And live in thee tranfplanted, and from thee
Receive new life. So Man, as is most just,
Shall fatisfie for Man, be judg'd and die,
And dying rife, and rifing with him raise
His Brethren, ranfom'd with his own dear life.
So Heav'nly love fhall outdo Hellish hate
Giving to death, and dying to redeem,
So dearly to redeem what Hellish hate
Socafily destroy'd, and still destroys
In those who, when they may, accept not grace.
Nor fhall thou by descending to assume
Man's Nature, leffen or degrade thine own.
Because thou haft, though Thron'd in highest bliss 305 Equal to God, and equally enjoying
God-like fruition, quitted all to fave
A World from utter lofs, and haft been found
By Merit more than Birthright Son of God,
Found worthieft to be fo by being Good,
Far more than Great or High; because in thee
Love hath abounded more than Glory abounds,
Therefore thy Humiliation fhall exalt
With thee thy Manhood alfo to this Throne;
Here fhall thou fit incarnate, here shalt reign
Both God and Man, Son both of God and Man,
Anointed univerfal King; All Power
I give thee; Reign for ever; and affume
Thy Merits; under Thee as Head fupreme
Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions I reduce:
All knees to thee fhall bow, of them that bide
In Heav'n, or Earth, or under Earth in Hell.
When thou attended gloriously from Heav'n
Shalt in the Sky appear, and from thee fend
The fummoning Arch-Angels to proclaim
Thy dread Tribunal: forthwith from all Winds
The living, and forthwith the cited dead
Of all paft Ages to the general Doom
Shall haften, fuch a Peal fhall roufe their fleep.
Then all thy Saints affembled, thou shalt judge
Bad men and Angels, they arraign'd shall sink
Beneath thy Sentence; Hell, her numbers full,
Thenceforth fhall be for ever fhut. Mean while
The World shall burn, and from her ashes spring
New Heav'n and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell,
And after all their tribulations long
See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds,
With joy and love triumphing, and fair truth.
Then thou thy Regal Scepter fhalt lay by,
For Regal Scepter then no more shall need,
God fhall be All in All. But all ye Gods,
Adore him, who to compass all this dies,
Adore the Son, and honour Him as Me.
No fooner had th' Almighty ceas'd; but all
The multitude of Angels, with a shout
Loud as from numbers without number, sweet
As from bleft voices, utt'ring joy, Heav'n rung
With Jubilee, and loud Hofanna's fill'd
Th' eternal Regions: lowly reverent
Towards either Throne' they bow, and to the ground
To Heav'n remov'd, where first it grew, there grows,
And flours aloft fhading the Fount of Life,
And where the River of Blifs thro' midft of Heav'n
Rowls o'er Ely fian Flours her Amber ftream:
With these that never fade the Spirits elect
Bind their refplendent locks inwreath'd with beams.
Now in loose Garlands thick thrown off, the bright
Pavement, that like a fea of Jasper fhone,
Impurpl'd with Celestial Rofes fmil'd:
Then crown'd again their golden Harps they took, 365 Harps ever tun'd, that glittering by their fide
Like Quivers hung, and with Preamble sweet
Of charming fymphony they introduce
Their facred Song, and waken raptures high;
No voice exempt, no voice but well could joyn
Melodious part: fuch Concord is in Heav'n.
Thee Father firft they fung Omnipotent,
Immutable, Immortal, Infinite,
Eternal King; the Author of all being,
Fountain of light, thy self invisible
Amidft the glorious brightness where thou fit'ft
Thron'd inacceffible, but when thou fhad'ft
The full blaze of thy beams, and through a cloud
Drawn round about thee like a radiant Shrine,
Dark with exceffive bright thy skirts appear,
Yet dazle Heav'n, that brighteft Seraphim
Approach not, but with both wings veil their eyes.
Thee next they fang of all Creation First,
Begotten Son, Divine Similitude,
In whofe confpicuous count'nance, without cloud
Made visible, th' Almighty Father fhines,
Whom elle no Creature can behold; on thee
Imprefs'd th' effulgence of his Glory abides,
Transfus'd on thee his ample Spirit refts.
