But all these shining orbs his choice to dwell; On whom the great Creator hath bestowed Worlds, and on whom hath all these graces poured; To serve him better: wise are all his ways.” So spake the false dissembler unperceived; 670 675 680 By his permissive will, through Heaven and Earth: 685 Resigns her charge, while goodness thinks no ill The sharpest sighted spirit of all in Heaven; In his uprightness, answer thus returned: 690 "Fair angel, thy desire, which tends to know The works of God, thereby to glorify 695 The great work-master, leads to no excess 670. dwell, dwell in. 689. which. For the antecedent of this pronoun, see line 683. 690. held, considered as. 700 699. empyreal, heavenly; in the pure region of light, above created spheres. Contented with report, hear only in Heaven: That brought them forth, but hid their causes de Look downward on that globe whose hither side 708. at his word. "For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." Psalm xxxiii. 9. 715. flood, water. 716. this ethereal quintessence. It was the belief of some of the ancient philosophers that there was, besides the four elements, a fifth essence, 66 quinta essentia," out of which the heavens a stars were formed. 717. spirited, animated. 719. how they move, thou how they move. -- 721. The rest, the rest o quintessence. in circuit, about. mood. 727. call is in the impe 730 With borrowed light her countenance triform Thus said, he turned; and Satan bowing low, As to superior spirits is wont in Heaven, Where honor due and reverence none neglects, Took leave, and toward the coast of Earth beneath, Down from the ecliptic, sped with hoped success, Throws his steep flight in many an aery wheel, Nor stayed, till on Niphates' top he lights. 730. triform, having three shapes or phases. 731. Hence, from the sun. 735. me mine requires, my way needs me. 740. the ecliptic, the sun's apparent path.sped with hoped success, hastened by the hope of success. 741. wheel, turn or rotation. 740 742. Niphates' top. Niphates is a mountain chain of Armenia, in Turkey in Asia, north of Mesopotamia, the region in which the garden of Eden is supposed to have been situated. BOOK IV. THE ARGUMENT. SATAN, now in prospect of Eden and nigh the place where he now attempt the bold enterprise which he undertook alone ag God and Man, falls into many doubts with himself, and passions, fear, envy, and despair; but at length confirms hi in evil, journeys on to Paradise, whose outward prospect and uation is described, overleaps the bounds, sits in the shape cormorant on the Tree of Life, as highest in the garden, to about him. The garden described; Satan's first sight of A and Eve; his wonder at their excellent form and happy state with resolution to work their fall; overhears their disco thence gathers that the tree of knowledge was forbidden the eat of, under penalty of death; and thereon intends to found temptation, by seducing them to transgress: then leaves awhile, to know further of their state by some other me Meanwhile Uriel descending on a sunbeam warns Gabriel, had in charge the gate of Paradise, that some evil spirit escaped the deep, and passed at noon by his sphere in the s of a good angel down to Paradise, discovered after by his fur gestures in the mount. Gabriel promises to find him ere mor Night coming on, Adam and Eve discourse of going to their their bower described; their evening worship. Gabriel, dra forth his bands of night-watch to walk the round of Paradise. points two strong angels to Adam's bower, lest the evil S should be there doing some harm to Adam or Eve sleeping; t they find him at the ear of Eve tempting her in a dream, bring him, though unwilling, to Gabriel; by whom question he scornfully answers, prepares resistance, but hindered by a from Heaven flies cut of Paradise. O FOR that warning voice, which he who saw The Apocalypse heard cry in Heaven aloud, Then when the Dragon, put to second rout, 1. that warning voice. See Revelation xii. 9-12. 3. second rout. The first r was the expulsion of the ro Came furious down to be revenged on men, His troubled thoughts, and from the bottom stir "O thou that, with surpassing glory crowned, angels from Heaven. It is de- 6. while time was, while there was time; before it should be too 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 late. had been, might have been. warned, warned of. 30. in his meridian tower, at his noon-day height. |