365 370 So spake the Son of God; but Satan, now, Quite at a loss, (for all his darts were spent,) Thus to our Saviour with stern brow reply'd. Since neither wealth, nor honour, arms, nor arts, Kingdom, nor empire pleases thee, nor aught By me propos'd in life contemplative Or active, tended on by glory or fame, What dost thou in this world? the wilderness For thee is fittest place; I found thee there, And thither will return thee; yet remember What I foretell thee, soon thou shalt have cause To wish thou never hadst rejected thus Nicely or cautiously my offer'd aid, Which would have set thee in short time with ease On David's throne, or throne of all the world, Or heaven write aught of fate, by what the stars, In their conjunction met, give me to spell, 375 380 385 Sorrows, and labours, opposition, hate, Attend thee, scorns, reproaches, injuries, Violence, and stripes, and lastly cruel death; A kingdom they portend thee, but what kingdom, Nor when; eternal sure, as without end, 366 darts] Eurip. Hecub. 603. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲνδήνοῦς ἐτοξέυσεν μάτην. Dunster. 390 Without beginning; for no date prefixt So saying he took, (for still he knew his pow'r Brought back the Son of God, and left him there, 395 400 Whose branching arms thick intertwin'd might shield From dews and damps of night his shelter'd head; 406 But, shelter'd, slept in vain, for at his head The tempter watch'd, and soon with ugly dreams Disturb'd his sleep: and either tropic now 'Gan thunder, and both ends of heav'n the clouds 410 From many a horrid rift abortive pour'd Fierce rain with light'ning mix'd, water with fire In ruin reconcil'd: nor slept the winds Within their stony caves, but rush'd abroad 411 rift] Virg. Æn. iii. 196. 'Involvere diem nimbi et nox humida cœlum Abstulit; ingeminant abruptis nubibus ignes.' Dunster. and Lucret. ii. 213-5. 414 stony] Lucret. vi. 194. 'Speluncasque velut, saxis pendentibus structas Dunster. 415 420 From the four hinges of the world, and fell Had cheer'd the face of earth, and dried the wet Clear'd up their choicest notes in bush and spray, To gratulate the sweet return of morn : 423 Environ'd] Shakesp. Rich. III. act i. sc. v. " — a legion of foul fiends Environ'd me and howled in my ears.' 427 amice] Spens. F. Qu. i. iv. 18. Dunster. 'Array'd in habit black and amice thin.' Newton. 425 430 436 438 gratulate] And early birds with songs congratulate.' Marino's Slaught. of the Innocents, p. 126. (Trans.) Nor The prince of darkness; glad would also seem 440 445 450 Fair morning yet betides thee, Son of God, As dangerous to the pillar'd frame of heaven, 455 And harmless, if not wholesome, as a sneeze Like turbulencies in the affairs of men, Over whose heads they roar, and seem to point, This tempest at this desert most was bent; 465 The perfect season offer'd with my aid 470 Of gaining David's throne no man knows when, May warn thee, as a sure fore-going sign. 480 485 So talk'd he, while the Son of God went on And staid not, but in brief him answer'd thus. Me worse than wet thou find'st not; other harm Those terrors, which thou speak'st of, did me none; I never fear'd they could, though noising loud And threat'ning nigh; what they can do as signs Betok'ning, or ill-boding, I contemn 490 As false portents, not sent from God, but thee; 496 |