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As to his worthier, and would have refign'd'
To him his heav'nly office, nor was long
His witness unconfirm'd: on him baptis'd
Heav'n open'd, and in likeness of a dove
The Spi'rit 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 laft, and with the voice divine

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Nigh

the Baptift had notice given him before, that he might certainly know the Meffiah by the Holy Ghoft defcending and abiding upon him. And I knew him not, but he that fent me to baptize with water, the fame faid unto me, Upon whom thou shalt fee the Spirit defcending and remaining on him, the fame is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. John I. 33. But it appears from St. Matthew, that the Baptift knew him and acknowledged him, before, he was baptized vand before the Holy Ghoft defcended upon him. Mat. III. 14. I have need to be baptized of thee, and comeft thou to me? To account for which we must admit with Milton, that another divine revelation was made to him. at this very time, fignifying that this was the perfon, of whom he had had fuch notice before.

26. divinely warn'd] To comprehend the propriety of this word divinely the reader must have B 4

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Nigh thunder-ftruck, th' exalted man, to whom
Such high attest was giv'n, a while survey'd
With wonder, then with envy fraught and
Flies to his place, nor refts, but in mid air
To council fummons all his mighty peers,

rage

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

his eye upon the Latin divinitus, from Heaven, fince the word divinely in our language scarce ever comes up to this meaning. Milton ufes it in much the fame sense in Paradise Loft. VII. 500.

She heard me thus, and though

divinely brought. Thyer.

41. Within thick clouds &c] Milton in making Satan's refidence to be in mid air, within thick clouds and dark, feems to have St. Auftin in his eye, who speaking of the region of clouds, ftorms, thunder &c. fays--ad ifta caliginosa, id eft, ad hunc aerem, tanquam ad carcerem, damnatus eft diabolus &c. Enarr. in Pf. 148. S. 9. Tom. 5. p. 1677. Edit. Bened. Thyer.

ye know

40

45

How

42. A gloomy confiftery;] This in imitation of Virgil En. III.677.

Cernimus aftantes nequicquam lumine torvo

Etneos fratres, cœlo capita alta ferentes,

Concilium horrendum.

By the word confiftory I fuppofe Milton intends to glance at the meeting of the Pope and Cardi- ; nals fo nam'd, or perhaps at the epifcopal tribunal, to all which fort of courts or affemblies he was

an avow'd enemy. The phrafe concilium horrendum Vida makes ufe of upon a like occafion of affembling the infernal Powers. : Chrift. Lib. I.

Protinus

How many ages, as the

years

of men,

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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 seed of Eve
Upon my head: long the decrees of Heav'n
Delay, for longest time to him is short;
And now too foon for us the circling hours
This dreaded time have compass'd, wherein we
Muft bide the stroke of that long threaten'd wound,

55

At

Protinus acciri diros ad regia copiousness and variety which is in

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At least if so we can, and by the head
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;
For this ill news I bring, the woman's feed
Deftin'd to this, is late of woman born:

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His birth to our juft fear gave no fmall caufe,
But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, displaying
All virtue, grace, and wifdom to achieve
Things highest, greatest, multiplies my fear.
Before him a great prophet, to proclame
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 honor as their king; all come,

fpeeches in his former council, and therefore has affign'd the beft reafon he could for not making any in this.

74. Purified to receive him pure,] alluding to the Scripture expreffion 1 John III. 3. And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himSelf even as he is pure.

83. A perfect dove defcend,] He had expreffed it before ver. 30. in likeness of a dove, agreeably to

75 And

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And he himself among them was baptiz'd,
Not thence to be more pure, but to receive
The testimony' of Heav'n, that who he is
Thenceforth the nations may not doubt; I faw
The prophet do him reverence, on him rifing 80
Out of the water, Heav'n above the clouds
Unfold her crystal doors, thence on his head
A perfect dove defcend, whate'er it meant,
And out of Heav'n the fov'ran voice I heard,
Son belov'd, in him am pleas'd.

This is my
His mother then is mortal, but his fire

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He who obtains the monarchy of Heaven,
And what will he not do to' advance his Son?
His firft-begot we know, and fore have felt,
When his fierce thunder drove us to the deep; 90
Who this is we must learn, for man he seems

those writers, Ignatius and others among the Ancients, and Beza and others among the Moderns, who believed that the Devil, tho' he might know Jefus to be fome extraordinary perfon, yet knew him not to be the Meffiah, the Son of God: and the words of the Devil If thou be the Son of God feem to exprefs his uncertainty concerning that matter. The Devils indeed afterwards knew him and pro

In

claimed him to be the Son of God, but they might not know him to be fo at this time, before this temptation, or before he had enter'd upon his public miniftry, and manifefted himself by his miracles. And our author, who makes the Devil to hear the voice from Heaven This is my beloved Son, fill makes him doubt in what fenfe Jefus was fo called. See IV. 514

Thence

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