reader's obfervation.

302. With granted leave] It is true that Satan at parting, in the conclufion of the former book, had asked leave to come again, but all the answer that our Saviour returned was

395

The

Thy coming hither, though I know thy scope,

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I bid not or forbid; do as thou find'ft

Permiffion from above.

But as the Tempter must needs have been a most impudent being, it was perfectly in character to reprefent him as taking permiffion for granted leave.

308. The fugitive bond-woman &c] Hagar, who fled from the face of her miftrefs, Gen. XVI. 6. and is therefore called a fugitive; and her name by interpretation (fays Ainfworth) is a fugitive or franger: but her fon was not a fugitive, but an out-caft; fo exact was our author in the use of his epithets. But then what fhall we fay to the words following, Out-caft Nebaioth? For as Mr. Meadowcourt and others have obferved, Nebaioth was the eldest son of Ishmael, (Gen. XXV. 13.) and grandson of Abraham and

Hagar,

The fugitive bond-woman with her fon
Out-caft Nebaioth, yet found here relief
By a providing Angel; all the race

Of Ifrael here had famish'd, had not God

310

Rain'd from Heav'n Manna; and that Prophet bold Native of Thebez wand'ring here was fed

Twice by a voice inviting him to eat :

Of thee these forty days none hath regard,
Forty and more deferted here indeed.

Hagar. He feems here to be put by mistake for Ifhmael. At least it is not ufual to call the father by the name of the fon.

313. Native of Thebez] In the first edition it was falfely printed Thebes, but Thebes (fays Mr. Meadowcourt) was the birth-place of no prophet except blind Tirefias. However this reading hath prevailed throughout the editions, though in the table of Errata at the end of the first edition we are defired to correct and read Thebez, the fame as Thefbe, or Thisbe, or Tifbbe, the birth-place of the prophet Elijah. There is a Thebez mention'd, Judges IX. 50. where Abimelech was flain; and it looks as if our author took that and this to be the fame place. He had before called Elijah the great Thifbite ver. 16. and he might here more confiftently have faid Native of Thibe: but he feems to write fometimes, as if he had a mind

315

To

to make work for commentators. 313. wand'ring here was fed It appears that Milton conceived the wilderness, where Hagar wander'd with her fon, and where the Ifraelites were fed with Manna, and where Elijah retreated from the rage of Jezebel, to be the fame with the wilderness, where our Saviour was tempted. And yet it is certain, that they were very different places, for the wilderness, 'where Hagar wander'd, was the wilderness of Beer-Sheba Gen. XXI. 14. and where the Ifraelites were fed with Manna was the wilderness of Sin Exod. XVI. 1. and where Elijah retreated was in the wilderness, a day's journey from Beersheba 1 Kings XIX. 4. and where our Saviour was tempted was the wilderness near Jordan: but our author confiders all that tract of country as one and the fame wilderness, tho' diftinguifh'd by different names from the different places adjoining.

319. Horn

To whom thus Jefus. What conclud'st thou hence? They all had need, as I thou feeft have none.

How haft thou hunger then? Satan reply'd.
Tell me if food were now before thee fet,
Would't thou not eat? Thereafter as I like
The giver, answer'd Jefus. Why should that
Cause thy refufal? faid the subtle Fiend.
Haft thou not right to all created things?

Owe not all creatures by just right to thee
-Duty and service, not to ftay till bid,
But tender all their pow'r? nor mention I

319. How haft thou hunger then ?] Thefe words feem to be wrong, they being neither an answer to the words preceding,

320

325

Meats

And now I know he hungers where no food

Is to be found, in the wide wilderness:

They all had need, I as thou and ver. 305.

feeft have none;

nor correfponding to the words of Satan himself just after,

Of all things deftitute, and well

I know,
Not without hunger.

Tell me if food were now before But our Saviour had said

thee fet &c:

What if we read therefore,

Doft thou not hunger then?

Sympfon.

There feems to be no occafion for any alteration. Satan could not doubt, whether our Saviour was hungry, for he knew very well that he was fo, ver. 231.

They all had need, I as thou

feeft have none;

and to this Satan replies directly and properly, How haft thou hunger then without having need?

325. Oave not all creatures by just right to thee

Duty and fervice, &c] The Tempter is got into the fame canting, diffembling ftrain as before

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