Well pleas'd, on me let Death wreak all his

rage;

Under his gloomy pow'r I shall not long
Lie vanquifh'd; thou haft giv'n me to poffefs
Life in myself for ever; by thee I live,
Though now to Death I yield, and am his

due

245 All that of me can die: yet that debt paid, Thou wilt not leave me in the loathfome grave His prey, nor fuffer my unspotted foul For ever with corruption there to dwell; But I fhall rife victorious, and fubdue My vanquifher, fpoil'd of his vaunted spoil; Death his death's wound fhall then receive, and stoop

250

Inglorious, of his mortal fting difarm'd.
I through the ample air in triumph high
Shall lead Hell captive, maugre Hell; and

While by thee rais'd I ruin all my foes,

Death laft, and with his carcals glut the grave:
Then with the multitude of my redeem'd 260
Shall enter Heav'n long abfent, and return,
Father, to fee thy face, wherein no cloud
Of anger fhall remain, but peace affur'd

And reconcilement; wrath fhall be no more Thenceforth, but in thy prefence joy' entire. 265

His words here ended, but his meek afpect Silent yet fpake, and breath'd immortal love To mortal men, above which only shone Filial obedience: as a facrifice

Glad to be offer'd, he attends the will 270
Of his great Father. Admiration feiz'd
All Heav'n, what this might mean, and whi,
ther tend

Wond'ring; but foon th' Almighty thus reply'd.

O Thou in Heav'n and Earth the only peace Found out for mankind under wrath, O

Thou

275

My fole complacence! well thou know'ft how

dear

To me are all my works, nor Man the leaft Though laft created; that for him I spare Thee from my bosom and right hand, to save, By lofing thee a while, the whole race lost. 280 Thou therefore, whom thou only canft redeem,

Their nature alfo to thy nature join;

And be thyself man among men on earth, Made flesh, when time fhall be, of virgin

feed,

By wondrous birth: be thou in Adam's

room

285 The head of all mankind, though Adam's fon. As in him perish all men, so in thee, As from a fecond root, fhall be restor'd As many as are restor'd, without thee none, His crime makes guilty all his fons; thy

Imputed shall absolve them, who renounce Their own both righteous and unrighteous deeds:

And live in thee tranfplanted, and from thee
Receive new life. So Man, as is most just,
Shall fatisfy for man, be judg'd and die; £95
́And dying rife, and rifing with him raise
His brethren, ranfom'd with his own dear life.
So heav'nly love fhall outdo hellifh hate,
Giving to death, and dying to redeem,
So dearly to redeem what hellish hate
So easily destroyd, and still destroys
In those who, when they may, accept not

grace..

300

Nor fhalt thou, by descending to assume Man's nature, lessen or degrade thine own. Because thou haft, tho' thron'd in highest

blifs

Equal to God, and equally enjoying
God-like fruition, quitted all to fave

305

A world from utter lofs, and haft been found

By merit more than birthright Son of God, Found worthieft to be fo by being good, 310 Far more than great or high; because in thee Love hath abounded more than glory abounds, Therefore thy humiliation fhall exalt

With thee thy manhood alfo to this throne; Here fhalt thou fit incarnate, here shalt

Both Goth and Man, Son both of God and

Man,

Anointed univerfal king; all power

I give thee; reign for ever, and affume
Thy merits under thee as head supreme
Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions

All knees to thee fhall bow, of them that

'bide

In Heav'n, or Earth, or under Earth in Hell.
When thou attended glorioufly from Heav'n
Shalt in the sky appear, and from thee send
The fummoning Arch-Angels to proclaim 325
Thy dread tribunal; forthwith from all winds
The living, and forthwith the cited dead
Of all paft ages to the general doom

Shall haften, fuch a peal fhall roufe their

Beneath thy fentence; Hell, her numbers full, Thenceforth fhall be for ever fhut. Mean

See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds,
With joy and love triumphing, and fair truth,
Then thou thy regal fceptre shalt lay by,
For regal fceptre then no more shall need, 340
God fhall be all in all. But all ye Gods,
Adore him, who to compafs all this dies,
Adore the Son, and honor him as me.

No fooner had th' Almighty ceas'd, but all The multitude of Angels with a fhout 345 Loud as from numbers without number, sweet As from bleft voices, uttering joy, Heav'n rung

With jubilee, and loud hosanna's fill'd

Th' eternal regions. Lowly reverent

Tow'rds either throne they bow, and to the

ground

With folemn adoration down they caft

350

Their crowns, inwove with amarant and gold, Immortal amarant! a flow'r which once

In Paradise faft by the tree of life

Began to bloom; but foon for man's offence 355