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Behemoth, biggest born of earth, unheav'd

His vastness; fleec'd the flocks and bleeting rose,
As plants; ambiguous between sea and land
The river horse and scaly crocodile.

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At once came forth whatever creeps the ground,
Insect or worm; those wav'd their limber fans
For wings, and smallest lineaments exact,
In all the liveries deck'd of summer's pride,
With spots of gold and purple', azure and green;
These as a line their long dimension drew,
Streaking the ground with sinuous trace; not all
Minims of nature; some of serpent kiud,
Wondrous in length and corpulence, involv'd

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Their snaky folds, and added wings. First crept
The parsimonious emmet, provident

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Of future, in small room large heart enclos'd,
Pattern of just equality perhaps

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And thou their natures know'st, and gav'st them names,

Needless to thee repeated; nor unknown

The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field,

Of huge extent sometimes, with brazen eyes
And hairy mane terrific, though to thee

Not noxious, but obedient at thy call.

"Now Heav'n in all her glory shone, and roll'd
Her motions, as the great first Mover's hand
First wheel'd their course; earth in her rich attire
Consummate lovely smil'd; air, water, earth,

By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walk'd
Frequent and of the sixth day yet remain'd;
There wanted yet the master work, the end
Of all yet done; a creature who, not prone

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And brute as other creatures, but endued
With sanctity of reason, might erect
His stature, and upright, with front serene,
Govern the rest, self-knowing, and from thence
Magnanimous to correspond with Heaven,
But grateful to acknowledge whence his good

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Descends, thither with heart, and voice, and eyes,
Directed in devotion, to adore

And worship God supreme, who made him chief

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Of all his works: therefore th' Omnipotent

Eternal Father (for where is not he

Present?) thus to his son audibly spake.

""Let us make now Man in our image, Man

In our similitude, and let them rule

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Over the fish and fowl of sea and air,

Beast of the field, and over all the earth,

And every creeping thing that creeps the ground.'

This said, he form'd thee, Adam, thee, O Man,

Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breath'd

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The breath of life; in his own image he

Created thee, in the image of God'

Express, and thou becam❜st a living soul.

Male he created thee, but thy consort

Female for race; then bless'd mankind, and said,

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Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth,

Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold

Over fish of the sea, and fowl of the air,

And every living thing that moves on th' earth.
Wherever thus created, for no place

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Is yet distinct by name, thence, as thou know'st,

He brought thee into this delicious grove,

This garden, planted with the trees of God,
Delectable both to behold and taste;

And freely all their pleasant fruit for food

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Gave thee; all sorts are here that all th' earth yields
Variety without end; but of the tree,

Which tasted works knowledge of good and evil,
Thou may'st not; in the day thou eat'st thou dy'st;
Death is the penalty impos'd, beware

And govern well thy appetite, lest Sin

Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death.

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Here finish'd he, and all that he had made
View'd, and behold all was entirely good;
So even and morn accomplish'd the sixth day:
Yet not till the Creator from his work
Desisting, though unwearied, up return'd,
Up to the Heav'n of Heav'ns, his high abode,
Thence to behold this new created world,
Th' addition of his empire, how it show'd
In prospect from his throne, how good, how fair,

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Answering his great idea. Up he rode,

Follow'd with acclamation and the sound

Symphonious of ten thousand harps that tun'd
Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air

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Open, ye Heav'ns, your living doors; let in
The great Creator from his work return'd
Magnificent, his six days work, a world;
Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deign
To vist oft the dwellings of just men

Resounded, (thou remember'st, for thou heard'st)
The Heav'ns and all the constellations rung,
The planets in their station list'ning stood,
While the bright pomp ascended jubilant.
Open, ye everlasting gates,' they sung,

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Delighted, and with frequent intercourse
Thither will send his winged messengers

On errands of supernal grace.' So sung

The glorious train ascending: He through Heaven,
That open'd wide her blazing portals, led
To God's eternal house direct the way,

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A broad and ample road whose dust is gold
And pavement stars, as stars to thee appear,

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Seen in the galaxy, that milky way,

Which nightly as a circling zone thou seest

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Powder'd with stars. And now on earth the seventh

Evening arose in Eden, for the sun

Was set, and twilight from the east came on,
Forerunning_night; when at the holy mount

Of Heav'n's high-seated top, th' imperial throne

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Of Godhead, fix'd for ever firm and sure,

The Filial Pow'r arriv'd, and sat him down

With his great Father, for he also went

Invisible, yet stay'd (such privilege

Hath Omnipresence) and the work ordain'd,

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Author and end of all things, and from work,

Now resting, bless'd and hallow'd the seventh day

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As resting on that day from all his work,
But not in silence holy kept; the harp
Had work and rested not, the solemn pipe
And dulcimer, all organs of sweet stop,
All sounds on fret by string or golden wire,
Temper'd soft tunings intermix'd with voice
Choral or unison: of incense clouds
Fuming from golden censers hid the mount.
Creation and the six days acts they sung,
'Great are thy works, Jehovah, infinite

Thy pow'r; what thought can measure thee, or tongue

Relate thee? greater now in thy return

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Than from the giant Angels; thee that day

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Thy thunders magnify'd; but to create

Is greater than, created, to destroy.

Who can impair thee, mighty King, or bound
Thy empire? easily the proud attempt

Of Spirits apostate and their counsels vain

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To manifest the more thy might: his evil

Thou usest, and from thence creatʼst more good.
Witness this new-made world, another Heaven
From Heaven-gate not far, founded in view
On the clear hyaline, the glassy sea;

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Of amplitude almost immense, with stars
Numerous, and every star perhaps a world
Of destin'd habitation; but thou know'st

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Their seasons: among these the seat of Men,

Earth with her nether ocean circumfus'd,

Their pleasant dwelling-place. Thrice happy Men,

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And sons of Men, whom God hath thus advanc'd,
Created in his image, there to dwell

And worship him, and in reward to rule
Over his works, on earth, in sea, or air,
And multiply a race of worshippers
Holy and just thrice happy if they know
Their happiness, and persevere upright.'

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"So sung they, and the empyréan rung
With Halleluiahs: thus was sabbath kept.
And thy request think now fulfill'd, that ask'd
How first this world and face of things began,

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And what before thy memory was done

From the beginning, that posterity

Inform'd by thee might know; if else thou seek'st
Ought, not surpassing human measure, say.”

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END OF THE SEVENTH BOOK.

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