With the fix'd stars, fix'd in their orb that flies;
And ye five other wond'ring fires that move
In my tic dance not without fong, refound
His praife, who out of darkness call'd up light.
Air and ye elements, the eldest-birth
Of Nature's womb, that in quaternion run
Perpetual circle, multiform, and mix,
And nourish all things, let your ceafelefs change
Vary to our great Maker ftill new praise ;
Ye mifts and exhalations that now rife
From hill or fteaming lake, dufky or gray,
Till the fun paint your fleecing fkirts with gold,
In honour to the world's great Author rife,
Whether to deck with clouds th' uncolour'd sky,
Or wet the thirty earth with falling fhowers,
Rifing or falling ftill advance his praife.
His praife, ye winds, that from four quarters blow,
Breathe foft or loud; and wave your tops, ye pines,
With ev'ry plant, in fign of worfhip wave.
Fountains, and ye that warble, as ye flow,
Melodious numbers, warbling tune his praife.
Join voices all ye living fouls; ye birds,
That finging up to heav'n-gate afcend,
Bear on your wings and in your notes his praise.
Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk
The earth. and stately tread, or lowly creep:
Witness if I be filent, morn or ev'n,
To hill, or valley, fountain or fresh shade,
Made vocal by my fong, and taught his praife.
Hail, univerfal LORD! be bounteous ftill
To give us only good: and if the night
Have gather'd ought of evil, or conceal'd,
Difperfe it, as now light difpels the dark.
So pray'd they innocent, and to their thoughts Firm peace recover'd foon, and wonted calm. On to their morning's rural work they haste, Among fweet dews and flow'rs; where any row Of fruit trees over woody rea h❜d too far Their pamper'd boughs, and needed hands to check Fruitless embraces: or they led the vine To wed her elm; fhe 'fpous'd about him twines
Her marriageable arms, and with her brings
Her dow'r, th' adopted clusters, to adorn
His barren leaves. Them thus employ'd beheld
With pity heav'n's high KING, and to him call'd 220
Raphael, the fociable fp'rit, that deign'd
To travel with Tobias, and fecur'd
His marriage with the fev'ntimes wedded maid.
Raphael, faid he, thou hear'ft what ftir on earth
Satan, from hell 'fcap'd through the darkfome gulf, 225
Hath rais'd in Paradife, and how disturb'd
This night the human pair, how he defigns
In them at once to ruin all mankind.
Go, therefore, half this day, as friend with friend
Converse with Adam, in what bow'r or fhade
Thou findft him from the heat of noon retir'd,
To refpite his day-labour with repast,
Or with repofe; and fuch difcourfe bring on,
As may advise him of his happy state,
Happiness in his pow'r left free to will,
Left to his own free will; his will though free,
Yet mutable; whence warn him to beware
He fwerve not too fecure. Tell him withal
His danger, and from whom; what enemy,
Late fall'n himself from heav'n, is plotting now 240 The fall of others from like flate of blifs :
By violence? No, for that fhall be withstood;
But by deceit and lies: this let him know,
Left wilfully tranfgreffing he pretend
Surprizal unadmonifh'd, unforewarn'd.
So fpake th' eternal Father, and fulfill'd
All juftice: nor delay'd the winged faint
After his charge receiv'd; but from among
Thousand celestial Ardors, where he stood
Veil'd with his gorgeous wings, up fpringing light 250
Flew through the midst of heav'n; th' angelic quires,
On each hand parting, to his fpeed gave way
Through all th' empyreal road; till at the gate
Of heav'n arriv'd, the gate felf open'd wide,
On golden hinges turning, as by work
Divine the fov'reign Architect had fram'd.
From hence, no cloud, or to obftruct his fight,
Star interpos'd, however fmall, he fees
Not unconform to other fhining globes,
Earth, and the garden of GOD, with cedars crown'd Above all hills; as when by night the glafs
Of Galileo, lefs affur'd, obferves
Imagin❜d land and regions in the moon :
Or pilot, from amidst the Cyclades,
Delos or Samos 'first appearing, kens
A cloudy spot. Down thither prone in flight
He fpeeds, and through the vast ethereal sky
Sails between worlds and worlds, with fteady wing
Now on the polar winds, then with quick fan
Winnows the buxom air; till within foar
Of tow'ring eagles, t' all the fowls he seems
A phenix, gaz'd by all, as that fole bird,
When to infhrine his relics in the fun's
Bright temple, to Egyptian Thebes he flies.
