He who obtains the monarchy of Heaven: (Not force, but well-couch'd fraud, well-woven snares,) Ere in the head of nations he appear, Their king, their leader, and supreme on Earth. I, when no other durst, sole undertook The dismal expedition to find out And ruin Adam; and the exploit perform'd Successfully: a calmer voyage now Will waft me; and the way, found prosperous once, Induces best to hope of like success. He ended, and his words impression left Of much amazement to the infernal crew, Distracted, and surpris'd with deep dismay At these sad tidings; but no time was then For long indulgence to their fears or grief; Unanimous they all commit the care And management of this main enterprise To him, their great dictator, whose attempt At first against mankind so well had thriv'd In Adam's overthrow, and led their march From Hell's deep-vaulted den to dwell in light, Regents, and potentates, and kings, yea gods, Of many a pleasant realm and province wide. His easy steps, girded with snaky wiles, "Gabriel, this day by proof thou shalt behold, Great in renown, and call'd the Son of God; Then told'st her, doubting how these things could be To her a virgin, that on her should come The Holy Ghost, and the power of the Highest O'ershadow her. This man, born and now up grown, To show him worthy of his birth divine Whate'er his cruel malice could invent. He now shall know I can produce a man, All his solicitations, and at length All his vast force, and drive him back to Hell; To exercise him in the wilderness; So spake the Eternal Father, and all Heaven Be frustrate, all ye stratagems of Hell, And, devilish machinations, come to naught!" So they in Heaven their odes and vigils tun'd: Meanwhile the Son of God, who yet some days Lodg'd in Bethabara, where John baptiz'd, Musing, and much revolving in his breast, How best the mighty work he might begin Of Saviour to mankind, and which way first Publish his God-like office now mature, One day forth walk'd alone, the Spirit leading And his deep thoughts, the better to converse With solitude, till, far from track of men, Thought following thought, and step by step led on, He enter'd now the bordering desert wild, And, with dark shades and rocks environ'd round, His holy meditations thus pursued. 66 "O, what a multitude of thoughts at once Awakened in me swarm, while I consider What from within I feel myself, and hear What from without comes often to my ears, Ill sorting with my present state compar'd! When I was yet a child, no childish play To me was pleasing; all my mind was set Serious to learn and know, and thence to do What might be public good; myself I thought Born to that end, born to promote all truth, All righteous things: therefore, above my years, The law of God I read, and found it sweet, Made it my whole delight, and in it grew To such perfection, that, ere yet my age Had measur'd twice six years, at our great feast I went into the temple, there to hear The teachers of our law, and to propose What might improve my knowledge or their own; And was admir'd by all: yet this not all Misled; the stubborn only to subdue. These growing thoughts my mother soon perceiving, By words at times cast forth, inly rejoic'd, 6 And said to me apart, High are thy thoughts, Thou should'st be great, and sit on David's throne, At thy nativity, a glorious quire Of angels, in the fields of Bethlehem, sung |