Repentance, and Heav'n's kingdom nigh at hand
To all baptiz'd: to his great baptism 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 Baptist 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 likeness of a dove
The Spirit defcended, while the Father's voice

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25

30

From

common lection; and a lefs change will effect In Mr. Fenton's and moft other editions it is the cure. Read therefore pointed thus,

And all baptiz'd:

The prophet preached repentance and the approach of Chrift's kingdom, and baptized all, that is, multitudes of people, who were difpofed by his preaching to prepare their hearts for that great event. Calton. There is fomething plaufible and ingenious in this emendation: but I conceive the conftruction to be not that he cry'd to all baptiz'd repentance &c, but Heav'n's kingdom nigh at band to all baptiz'd. Heaven's kingdom was nigh at hand to all fuch as were baptized with John's baptifm; they were thereby difpofed and prepared for the reception of the Gospel.

24. To the flood Jordan, came as then obfcure,]

From Heav'n pronounc'd him his beloved Son.
That heard the Adversary, who roving still
About the world, at that assembly fam'd
Would not be last, and with the voice divine
Nigh thunder-ftruck, th' exalted man, to whom
Such high atteft was giv'n, a while survey'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.

with water, the fame faid unto me, Upon whom thou shalt fee the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the fame is be which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. John I. 33. But it appears from St. Matthew, that the Baptist knew him and acknowledged him, before he was baptized and 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 muft have his eye upon the Latin divinitus, from. Heaven, fince the word divinely in our

language scarce ever comes up to this meaning.
Milton uses it in much the fame fenfe in Para-
dife Loft. VIII. 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. Austin in his eye, who fpeaking of the region of clouds, ftorms, thunder &c fays --- ad ifta caliginosa, id eft, ad hune aerem, tanquam ad carcerem, damnatus eft diabolus &c. Enarr. in Pf. 148. S. 9. Tom. 5. p. 1677. Edit. Bened. Thyer 42. A gloomy confiftory;} This in imitation of Virgil Æn. III. 677.

Cernimus

O ancient Pow'rs of air and this wide world,
For much more willingly I mention air,
This our old conquest, than remember Hell,
Our hated habitation; well ye know
years of men,

How many ages, as the

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 feed 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

Cernimus aftantes nequicquam lumine torvo
Etneos fratres, coelo capita alta ferentes,
Concilium horrendum.

By the word confiftory I fuppofe Milton intends
to glance at the meeting of the Pope and Car-
dinals fo nam'd, or perhaps at the epifcopal
tribunal, to all which fort of courts or affem-
blies he was an avow'd enemy. The phrafe
concilium horrendum Vida makes ufe of upon a
like occafion of affembling the infernal Powers.
Christ. Lib. 1.

Protinus acciri diros ad regia fratres
Limina, concilium horrendum.

45

50

55

Muft

44. O ancient Pow'rs of air, and this wide

world,] So the Devil is call'd in Scripture, the prince of the power of the air, Eph.

Muft bide the stroke of that long threaten'd wound, At least if so we can, and by the head

60

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;

65

For this ill news I bring, the woman's feed
Deftin'd to this, is late of woman born:
His birth to our juft fear gave no small cause,
But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, difplaying
All virtue, grace, and wisdom 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 wafh off fin, and fit them fo

70

II. 2. and evil Spirits the rulers of the darkness of this world, Eph. VI. 12. Satan here fummons a council, and opens it as he did in the Paradife Loft: but here is not that copiousness and variety which is in the other; here are not different fpeeches and fentiments adapted to the different characters; it is a council without a debate; Satan is the only speaker. And the author, as if conscious of this defect, has artfully endevored to obviate the objection by faying, that their danger

!

Purified to receive him pure, or rather
To do him honor as their king; all come,
And he himself among them was baptiz'd,
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 faw
The prophet do him reverence, on him rifing
Out of the water, Heav'n above the clouds
Unfold her crystal doors, thence on his head
A perfect dove defcend, what-e'er it meant,
And out of Heav'n the fovran voice I heard,
This is my Son belov'd, in him am pleas'd.
His mother then is mortal, but his fire
He who obtains the monarchy of Heaven,
And what will he not do to advance his Son?

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 bimfelf even as he is pure.

83. A perfect dove defcend, ] He had ex preffed it before ver. 30. in likeness of a dove, agreeably to St. Matthew, the Spirit of God defcending like a dove, III. 16. and to St. Mark, the Spirit like a dove defcending upon him, I. 10. But as Luke fays, that the Holy Ghoft defcended in a bodily shape, IIL 22, the poet fuppofes

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80

85

His.