THE

TWELFTH BOOK

OF

PARADISE LOST.

T

The ARGUMENT.

HE Angel Michael continues from the Flood to relate what shall fucceed; then, in the Mention of Abraham, comes by Degrees to explain, who that Seed of the Woman shall be, which was promis'd Adam and Eve in the Fall: His Incarnation, Death, Refurrection, and Afcenfion: The State of the Church 'till his fecond Coming. Adam, greatly Satisfied and recomforted by thofe Relations and Promifes, defcends the Hill with Michael; wakens Eve, who all this while had flept, but with gentle Dreams compos'd to Quietness of Mind and Submiffion. Michael in either Hand leads them out of Paradife, the fiery Sword waving behind them, and the Cherubim taking their Stations to guard the Place.

CHA P.

The Angel relates what shall happen after the Flood, and foretells the Coming of Christ.

S a Traveller upon a Journey takes fome Rest at Noon, though he be intent on Expedition; fo here the Arch-Angel MICHAEL made a Paufe, betwixt the World destroy'd and the World restored, to fee whether or no ADAM might not have fome Questions to interpofe; then going forward in his Narration, he began again to Ipeak.

THUS, ADAM, thou haft feen the Beginning and End of one World, and MAN proceeding as from a fecond Stock: There yet remains a great deal more for thee to fee; but I perceive that thy mortal Sight begins to fail thee; nor can it be otherwise, for divine Objects must needs impair and weary the human Sen-* fes: So that what is to come henceforward, I fhall only relate to thee; do thou therefore be attentive, and give proper Audience to what I fhall fay!

THIS new Race of MEN, before they arrive to large Numbers, and while the Dread of paft Judgment remains fresh in their Minds, fhall lead their Lives in the Fear of GoD, with fome Regard to Juftice and what is right; and they fhall multiply apace, manuring and fowing the Earth, and reaping plentiful Crops of Corn, Wine, and Oil; and often from the Herds or Flocks making Sacrifices of Bullocks, Lambs, or Kids, with large Offerings of Wine pour'd out, fhall spend their Days in Joy and facred Feftival, unblam'd; and dwell for a long Time in Peace, by Families and Tribes, under paternal Rule; 'till one

call'd

call'd NIMROD (a) fhall arife, of proud and ambitious Heart; who, not content with a fair and equal Share, will affume an undeferv'd Dominion over the rest of his Brethren, and quite difpoffefs Concord and the Law of Nature from the Earth; hunting wild Beafts, and not only Beafts, but MEN alfo; fubduing with War, and laying hostile Snares for fuch as refufe Subjection to his tyrannical Ufurpation: For that Reafon he fhall be call'd a mighty Hunter before the LORD; meaning either in despite of Heaven, or else claiming from Heaven the fecond Sovereignty; and though he fhall accuse others of Rebellion, yet from Rebellion he fhall derive his Name, for fuch is the Meaning of the Word NIMROD. He, with a

Crew, join'd to him by like Ambition, or Design of tyrannizing under him, marching from EDEN towards the West, shall find the Plains, in which a black bituminous Slime boils out from under the Ground, as it were the Mouth of Hell. Of that Stuff, and Bricks, they contrive to build a City, and a Tower whofe Top may reach to Heaven; thinking thereby to get themfelves a Name; left, being difpers'd far away in foreign Lands, the Memory of them fhould be loft; not regarding, whether the Fame they acquired was good or evil. But GOD, who oftentimes defcends unfeen to vifit ME N, and paffes among their Habitations to take Notice of their Actions, foon beholding

(a) Nimrod or Belus; Noah's Great-Grandíon, the Father of Ninus, who first ufurp'd over the Patriarchs, and first took up Arms against the wild Beafts, which were then very numerous, powerful, and mischievous; then he made himself the Head of his Companions; then the King over all the reft, about A. M. 1720. Nimrod; Heb. i. e. A Rebel For he rebell'd against

