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His mighty Angels gave them feveral charge,
As forted beft with prefent things. The Sun
Had firft his precept fo to move, fo shine,
As might affect the Earth with cold and heat
Scarce tolerable, and from the North to call
Decrepit Winter, from the South to bring
Solftitial fummers heat. To the blanc Moon
Her Office they prefcrib'd; to th' other Five
Their planetary motions and aspects.
In Sextile, Square, and Trine, and Opposite
Of noxious efficacy, and when to join
In Synod unbenign, and taught the fixt
Their influence malignant when to showre,
Which of them rifing with the Sun, or falling,
Should prove Tempestuous: To the Winds they set
Their corners, when with bluftre to confound
Sea, Air, and Shore, the Thunder when to roll
With terror thro' the dark Aerial Hall.
Some fay he bid his Angels turn ascanse
The Poles of Earth twice ten degrees and more
From the Sun's Axle ; they with labour push'd
Oblique the Centric Globe: Some say the Sun
Was bid turn Reins from th' Equinoctial Rode
Like diftant breadth to Taurus with the Seven
Atlantick Sifters, and the Spartan Twins
Up to the Tropic Crab; thence down amain
By Leo and the Virgin and the Scales,
As deep as Capricorne, to bring in change
Of Seasons to each Clime; elfe had the Spring
Perpetual fmil'd on Earth with vernant Flours,
Equal in Days and Nights, except to those
Beyond the Polar Circles; to them Day
Had unbenighted fhon, while the low Sun
To recompence his distance, in their fight
Had rounded ftill the Horizon, and not known
Or Eaft or Weft, which had forbid the Snow
From cold Eftotiland, and South as far
Beneath Magellan. At that tafted Fruit

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The Sun, as from Thyeftean Banquet, turn'd

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His course intended; elfe how had the World
Inhabited, though finless, more than now,
Avoided pinching cold and fcorching heat?
These changes in the Heav'ns, though flow, produc'd
Like change on Sea and Land, fideral blaft, /
Vapour, and Mift, and Exhalation hot,
Corrupt and Peftilent: Now from the North
Of Norumbega, and the Samoed fhore

Burfting their brazen Dungeon, arm'd with ice
And fnow and hail and ftormy guft and flaw,
Boreas and Cacias and Argeftes loud

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And Thracias rend the Woods and Seas up-turn;

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With adverse blaft up-turns them from the South

Notus and Afer black with thundrous Clouds

From Serraliona; thwart of these as fierce

Forth rufh the Levant and the Ponent Winds

Eurus and Zephyr with their lateral noife.

Sirocco, and Libecchio. Thus began

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Outrage from lifeless things; but Discord first,
Daughter of Sin among th' irrational,

Death introduc'd through fierce antipathy:

Beast now with Beast gan war, and Fowl With Fowl,
And Fish with Fish; to graze the Herb all leaving,
Devour'd each other; nor ftood much in awe
Of Man, but fled him, or with count'nance grim
Glar'd on him paffing: these were from without
The growing Miseries, which Adam faw
Already in part, though hid in gloomiest shade
To forrow abandon'd, but worse felt within,
And in a troubl'd Sea of paffion toft,
Thus to disburden fought with fad complaint.

O miferable of happy! is this the end
Of this new glorious World, and Me fo late
The Glory of that Glory, who now become
Accurft of bleffed, hide me from the face
Of God, whom to behold was then my heighth

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Of

Of happiness; yet well, if here would end
The mifery; I deferv'd it, and would bear
My own defervings; but this will not ferve;
All that I eat or drink, or fhall beget,

Is propagated curse. O voice once heard.
Delightfully, Encreafe and Multiply,

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Now Death to hear! for what can I encrease

Or multiply, but curfes on my head?

