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��PARADISE REGAINED

��For God hath justly given the nations up To thy delusions; justly, since they fell Idolatrous. But, when his purpose is Among them to declare his providence, To thee not known, whence hast thou then

thy truth,

But from him, or his Angels president In every province, who, themselves disdain- ing

To approach thy temples, give thee in com- mand 449 What, to the smallest tittle, thou shalt say To thy adorers ? Thou, with trembling

fear,

Or like a fawning parasite, obey'st; Then to thyself ascrib'st the truth foretold. But this thy glory shall be soon retrenched ; No more shalt thou by oracling abuse The Gentiles ; henceforth oracles are ceased, And thou no more with pomp and sacrifice Shalt be enquired at Delphos or else- where At least in vain, for they shall find thee

mute.

God hath now sent his living Oracle 460 Into the world to teach his final will, And sends his Spirit of Truth henceforth to

dwell

In pious hearts, an inward oracle To all truth requisite for men to know." So spake our Saviour; but the subtle

Fiend,

Though inly stung with anger and disdain, Dissembled, and this answer smooth re- turned :

" Sharply thou hast insisted on rebuke, And urged me hard with doings which not will, 469

But misery, hath wrested from me. Where Easily canst thou find one miserable, And not inforced oft-times to part from truth,

��If it may stand him more in stead to lie, Say and unsay, feign, flatter, or abjure ? But thou art placed above me; thou art

Lord;

From thee I can, and must, submiss, endure Check or reproof, and glad to scape so quit. Hard are the ways of truth, and rough to

walk, Smooth on the tongue discoursed, pleasing

to the ear,

And tunable as sylvan pipe or song; 4 8o What wonder, then, if I delight to hear Her dictates from thy mouth ? most men

admire

Virtue who follow not her lore. Permit me To hear thee when I come (since no man

comes), And talk at least, though I despair to

attain.

Thy Father, who is holy, wise, and pure, Suffers the hypocrite or atheous priest To tread his sacred courts, and minister About his altar, handling holy things, Praying or vowing, and voutsafed his

voice 490

To Balaam reprobate, a prophet yet Inspired: disdain not such access to me." To whom our Saviour, with unaltered

brow : "Thy coming hither, though I know thy

scope,

I bid not, or forbid. Do as thou find'st Permission from above; thou canst not

more."

He added not; and Satan, bowing low His gray dissimulation, disappeared, Into thin air diffused : for now began 499 Night with her sullen wing to double-shade The desert ; fowls in their clay nests were

couched ; And now wild beasts came forth the woods

to roam.

��THE SECOND BOOK

MEANWHILE the new-baptized, who yet

remained

At Jordan with the Baptist, and had seen Him whom they heard so late expressly

called

Jesus Messiah, Son of God, declared, And on that high authority had believed, And with him talked, and with him lodged

I mean

��Andrew and Simon, famous after known, With others, though in Holy Writ not

named

Now missing him, their joy so lately found, So lately found and so abruptly gone, 10 Began to doubt, and doubted many days, And, as the days increased, increased their

doubt. Sometimes they thought he might be only

shewn, And for a time caught up to God, as once

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