He Heav'n of Heav'ns and all the Powers therein
By Thee created, and by thee threw down
Th' afpiring Dominations: Thou that day
Thy Father's dreadful Thunder didft not spare,
Nor ftop thy flaming Chariot-wheels, that shook
Heav'ns everlasting Frame, while o'er the necks
Thou drov'ft of warring Angels difarray'd.
Back from purfuit thy Powers with loud acclaim
Thee only extoll'd, Son of thy Father's might,
To execute fierce Vengeance on his Foes;
Not fo on Man; him thro' their malice fall'n,
Father of Mercy and Grace, thou didst not doome
So ftrictly, but much more to Pity encline ::
No fooner did thy dear and only Son
Perceive thee purpos'd not to doome frail Man'
So ftrictly, but much more to pity enclin❜d,
He to appease thy wrath, and end the Strife
Of Mercy and Justice in thy face difcern'd,
Regardless of the Bliss wherein he fat
Second to thee, offer'd himself to die
For Man's offence. O unexampled love,
Love no where to be found less than Divine!
Hail Son of God! Saviour of Men! thy Name
Shall be the copious matter of my Song
Henceforth, and never fhall my Harp thy praise
Forget, nor from thy Father's praise disjoyn.
Thus they in Heav'n, above the starry Sphere, Their happy hours in joy and hymning spent. Mean while upon the firm opacous Globe
Of this round World, whofe first convex divides
The luminous inferior Orbes, enclos'd
From Chaos and th' inroad of Darkness old,
Satan alighted, walks: a Globe far off
It seem'd, now seems a boundless Continent
Dark, waste, and wild, under the frown of Night
Starless expos'd, and ever-threatning ftorms
Of Chaos bluftring round, inclement Sky;
Save on that fide which from the wall of Heav'n,
Though diftant far, fome fmall reflection gains
Of glimmering Air lefs vext with tempeft loud:
Here walk'd the Fiend at large in spacious field.
As when a Vultur on Imaus bred,
Whose snowy ridge the roving Tartar bounds,
Diflodging from a Region scarce of prey
To gorge the flesh of Lambs or yeanling Kids
On Hills where Flocks are fed, flies toward the Springs
Of Ganges or Hydafpes, Indian Streams;
But in his way lights on the barren Plains
Of Sericana, where Chinefes drive
With Sails and Wind their cany Waggons light':
So on this windy Sea of Land, the Fiend
walk'd up and down alone, bent on his prey,
Alone, for other Creature in this place
Living or liveless to be found was none,
None yet, but ftore hereafter from the earth
Up hither like Aereal vapours flew
Of all things tranfitory and vain, when Sin
With vanity had fill'd the works of men.
Both all things vain, and all who in vain things
Built their fond hopes of Glory or lafting fame,
Or happiness in this or th' other life;
All who have their reward on earth, the fruits
Of painful Superftition and blind Zeal,
Naught feeking but the praise of men, here find
Fit retribution, empty as their deeds.
All th' unaccomplisht works of Nature's hand,
Abortive, monftrous, or unkindly mixt,
Diffolv'd on Earth, fleet hither, and in vain,
Till final diffolution, wander here,
Not in the neighb'ring Moon, as fome have dream'd;
Thofe argent Fields more likely habitants,
Tranflated Saints, or Middle Spirits hold
Betwixt th' Angelical and Human kind:
Hither of ill-joyn'd Sons and Daughters born
Firft from the ancient World thofe Giants came
With many a vain exploit, tho' then renown'd;
The builders next of Babel on the Plain
Of Sennaar, and still with vain defign
New Babels, had they wherewithal, would build.
Others came fingle; he who to be deem'd
A God, leap'd fondly intò Ætna flames,
Empedocles, and he who to enjoy
Plato's Elyfium, leap'd into the Sea
Cleombrotus, and many more too long,
Embryo's and Idiots, Eremits and Friars
White, Black, and Grey, with all their Trumpery. 475
Here Pilgrims roam, that ftray'd fo far to feek
In Golgotha him Dead, who Lives in Heav'n:
And they who to be fure of Paradife
Dying put on the weeds of Dominic,
|