"On whom his leisure will vouchsafe an eye
"Of fond desire? Or should she, confident,
"As sitting, queen adored, on beauty's throne,
"Descend, with all her winning charms begirt,
"To enamour, as the zone of Venus once
"Wrought that effect on Jove (so fables tell),
"How would one look from his majestic brow,
"Seated as on the top of Virtue's hill,
"Discountenance her despised, and put to rout
"All her array; her female pride deject,
"Or turn to reverent awe! for Beauty stands
"In the admiration only of weak minds,

"Led captive;-cease to admire, and all her plumes
"Fall flat, and shrink into a trivial toy,

“At every sudden slighting quite abashed.
"Therefore with manlier objects we must try

"His constancy; with such as have more show

"Of worth, of honour, glory, and popular praise ;-
"Rocks, whereon greatest men have oftest wrecked; --
"Or that which only seems to satisfy

"Lawful desires of nature, not beyond:

210

220

230

"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."

He ceased, and heard their 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

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 remained,

Now hungering first, and to himself thus said:

66

"Where will this end? four times ten days I've passed

Wandering this woody maze, and human food

"Nor tasted, nor had appetite; that fast

"To virtue I impute not, or count part

"Of what I suffer here; if nature need not,

240

"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 satisfy that need some other way,

66

Though hunger still remain: so it remain "Without this body's wasting, I content me, "And from the sting of famine fear no harm; "Nor mind it, fed with better thoughts, that feed "Me hungering more to do my Father's will."

It was the hour of night, when thus the Son Communed in silent walk, then laid him down Under the hospitable covert nigh

Of trees thick interwoven; there he slept,

And dreamed-as appetite is wont to dream

250

260

Of meats and drinks, nature's refreshment sweet :
Him thought, he by the brook of Cherith stood,

And saw the ravens with their horny beaks

Food to Elijah bringing, even and morn,

270

Though ravenous, taught to abstain from what they brought;
He saw the prophet also, how he fled
Into the desert, and how there he slept
Under a juniper; then how, awaked,
He found his supper on the coals prepared,
And by the Angel was bid rise and eat,
And eat the second time after repose,
The strength whereof sufficed him forty days:
Sometimes that with Elijah he partook,

Or as a guest with Daniel at his pulse.

Thus wore out night; and now the herald lark

Left his ground-nest, high towering to descry

280

The Morn's 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 waked.
Up to a hill anon his steps he reared,
From whose high top to ken the prospect round,
If cottage were in view, sheep-cote, or herd;
But cottage, herd, or sheep-cofe, none he saw;
Only in a bottom saw a pleasant grove,

With chant of tuneful birds resounding loud :
Thither he bent his way, determined there
To rest at noon; and entered soon the shade
High roofed, and walks beneath, and alleys brown,
That opened in the midst—a woody scene:
Nature's own work it seemed (Nature taught Art),
And, to a superstitious eye, the haunt

Of Wood-gods and Wood-nymphs: he viewed it round;
When suddenly a man before him stood;

Not rustic as before, but seemlier clad,

As one in city, or court, or palace bred;

And with fair speech these words to him addressed:
"With granted leave officious I return;

"But much more wonder that the Son of God
"In this wild solitude so long should bide,
"Of all things destitute; and, well I know,
"Not without hunger. Others of some note,
"As story tells, have trod this wilderness;
"The fugitive bond-woman, with her son,
"Outcast Nebaioth, yet found here relief
"By a providing Angel; all the race

"Of Israel here had famished, had not God

"Rained from Heaven manna; and that prophet bold, "Native of Thebez, wandering here was fed

"Twice by a voice inviting him to eat.

"Of thee these forty days none hath regard, "Forty and more deserted here indeed!" To whom thus Jesus:

66

"What concludest thou hence?

They all had need; I, as thou seest, have none." "How hast thou hunger then?" Satan replied. "Tell me, if food were now before thee set,

"Wouldst thou not eat?"

290

300

310

320

"Thereafter as I like

"The giver," answered Jesus.

Why should that "Cause thy refusal?" said the subtle Fiend : "Hast thou not right to all created things? "Owe not all creatures, by just right, to thee

"But tender all their power? Nor mention I
"Meats by the law unclean, or offered first
"To idols; those young Daniel could refuse:
"Nor proffered by an enemy; though who
“Would scruple that, with want oppressed? Behold,
"Nature ashamed, or, better to express,

"Troubled, that thou shouldst hunger, hath purveyed
"From all the elements her choicest store,
"To treat thee, as beseems,—and as her Lord,—
"With honour: only deign to sit and eat."
He spake no dream; for, as his words had end,
Our Saviour, lifting up his eyes, beheld,
In ample space under the broadest shade,
A table richly spread,—in regal mode,—
With dishes piled, and meats of noblest sort
And savour; beasts of chase, or fowl of game,
In pastry built, or from the spit, or boiled,
Gris-amber-steamed; all fish, from sea or shore,
Freshet or purling brook, of shell or fin,
And exquisitest name, for which was drained
Pontus, and Lucrine bay, and Afric coast:
(Alas, how simple, to these cates compared,
Was that crude apple that diverted Eve!)
And at a stately sideboard, by the wine,
That fragrant smell diffused, in order stood
Tall stripling youths rich clad, of fairer hue
Than Ganymed or Hylas; distant more

330

340

350

With fruits and flowers from Amalthea's horn,

Under the trees now tripped, now solemn stood,
Nymphs of Diana's train, and Naiades

And ladies of the Hesperides, that seemed

Fairer than feigned of old, or fabled since

Of fairy damsels, met in the forest wide

By knights of Logres, or of Lyones,

360

Lancelot, or Pelleas, or Pellenore.

And all the while harmonious airs were heard

Of chiming strings, or charming pipes; and winds

Of gentlest gale Arabian odours fanned

From their soft wings, and Flora's earliest smells.—

Such was the splendour; and the Tempter now

His invitation earnestly renewed:

"What doubts the Son of God to sit and eat? "These are not fruits forbidden; no interdict "Defends the touching of these viands pure: "Their taste no knowledge works, at least of evil; "But life preserves, destroys life's enemy,

66

Hunger, with sweet restorative delight.

"All these are Spirits of air, and woods, and springs,— "Thy gentle ministers,-who come to pay

"Thee homage, and acknowledge thee their Lord.

"What doubtst thou, Son of God? sit down, and eat.”

To whom thus Jesus temperately replied:

"Saidst thou not that to all things I had right?
"And who withholds my power that right to use?
"Shall I receive by gift, what of my own,
"When and where likes me best, I can command?
"I can at will, doubt not, as soon as thou,
"Command a table in this wilderness,
"And call swift flights of Angels ministrant,
"Arrayed in glory, on my cup to attend:
"Why shouldst thou then obtrude this diligence,
"In vain, where no acceptance it can find?
"And with my hunger what hast thou to do?

370

380

"Thy pompous delicacies I contemn,

390

"And count thy specious gifts no gifts,—but guiles."

To whom thus answered Satan malcontent:

"That I have also power to give, thou seest;

"If of that power I bring thee voluntary

"What I might have bestowed on whom I pleased,

"And rather, opportunely in this place,

"Choose to impart to thy apparent need,

"Why shouldst thou not accept it? But I see,

"What I can do or offer is suspect;

"Of these things others quickly will dispose,

400

"Whose pains have earned the far-fet spoil." With that,

Both table and provision vanished quite

With sound of harpies' wings and talons heard:

Only the impórtune Tempter still remained,
And with these words his temptation pursued:

66

By hunger, that each other creature tames,