The Complete Poetry of John Milton (135 page)

   130     
Consenting in full frequence
⁷
was impower’d,

               
Have found him, view’d him, tasted
⁸
him, but find

               
Far other labour to be undergon

               
Then when I dealt with
Adam
first of Men,

               
Though
Adam
by his Wives allurement fell,

   135     
However to this Man inferior far,

               
If he be Man by Mothers side at least,

               
With more then human gifts from Heav’n adorn’d,

               
Perfections absolute, Graces divine,

               
And amplitude of mind to greatest Deeds.

   140     
Therefore I am return’d, lest confidence

               
Of my success with
Eve
in Paradise

               
Deceive ye to perswasion over-sure

               
Of like succeeding here; I summon all

               
Rather to be in readiness, with hand

   145     
Or counsel to assist; lest I who erst

               
Thought none my equal, now be over-match’d.

           
      
       So spake th’ old Serpent doubting, and from all

               
With clamour was assur’d thir utmost aid

               
At his command; when from amidst them rose

   150     
Belial
⁹
the dissolutest Spirit that fell,

               
The sensuallest, and after
Asmodai
¹⁰

               
The fleshliest Incubus,
¹¹
and thus advis’d.

           
      
       Set women in his eye and in his walk,

               
Among daughters of men the fairest found;

   155     
Many are in each Region passing fair

               
As the noon Skie; more like to Goddesses

               
Then Mortal Creatures, graceful and discreet,

               
Expert in amorous Arts, enchanting tongues

               
Perswasive, Virgin majesty with mild

   160     
And sweet allay’d, yet terrible to approach,

               
Skill’d to retire, and in retiring draw

               
Hearts after them tangl’d in Amorous Nets.

               
Such object hath the power to soft’n and tame

               
Severest temper,
¹²
smooth the rugged’st brow,

   165     
Enerve, and with voluptuous hope dissolve,

               
Draw out with credulous desire, and lead

               
At will the manliest, resolutest brest,

               
As the Magnetic
¹³
hardest Iron draws.

               
Women, when nothing else, beguil’d the heart

   170     
Of wisest
Solomon
, and made him build,

               
And made him bow to the Gods of his Wives.
¹⁴

           
      
       To whom quick answer Satan thus return’d.

               
Belial
, in much uneven scale thou weigh’st

               
All others by thy self; because of old

   175     
Thou thy self doat’st on womankind, admiring

               
Thir shape, thir colour, and attractive grace,

               
None are, thou think’st, but taken with such toys.

               
Before the Flood thou with thy lusty Crew,

               
False titl’d Sons of God, roaming the Earth

   180     
Cast wanton eyes on the daughters of men,

               
And coupl’d with them, and begot a race.

               
Have we not seen, or by relation heard,

               
In Courts and Regal Chambers how thou lurk’st,

               
In Wood or Grove by mossie Fountain side,

   185     
In Valley or Green Meadow to way-lay

               
Some beauty rare,
Calisto, Clymene
,

               
Daphne
, or
Semele, Antiopa
,

               
Or
Amymone, Syrinx
, many more

               
Too long, then lay’st thy scapes on names ador’d,

   190     
Apollo, Neptune, Jupiter
, or
Pan
,

               
Satyr, or Faun, or Silvan? But these haunts

               
Delight not all; among the Sons of Men,

               
How many have with a smile made small account

               
Of beauty and her lures, easily scorn’d

   195     
All her assaults, on worthier things intent?

               
Remember that
Pellean
Conquerour,
¹⁵

               
A youth, how all the Beauties of the East

               
He slightly view’d, and slightly over-pass’d;

               
How hee sirnam’d of
Africa
¹⁶
dismiss’d

   200     
In his prime youth the fair
Iberian
maid.

               
For
Solomon
he liv’d at ease, and full

               
Of honour, wealth, high fare, aim’d not beyond

               
Higher design then to enjoy his State;

               
Thence to the bait of Women lay expos’d;

   205     
But he whom we attempt is wiser far

               
Then
Solomon
, of more exalted mind,

               
Made and set wholly on th’ accomplishment

               
Of greatest things; what woman will you find,

               
Though of this Age the wonder and the fame,

   210     
On whom his leisure will vouchsafe an eye

               
Of fond desire? or should she confident,

               
As sitting Queen ador’d on Beauties Throne,

               
Descend with all her winning charms begirt

               
T’ enamour, as the Zone
¹⁷
of
Venus
once

   215     
Wrought that effect on
Jove
, so Fables tell;

               
How would one look from his Majestick brow

               
Seated as on the top of Vertues hill,
¹⁸

               
Discount’nance her despis’d, and put to rout

               
All her array; her female pride deject,

   220     
Or turn to reverent awe? for Beauty stands

               
In th’ admiration only of weak minds

               
Led captive; cease t’ admire, and all her Plumes

               
Fall flat and shrink into a trivial toy,

               
At every sudden slighting quite abasht:

   225     
Therefore with manlier objects we must try

               
His constancy, with such as have more shew

               
Of worth, of honour, glory, and popular praise;

               
Rocks whereon greatest men have oftest wreck’d;

               
Or that which only seems to satisfie

   230     
Lawful desires of Nature, not beyond;

               
And now I know he hungers where no food

               
Is to be found, in the wide Wilderness;

               
The rest commit to me, I shall let pass

               
No advantage, and his strength as oft assay.

   235  
      
       He ceas’d, and heard thir grant in loud acclaim;

               
Then forthwith to him takes a chosen band

               
Of Spirits likest to himself in guile

               
To be at hand, and at his beck appear,

               
If cause were to unfold some active Scene

   240     
Of various persons each to know his part;

               
Then to the Desert takes with these his flight;

               
Where still from shade to shade the Son of God

               
After forty days fasting had remain’d,

               
Now hungring first, and to himself thus said.

   245  
      
       Where will this end? four times ten days I have pass’d

               
Wandring this woody maze, and human food

               
Nor tasted, nor had appetite; that Fast

               
To Vertue I impute not, or count part

               
Of what I suffer here; if Nature need not,

   250     
Or God support Nature without repast

               
Though needing, what praise is it to endure?

               
But now I feel I hunger, which declares,

               
Nature hath need of what she asks; yet God

               
Can satisfie that need some other way,

   255     
Though hunger still remain: so it remain

               
Without this bodies wasting, I content me,

               
And from the sting of Famine fear no harm,

               
Nor mind it, fed with better thoughts that feed

               
Mee hungring more to do my Fathers will.

   260  
      
       It was the hour of night, when thus the Son

               
Commun’d in silent walk, then laid him down

               
Under the hospitable covert nigh

               
Of Trees thick interwoven; there he slept,

               
And dream’d, as appetite is wont to dream,

   265     
Of meats and drinks, Natures refreshment sweet;

               
Him thought,
¹⁹
he by the Brook of
Cherith
stood

               
And saw the Ravens with their horny beaks

               
Food to
Elijah
bringing Even and Morn,

               
Though ravenous, taught t’ abstain from what they brought:

   270     
He saw the Prophet also how he fled

               
Into the Desert, and how there he slept

               
Under a Juniper; then how awak’t,

               
He found his Supper on the coals prepar’d,

               
And by the Angel was bid rise and eat,

   275     
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.
²⁰

               
Thus wore out night, and now the Herald Lark

   280     
Left his ground-nest, high towring to descry

               
The morns approach, and greet her with his Song:

               
As lightly from his grassy Couch up rose

               
Our Saviour, and found all was but a dream,

               
Fasting he went to sleep, and fasting wak’d.