Satan with his perverted world, then raise From the conflagrant mass, purg'd and refin'd, New Heav'ns, new Earth, ages of endless date, Founded in righteousness, and peace, and love, To bring forth fruits, joy and eternal bliss."
He ended; and thus Adam last reply'd: "How soon hath thy prediction, Seer blest, Measur'd this transient world, the race of time. Till time stand fix'd? beyond is all abyss, Eternity, whose end no eye can reach. Greatly instructed I shall hence depart, Greatly in peace of thought, and have my Of knowledge, what this vessel can contain ; Beyond which was my folly to aspire. Henceforth I learn, that to obey is best, And love with fear the only God, to walk As in his presence, ever to observe His providence, and on him sole depend, Merciful over all his works, with good
Still overcoming evil, and by small
Accomplishing great things, by things deem'd weak
Subverting worldly strong, and worldly wise
By simply meek; that suffering for truth's sake Is fortitude to highest victory,
And to the faithful death the gate of life; Taught this by his example, whom I now Acknowledge my Redeemer ever blest."
To whom thus also th' Angel last reply'd: "This having learn'd, thou hast attain'd the sum Of wisdom; hope no higher, though all the stars
Thou knew'st by name, and all th' ethereal pow'rs, All secrets of the deep, all Nature's works,
Or works of God in Heav'n, air, earth, or sea, And all the riches of this world enjoy'dst, And all the rule, one empire; only add Deeds to thy knowledge answerable, add faith, Add virtue, patience, temperance, add love,
By name to come call'd charity, the soul Of all the rest: then wilt thou not be loth To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess A Paradise within thee, happier far. Let us descend now therefore from this top Of speculation: for the hour precise Exacts our parting hence; and see the guards, By me encamp'd on yonder hill, expect
Their motion, at whose front a flaming sword, In signal of remove, waves fiercely round: We may no longer stay. Go, waken Eve; Her also I with gentle dreams have calm'd Portending good, and all her spi'rits compos'd To meek submission: thou at season fit
Let her with thee partake what thou hast heard,
Chiefly what may concern her faith to know,
The great deliverance by her seed to come
(For by the Woman's seed) on all mankind;
That ye may live, which will be many days,
Both in one faith unanimous though sad,
With cause for evils past, yet much more cheer'd With meditation on the happy end.”
He ended, and they both descend the hill; Descended, Adam to the bow'r where Eve Lay sleeping ran before, but found her wak'd; And thus with words not sad she him receiv'd:
"Whence thou return'st, and whither went'st, I know 610 For God is also' in sleep, and dreams advise, Which he hath sent propitious, some great good
Presaging, since with sorrow' and heart's distress Wearied I fell asleep: but now lead on;
In me is no delay; with thee to go Is to stay here; without thee here to stay
Is to go hence unwilling; thou to me
Art all things under Heav'n, all places thou,
Who for my wilful crime art banish'd hence. This further consolation yet secure
I carry hence; though all by me is lost,
Such favour I unworthy am vouchsaf'd, By me the promis'd Seed shall all restore."
So spake our mother Eve, and Adam heard Well pleas'd, but answer'd not; for now too nigh Th' Arch-Angel stood, and from the other hill To their fix'd station, all in bright array, The cherubim descended; on the ground Gliding meteorous, as evening mist Ris'u from a river o'er the marish glides, And gathers ground fast at the lab'rer's heel
Homeward returning. High in front advanc'd
The brandish'd sword of God before them blaz'd
Fierce as a comet; which with torrid heat, And vapour as the Libyan air adust, Began to parch that temp'rate clime; whereat In either hand the hast'ning Angel caught Our ling'ring parents, and to th' eastern gate Led them direct, and down the cliff as fast To the subjected plain; then disappear'd. They looking back, all th' eastern side beheld Of Paradise, so late their happy seat, Wav'd over by that flaming brand, the gate With dreadful faces throng'd and fiery arms :
Some natural tears they dropt, but wip'd them soon. The world was all before them, where to choose Their place of rest, and Providence their guide. They hand in hand, with wand'ring steps and slow, Through Eden took their solitary way.