Who of all Ages to fucceed, but feeling

The evil on him brought by me, will curfe

My Head? Ill fare our Anceftor impure,

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"For this we may thank Adam; ' - but his thanks

Shall be the execration; fo befides

Mine own that bide upon me, all from me

Shall with a fierce reflux on me redound,

On me as on their natural center light

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Heavy, though in their place. Oh fleeting joyes

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Of Paradife, dear bought with lafting woes!
Did I request thee, Maker, from my Clay
To mould me Man, did I follicit thee
From darkness to promote me, or here place
In this delicious Garden? as my Will
Gancurr'd not to my being, it were but right
And equal to reduce me to my duft,
Defirous to refign, and render back
All I receiv'd, unable to perform

Thy terms too hard, by which I was to hold
The good I fought not. To the lofs of that,
Sufficient penalty, why haft thou added
The fenfe of endless woes? inexplicable
Thy juftice feems; yet to fay truth, too late,
I thus conteft; then should have been refus'd
These terms whatever, when they were propos'd:
Thou didst accept them; wilt thou enjoy the Good,
Then cavil the Conditions? and though God
Made thee without thy leave, what if thy Son
Prove disobedient, and reprov'd, retort,
Wherefore didst thou beget me? I fought it not:

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Wouldft

Wouldst thou admit for his contempt of thee

That proud excuse? yet him not thy Election,

But naural Neceffity begot.

God made thee of choice his own, and of his own

To ferve him, thy reward was of his Grace,

Thy punishment then justly is at his Will.
Be it fo, for I fubmit, his doom is fair,

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That duft I am, and fhall to duft return:

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O welcome hour whenever! why delays

His hand to execute what his Decree

Fixt on this day? why do I overlive,

Why am I mockt with death, and lengthen❜d out
To deathless pain? how gladly would I meet

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Mortality my fentence, and be Earth
Infenfible, how glad would lay me down
As in my Mother's lap? there I should reft
And fleep fecure; his dreadful voice no more
Would Thunder in my ears, no fear of worfe
To me and to my off-spring would torment me
With cruel expectation. Yet one doubt
Purfues me ftill, left All I cannot die,
Left that pure Breath of Life, the Spirit of Man
Which God infpir'd, cannot together perish
With this corporeal Clod; then in the Grave,
Or in fome other difmal place who knows
But I fhall die a living death? O thought
Horrid, if true! yet why? it was but breath

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Of Life that fin'd; what dies but what had life

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And fin? the Body properly hath neither.

All of me then shall die; let this appease

The doubt, fince human reach no further knows.

For though the Lord of all be infinite,

Is his wrath alfo be it, man is not fo,

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But mortal doom'd. How can he exercise

Wrath without end on Man whom Death must end?

Can he make deathlefs Death? that were to make
Strange contradiction, which to God himself
Impoffible is held, as Argument

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Of Weakness, not of Power. Will he draw out,
For anger's fake, finite to infinite

In punish'd man, to fatisfic his rigour,

Satisfy'd never; that were to extend

His Sentence beyond duft and Nature's Law,
By which all Caufes elfe according ftill

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To the reception of their matter act,

Not to th' extent of their own Sphere. But fay
That Death be not one stroke, as I fuppos'd,
Bereaving sense, but Endless mifery
From this day onward, which I feel begun
Both in me, and without me, and fo laft

To perpetuity; Ay me! that fear

Comes thundring back with dreadful revolution

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On my defenceless head; both Death and I
Am found Eternal, and incorporate both.
Nor I on my part fingle, in me all
Pofterity ftands curft! Fair Patrimony
That I muft leave ye, Sons; Owere I able
To wafte it all my felf, and leave ye none !
So difinherited how would ye bless

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Me now your curfe! Ah, why fhould all mankind
For One man's fault thus guiltless be condemn'd,
If guiltless? But from me what can proceed,
But all corrupt, both Mind and Will deprav'd,

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Not to Do only, but to Will the fame

With me? how can they then acquitted stand

In fight of God? Him after all Disputes

Forc'd I abfolve: all my evafions vain

And reasonings, tho' thro' Mazes, lead me still

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But to my own conviction: first and last

On me, me only, as the fource and spring

Of all corruption, all the Blame lights due;

So might the Wrath. Fond wish! couldft thou fupport That Burden heavier than the Earth to bear

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Than all the World much heavier, though divided
With that bad Woman? Thus what thou defir'ft
And what thou fear'ft, alike destroys all hope

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