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Works of day pafs'd, or morrow's next design,
But of offence and trouble, which my mind
Knew never till this irksome night. Methought
Close at mine ear one call'd me forth to walk

With gentle voice, I thought it thine; it said,

Why fleep'st thou Eve? now is the pleasant time, The cool, the filent, fave where filence yields To the night-warbling Bird, that now awake Tunes fweeteft his love-labour'd fong; now reigns Full-Orb'd the Moon, and with more pleasant light Shadowy fets off the face of things; în vain, <If none regard; Heav'n wakes with all his Eyes, Whom to behold but thee, Nature's defire,

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In whofe fight all things joy, with ravishment
Attracted by thy beauty ftill to gaze.

I rofe as at thy call, but found thee not;
To find thee I directed then my walk;

And on, methought, alone I pafs'd thro' ways
That brought me on a fudden to the Tree
Of interdicted Knowledge: Fair it seem'd,
Much fairer to my Fancy than by day:
And as I wondring lookt, befide it stood

One shap❜d and wing'd like one of those from Heav'n
By us oft feen; his dewy locks diftill'd
Ambrofia; on that Tree he also gaz'd;

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And O fair Plant, faid he, with fruit furcharg❜d,

Deigns none to ease thy load, and taste thy sweet,
Nor God, nor Man; is Knowledge fo defpis'd?
Or Envy, or what referve forbids to taste?
Forbid who will, none fhall from me with-hold
Longer thy offer'd good, why else set here?
This faid he paus'd not, but with vent❜rous Arm
He pluckt, he tafted; me damp horror chill'd
At fuch bold words voucht with a deed fo bold:

'

But he thus overjoy'd, O Fruit Divine,

‹ Sweet of thy felf, but much more sweet thus cropt,

• Forbidden here, it feems, as only fit

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For Gods, yet able to make Gods of Men:

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‹ And

And why not Gods of Men, fince good the more • Communicated, more abundant grows, "The Author not impair'd, but honour'd more? Here, happy Creature, fair Angelic Eve, Partake thou also; happy though thou art,

< Happier thou may'ft be, worthier canft not be : Taste this, and be henceforth among the Gods

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Thy felf a Goddess, not to Earth confin'd,

But fometimes in the Air, as we, sometimes

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• Afcend to Heav'n, by merit thine, and fee

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'What life the Gods live there, and fuch live thou.

So faying, he drew nigh, and to me held,
Even to my mouth of that fame fruit held part
Which he had pluckt; the pleasant favoury smell
So quicken'd appetite, that I, methought,
Could not but tafte. Forthwith up to the Clouds
With him I flew, and underneath beheld

The Earth out ftretcht immense, a prospect wide
And various wond'ring at my flight and change
To this high exaltation; fuddenly

My Guide was gone, and I, methought, funk down,
And fell asleep; but O how glad I wak’d

To find this but a dream! Thus Eve her Night
Related, and thus Adam answer'd fad.

Best Image of my self and dearer half,
The trouble of thy thoughts this night in sleep
Affects me equally; nor can I like
This uncouth dream, of evil sprung I fear;
Yet evil whence? in thee can harbour none,
Created pure. But know that in the Soul
Are many leffer Faculties that ferve

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Reafon as chief; among these Fancy next
Her office holds; of all external things
Which the five watchful Senfes reprefent,
She forms Imaginations, Aerie fhapes,
Which Reason joyning or disjoyning, frames
All what we affirm, or what deny, and call

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Our

Our Knowledge or Opinion; then retires
Into her private Cell, when Nature rests.

Oft in her abfence mimic Fancy wakes
To imitate her; but misjoyning fhapes,
Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams,
Ill matching words and deeds long paft or late.
Some fuch resemblances methinks I find
Of our last Evening's talk, in this thy dream,
But with addition ftrange. Yet be no fad,

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Evil into the Mind of God or Man

May come and go, fo unapprov'd, and leave
No fpot or blame behind: Which gives me hope
That what in fleep thou didst abhor to Dream,
Waking thou never wilt confent to Do.

Be not dishearten'd then, nor cloud thofe looks
That wont to be more chearful and ferene

Than when fair Morning first smiles on the World;
And let us to our fresh Imployments rife
Among the Groves, the Fountains, and the Flours,
That open now their choiceft bofom'd smells
Referv'd from night, and kept for thee in ftore.