Note, The numeral letters refer to the Book, the figures to the
AARON and Moses, their mission to Egypt, xii. 170. Abdiel, a Seraph, his opposition to Satan, respecting the re- volt of the Angels, v. 803. his fidelity, v. 896. abandons the party of Satan, vi. 1. soliloquy on viewing him at their head, vi. 114. his conquest of Ariel, Arioch, and Ramiel, vi. 369.
Abel and Caiu, their story, xi. 429.
Abraham and the Patriarchs, story of, xii. 113.
Adam and Eve, general description of them, iv. 288. more minutely described, iv. 295. their state of innocence, iv. 312 492 738. v. 211 303. viii. 510. entertainment of the angel Raphael, v. 313 591. their nuptial bed described, iv. 708. their behaviour after the fall, and on finding themselves naked, ix. 1004 1051. attempt to avoid God, appear before him, x. 109. their expulsion from
x. 97: Paradise, xii. 256. Adam, his discourse with Eve on the prohibition of the tree of knowledge, iv. 411. on viewing her sleeping, v. 8. his answer to her dream relative to Satan's first temptation, v. 94. his discourse in the bower with Raphael, v. 460. his creation and dominior, ix. 524. his first view of the Divine Presence, etc. viii. 311. his speech to God on his solitude in Paradise, viii. 557. his passion for Eve, viii. 521. discourses with her on Satan's subtilty, ix. from 205 to 384. soliloquy on her transgression, ix. 896. resolves to die with her, ix. 907. eats the forbidden fruit, ix. 996. solicits her to submit to sexual pleasures, and their con- sequences, ix. 1011 1016. speech to her on their fall, etc. ix. 1067. the sentence on him, x. 197. reflects on the immortality of the soul, etc. x. 782. his resolution against the advice of Eve to commit suicide, x. 1028. behaviour on receiving the message for their expulsion, xi. 263. Adramelech and Asmalia, fallen angels, their defeat, vi. 365. Amaranth, a flower, transplanted to Heaven, iii. 352. Ambition censured, ii. 482.
Angels obey God from choice, v. 535. engagement of the celestial party against Satan, vi. 202 631. their song on
the creation, vii. 180 252 557 602. their re-ascent to Heaven on Adam's fall, xi. 17. appointed to drive Adam from Paradise, xi. 127. execution of that office, xii. 626. Angels, the fallen, their names, i. 374. pursuits, ii. 528. engagement, vi. 202. defeat and expulsion from Heaven, vi. 831 877. transformed into serpents, etc. x. 519 547. Apostles, their mission, etc. xii. 439. their successors de- scribed, xii. 508.
Azazel, Satan's standard-bearer, i. 534.
Babel, its building, and the confusion of languages thence arising, xii. 38 48.
Battle between the Angels described, vi. 202 to 877.
Beelzebub described, ii. 299.
world, ii. 245.
excites an attempt on the
Belial, speeches of, ii. 119. vi. 620.
Blasts, originated from the fall of Adam, x. 692.
Bridge from the gates of Hell over Chaos to the world, x. 293.
Cain and Abel, their story, xi. 429.
Cham, his story, xii. 101.
Chance, explosion of the general idea respecting it, ii. 909. Chaos described, ii. 890. vii. 210.
its limits since the fall
of the Angels, ii. 998. its state before that event, v. 577: Church, hirelings in it compared with the devil in Paradise, iv. 192.
Conjugal love praised, iv. 750 765.
589. a reciprocal duty, ix. 357. Conjugal union, its reasons and obligations, viii. 494. ix. 955 961.
Conscience, the umpire of God in man, iii. 194. its terrors, iv. 23. x. 842. censure of laws to enforce it, xii. 515. Creation, the universal, description of it, iii. 708. vii. 221. Creatures in Paradise described, iv. 340. their discord a consequence of the fall, x. 707.
Dagon, a fallen angel, some account of, i. 457.
Damned, description of the vicissitudes of their torments, ii. 596.
David, why his throne is eternal, xii. 320.
Day and night in Heaven, description of, vi. 4.
Death and Sin, their post at the gates of Hell, before the fall, ii. 688. their union, x. 249. their meeting with Satan on his return to Hell, x. 326. their arrival at Paradise, x. 585. subsequent conduct in the world, x. 610.
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