Persuasive, virgin majefty with mild
And sweet allay'd, yet terrible t' approach, Skill'd to retire, and in retiring draw Hearts after them tangled in amorous nets. Such object hath the pow'r to foft'n and tame Severest temper, fmooth the rugged'ft brow, Enerve, and with voluptuous hope diffolve, 165 Draw out with credulous defire, and lead At will the manlieft, resolutest breast, As the magnetic hardest iron draws.
Women, when nothing else, beguil'd the heart Of wifeft Solomon, and made him build, And made him bow to the Gods of his wives. To whom quick answer Satan thus return'd. Belial, in much uneven scale thou weigh'st All others by thyfelf; because of old Thou thyself doat'dst on womankind, admiring 175 Their shape, their color, and attractive grace, None are, thou think'ft, but taken with fuch Before the flood thou with thy lufty crew, False titled fons of God, roaming the earth Cast wanton eyes on the daughters of men, And coupled with them, and begot a race. Have we not feen, or by relation heard, In courts and regal chambers how thou lurk’ft, In wood or grove by moffy fountain fide, In valley or green meadow, to way-lay Some beauty rare, Califto, Clymene, E
'Daphne, or Semele, Antiopa,
Or Amymone, Syrinx, many more
Too long, then lay'st thy scapes on names ador'd, Apollo, Neptune, Jupiter, or Pan,
Satir, or Faun, or Sylvan? But these haunts Delight not all; among the fons of men,
How many have with a smile made small account Of beauty and her lures, easily scorn'd
All her assaults, on worthier things intent? Remember that Pellean conqueror,
A youth, how all the beauties of the east
He flightly view'd, and flightly overpafs'd; How he firnam'd of Africa difmifs'd
In his prime youth the fair Iberian maid. For Solomon, he liv'd at ease, and full Of honor, wealth, high fare, aim'd not beyond Higher design than to enjoy his state; Thence to the bait of women lay expos'd: But he whom we attempt is wiser far Than Solomon, of more exalted mind, Made and fet wholly on th' accomplishment Of greatest things; what woman will you find, Though of this age the wonder and the fame, On whom his leifure will vouchsafe an eye Of fond defire? or fhould fhe confident, As fitting queen ador'd on beauty's throne, Descend with all her winning charms begirt T'enamour, as the zone of Venus once
Wrought that effect on Jove, so fables tell; 215 How would one look from his majestic brow Seated as on the top of virtue's hill, Discount'nance her defpis'd, and put to rout All her array; her female pride deject,
Or turn to reverent awe? for beauty ftands In th' admiration only of weak minds
Led captive; cease to' admire, and all her plumes Fall flat and shrink into a trivial toy,
At every sudden flighting quite abash'd: Therefore with manlier objects we must try 225 His constancy, with such as have more show Of worth, of honor, glory', and popular praise ; Rocks whereon greatest men have oftest wreck'd; Or that which only feems to fatisfy Lawful defires of nature, not beyond;
And now I know he hungers where no food Is to be found, in the wide wilderness;
The reft commit to me, I fhall let pafs
No' advantage, and his strength as oft assay.
He ceas'd, and heard their grant in loud acclame;
Then forthwith to him takes a chosen band
To be at hand, and at his beck appear,
Of Spirits likeft to himself in guile
If cause were to unfold fome active scene Of various perfons, each to know his part; Then to the defert takes with these his flight; Where ftill from fhade to fhade the Son of God
After forty days fafting had remain'd,
Now hungring firft, and to himself thus faid.
Where will this end? four times ten days I've pass'd Wand'ring this woody maze, and human food 246 Nor tafted, nor had appetite; that fast To virtue I impute not, or count part Of what I fuffer here; if nature need not, Or God fupport nature without repast Though needing, what praise is it to indure? But now I feel I hunger, which declares Nature hath need of what she asks; yet God Can fatisfy that need fome other way, Though hunger ftill remain: fo it remain Without this body's wafting, I content me, And from the fting of famin fear no harm, Nor mind it, fed with better thoughts that feed Me hungring more to do my Father's will.
It was the hour of night, when thus the Son 260 Commun'd in filent walk, then laid him down Under the hospitable covert nigh
Of trees thick interwoven; there he flept, And dream'd, as appetite is wont to dream, Of meats and drinks, nature's refreshment sweet; 265 Him thought, he by the brook of Cherith ftood And saw the ravens with their horny beaks Food to Elijah bringing ev'n and morn, (brought: Though ravenous, taught t'abstain from what they He saw the prophet also how he fled
Into the defert, and how there he slept Under a juniper; then how awak'd,
He found his fupper on the coals prepar'd, And by the Angel was bid rise and eat, And eat the second time after repose, The strength whereof suffic'd him forty days; Sometimes that with Elijah he partook, Or as a guest with Daniel at his pulse.
Thus wore out night, and now the herald lark Left his ground-neft, high tow'ring to defcry 280 The morn's approach, and greet her with his song: As lightly from his graffy couch up rofe Our Saviour, and found all was but a dream, Fafting he went to fleep, and fasting wak'd. Up to a hill anon his steps he rear'd, From whose high top to ken the prospect round, If cottage were in view, fheep-cote or herd; But cottage, herd, or fheep-cote none he saw, Only' in a bottom faw a pleasant grove, With chaunt of tuneful birds refounding loud; 290 Thither he bent his way, determin'd there To reft at noon, and enter'd foon the fhade High rooft, and walks beneath, and alleys brown, That open'd in the midst a woody scene; Nature's own work it seem'd (nature taught art) 295 And to a fuperftitious eye the haunt (round, Of Wood-Gods and Wood-Nymphs; he view'd it When fuddenly a man before him stood,
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