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So cheard he his fair Spouse, and fhe was chear'd,

But filently a gentle tear let fall

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From either eye, and wip'd them with her hair;

Two other precious drops that ready stood,

Each in their Chryftal fluice, he ere they fell
Kifs'd, as the gracious figns of fweet remorfe
And pious awe, that fear'd to have offended.

So all was clear'd, and to the Field they hafte.
But firft from under fhadie arborous roof,
Soon as they forth were come to open fight
of day-fpring, and the Sun, who scarce up rifen
With wheels yet hov'ring o'er the Ocean brim,
Shot parallel to the Earth his dewy ray,
Discovering in wide Landskip all the Eaft
Of Paradife and Eden's happy Blains,

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Lowly they bow'd adoring, and began
Their Oraisons, each Morning duly paid
In various ftyle: for neither various style
Nor holy rapture wanted they to praise
Their Maker, in fit ftrains pronounc'd or fung
Unmeditated; fuch prompt eloquence

Flow'd from their Lips, in Profe or numerous Verfe,
More tunable than needed Lute or Harp

To add more sweetness, and they thus began.

These are thy glorious works, Parent of good,
Almighty, thine this univerfal Frame,

Thus wond'rous fair; thy felf how wond'rous then!
Unfpeakable, who fitt'ft above these Heavens

To us invifible or dimly feen

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In these thy loweft Works: yet these declare

Thy goodness beyond thought, and Power Divine.
Speak ye who beft can tell, ye Sons of light,
Angels, for ye behold him, and with fongs
And choral fymphonies, Day without Night,
Circle his Throne rejoycing, ye in Heav'n.
On Earth join all ye Creatures to extoll

Him firft, him laft, him midst, and without end.
Faireft of Stars, laft in the train of Night,
If better thou belong not to the dawn,

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Sure pledge of day that crown'st the smiling Morn
With thy bright Circlet, praise him in thy Sphere
While day arises,that sweet hour of Prime.
Thou Sun, of this great World both Eye and Soul,
Acknowledge him thy Greater, found his praise
In thy eternal courfe, both when thou climb'st,
And when high Noon haft gain'd, and when thou fall'st.
Moon, that now meet'ft the orient Sun, now fly'ft 175
With the fixt Stars, fixt in their Orb that flies,

And ye five other wand'ring Fires that move
In myftic Dance not without Song, refound
His praise, who out of Darkness call'd up Light.
Air, and ye Elements the eldest Birth

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of

Of Nature's Womb, that in quaternion run

Perpetual Circle, multiform; and mix

And nourish all things, let your ceaseless change
Vary to our great Maker still new praise.
Ye Mifts and Exhalations that now rife
From Hill or fteaming Lake, dusky or grey,
Till the Sun paint your feecie skirts with Gold,
In honour to the World's great Author rife,
Whether to deck with Clouds th' uncolour'd Sky,
Or wet the thirsty Earth with falling Showers,
Rifing or falling ftill advance his praise.
His praise, ye Winds that from four Quarters blow,
Breathe foft or loud; and wave your tops, ye Pines,
With every Plant, in Sign of Worship wave.
Fountains, and ye that warble, as ye flow,
Melodious murmurs, warbling tune his praise.
Joyn voices all ye living Souls, ye Birds,
That finging up to Heaven-Gate ascend,
Bear on your wings and in your notes his praife;
Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk
The Earth, and stately tread, or lowly creep;
Witness If I be filent, Morn or Even,

To Hill, or Valley, Fountain, or fresh Shade
Made vocal by my Song, and taught his praise.
Hail univerfal Lord, be bounteous ftill
To give us only Good; and if the Night
Have gather'd aught of Evil conceal'd,
Difperfe it, as now Light difpels the Dark.

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So pray'd they innocent, and to their thoughts Firm peace recover'd foon and wonted calm.

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On to their morning's rural work they haste
Among sweet dews and flours; where any row
Of Fruit-trees over-woodie reach'd too far

Their pamper'd boughs, and needed hands to check
Fruitless embraces: or they led the Vine

To wed her Elm; fhe fpous'd about him twines
Her marriageable arms, and with her brings

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Her

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