Sole victor, from the expulsion of his foes,
Messiah his triumphal chariot turned.

To meet him all his Saints, who silent stood
Eye-witnesses of his almighty acts,

880

With jubilee advanced; and as they went,
Shaded with branching palm, each Order bright,
Sung triumph, and him sung victorious King,
Son, Heir, and Lord, to him dominion given,
Worthiest to reign. He celebrated rode,
Triumphant through mid-Heaven, into the courts
And temple of his mighty Father throned
On high; who into glory him received,

Where now he sits, at the right-hand of bliss.

890

Thus, measuring things in Heaven by things on
Earth,

At thy request, and that thou mayest beware
By what is past, to thee I have revealed
What might have else to human race been hid;
The discord which befell, and war in Heaven
Among the angelic Powers, and the deep fall
Of those too high aspiring, who rebelled
With Satan; he who envies now thy state,
Who now is plotting how he may seduce
Thee also from obedience, that, with him
Bereaved of happiness, thou mayest partake
His punishment, eternal misery ;

Which would be all his solace and revenge,
As a despite done against the Most High,
Thee once to gain companion of his woe.
But listen not to his temptations; warn
Thy weaker; let it profit thee to have heard,
By terrible example, the reward

Of disobedience. Firm they might have stood,
Yet fell; remember, and fear to transgress."

900

910

PARADISE LOST.

BOOK VII.

THE ARGUMENT.

RAPHAEL, at the request of Adam, relates how and wherefore this World was first created; that God, after the expelling of Satan and his Angels out of Heaven, declared his pleasure to create another world, and other creatures to dwell therein; sends his Son with glory, and attendance of Angels, to perform the work of Creation in six days: the Angels celebrate with hymns the performance thereof, and his reascension into Heaven.

ESCEND from Heaven, Urania-by that

name

If rightly thou art called-whose voice
divine

Following, above the Olympian hill I soar,
Above the flight of Pegasean wing!

The meaning, not the name, I call; for thou
Nor of the Muses nine, nor on the top
Of old Olympus dwellest; but, heavenly-born,
Before the hills appeared or fountain flowed,
Thou with eternal Wisdom didst converse,
Wisdom thy sister, and with her didst play

10

In

presence of the Almighty Father, pleased
With thy celestial song. Up-led by thee
Into the Heaven-of-heavens I have presumed,
An earthly guest, and drawn empyreal air,
Thy tempering. With like safety guided down
Return me to my native element;
Lest, from this flying steed unreined -
Bellerophon, though from a lower clime-
Dismounted, on the Aleian field I fall,
Erroneous there to wander and forlorn. ·
Half yet remains unsung, but, narrower bound,
Within the visible diurnal sphere.

as once

Standing on earth, not rapt above the pole,
More safe I sing with mortal voice, unchanged
To hoarse or mute, though fallen on evil days,
On evil days though fallen, and evil tongues,
In darkness, and with dangers compassed round,
And solitude; yet not alone, while thou
Visitest my slumbers nightly, or when morn
Purples the east. Still govern thou my song,
Urania, and fit audience find, though few;
But drive far off the barbarous dissonance
Of Bacchus and his revellers, the race
Of that wild rout that tore the Thracian bard
In Rhodopè, where woods and rocks had ears
To rapture, till the savage clamour drowned
Both harp and voice; nor could the Muse defend
Her son.
So fail not thou who thee implores;
For thou art heavenly, she an empty dream.

Say, Goddess, what ensued when Raphaël,
The affable Archangel, had forewarned
Adam, by dire example, to beware
Apostasy, by what befell in Heaven
To those apostates; lest the like befall

20

30

40

In Paradise to Adam or his race,
Charged not to touch the interdicted tree,

If they transgress, and slight that sole command,
So easily obeyed, amid the choice

Of all tastes else to please their appetite,

Though wandering. He, with his consorted Eve, 50
The story heard attentive, and was filled
With admiration and deep muse, to hear

Of things so high and strange, things to their thought
So unimaginable as hate in Heaven,

And war so near the peace of God in bliss,
With such confusion; but the evil, soon
Driven back, redounded as a flood on those
From whom it sprung, impossible to mix
With blessedness. Whence Adam soon repealed
The doubts that in his heart arose; and now
Led on, yet sinless, with desire to know
What nearer might concern him, how this World
Of heaven and earth conspicuous first began;
When, and whereof created; for what cause;
What within Eden, or without, was done

Before his memory
as one, whose drought
Yet scarce allayed, still eyes the current stream,
Whose liquid murmur heard new thirst excites
Proceeded thus to ask his heavenly guest:

60

"Great things, and full of wonder in our ears, 70 Far differing from this World, thou hast revealed, Divine interpreter! by favour sent

Down from the Empyrean, to forewarn

Us timely of what might else have been our loss,
Unknown, which human knowledge could not reach.
For which to the infinitely Good we owe
Immortal thanks, and his admonishment
Receive with solemn purpose, to observe

Immutably his sovran will, the end

Of what we are.

But since thou hast vouchsafed 80

Gently, for our instruction, to impart

Things above earthly thought, which yet concerned

Our knowing, as to highest Wisdom seemed,

Deign to descend now lower, and relate,
What may no less perhaps avail us known,
How first began this heaven, which we behold
Distant so high, with moving fires adorned
Innumerable; and this which yields or fills
All space, the ambient air, wide interfused,
Embracing round this florid earth; what cause
Moved the Creator, in his holy rest
Through all eternity, so late to build
In Chaos; and the work begun how soon
Absolved if unforbid thou mayest unfold
What we not to explore the secrets ask
Of his eternal empire, but the more

To magnify his works, the more we know..

And the great light of day yet wants to run

90

Much of his race though steep. Suspense in heaven,

Held by thy voice, thy potent voice, he hears, 100
And longer will delay to hear thee tell
His generation, and the rising birth
Of Nature from the unapparent Deep:
Or if the star of evening and the moon

Haste to thy audience, Night with her will bring
Silence, and Sleep listening to thee will watch;
Or we can bid his absence, till thy song
End, and dismiss thee ere the morning shine."

Thus Adam his illustrious guest besought;
And thus the godlike Angel answered mild:
"This also thy request, with caution asked,
Obtain; though to recount almighty works

110