Divided Empire with Heav'ns King I hold
By thee, and more than Half perhaps will reign;
As Man ére long, and this new World thall know.
Thus while he spake, each paffion dimm'd his face
Thrice chang'd with pale, ire, envy and despair,
Which marr'd his borrow'd vifage, and betray'd
Him counterfeit, if any eye beheld.
For heav'nly minds from fuch diftempers foul
Are ever clear. Whereof he foon aware,
Each perturbation fmooth'd with outward calm,
Artificer of Fraud, and was the first
That practis'd falfhood under faintly fhew,
Deep malice to conceal, coucht with revenge:
Yet not enough had practis'd to déceive
Uriel once warn'ds whofe eye purfu'd him down
The way he went, and on th' Affyrian mount
Saw him disfigur'd, more than could befall
Spirit of Happy foit: His geftures fiercê
He mark'd and mad demeanour, then alone,
As he fuppos'd, all unobserv'd, unseen.
So on he fares, and to the border comes
Cedar, and Pine, and Firr, and branching Palm,
A Sylvan Scene, and as the ranks afcend
Shade above Shade, a woody Theatre
Of ftatelieft view. Yet higher than their tops
The verdurous wall of Paradife up sprung:
Which to our general Sire gave prospect large
Into his neather Empire neighbouring round,
And higher than that Walk a circling tow
Of goodlieft Trees loaden with fairest Fruit,
Bloffoms and Fruits at once of golden hue
Appear'd, with gay enamel'd colours mixt:
On which the Sun more glad impress'd his beams
Than in fair Evening Cloud, or humid Bow,
When God hath fhower'd the Earth; fo lovely feem'd
That Landskip: And of pure now purer air
Meets his approach, and to the heart inspires
Vernal delight and joy, able to drive
All fadness but despair: Now gentle gales
Fanning their odoriferous wings difpenfe
Native perfumes, and whisper whence they ftole
Those balmic fpoiles. As when to them who faile
Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are past
Mozambic, off at Sea North-Eaft winds blow
Sabean Odour from the spicie shore
Of Arabie the bleft, with fuch delay
Well pleas'd they slack their course, and many a League Chear'd with the grateful Smell old Ocean fmiles. 165 So entertain'd thofe odorous fweets the Fiend
Who came their bane, though with them better pleas'd Than Afmodeus with the fifhie fume,
That drove him, though enamour'd, from the Spouse Of Tobit's Son, and with a vengeance fent
From Media poft to Egypt, there fast bound.
Now to th' afcent of that steep favage Hill
Satan had journied on, pensive and flow;
But further way found none, fo thick entwin'd,
As one continu'd brake, the undergrowth
Of fhurbs and tangling bushes had preplext
All path of Man or Beaft that pass that way.
One Gate there only was, and that look'd Eaft
On th' other fide: which when th' Arch-fellon faw,
Due entrance he disdain'd, and in contempt,
At one flight bound high over-leap'd all bound
Of Hill or highest Wall, and sheer within
Lights on his Feet. As when a prowling Wolfe,
Whom hunger drives to seck new haunt for prey,
Watching where Shepherds pen their Flocks at eeve
In hurdled Cotes amid the field fecure,
Leaps o'er the fence with ease into the Fould:
Or as a Thief bent to unhoord the cash
Of fome rich Burgher, whofe fubftantial doors,
Cross-barr'd and bolted faft, fear no affault,
In at the window climbs, or o'er the tiles;
So clomb this first grand Thief into God's Fould ;
So fince into his Church lewd Hirelings climb.
Thence up he flew, and on the Tree of Life,
The middle Tree and higheft there that grew,
Sat like a Cormorant; yet not true Life
Thereby regain'd, but fat devifing Death
To them who liv'd; nor on the virtue thought.
Of that life-giving Plant, but only us'd
For prospect, what well us'd had been the pledge
Of immortality. So little knows
Any, but God alone, to value right
The good before him, but perverts beft things
To worst abuse, or to their meanest use.
