This faid, he form'd thee, Adam, thee O Man!

Duft of the ground; and in thy noftri's breath'd 525 The breath of life: in his own image he

Created thee, in the image of God

Exprefs, and thou becam'ft a living foul.
Male he created thee, but thy confort

Female, for race; then blefs'd mankind, and faid, 53e
Be fruitful multiply, and fill the earth,
Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold
Over fish of the fea, and fowl of th' air.
And ev'ry living thing that moves on th' earth,
Wherever thus created for no place

Is yet diftinct by name, thence, as thou know'ft,
He brought thee into this delicious

grove,

This garden; planted, with the trees of God;
Delectable both to behold and taste:

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And freely all their pleafant fruit for food.

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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'st not: in the day thou eat'st, thou dy'st: Death is the penalty impos'd beware!

And govern well thy appetite, left Sin

Surprife 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 ev❜n and morn accomplish'd the fixth day:
Yet not 'till the Creator from his work.
Defifting, though unwearied, up return'd;
Up to the Heav'n of Heav'n's, his high abode,
Thence, to behold this new created world,

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Th' addition of his empire, how it show'd

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In profpect from his throne, how good, how fair,

Anfwering 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
Refounded, thou remember'ft, for thou heardst,
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The Heav'n's and all the conftellations rung:
The planets in their station list'ning stood,
While the bright pomp afcended jubilant.
Open, ye everlasting gates, they sung,
Open, ye Heav'ns, your living doors; let in
The great Creator, from his work return'd
Magnificent, his fix days work, a World
Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deign
To vifit oft the dwellings of juft men,
Delighted; and with frequent intercourfe
Thither will fend his winged messengers,
On errands of fupernal grace. So fung
The glorious train afcending: He through Heav'n,
That open'd wide her blazing portals, led,500 (575)
To God's eternal house direct the ways

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A broad and ample road, whofe duft is gold
And pavement stars, as ftars to thee appear
Seen in the galaxy, that milky way

Which nightly, as a circling zone, thou feest 7 15801
Powder'd with flars, And now on earth the seventh
Ev'ning arofe in Eden, for the fun.

Was fet, and twilight from the east came on, did. I Forerunning night; when, at the holy mount

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Of Heav'n's high-feated top, th' imperial throne585
Of Godhead, fix'd for ever firm and fure,
The filial Pow'r arriv'd, and fat him dow'n
With his great Father: for he also went
Invifible, yet ftaid, fuch privilege

Hath Omniprefence, and the work ordain'd,
Author and end of all things; and from work

Now refting, blefs'd and hallow'd the fev'nth day,
As refting on that day from all his work:
But not in filence holy kept; the harp
Had work and refted not, the folemn pipe,
And dulcimer, all organs of sweet stop,
All founds on fret by ftring, or golden wire,
Temper'd foft tunings, intermix'd with voice
Choral, or unifon: of incense clouds,

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Fuming

Fuming from golden cenfers, hid the mounts
Creation, and the fix days afts, they fung..

Great are thy works, Jehovah infinite tlgaf

Thy pow'r! what thought can meafure 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

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Is greater, than created to deftroy.

Who can impair thee, mighty King! or bound of A Thy empire? Eafily the proud attempt

Of fpirits apoftate, and their counfèls vain, 316 610
Thou haft repell'd; while impiously they thought
Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw

The number of thy worshippers. Who feeks

To leffen thee, against his purpose serves
To manifeft the more thy might: his evil

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Thou ufeft, and from thence creat'st more good, #RT
Witnefs this new-made world, another Heav'n!05't
From Heaven gate not far, founded in view!ow mhW
On the clear hyaline, the glaffy fea;
Of amplitude almost immenfe, with stars
Numerous, and ev'ry star perhaps a world
Of deftin'd habitation; but thou know'st
Their seasons: among these the feat of men,
Earth, with her nether ocean circumfus'd,
Their pleafant 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 fea, or air;
And multiply a race of worshippers
Holy and juft: thrice happy if they know
Their happiness, and perfevere upright!

So fung they, and the empyrean rung
With hallelujahs: Thus was Sabbath kept,
And thy request think now fulfill'd, that afk'd'
How first this world and face of things began,
And what before thy memory was done
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From

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From the beginning, that pofterity

Inform'd by thee might know. If elfe thou feek'st
Ought, not fnrpaffing human measure, fay.

The End of the Seventh Book.

BOOK

VIII.

The Angel ended, and in Adam's ear

So charming left his voice, that he a while.
Thought him ftill fpeaking, ftill ftood fix'd to hear:
Then, as new wak'd, thus gratefully reply'd..
What thanks fufficient, or what recompenfe
Equal, have I to render thee, divine.
Hiftorian? who thus largely haft allay'd
The thirst I had of knowledge, and vouchfaf'd
This friendly condefcenfion to relate

Things, elfe by me unfearchable; now heard
With wonder, but delight; and, as is due,
With glory attributed to the high

Creator. Something yet of doubt remains,
Which only thy folution can refolve.

When I behold this goodly frame, this world
Of Heav'n and earth confifting; and compute
Their magnitudes; this earth a fpot, a grain,
An atom, with the firmament compar'd,
And all her number'd itars; that feem to roll
Spaces incomprehensible, for such
Their distance argues, and their fwift return
Diurnal, merely to officiate light

Round this opacous earth, this punctual fpot,
One day and night; in all their vast survey
Ufelefs befides: reafoning I oft admire,
How Nature, wife and frugal, could commit...
Such difproportions; with fuperfluous hand,
So many nobler bodies to create,

Greater fo manifold to this one use,

For ought appears, and on their orbs impofe

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Such

Such restless revolution day by day,
Repeated, while the fedentary earth,

That better might with far lefs compass movepu arogan
Serv'd by more noble thau herfelf, attains net mo 'I
Her end without least motion; and receives, ・ njaj#35€
As tribute, fuch a sumless journey brought colusi vilt
Of incorporeal speed, her warmth and ligth;

Speed, to defcribe whofe fwiftness number fails.

So fpake our fire, and by his count'nance feem'd.Lor Entring on studious thoughts abftrufe; which Eve 40H Perceiving, where the fat retir'd in fight,dards With lowlinefs majeftic from her feat,

And grace, that won who saw to with her stayin m
Rofe, and went forth among her fruits and flow'rs, OT
To vifit how they profper'd, but and bloom,
Her nursery: they at her coming fprung,

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And touch'd by her fair tendance gladlier grew, DOMA
Yet went the not, as not with such discourse
Delighted, or not capable her earb no so

Of what was high: such pleasure she, referv'd, ardi 501 Adam relating the fole auditrefs:

Her husband the relater fhe preferr'd...

Before the Angelsand of him to alk.

Chose rather the, the knew, would intermix

Grateful digreffions, and folve high difputer 554

With conjugal careffes: from his lip

Not words alone, pleas'd her. O when meet now lony?

Such pairs, in love and mutual honor join'd?

With Goddes-like demeanour forth fhe went; an

Not unattended for on her, as Queen,

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A pomp of winning Graces waited still,

And from about her fhot darts of defire
Into all eyes, to with her still in fight.

And Raphael now, to Adam's doubt propos'd,
Benevolent and facil thus reply'd.

To aík or search I blame thee not, for Heav'n »

Is as the book of God before thee fet,
Wherein to read his wondrous works, and learn

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