Hail holy Light, offfpring of Heav'n first
Or of th' Eternal coeternal beam,
May I express thee unblam'd? fince God is light,
And never but in unapproached light
Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee,
Bright effluence of bright effence increate.
Or hear'st thou rather pure ethereal stream,
Whofe fountain who shall tell? before the Sun,
Before the heav'ns thou wert, and at the voice
Of God, as with a mantle didft inveft
Thee riling world of waters dark and deep,
Won from the void and formless infinite.
The I revifit now with bolder wing,
Efcap'd the Stygian pool, though long detain'd
In that obfcure fejourn; while in my flight 15
Through utter and through middle darkness
borne
With other notes than to th' Orphéan lyre,
I fung of Chaos and eternal Night,
Taught by the heav'nly Mufe to venture down
The dark defcent, and up to re-afcend,
Tho' hard and rare. Thee I revifit fafe,
And feel thy fov'reign vital lamp: but thou
Revifit'ft not thefe eyes, that roll in vain
To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn;
So thick a drop ferene hath quench'd their
orbs,
Or dim fuffufion veil'd. Yet not the more
Cease I to wander, where the Mufes haunt,
Clear fpring, or shady grove, or funny hill,
Smit with the love of facred fong: but chief
Thee, Sion, and the flowry brooks beneath, 30
That wash thy hallow'd feet, and warbling
flow,
Nightly I vifit: nor fometimes forget
Those other two equal'd with me in fate,
So were I equal'd with them in renown,
Blind Thamyris and blind Maeonides, . 35
And Tirefias, and Phineus Prophets old.
Then feed on thoughts, that voluntary move
Harmonious numbers; as the wakeful bird
Sings darkling, and in fhadieft covert hid
Tunes her nocturnal note. Thus with the
Seasons return, but not to me returns
Day, or the fweet approach of ev'n or morn, Or fight of vernal bloom, or fummer's rofe, Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine: But cloud instead, and ever-during dark 45
Surrounds me; from the chearful ways of men Cut off; and for the book of knowledge fair Prefented with an univerfal blank
Of nature's works, to me expung'd and ras'd, And wisdom at one entrance quite shut out. 50 So much the rather thou, coelestial Light, Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers
Irradiate; there plant eyes, all mift from thence
Purge and disperse; that I may fee and tell
Of things invifible to moral fight.
Now had th' almighty Father from above, From the pure empyréan, where he fits High thron'd above all height, bent down his
His own works and their works at once to
About him all the Sanctities of Heaven
Stood thick as stars, and from his fight receiv'd
Beatitude paft utterance: on his right
The radiant image of his glory fat,
His only Son. On earth he first beheld
Our two first parents, yet the only two
Of mankind, in the happy garden plac'd,'
Reaping immortal fruits of joy and love,
Uninterrupted joy, unrival'd love
In blifsful folitude. He then furvey'd
Hell and the gulf between, and Satan there 70
Coasting the wall of Heav'n on this fide Night,
In the dun air fublime, and ready now
To stoop with wearied wings, and willing
On the bare outfide of this world, that seem'd
Firm land imbofom'd, without firmament, 75
Uncertain which, in ocean or in air.
Him God beholding from his profpect high,
Wherein paft, prefent, future he beholds,
Thus to his only Son foreseeing spake.
Only begotten Son, seeft thou what rage 80
Transports our Adverfary? whom no bounds
Prefcrib'd, no bars of Hell, nor yet the chains
Heap'd on him there, nor yet the main abyfs
Wide interrupt can hold; fo bent he seems
On defperate revenge, that fhall redound 85
Upon his own rebellious head. And now
Through all restraint broke loose he wings his
Not far off Heav'n, in the percincts of light,
Directly towards the new created world, 、
And Man there plac'd; with purpose to allay, 90
If him by force he can destroy, or worse,
By fome falle guile pervert, and shall pervert,
For man will hearken to his glozing lies,
And easily tranfgrefs the fole command,
Sole pledge of his obedience: fo will fall, 95
He and his faithless progeny. Whose fault?
Whole but his own? Ingrate! he had of me.
All he could have: I made him juft and right,
Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall.
Such I created all th' ethereal Powers
And Spirits, both them who stood and them
who fail'd;
Freely they stood who ftood, and fell who fell. Not free, what proof could they have giv'n fincere
Of true allegiance, constant faith or love, Where only, what they needs must do ap
105 Not what they would? what praise could they receive?
What pleasure I from fuch obedience paid,
When will and reason, reafon also is choice,
Useless and vain, of freedom both defpoil'd,
Made paffive both, had ferv'd neceffity,
Not me? They therefore as to right belong'd,
So were created, nor can justly accuse
Their maker, or their making, or their fate,
As if predeftination over-rul'd
Their will, difpos'd by abfolute decree 115
Or high foreknowledge. They themselves
Their own revolt, not I; if I foreknew, Foreknowledge had no influence on their fault, Which had no lefs prov'd certain unforeknown. So without least impulse or shadow of fate 120 Or ought by me immutably foreseen,
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