Suffers the hypocrite or atheous priest
To tread His sacred courts,6672 and minister6673
About His altar, handling holy things,
Praying or vowing, and vouchsafed His voice
To Balaam,6674 reprobate,6675 a prophet yet6676
Inspired. Disdain6677 not such access to me.”
To whom our Savior, with unaltered brow:
“Thy coming hither, though I know thy scope,6678
I bid not, or forbid. Do as thou find’st
Permission from above. Thou canst not more.”
He added not, and Satan, bowing low
His gray dissimulation,6679 disappeared,
Into thin air diffused. For now began
Night with her sullen wing to double-shade
The desert. Fowls in their clay 6680 nests were couched,6681
And now wild beasts came forth, the woods to roam.
BOOK II
Meanwhile the new-baptized, who yet remained
At Jordan with the Baptist, and had seen
Him whom they heard so late6682 expressly6683 called
Jesus Messiah, Son of God declared,
And on that high authority had believed,
And with him talked, and with him lodged6684 —I mean
Andrew6685 and Simon,6686 famous after 6687 known,
With others, though in Holy Writ not named—
Now missing him, their joy so lately found,
So lately found and so abruptly gone,
Began to doubt, and doubted many days,
And as the days increased, increased their doubt.
Sometimes they thought he might be only shown6688
And for a time caught up6689 to God, as once
Moses was in the mount and missing long,
And the great Thisbite,6690 who on fiery wheels
Rode up to Heav’n, yet once again to come.
Therefore, as those young prophets then with care
Sought lost Elijah, so in each place these
Nigh to Bethabara6691 —in Jericho6692
The city of palms, Aenon,6693 and Salem6694 old,
Machaerus,6695 and each town or city walled
On this side the broad lake Genezaret,6696
Or in Peraea6697 —but returned in vain.
Then on the bank of Jordan, by a creek,
Where winds with reeds and osiers6698 whispering play,
Plain fishermen (no greater, men them call),
Close in a cottage low together got,
Their unexpected loss and plaints6699 outbreathed:
“Alas, from what high hope to what relapse
Unlooked for are we fall’n! Our eyes beheld
Messiah certainly now come, so long
Expected of our fathers. We have heard
His words, his wisdom full of grace and truth.
‘Now, now, for sure, deliverance is at hand!
The kingdom shall to Israel be restored!’
Thus we rejoiced, but soon our joy is turned
Into perplexity and new amaze.
For whither is he gone? What accident
Hath rapt6700 him from us? Will he now retire6701
After appearance, and again prolong
Our expectation? God of Israel,
Send Thy Messiah forth. The time is come.
Behold the kings of the earth, how they oppress
Thy chosen, to what height their pow’r unjust
They have exalted, and behind them cast
All fear of Thee. Arise, and vindicate6702
Thy glory, free Thy people from their yoke!
“But let us wait. Thus far He hath performed,6703
Sent His anointed,6704 and to us revealed him
By His great prophet pointed at and shown
In public, and with him we have conversed.
Let us be glad of this, and all our fears
Lay on His providence.6705 He will not fail,
Nor will withdraw him6706 now, nor will recall—
Mock us with his blest sight, then snatch him hence.
Soon we shall see our hope, our joy, return.”
Thus they out of their plaints new hope resume
To find whom at the first they found unsought.
But to his mother Mary, when she saw
Others returned from baptism, not her son,
Nor left at Jordan tidings of him none,
Within her breast though calm, her breast though pure,
Motherly cares and fears got head,6707 and raised
Some troubled thoughts, which she in sighs thus clad:
“Oh what avails me now, that honor high,
To have conceived of God, or that salute,6708
‘Hail, highly favored, among women blest’?
While I to sorrows am no less advanced,6709
And fears as eminent6710 above the lot
Of other women, by the birth I bore—
In such a season born, when scarce a shed
Could be obtained to shelter him or me
From the bleak6711 air. A stable was our warmth,
A manger his, yet soon enforced to fly
Thence into Egypt, till the murd’rous king 6712
Were dead, who sought his life and, missing,6713 filled
With infant blood the streets of Bethlehem.
From Egypt home returned, in Nazareth
Hath been our dwelling many years, his life
Private, unactive, calm, contemplative,
Little suspicious to any king. But now,
Full grown to man, acknowledged, as I hear,
By John the Baptist, and in public shown,
Son owned6714 from Heav’n by his Father’s voice,
I looked for some great change. To honor? No,
But trouble, as old Simeon6715 plain foretold,
That to the fall and rising he should be
Of many in Israel, and to a sign
Spoken against—that through my very soul
A sword shall pierce, this my favored lot,
My exaltation to afflictions high!
Afflicted I may be, it seems, and blest!