At once on the eastern cliff of Paradife
He lights, and to his proper shape returns,
A Seraph wing'd: fix wings he wore, to shade
His lineaments divine; the pair that clad
Each fhoulder broad, came mantling o'er his breast
With regal ornament; the middle pair
Girt like a ftarry zone his waste, and round
Skirted his loins and thighs with downy gold,
And colours dipt in heav'n; the third his feet
Shadow'd from either heel with feather'd mail,
Sky tinctur'd grain. Like Maia's fon he stood, 285
And fhook his plumes, that heav'nly fragrance fill'd
The circuit wide. Straight knew him all the bands
Of angels under watch; and to his ftate,
And to his meffage high, in honour rise ;
For on fome meffage high they guess'd him bound. 290
Their glitt'ring tents he pafs'd, and now is come
Into the blissful field, through groves of myrrh,
And flow'ring odours, caffia, nard, and balm;
A wilderness of fweets; for nature here
Wanton'd as in her prime, and play'd at will
Her virgin fancies, pouring forth more fweet,
Wild above rule or art; enormous blifs.
Him through the fpicy foreft onward come
Adam difcern'd, as in the door he fat
Of his cool bow'r, while new the mounted fun
Shot down direct his fervid rays to warm
Earth's inmoft womb, more warmth than Adam needs;
And Eve within, due at her hour, prepar'd
For dinner favoury fruits, of tafte to please
True appetite, and not difrelish thirst
Of nect'rous draughts between, from milky stream, Berry or grape to whom thus Adam call'd.
Hafte hither Eve, and worth thy fight behold Eastward among thofe trees, what glorious fhape Comes this way moving; seems another morn 310 Ris'n on mid-noon; fome great beheft from heav'n To us perhaps he brings, and will vouchfafe This day to be our guelt. But go with speed, And what thy ftores contain, bring forth, and pow'r Abundance, fit to honour and receive Our heav'nly stranger: well we may afford Our givers their own gifts, and large bestow From large beftow'd, where nature multiplies Her fertile growth, and by disburd'ning grows More fruitful, which inftructs us not to fpare.
To whom thus Eve. Adam, earth's hallow'd mould,
Of GoD infpir'd, small store will ferve, where ftore,
All feafons, ripe for use hangs on the stalk;
Save what by frugal ftoring firmness gains
To nourish, and fuperfluous moist confumes;
But I will hafte, and from each bough and. brake,
Each plant and juiciest gourd, will pluck fuch choice
To entertain our angel-gueft, as he
Beholding fhall confefs, that here on earth
God hath difpens'd his bounties as in heav'n.
So faying, with dispatchful looks in hafte
She turns, on hofpitable thoughts intent,
What choice to chufe for delicacy beft,
What order, fo contriv'd as not to mix
Taftes, not well join'd, inelegant, but bring
Tafte after tafte upheld with kindlieft change;
Beftirs her then, and from each tender stalk
Whatever Earth, all-bearing mother, yields
In India Eaft and Weft, or middle shore,
P
In Pontus, or the Punic coaft, or where
Alcinous reign'd, fruit of all kinds, in coat
Rough or fmooth rin'd, or bearded hufk, or fhell,
She gathers tribute large, and on the board
Heaps with unfparing hand: for drink the grape
She crushes, inoffensive most, and meathes
345
From many berry', and from fweet kernels prefs'd
She tempers dulcet creams; nor these to hold
Wants her fit veffels pure; then strows the ground
With rofe and odours from the fhrub unfum'd.
Mean while our primitive great fire, to meet 350
His god-like gueft, walks forth, without more train
Accompanied than with his own complete
Perfections; in himself was all his state,
More folemn than the tedious pomp that waits
On princes, when their rich retinue long
Of horses led, and grooms besmear'd with gold,
Dazzles the crowd, and fets them all agape.
Nearer his prefence Adam, though not aw'd,
Yet with fubmifs approach and rev'rence meek,
As t'a fuperior nature, bowing low,
None can than heav'n fuch glorious fhape contain;
Thus faid. Native of heav'n, for other place
Since by defcending from the thrones above,
Thofe happy places thou haft deign'd a while
To want, and honour these, vouchfafe with us
Two' only, who yet by fov'reign gifts poffefs
This fpacious ground, in yonder fhady bower
To reft, and what the garden choicest bears
To fit and tafte, till this meridian heat
Be over, and the fun more cool decline.
Whom thus th' angelic Virtue anfwer'd mild, Adam, I therefore came; nor art thou fuch Created, or fuch place haft here to dwell, As may not oft invite, though fp'rits of heav'n, To vifit thee: lead on then where thy bower O'erfhades; for these mid-hours, till ev'ning rife, 1 have at will So to the fylvan lodge They came, that like Pomona's arbour smil'd, With flow'rets deck'd, and fragrant fmells; but Eve Undeck'd fave with hierfelf, more lovely far
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