THE

FIRST BOOK

OF

PARADISE REGAIN'D.

VOL. II.

PARADISE REGAIN'D.

I

BOOK I.

Who ere while the happy garden fung,
By one man's difobedience loft, now fing
Recover'd Paradife to all mankind,

By one man's firm obedience fully try'd
Through all temptation, and the tempter foil'd
In all his wiles, defeated and repuls'd,
And Eden rais'd in the waste wilderness.

Thou Spirit who ledft this glorious eremite
Into the defert, his victorious field,

Against the spiritual foe, and brought'st him thence 10
By proof th' undoubted Son of God, infpire,
As thou art wont, my prompted song else mute,
And bear through highth or depth of nature's bounds
With profp'rous wing full fumin'd, to tell of deeds
Above heroic, though in fecret done,
And unrecorded left through many an age,
Worthy t' have not remain'd fo long unfung.

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 Jofeph deem'd

To the flood Jordan, came as then obscure,
Unmark'd, unknown; but him the Baptift 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 Spirit defcended, while the Father's voice
From Heav'n pronounc'd him his beloved Son.
That heard the Adversary, who, roving still
About the world, at that affembly fam'd
Would not be laft, and with the voice divine
Nigh thunder-ftruck, th' exalted man, to whom
Such high atteft 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.

30

39

40

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 know
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 Paradife 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 hin is fhort;

45

50

.55

And