I will not argue that, nor will repine.6716
“But where delays he now? Some great intent
Conceals him. When twelve years he scarce had seen,
I lost him, but so found as well I saw
He could not lose himself, but went about
His Father’s business. What he meant I mused,6717
Since understand: much more his absence now
Thus long to some great purpose he obscures.6718
But I to wait with patience am inured,
My heart hath been a storehouse long of things
And sayings laid up, portending strange events.”
Thus Mary, pondering oft, and oft to mind
Recalling what remarkably6719 had passed
Since first her salutation6720 heard, with thoughts
Meekly composed awaited the fulfilling,6721
The while her son, tracing6722 the desert wild,
Sole,6723 but with holiest meditations fed,
Into himself descended, and at once
All his great work to come before him set—
How to begin, how to accomplish best
His end6724 of being on earth, and mission high.
For Satan, with sly preface 6725 to return,
Had left him vacant,6726 and with speed was gone
Up to the middle region of thick air,
Where all his Potentates in council sat.
There, without sign of boast, or sign of joy,
Solicitous and blank,6727 he thus began:
“Princes, Heav’n’s ancient Sons, Ethereal Thrones—
Daemonian Spirits now, from the element
Each of his reign allotted, rightlier called,
Powers of fire, air, water, and earth beneath
(So may we hold our place and these mild seats
Witho
ut new trouble!)—such an enemy
Is ris’n to invade us, who no less
Threat’ns than our expulsion down to Hell.
I, as I undertook, and with the vote
Consenting in full frequence6728 was empowered,
Have found him, viewed him, tasted6729 him, but find
Far other labor to be undergone
Than when I dealt with Adam, first of men,
Though Adam by his wife’s allurement6730 fell,
However to this man inferior far—
If he be man by mother’s side, at least,
With more than human gifts from Heav’n adorned,
Perfections absolute, graces divine,
And amplitude of mind to greatest deeds.
Therefore I am returned, lest confidence
Of my success with Eve in Paradise
Deceive ye to persuasion over-sure
Of like6731 succeeding here. I summon all
Rather to be in readiness with hand
Or counsel to assist, lest I, who erst
Thought none my equal, now be overmatched.”
So spoke the old serpent, doubting, and from all
With clamor was assured their utmost aid
At his command, when from amidst them rose
Belial, the dissolutest Spirit that fell,
The sensualest, and after Asmodai6732
The fleshliest incubus,6733 and thus advised:
“Set women in his eye and in his walk,
Among daughters of men the fairest found.
Many are in each region passing 6734 fair
As the noon sky, more like to goddesses
Than mortal creatures, graceful and discreet,6735
Expert in amorous arts, enchanting tongues
Persuasive, virgin majesty with mild
And sweet allayed,6736 yet terrible6737 to approach,
Skilled to retire, and in retiring draw
Hearts after them tangled in amorous nets.
Such object hath the power to soft’n and tame
Severest temper,6738 smooth the rugged’st brow,
Enerve6739 and with voluptuous hope dissolve,6740
Draw out with credulous desire, and lead
At will the manliest, resolutest breast,
As the magnetic6741 hardest iron draws.
Women, when nothing else, beguiled the heart
Of wisest Solomon, and made him build
And made him bow to the gods of his wives.”
To whom quick answer Satan thus returned:
“Belial, in much uneven6742 scale thou weigh’st
All others by thyself. Because of old
Thou thyself doat’st on6743 womankind, admiring
Their shape, their color,6744 and attractive grace,
None are, thou think’st, but taken with such toys.6745
Before the Flood, thou with thy lusty crew,
False titled sons of God, roaming the earth,
Cast wanton eyes on the daughters of men,
And coupled with them, and begot a race.
Have we not seen, or by relation6746 heard,
In courts and regal chambers how thou lurk’st,
In wood or grove, by mossy fountain-side,
In valley or green meadow, to waylay
Some beauty rare? Callisto,6747 Clymene,6748
Daphne,6749 or Semele,6750 Antiopa,6751
Or Amymone,6752 Syrinx6753 —many more
Too long. Then lay’st thy scapes6754 on names adored,
Apollo, Neptune, Jupiter, or Pan,
Satyr, or Faun, or Silvan!6755 But these haunts6756
Delight not all. Among the sons of men
How many have with a smile made small account
Of beauty and her lures, easily scorned
All her assaults, on worthier things intent?
“Remember that Pellean6757 conqueror,
A youth, how all the beauties of the East
He slightly6758 viewed, and slightly overpassed.
“How he surnamed of Africa6759 dismissed,6760
In his prime youth, the fair Iberian maid.6761
“For Solomon he lived at ease, and full
Of honor, wealth, high fare,6762 aimed not beyond
Higher design6763 than to enjoy his state,6764
Thence to the bait of women lay exposed.