Beneath him with new wonder now he views
To all delight of human Senfe expofs'd
In narrow room Nature's whole wealth, yea more,
A Heav'n on Earth, for blissful Paradife
Of God the Garden was, by him in th' Eaft
Of Eden planted; Eden stretch'd her Line
From Auran Eastward to the Royal Tow'rs
of great Selencia, built by Grecian Kings,
Or where the Sons of Eden long before
Dwelt in Telaffar in this pleasant soile
His far more pleasant Garden God ordain'd;
Out of the fertil ground he caus'd to grow
All Trees of nobleft kind for fight, fmell, tafte;
And all amid them ftood the Tree of Life,
High eminent, blooming Ambrofial Fruit
Of vegetable Gold; and next to Life,
Our Death the Tree of Knowledge grew faft by,
Knowledge of Good bought dear by knowing Ill.
Southward through Eden went a River large,
Nor chang'dhis courfe, but through the fhaggiehill
Pafs'd underneath ingulft, for God had thrown
That Mountain as his Garden-mould high rais'd
Upon the rapid current, which through veins
Of porous Earth with kindly thirst up-drawn,
Rose a fresh Fountain, and with many a rill
Water'd the Garden; thence united fell
Down the steep glade, and met the neather Floud,
Which from his darkfome paffage now appears,
And now divided into four main Streams,
Runs Diverse, wandring many a famous Realm
And Country, whereof here needs no account,
But rather to tell how, if Art could tell,,
How from that Saphire Fount the crifped Brooks,
Rowling on Orient Pearl and sands of Gold,
With mazie error under pendant shades
Ran Nectar, visiting each plant, and fed
Flours worthy of Paradife, which not nice Art
In Beds and curious Knots, but Nature boon
Pow'rd forth profufe on Hill and Dale and Plain,
Both where the morning Sun first warmly fmote
The open field, and where the unpierc'd fhade
Imbroun'd the noon-tide Bow'rs: Thus was this place,
A happy rural feat of various view ;
Groves whose rich Trees wept odorous Gumms and
Others whofe Fruit burnifht with Golden Rinde
Hung amiable, Hefperian Fables true,
If true, here only, and of delicious taste.
Flours of all hue, and without Thorn the Rofe.
Another fide, umbrageous Grots and Caves
Of cool recefs, o'er which the mantling vine
Lays forth her purple Grape, and gently creeps
Luxuriant: Mean while murmuring waters fall
Down the flope hills, difperft, or in a Lake,
That to the fringed Bank with Myrtle crown'd,
Her chrystal mirror holds, unite their streams.
The Birds their quire apply; aires, veinal aires,
Breathing the smell of field and grove, attune
The trembling leaves, while univerfal Pan
Knit with the Graces and the Hours in dance
Led on th' Eternal Spring. Nor that fair field
Of Enna, where Proferpin gathering flours,
Her felf a fairer Flour by gloomy Dis
Was gather'd, which coft Ceres all that pain
To feek her thro' the world; nor that sweet Grove
Of Daphne by Orontes, and th' inspir'd
Caftalian Spring, might with this Paradife
Of Eden ftrive; nor that Nyfeian Ifle
Girt with the River Triton, where old Cham,
Whom Gentiles Ammon call and Libyan Jove,
Hid Amalthea and her Florid Son
Young Bacchus from his Stepdame Rhea's eye;
Nor where Abaffin Kings their iffue guard,
Mount Amara, though this by fome suppos'd
True Paradife under the Ethiop Line
By Nilus head, enclos'd with fhining Rock,
A whole days journey high, but wide remote
From this Affyrian Garden, where the Fiend
Saw undelighted all delight, all kind
Of living Creatures new to fight and strange.
Two of far nobler shape erect and tall,
Godlike erect, with native Honour clad,
In naked Majefty feem'd Lords of all;
And worthy feem'd, for in their looks Divine
The image of their glorious Maker shone,
Truth, Wisdom, San&titude severe and pure,
Severe, but in true filial freedom plac'd;
Whence true authority in men; though both
Not equal, as their Sex not equal feem'd ;
For contemplation He and valour form'd;
For foftness She and sweet attractive Grace,
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