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THE ARGUMENT. (a)

The Subject propofed. Invocation of the Holy Spirit. -The Poem opens with John baptizing at the river Jordan. Jefus coming there is baptized; and is attefted, by the defcent of the Holy Ghoft, and by a coice from Heaven, to be the Son of God. Satan, who is prefent, upon this immediately flies up into the regions of the air : where, summoning his Infernal Council, he acquaints them with his apprehenfions that Jefus is that feed of the Woman, deftined to deftroy all their power; and points out to them the immediate neceffity of bringing the matter to proof, and of attempting, by fnares and fraud, to counteract and defeat the perfon, from whom they have so much to dread. This office he offers himself to undertake; and, his offer being accepted, jets out on his enterprise.--In the mean time God, in the affembly of holy Angels, declares that he has given up his Son to be tempted by Satan; but foretels that the Tempter fhall be completely defeated by him :-upon which the Angels fing a hymn of triumph. Jefus is led up by the Spirit into the wilderness, while he is meditating on the commencement of his great office of Saviour of Mankind. Pursuing his meditations he narrates, in a foliloquy, what devine and philanthropick impulfes he had felt from his early youth, and how his mother Mary, on perceiving thefe difpofitions in him, had acquainted him with the circumstances of his birth, and informed him that he was no less

(a) No edition of Paradife Regained had ever appeared with Arguments to the Books, before that which was published in 1795 by Mr. Dunfter; from which they are adopted in this edition. Peck indeed endeavoured to fupply the deficiency, in his Memoirs of Milton, 1740, p. 70, &c. But the arguments, which he has there given, are too diffuse; and want that concifenefs and energy which diftinguifh Mr. Dunftor's. TODD.

a perfon than the Son of God; to which he adds what his own inquiries and reflections had fupplied in confirmation of this great truth, and particu larly dwells on the recent atteftation of it at the river Jordan. Our Lord paffès forty days, fafling, in the wilderness; where the wild beats become mild and harmless in his prefence. Satan now appears under the form of an old peafant; and enters into difcourfe with our Lord, wondering what could have brought him alone into fo dangerous a place, and at the fame time projeffing to recognize him for the perfon lately acknowledged by John, at the river Jordan, to be the Son of God. Jefus briefly replies. Satan rejoins with a defeription of the difficulty of fupporting life in the wilderness; and entreats Jefus, if he be really the Son of God, to manifeft his divine power, by changing fome of the ftones into bread. Jefus reproves him, and at the fame time tells him that he knows who he is. Satan inftantly avows himfelf, and offers an artful apology for himself and his conduct. Our blessed Lord severely reprimands him, and refutes every part of his juftification. Satan, with much femblance of humility, fill endearcours to justify himself; and, profeffing his admiration of Jefus and his regard for virtue, requefts to be permitted at a future time to hear more of his converfation; but is anfwered, that this must be as he fhall find permiffion from above. Satan then disappears, and the Book clofes with a fhort defcription of night coming on in the defart.

1

PARADISE REGAINED.

BOOK Í.

I, who ere while the happy garden fung
By one Man's difobedience loft, now fing
Recover'd Paradife to all mankind,

Ver. 1. I, who ere while the happy garden fung
By one Man's disobedience loft, now fing

Recover'd Paradife to all mankind,] This is plainly an allufion to the Ille ego qui quondam, &c. attributed to Virgil. Thus alfo Spenfer :

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Lo, I the man, whofe Mufe whilom did mask,

"As time her taught, in lowly thepherd's weeds,

"Am now enforc'd, as far unfitter task,

"For trumpets ftern to change mine oaten reeds, &c."

NEWTON.

Ver. 2. By one Man's difobedience &c.] "For as by ONE MAN'S DISOBEDIENCE many were made finners; fo by THE OBEDIENCE OF ONE shall many be made righteous," Rom. v. 19.

NEWTON.

Ver. 3. Recover'd Paradife] It may feem a little odd, that Milton fhould impute the recovery of Paradife to this short scene of our Saviour's life upon earth, and not rather extend it to his agony, crucifixion, &c. But the reafon no doubt was, that "Paradife, regained by our Saviour's refifting the temptations of Satan, might be a better contraft to Paradife, loft by our first parents too cafily yielding to the fame feducing fpirit. Befides he might, very probably, and indeed very reafonably, be apprehenfive, that a fubject, fo extenfive as well as fublime, might be too great a burden for his declining constitution, and a tusk too

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