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 20 To all baptiz'd: to his great baptism flock'd With awe the regions round, and with them came From Nazareth the son of Joseph deem'd To the flood Jordan, came as then obfcure, Unmark'd, unknown; but him the Baptist foon 25 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 baptiz'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 still
About the world, at that affembly fam'd
Would not be last, and with the voice divine

30

35 Nigh

the Baptift had notice given him before, that he might certainly know the Meffiah by the Holy Ghoft defcending and abiding upon him. And I knew him not, but he that fent me to baptize with water, the fame faid unto me, Upon whom thou shalt fee the Spirit defcending and remaining on him, the fame is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghoft John I. 33. But it appears from St. Matthew, that the Baptist knew he was baptized and before the him and acknowledged him, before Holy Ghost defcended upon him. Mat. III. 14. I have need to be bap tized of thee, and comeft thou to me? To account for which we must admit with Milton, that another divine revelation was made to him at this very time, fignifying that this was the perfon, of whom hơ had had fuch notice before.

26. divinely warn'd] To comprehend the propriety of this word divinely the reader must have B 4

his.

Nigh thunder-ftruck, th' èxalted man, to whom
Such high attest 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 reme nber Hell,
Our hated habitation; well

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 fenfe in
Paradife Loft. VIII. 500.

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

41. Within thick clouds &c] Milton 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 region of clouds, ftorms, thunder &c jays ad ista caliginofa, id eft, ad hunc aerem, tanquam ad carcerem, damnatus eft diabolus &c. Enarr. in Pf. 148. S. 9. Tom. 5. p. 1677. Edit. Bened. Thyer.

ye know

40

45

How

5°

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 fhort;
And now too foon for us the circling hours
This dreaded time have compafs'd, wherein we
Muft bide the stroke of that long threaten'd wound,

55

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

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 rea-
fon 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 him-
felf even as he is pure.

83. A perfect dove defeend,] 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 shape, III. 22. the poet fuppofes with Tertullian, Auftin, and others of the fathers, that it was a real dove, as the painters always represent it.

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

those