His heart I know, how variable and vain
Self-left.

Lest therefore his now bolder hand
Reach also of the Tree of Life, and eat,
And live for ever, dream at least to live
For ever, to remove him I decree,
And send him from the garden forth to till
The ground whence he was taken, fitter soil.
Michael, this my behest have thou in charge;
Take to thee from among the Cherubim
Thy choice of flaming warriors, lest the Fiend,
Or in behalf of man, or to invade

Vacant possession, some new trouble raise :
Haste thee, and from the Paradise of God
Without remorse drive out the sinful pair,
From hallowed ground the unholy, and denounce
To them and to their progeny from thence
Perpetual banishment. Yet, lest they faint
At the sad sentence rigorously urged
(For I behold them softened and with tears
Bewailing their excess), all terror hide.
If patiently thy bidding they obey,
Dismiss them not disconsolate; reveal
To Adam what shall come in future days,
As I shall thee enlighten; intermix

My covenant in the woman's seed renewed:

333

So send them forth, though sorrowing yet in peace;
And on the east side of the garden place,

Where entrance up from Eden easiest climbs,
Cherubic watch, and of a sword the flame

Wide waving, all approach far off to fright,

120

111. excess, transgression. 115. intermix, with the sad tidings mingle the joyful assurance of.

120. Cherubic watch. See Genesis iii. 24.

And guard all passage to the Tree of Life;
Lest Paradise a réceptacle prove

To spirits foul, and all my trees their prey,

With whose stolen fruit man once more to delude."

He ceased; and the archangelic power prepared For swift descent, with him the cohort bright Of watchful Cherubim; four faces each Had, like a double Janus, all their shape Spangled with eyes, more numerous than those Of Argus, and more wakeful than to drowse, Charmed with Arcadian pipe, the pastoral reed Of Hermes, or his opiate rod. Meanwhile, To re-salute the world with sacred light,

124

130

Leucothea waked, and with fresh dews embalmed 135 The earth, when Adam and first matron Eve

Had ended now their orisons, and found

Strength added from above, new hope to spring
Out of despair, joy, but with fear yet linked;
Which thus to Eve his welcome words renewed; 140

"Eve, easily may faith admit that all

The good which we enjoy from Heaven descends;
But that from us aught should ascend to Heaven
So prevalent as to concern the mind

127. cohort, band.
128. four faces. "Every one
had four faces apiece." Ezekiel
x. 21.

129. Janus was a Roman deity, commonly represented with two faces.

130. with eyes. See Ezekiel x. 12.

131-133. Argus was said to have had a hundred eyes. He was set by Hera (Juno) to guard Io, whom she had metamorphosed into a cow. But Hermes (Mercury) slew him, having lulled him to sleep with the

sweet sounds of his flute or
Arcadian pipe, and touched him
with his opiate rod.- Arcadian,
belonging to Arcadia, a country
of shepherds, by whom Hermes
was especially worshipped.
pastoral, belonging to
herds. - opiate, sleep-giving.

shep

135. Leucothea, signifying in Greek White-goddess, was a goddess of the sea. Milton here uses the name for the goddess of the dawn.

144. prevalent, prevailing; efficacious.

Qf God high-blest, or to incline his will,
Hard to belief may seem; yet this will prayer,
Or one short sigh of human breath, upborne
Even to the seat of God. For since I sought

By prayer the offended Deity to appease,
Kneeled and before him humbled all my heart,
Methought I saw him placable and mild,
Bending his ear; persuasion in me grew
That I was heard with favor; peace returned
Home to my breast, and to my memory

His promise that thy seed shall bruise our foe;
Which, then not minded in dismay, yet now
Assures me that the bitterness of death

Is past, and we shall live. Whence hail to thee,
Eve rightly called, mother of all mankind,
Mother of all things living, since by thee
Man is to live, and all things live for man!"

To whom thus Eve with sad demeanor meek:
"Ill worthy I such title should belong
To me transgressor, who, for thee ordained
A help, became thy snare; to me reproach
Rather belongs, distrust and all dispraise :
But infinite in pardon was my Judge,
That I, who first brought death on all, am graced
The source of life; next favorable thou,
Who highly thus to entitle me vouchsaf'st,
Far other name deserving. But the field
To labor calls us now with sweat imposed
Though after sleepless night; for see, the morn,
All unconcerned with our unrest, begins

146. this will prayer, prayer will do this.

157. "And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past." 1 Samuel xv. 32.

159. rightly calied. "And Adam

145

150

155

160

165

170

175

Her rosy progress smiling. Let us forth,
I never from thy side henceforth to stray,
Where'er our day's work lies, though now enjoined
Laborious, till day droop; while here we dwell,
What can be toilsome in these pleasant walks?
Here let us live, though in fallen state, content.” 180

185

So spake, so wished much-humbled Eve, but Fate Subscribed not; Nature first gave signs, impressed On bird, beast, air, air suddenly eclipsed After short blush of morn; nigh in her sight The bird of Jove, stooped from his aery tour, Two birds of gayest plume before him drove: Down from a hill the beast that reigns in woods, First hunter then, pursued a gentle brace, Goodliest of all the forest, hart and hind; Direct to the eastern gate was bent their flight. Adam observed, and, with his eye the chase Pursuing, not unmoved to Eve thus spake :

190

"O Eve, some further change awaits us nigh, Which Heaven by these mute signs in Nature shows, Forerunners of his purpose, or to warn

Us haply too secure of our discharge

From penalty, because from death released

Some days; how long, and what till then our life,
Who knows, or more than this, that we are dust,
And thither must return and be no more?
Why else this double object in our sight

Of flight, pursued in the air and o'er the ground,

182. Subscribed, assented; agreed.

183. eclipsed, become dark with clouds.

185. The bird of Jove, the eagle.stooped, having stooped.

tour, wheel. Or it may mean tower; the height to which he towers.

195

200

187. the beast that reigns, the lion, king of beasts.

196. secure, certain.

198. Some days, for some days. 199. or more than this, or who knows more than this.

One way the self-same hour? Why in the east
Darkness ere day's mid-course, and morning light
More orient in yon western cloud, that draws
O'er the blue firmament a radiant white,
And slow descends with something heavenly
fraught?'

He erred not, for by this the heavenly bands
Down from a sky of jasper lighted now
In Paradise, and on a hill made halt;
A glorious apparition, had not doubt

And carnal fear that day dimmed Adam's eye.
Not that more glorious, when the angels met
Jacob in Mahanaïm, where he saw

The field pavilioned with his guardians bright;
Nor that which on the flaming mount appeared
In Dothan, covered with a camp of fire,
Against the Syrian king, who, to surprise
One man, assassin-like had levied war,

War unproclaimed. The princely Hierarch

In their bright stand there left his powers to seize
Possession of the garden; he alone,

To find where Adam sheltered, took his way,
Not unperceived of Adam, who to Eve,

205

210

215

220

While the great visitant approached, thus spake: 225

66

'Eve, now expect great tidings, which perhaps

Of us will soon determine, or impose

New laws to be observed; for I descry,

From yonder blazing cloud that veils the hill,

203. Why, why is there.

205. More orient, more bright

than the rising light.

Her

208. by this, by this time. 209. a sky of jasper. light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." Revelation xxi. 11.

211. apparition, appearance.

213-215. See Genesis xxxii. 1, 2. 216-220. See 2 Kings vi. 8-17. Hierarch. See line 99.

221. stand, station; or, In their bright stand, standing in their brightness.

223. sheltered, had taken shelter.

227. determine, decide the fate.