תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

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 dimenfion drew,
Streaking the ground with finuous trace; not all
Minims of Nature; fome of Serpent kind
Wondrous in length and corpulence involy'd

480

Their Snaky foulds, and added wings. Firft crept
The Parfimonious Emmet, provident

485

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

Hereafter, joined in her popular Tribes

Of Commonalty: Swarming next appear'd

The Female Bee that feeds her Husband Drone
Deliciously, and builds her waxen Cells

[ocr errors]

With Honey stor❜d: The reft are numberless,

And thou their Natures know'ft, and gav'ft themNames Needless to thee repeated; nor unknown

[ocr errors]

425

The Serpent futtleft Beaft of all the field,

Of huge Extent fometimes, with brazen Eyes
And hairy Main terrific, though to thee

Not noxious, but obedient at thy call.

500

505

Now Heav'n in all her Glory shon, and rowl'd
Her motions, as the great first-Mover's hand
Firft wheel'd their Courfe; Earth in her rich attire
Confummate lovely fmil'd; Air, Water, Earth,
By Fowl, Fish, Beaft, was flown, was fwum, was walkt
Frequent; and of the Sixth day yet remain'd;
There wanted yet the Mafter-work, the End
Of all yet done; a Creature who not prone
And Brute as other Creatures, but endu'd
With Sanctity of Reason, might erect
His Stature, and upright with Front ferene
Govern the reft, self-knowing, and from thence
Magnanimous to correfpond with Heav'n,
But grateful to acknowledge whence his good
Defcends, thither with heart and voice and eyes
Directed in Devotion, to adore

And worship God fupreme, who made him Chief

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

of

Of all his works therefore th' Omnipotent

Eternal Father (For where is not he

Prefent) thus to his Son audibly spake.

Let us make now Man in our Image, Man

In our Similitude, and let them rule

Over the Fish and Fowl of Sea and Air,

Beaft of the Field, and over all the Earth,

And every creeping thing that creeps the ground.
This faid, he form'd Thee, Adam, thee O Man
Duft of the ground, and in thy noftrils breath'd

The breath of Life; in his own Image he
Created thee, in the Image of God

Exprefs, and thou becam'ft a living Soul.

Male he created Thee, but thy Confort

Female for Race; then blefs'd Mankind, and said,

520

526

Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the Earth,

[ocr errors]

Subdue it, and throughout Dominion hold

Over Fish of the Sea, and Fowl of the Air,

And every living thing that moves on the Earth,

where-ever thus created, for no place

535

Is yet diftinct by Name. Thence, as thou know'f,

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

540.

Gave thee, all forts are here that all th' Earth yields

Variety without end; but of the Tree

Which tafted works knowledge of Good and Evil,

Thou may'ft not; in the day thou eat'ft, thou dy'ft;
Death is the Penalty impos'd, beware,

545

And govern well thy appetite, left Sin

Surprize thee, and her black attendant Death.

Here finish'd he, and all that he had made

View'd, and behold all was entirely good;

So Eev'n and Morn accomplish'd the Sixth day;
Yet not till the Creator from his work

Defifting, though unwearied, up return'd.

550

Up

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 fhew'd

555

In profpe&t from his Throne, how good, how fair,
Answering his great Idea. Up he rode

Follow'd with acclamation and the found

Symphonious of ten thousand Harps that tun'd

Angelic harmonies: the Earth, the Air

560

Refounded, (thou remember'st, for thou heardst)

The Heav'ns and all the Constellations rung,

The Planets in their ftation lift'ning stood,
While the bright Pomp afcended jubilant.
Open, ye everlasting Gates, they fung,
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 vifit oft the dwellings of juk Men
Delighted, and with frequent intercourfe
Thither will fend his winged Meffengers
On errands of fupernal Grace. So fung

565

$70

The glorious Train afcending: He through Heav'n,
That open'd wide her blazing Portals, led

575

To God's Eternal house direct the way,

A broad and ample road, whofe duft is Gold
And pavement Stars, as Stars to thee appear,
Seen in the Galaxie, that Milky way

Which nightly as a circling Zone thou seest

580

Pouder'd with Stars. And now on Earth the Seventh

Eevning arose in Eden, for the Sun

Was fet, and twilight from the Eaft came on,
Forerunning Night: when at the holy Mount
Of Heav'ns high-feated top, th' imperial Throne
Of Godhead, fixt for ever firm and fure,
The Filial Power arriv'd, and fat him down
With his great Father for He also went
Invisible, yet ftaid (such Privilege

Math Omnipresence) and the work ordain'd

989

590 Author

Author and end of all things, and from work
Now refting, blefs'd and hallow'd the Sev'nth day,
As refting on that day from all his work,
But not in Silence holy kept; the Harp

Had work and refted not, the folemn Pipe
And Dulcimer, all Organs of sweet stop,

All founds on Fret by String or Golden Wire
Temper'd foft Tunings, intermixt with Voice
Choral or Unifon: of incenfe Clouds
Fuming from Golden Cenfers hid the Mount.
Creation and the Six days acts they fung.

Great are thy Works, Jehovah, infinite

595

600

Thy Power; what thought can measure thee, or tongue
Relate thee; greater now in thy return

Than from the Giant Angels; thee that day
Thy Thunders magnify'd; but to create
Is greater than created to deftroy.

Who can impair thee, mighty King, or bound
Thy Empire? easily the proud attempt
Of Spirits apoftat and their Counsels vain
Thou haft repell'd, while impiously they thought
Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw
The Number of thy worshippers. Who seeks
To leffen thee, against his purpose serves
To manifest the more thy might: his evil
Thou useft, and from thence creat'ft more good.
Witness this new-made World, another Heav'n
From Heav'n Gate not far, founded in View
On the clear Hyaline, the Glaffie Sea:
Of amplitude almoft immenfe, with Stars
Numerous, and every Star perhaps a World
Of deftin'd habitation; but thou know'ft
Their seasons: among these the seat of Men,
Earth with her nether Ocean circumfus'd,

605

615

620

Their pleasant dwelling place. Thrice happy Men, 625 And fons 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

630

Holy and just : thrice happy if they know
Their happiness, and perfevere upright.

So fung they, and the Empyrean rung, With Haleluiahs: Thus was Sabbath kept.

And thy request think now fulfill'd, that ask'd
How firft this World and face of things began,

635

And what before thy memorie was done

From the beginning, that pofterity

Inform'd by thee might know; if else thou seekst
Aught, not surpassing human measure, say.

640

The End of the Seventh Book.

Para

« הקודםהמשך »