I carry hence; though all by me is loft,
Such favour I unworthy am vouchsaf'd,
By me the promis'd Seed fhall all restore.
So fpake our mother Eve, and Adam heard

Well pleas'd, but answer'd not; for now too nigh 625
Th' archangel ftood, and from the other hill
To their fix'd ftation, all in bright array
The cherubim defcended; on the ground
Gliding meteorous, as evening mist
Rifen from a river o'er the marifh glides,

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And gathers ground faft at the lab'rer's heel

Homeward returning. High in front advanc'd,

The brandish'd fword of God before them blaz'd

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Fierce as a comet; which with torrid heat,
And vapour as the Lybian air aduft,
Began to parch that temp rate clime; whereat
In either hand the haft'ning angel caught
Our ling'ring parents, and to the eastern gate
Led them direct, and down the cliff as falt
To the fubjected plain; then disappear'd.
They looking back, all th' eaftern fide beheld
Of Paradife, fo late their happy feat,
Wav'd over by that flaming brand, the gate
With dreadful faces throng'd and fiery arms:
Some natural tears they dropt, but wip'd them foon;
The world was all before them where to choose
Their place of reft, and Providence their guide:
They hand in hand, with wand'ring steps and flow,
Through Eden took their folitary way.

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THE END OF PARADISE LOST.

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BOOK I.

I WHO ere while the happy Garden fung,
By one Man's difobedience loft, now fing
Recover'd Paradife to all markind,
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 ledst this glorious eremite
Into the defert, his victorious field,

Against the spiritual foe, and brought'ft him thence
By proof th' undoubted Son of God, infpire,

As thou art wont, my prompted fong, else mute,
And bear through height or depth of Nature's bounds
With profp'rous wing full fumm'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 Proclaimer, with a voice
More awful than the found of trumpet, cry'd
Repentance, and heav'n's kingdom nigh at hand
To all baptis'd: to his great baptifm flock'd
With awe the regions round, and with them came
From Nazareth the fon of Jofeph deem'd
To the flood Jordan came, as then obfcure,
Unmark'd, unknown; but him the Baptift foon
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 likenefs of a dove
The spirit 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
Nigh thunder-ftruck, th' exalted Man to whom
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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:

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 univerfe we have poffefs'd, and rul'd
In manner at our will th' affairs of Earth,
Since Adam and his facile 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

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Upon my head: long the decrees of heav'n

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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 ftroke of that long threaten'd wound,

At least if fo we can, and by the head

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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;

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For this ill news I bring, the woman's Seed
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 flower, difplaying s
All virtue, grace, and wisdom, to achieve
Things higheft, greateft, multiplies my fear.
Before him a great prophet to proclaim
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 honour as their king: all come,
And he himself among them was baptiz'd;

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Not thence to be more pure, but to receive
The teftimony of heav'n, that who he is
Thenceforth the nations may not doubt. I saw
The prophet do him reverence, on him rifing
Out of the water, heav'n above the clouds
Unfold her chryftal doors, thence on his head
A perfect dove descend, whate'er it meant,
And out of heav'n the Sov'reign voice I heard,
This is my Son belov'd, in him am pleas'd.
His mother then is mortal, but his Sire
He who obtains the monarchy of heav'n,
And what will he not do t' advance his Son?
His firft-begot we know, and fore have felt,
When his fierce thunder drove us to the deep;
Who this is we must learn, for man he seems
In all his lineaments, though in his face
The glimpses of his Father's glory shine.
Ye fee our danger on the utmolt edge

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Of hazard, which admits no long debate,

But must with something fudden be opposid,

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Not force, but well couch'd fraud, well woven fnares,

Ere in the head of nations he appear

Their king, their leader, and fupreme on earth.
I, when no other durft, fole undertook

The difinal expedition to find out

And ruin Adam, and th' exploit perform'd

Successfully; a calmer voyage now

Will waft me: and the way found profp'rous once
Induces beft to hope of like fuccefs.

He ended, and his words impreffion left
Of much amazement to the internal crew,
Distracted and furpris'd with deep difmay
At thefe fad tidings; but no time was then
For long idulgence to their fears or grief:
Unanimous they all commit the care
And inanagement of this main enterprize
To him their great dictator, whofe attempt
At first against mankind to well had thriv'd
In Adam's overthrow, and led their march
From hell's deep-vaulted den to dwell in light,
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Regents and potentates, and kings, yea gods,
Of many a pleasant realm and province wide;
So to the coast of Jordan he directs

His easy steps, girded with snaky wiles,
Where he might likelieft find this new declar'd,
This Man of Men, attefted Son of God,
Temptation and all guile on him to try;
So to fubvert whom he fufpected rais'd
To end his reign on earth, so long enjoy'd :
But contrary, unweeting he fulfill'd
The purpos'd counfel pre-ordain'd and fix'd
Of the Most High, who in full frequence bright
Of angels, thus to Gabriel fmiling fpake:

Gabriel, this day by proof thou shalt behold,
Thou and all angels converfant on earth
With man or men's affairs, how I begin
To verify that folemn meffage late,
On which I fent thee to the Virgin pure
In Galilee, that the fhould bear a Son

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Great in renown, and call'd the Son of God;

Then toldft her doubting how these things could be

To her a virgin, that on her should come

The Holy Ghoft, and the power of the Highest

O'er-fhadow her: this Man born, and now upgrown,

Lefs overweening fince he fail'd in Job,

Whose constant perfeverance overcame
Whate'er his cruel malice could invent.

He now fhall know I can produce a Man
Of female feed, far abler to refift

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All his folicitations, and at length

All his vaft force, and drive him back to hell,

Winning by conquest what the first man lost,
By fallacy furpris'd. But first I mean
To exercife him in the wilderness;

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