God, in building the Tower of Babel; and against Men, in ufurping Monarchical Government, and overturning the Patriarchal. He is Belus among the Heathens, the Founder of the Affyrian Monarchy, the first Inftance of Idolatry; and was the Bel or Baal (Heb. i. e. Lord) of the Allyrians, Babylonians, and all the World.

beholding them, comes down to fee their City, long before the Tower reach'd up to Heaven; and, in Derifion, confounded their native Language, the HEBREW, (b) and instead thereof, gave them only Power to make a jangling Noife of Words, not underftood by one another. Forthwith a loud and confus'd Talking rifes among the Builders, each calls to the other, and no Body understands; 'till hoarfe and all in a Rage, they ftorm, thinking themselves mock'd by each other: The Angels in Heaven looking down, held them in great Derifion, to fee the ftrange Hubbub, and hear the Din. Thus this ridiculous Building, which they foolishly thought might poffibly reach Heaven, was left; and the Work call'd BABEL; which being interpreted fignifies Confufion.

WHERETO ADA м, difpleas'd at what he faw his Offfpring do, exclaim'd thus: O execrable Son! to afpire fo above his Brethren; affuming to himself a ufurp'd Authority, not given him from GoD: He only gave us an abfolute Dominion over Beast, Fish, and Fowl; that Right we hold by his Donation: But he never made MAN Lord over MEN; that Title he hath referv'd to himself only; for GoD left human Race free from human Dominion. But, this Tyrant and Ufurper ftops not his ambitious Ufurpation upon MAN only; he alfo intended his new Tower, to be a Siege against the GoD of Heaven. Wretched and miftaken MAN! What Food will he convey up thither, to fuftain himself and his rash Army? Where the thin Air above the Clouds will confume his grofs Entrails;

(b) Hebrew, the natural Speech of Mankind, from the Creation for 1757 Years; feeing all Languages derive many Words from that, but it from none of them; the Names of Men and Things plainly confirm

it, and the Learned agree in it. After the Confufion of Tongues it remain'd in Heber's Family, and fo defcended to the Jews, among whom it continued pure to the Babyloni Captivity; in all about 3400 Years.

trails; and if he were provided with Bread, he must die, it being too fine for him to breath in?

To whom MICHAEL reply'd thus: Thou haft a juft Abhorrence of that Son, who brought fuch great Trouble upon the quiet State of MAN, affecting to fubdue reasonable Liberty; yet learn at the fame Time, that fince true Liberty is loft, by reason of original Sin, (and Liberty always is pair'd with right Reason, and divided from it can have no Being) Reafon in MAN being obfcur'd, or not obey'd, immediately inordinate Defires and fudden Paffions catch the Government from it, and reduce the whole M AN to Servitude, who 'till then was free. Therefore, fince he permits unworthy Powers to reign over Freereafon within himfelf; GoD, in juft Judgment, fubjects it from without to violent Lords, who oftentimes as undefervedly enthrall his outward Freedom. So that there must be fuch a Thing as Tyranny; though that cannot serve for any Excufe to him who is a Tyrant: Yet, fometimes Nations will decline fo low from Virtue, (which too is Reafon) that no Wrongs, but Justice and fome fatal Curfe, deprives them of their outward Liberty, their inward being loft by themfelves; witness HAM, (c) the irreverent Son of NOAH, who built the Ark; who, for the Shame done to his Father, had this heavy Curfe pronounc'd on him and his vicious Race; "A SERVANT OF

SERVANTS SHALL HE BE UNTO HIS BRETHREN." Thus will this latter World, as the former did, go on from bad to worse; 'till at laft GoD, wearied with their Iniquities, will draw his Prefence from among them, and turn his Holiness away from them; from thenceforth refolv'd, to leave them to their own pollu

(c) Ham, the youngest Son of Noah, who was curfed for his Difrespect and Contempt of his Father, Gen. 9. 24, 25. The

ted

old Carthaginians, Grecians, and Romans, and all the Nations of Europe, made Slaves of the Africans.