Bow'd their stiff neeks, loaden with stormy blasts,
Or torn up fheer: ill waft thou shrouded then,
O patient Son of God, yet only stood'st
Unfhaken; nor yet ftay'd the terror there,
Infernal ghofts, and Hellifh furies, round
Environ'd thee, fome howl'd, fome yell'd,
fome fhriek'd,
Some bent at tee their fiery darts, while thou
Sadft unappall'd in calm and finless peace. 425
Thus pafs'd the night fo foul, till morning fair
Came fort with pilgrim steeps in amice gray,
Who with her radiant finger still'd the roar.
Of thunder, chas'd the clouds,, and laid the
winds,
And grifly spectres, which the fiend had
430 To tempt the Son of God with terrors dire. And now the fun with more effectual beams Had cheard the face of earth, and dry'd wet From drooping plant, or dropping tree; the birds,
Who all things now behold more fresh and
After a night of storm so ruinous,
Clear'd up their choicest notes in bush and
Spray
To gratulate the sweet return of morn;
Nor yet amidst this joy and brightest morn
Was abfent, after all his mischief done,
The prince of darkness, glad would also seem
Of this fair change, and to our Saviour cane,
Yet with no new device, they all were spent,
Rather by this his laft affront refolv'd,
Defp'rate of better course, to vent his rage, 445
And mad despite to be so oft repell'd.
Him walking on a funny hill he found,
Back'd on the north and weft by a thick
Out of the wood he starts in wonted shape,
And in a careless mood thus to him faid.
Fair morning yet betides thee, Son of
God,
After a difmal night; I heard the wrack
As earth and fky would mingle; but myself
Was diftant; and these flaws, though mortals
fear them
As dang❜rous to the pillar'd frame of Hea
Or to the earth's dark balis underneath,
Are to the main as inconfiderable,
And harmless, if not wholfome, as a fnecze To man's lefs univerfe, and foon are gone; Yet as being oft times noxious where they
On man, beast, plant, waftful and turbulent, Like turbulencies in th' affairs of inen,
Over whose heads they roar, and feem to
They oft fore-fignify and threaten ill:
This tempeft at this defert moft was bent; 465
Of men at thee, for only thou here dwell'st.
Did I not tell thee, if thou didst reject
The perfect season offer'd with my aid
To win thy deftin'd feat, but wilt prolong
All to the pufh of fate, pursue thy way 470
Of gaining David's throne no man knows
For both the when and how is no where told, Thou fhalt be, what thou art ordain'd, no doubt;
For Angels have proclam'd it, but concealing The time and means: each act is rightlieft
Not when it muft, but when it may be best.
If thou observe not this, be fure to find,
What I foretold thee, many a hard allay
Of dangers, and adverfities, and pains,
Ere thou of Ifrael's fcepter get faft hold;
Whereof this ominous night, that clos'd thee
round,
So many terrors, voices, prodigies
Many warn thee, as a fure fore- going fign,
So talk'd he, while the Son of God went on And stay'd not, but in brief him anfwer'd
I never fear'd they could, though noifing loud
And threatning nigh; what they can do as fings
Betokening, or ill boding. I contemn 490
As falle portents, not fent from God, but thee;
Who knowing I shall reign past thy preventing,
Obtrud'ft thy offer'd aid, that I accepting
At least might seem to hold all pow'r of thee,
Ambitious Spi'rit, and woulft be thought my
God,
And storm'ft refus'd, thinking to terrify
Me to thy will; defift, thou art difcern'd
And toil'ft in vain, nor me in vain moleft.
To whom the Fiend now fwoln with rage
Then hear, O Son of David, Virgin born; 500
For Son of God to me is yet in doubt:
Of the Meffiah I have heard foretold
By all the Prophets; of thy birth at length
Announc'd by Gabriel with the first I knew,
And of th' angelic song in Bethlem field,
On thy birth-night, that fung thee Saviour
From that time feldom have I ceas'd to eye
Thy infancy, thy childhood, and thy youth,
Thy manhood laft, though yet in private bred;
Till at the ford of Jordan whither all
Flock'd to the Baptift, I among the rest,
Though not to be baptiz'd, by voice from
Heard thee pronunc'd the Son of God belov'd. Thenceforth I thought thee worth my nearer view
And narrower fcrutiny, that I might learn 515
In what degree or meaning thou art call'd
The Son of God, which bears no fingle fense;
The Son of God I also am, or was,
Aud if I was, I am; relation stands;
All men are Sons of God; yet thee I
In some respect far higher fo declar'd. Therefore I watch'd thy footsteps from that
And follow'd thee ftill on to this waste wild;
Where by all beft conjectures I collect
Thou art to be my fatal enemy
Good reafon then, if I before-hand feek
To understand my adverfary, who
And what he is his wifdom, pow'r, intent;
By par!, or compofitiou, truce, or league
To win him, or win from him what I
And opportunity I here have had
To try thee, fift thee, and confefs, have found
Proof against all temptation, as a rock
Of adamant, and as a center, firm,
To th' utmost of mere man both wife and
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