“But he whom we attempt is wiser far
Than Solomon, of more exalted mind,
Made and set wholly on the accomplishment
Of greatest things. What woman will you find,
Though of this age the wonder and the fame,
On whom his leisure6765 will vouchsafe an eye
Of fond6766 desire? Or should she, confident
As sitting queen adored on beauty’s throne,
Descend with all her winning charms begirt 6767
To enamor, as the zone6768 of Venus once
Wrought that effect on Jove (so fables tell),6769
How would one look from his majestic brow6770
Discount’nance6771 her despised, and put to rout
All her array, her female pride deject,6772
Or turn to reverent awe? For beauty stands
In th’ admiration only of weak minds
Led captive. Cease to admire, and all her plumes6773
Fall flat and shrink into a trivial toy,6774
At every sudden slighting6775 quite abashed.6776
“Therefore with manlier objects we must try
His constancy—with such as have more show
Of worth, of honor, glory, and popular praise
(Rocks whereon greatest men have oftest wrecked),
Or that which only seems to satisfy
Lawful desires of nature, not beyond.
And now I know he hungers,6777 where no food
Is to be found, in the wide wilderness.
The rest commit to me. I shall let pass
No advantage, and his strength as oft assay.”
He ceased, and heard their grant6778 in loud acclaim,
Then forthwith to him takes a chosen band
Of Spirits likest to himself in guile,
To be at hand and at his beck6779 appear
If cause were6780 to unfold some active6781 scene
Of various persons, each to know his part,
Then to the desert takes with these his flight,
Where still, from shade to shade, the Son of God,
After forty days’ fasting, had remained,
Now hung’ring first,6782 and to himself thus said:
“Where will this end? Four times ten days I have passed,
Wand’ring this woody maze, and human food
Nor tasted, nor had appetite. That fast
To virtue I impute6783 not, or count part
Of what I suffer here. If Nature need not,
Or God support Nature without repast,
Though needing, what praise is it to endure?
But now I feel I hunger, which declares
Nature hath need of what she asks. Yet God
Can satisfy that need some other way,
Though hunger still remain. So6784 it remain
Without this body’s wasting, I content me,
And from the sting of famine6785 fear no harm,
Nor mind it, fed with better thoughts, that feed
Me hung’ring more to do my Father’s will.”
It was the hour of night, when thus the Son
Communed6786 in silent walk, then laid him down
Under the hospitable covert nigh
Of trees thick interwoven. There he slept,
And dreamed, as appetite is wont to dream,
Of meats and drinks, Nature’s refreshment sweet.
Him thought he by the brook of Cherith6787 stood,
And saw the ravens with their horny beaks
Food to Elijah bringing, even and morn,
Though ravenous, taught t’ abstain from what they brought.
<
br /> He saw the prophet also, how he fled
Into the desert, and how there he slept
Under a juniper, then how, awaked,
He found his supper on the coals prepared,
And by the Angel was bid rise and eat,
And ate the second time after repose,
The strength whereof sufficed him forty days.
Sometimes that with Elijah he partook,6788
Or as a guest with Daniel at his pulse.6789
Thus wore out night; and now the herald lark
Left his ground-nest, high tow’ring to descry
The morn’s approach, and greet her with his song.
As lightly from his grassy couch up rose
Our Savior, and found all was but a dream:
Fasting he went to sleep, and fasting waked.
Up to a hill anon6790 his steps he reared,6791
From whose high top to ken6792 the prospect6793 round,
If cottage were in view, sheep-cote,6794 or herd.
But cottage, herd, or sheep-cote none he saw,
Only in a bottom6795 saw a pleasant grove,
With chant6796 of tuneful birds resounding loud.
Thither he bent his way, determined there
To rest at noon, and entered soon the shade
High-roofed, and walks beneath, and alleys6797 brown,
That opened6798 in the midst a6799 woody scene.
Nature’s own work it seemed (Nature taught6800 art),
And, to a superstitious eye, the haunt
Of wood-gods and wood-nymphs. He viewed it round—
When suddenly a man before him stood,
Not rustic as before, but seemlier 6801 clad,
As one in city or court or palace bred,
And with fair speech these words to him addressed:
“With granted leave officious6802 I return,
But much more wonder that the Son of God
In this wild solitude so long should bide,6803
Of all things destitute and, well I know,
Not without hunger. Others of some note,
As story tells, have trod this wilderness:
The fugitive bond-woman,6804 with her son,
Outcast Nebaioth,6805 yet found here relief
By a providing Angel. All the race
Of Israel here had6806 famished, had not God
Rained from Heav’n manna. And that prophet bold,
Native of Thebez,6807 wand’ring here, was fed
Twice by a voice inviting him to eat.
The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Page 65
