The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (141 page)

Induces best to hope of like success.”

He ended, and his words impression left

Of much amazement to th’ infernal crew,

Distracted and surprised with deep dismay

At these sad tidings. But no time was then
⁶⁵²⁹

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,
⁶⁵³⁰
whose attempt

At first against mankind so well had thrived
⁶⁵³¹

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.

So to the coast of Jordan he directs

His easy
⁶⁵³²
steps, girded
⁶⁵³³
with snaky wiles,

Where he might likeliest find this new-declared,

This man of men, attested Son of God,

Temptation and all guile on him to try—

So to subvert
⁶⁵³⁴
whom
⁶⁵³⁵
he suspected raised

To end his
⁶⁵³⁶
reign on earth so long enjoyed.

But contrary unweeting,
⁶⁵³⁷
he fulfilled

The purposed counsel, pre-ordained and fixed,

Of the Most High, who in full frequence
⁶⁵³⁸
bright

Of Angels, thus to Gabriel smiling spoke:

“Gabriel, this day, by proof, thou shalt behold,

Thou and all Angels conversant
⁶⁵³⁹
on earth

With man or men’s affairs, how I begin

To verify that solemn message late,

On which I sent thee to the virgin pure

In Galilee, that she should bear a son,

Great in renown, and called the Son of God.

Then told’st her (doubting
⁶⁵⁴⁰
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
⁶⁵⁴¹
her. This man, born and now upgrown,

To show him worthy of his birth divine

And high prediction, henceforth I expose
⁶⁵⁴²

To Satan. Let him tempt, and now assay
⁶⁵⁴³

His utmost subtlety, because he boasts

And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng

Of his apostasy. He might have learned

Less overweening,
⁶⁵⁴⁴
since he failed in Job,

Whose constant perseverance overcame

Whate’er his
⁶⁵⁴⁵
cruel malice could invent.

He now shall know I can produce a man

Of female seed, far abler
⁶⁵⁴⁶
to resist

All his solicitations, and at length

All his vast force, and drive him back to Hell,

Winning by conquest what the first man lost

By fallacy
⁶⁵⁴⁷
surprised.

“But first I mean

To exercise
⁶⁵⁴⁸
him
⁶⁵⁴⁹
in the wilderness.

There he shall first lay down the rudiments
⁶⁵⁵⁰

Of his great warfare, ere I send him forth

To conquer Sin and Death, the two grand foes.

By humiliation
⁶⁵⁵¹
and strong sufferance
⁶⁵⁵²

His weakness shall o’ercome Satanic strength,

And all the world, and mass
⁶⁵⁵³
of sinful flesh,

That
⁶⁵⁵⁴
all the Angels and aethereal Powers—

They now, and men hereafter—may discern

From what consummate virtue I have chose

This perfect man, by merit called my Son,

To earn salvation for the sons of men.”

So spoke th’ Eternal Father, and all Heav’n

Admiring
⁶⁵⁵⁵
stood a space, then into hymns

Burst forth, and in celestial measures
⁶⁵⁵⁶
moved,

Circling the throne and singing while the hand

Sung with the voice, and this the argument:
⁶⁵⁵⁷

“Victory and triumph to the Son of God,

Now ent’ring his great duel,
⁶⁵⁵⁸
not of arms,

But to vanquish by wisdom hellish wiles!

The Father knows the Son, therefore secure

Ventures his filial virtue, though untried,

Against whate’er may tempt, whate’er seduce,
⁶⁵⁵⁹

Allure, or terrify, or undermine.

Be frustrate, all ye stratagems of Hell,

And devilish machinations come to nought!”

So they in Heav’n their odes
⁶⁵⁶⁰
and vigils
⁶⁵⁶¹
tuned.
⁶⁵⁶²

Meanwhile the Son of God, who yet some days

Lodged in Bethabara,
⁶⁵⁶³
where John baptized,

Musing and much revolving in his breast

How best the mighty work he might begin

Of Savior to mankind, and which way first

Publish
⁶⁵⁶⁴
his godlike office now mature,
⁶⁵⁶⁵

One day forth walked alone, the Spirit leading,

And his deep thoughts, the better to converse

With
⁶⁵⁶⁶
solitude, till far from track
⁶⁵⁶⁷
of men,

Thought following thought, and step by step led on,

He entered now the bord’ring desert wild,

And with dark shades and rocks environed round

His holy meditations thus pursued:

“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
⁶⁵⁶⁸
with my present state compared!

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
⁶⁵⁶⁹

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 measured twice six years, at our
⁶⁵⁷⁰
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 admired
⁶⁵⁷¹
by all.

“Yet this not all

To which my spirit aspired. Victorious deeds

Flamed in my heart, heroic acts—one while
⁶⁵⁷²

To rescue Israel from the Roman yoke,

Then to subdue and quell,
⁶⁵⁷³
o’er all the earth,

Brute violence and proud tyrannic power,

Till truth were freed, and equity
⁶⁵⁷⁴
restored—

Yet held it more humane, more Heav’nly,
⁶⁵⁷⁵
first

By winning words to conquer willing hearts,

And make persuasion do the work of fear,

At least to try, and teach the erring soul,

Not wilfully misdoing, but unaware

Misled. The stubborn only to subdue.

“These growing thoughts my mother soon perceiving,

By words at times cast forth, inly rejoiced,

And said to me apart,
⁶⁵⁷⁶
‘High are thy thoughts,

O Son! But nourish them, and let them soar

To what height sacred virtue and true worth

Can raise them, though above example
⁶⁵⁷⁷
high.

By matchless deeds express thy matchless sire.

For know, thou art no son of mortal man,

Though men esteem thee low of parentage.

Thy Father is th’ Eternal King who rules

All Heav’n and earth, Angels and sons of men.

A messenger from God foretold thy birth

Conceived in me a virgin. He foretold

Thou should’st be great, and sit on David’s throne,

And of thy kingdom there should be no end.

At thy nativity a glorious choir

Of Angels, in the fields of Bethlehem, sung

To shepherds, watching at their folds
⁶⁵⁷⁸
by night,

And told them the Messiah now was born,

Where they might see him, and to thee they came,

Directed to the manger
⁶⁵⁷⁹
where thou lay’st,

For in the inn was left no better room.
⁶⁵⁸⁰

A star, not seen before, in Heav’n appearing,

Guided the Wise Men thither from the East,

To honor thee with incense, myrrh, and gold,

By whose
⁶⁵⁸¹
bright course led on they found the place,

Affirming it thy star, new-graven
⁶⁵⁸²
in Heav’n,

By which they knew thee King of Israel born.

Just Simeon
⁶⁵⁸³
and prophetic Anna,
⁶⁵⁸⁴
warned

By vision, found thee in the Temple, and spoke

Before the altar and the vested priest

Like
⁶⁵⁸⁵
things of thee to all that present stood. ’

“This having heard, straight I again revolved
⁶⁵⁸⁶

The Law and prophets, searching what was writ

Concerning the Messiah, to our scribes

Known partly, and soon found of whom they spoke

I am—this chiefly, that my way must lie

Through many a hard assay,
⁶⁵⁸⁷
ev’n to the death,

Ere I the promised kingdom can attain