HUS they in lowlieft plight repentant food
Praying, for from the mercy-feat above
Prevenient grace descending had remov'd
The ftony from their hearts, and made new flesh
Regenerate grow inftead, that fighs now breath'd
Unutterable, which the Spi'rit of
Infpir'd, and wing'd for Heav'n with speedier flight Than loudeft oratory: yet their port
Not of mean fuiters, nor important lefs
Seem'd their petition, than when th' ancient pair
In fables old, less ancient yet than thefe,
Deucalion and chafte Pyrrha, to restore
The race of mankind drown'd, before the fhrine
Of Themis flood devout. To Heav'n their prayers
Flew up, nor mifs'd the way, by envious winds
Blown vagabond or fruftrate: in they pass'd
Dimensionless through heav'nly doors; then clad
With incenfe, where the golden altar fum'd,
By their great interceffor, came in fight
Before the Father's throne: them the glad Son
Prefenting, thus to intercede began.
See, Father, what firft fruits on earth are sprung
From thy implanted grace in Man, these fighs
And pray'rs, which in this golden censer, mix'd
With incenfe, I thy prieft before thee bring;
Fruits of more pleasing favor from thy feed
Sown with contrition in his heart, than those
Which his own hand manuring all the trees
Of Paradife could have produc'd, ere fall'n
From innocence. Now therefore bend thine ear
To fupplication, hear his fighs though mute;
Unfkilful with what words to pray, let me
Interpret for him, me his advocate
And propitiation; all his works on me
Good or not good ingraft, my merit those
Shall perfect, and for thefe death fhall pay.
Accept me, and in me from thefe receive
The fmell of peace tow'ard mankind; let him live
Before thee reconcil'd, at least his days
Number'd, though fad, till death, his doom, (which I
To mitigate thus plead, not to reverfe)
To better life shall yield him, where with me
All my redeem'd may dwell in joy and bliss,
Made one with me as I with thee am one.
To whom the Father, without cloud, ferene.
All thy request for Man, accepted Son,
Obtain; all thy request was my decree :
But longer in that Paradife to dwell,
The law I gave to nature him forbids:
Thofe pure immortal elements that know
No grofs, no unharmonious mixture foul,
Eject him tainted now, and purge him off
As a distemper, grofs to air as grofs,
And mortal food, as may difpose him best
For diffolution wrought by fin, that first
Distemper'd all things, and of incorrupt
Corrupted. I at first with two fair gifts
Created him endow'd, with happiness
And immortality: that fondly lost,
This other ferv'd but to eternize woe;
Till I provided death; so death becomes
His final remedy, and after life
Try'd in fharp tribulation, and refin'd
By faith and faithful works, to second life,
Wak'd in the renovation of the just,
Refigns him up with Heav'n and Earth renew'd.
But let us call to fynod all the Bleft
Through Heav'n's wide bounds; from them I will not
My judgments, how with Mankind I proceed,
As how with peccant Angels late they faw,
And in their state, though firm, food more confirm’d. He ended, and the Son gave signal high
To the bright minifter that watch'd; he blew
His trumpet, heard in Oreb fince perhaps
When God defcended, and perhaps once more
To found at general doom. Th' angelic blast
Fill'd all the regions: from their blissful bowers
Of amarantin fhade, fountain or spring,
By the waters of life, where'er they fat
In fellowships of joy, the fons of light
Hafted, reforting to the fummons high,
And took their feats; till from his throne fupreme
Th' Almighty thus pronounc'd his fovran will.
O Sons, like one of us Man is become
To know both good and evil, fince his tafte
Of that defended fruit; but let him boast
His knowledge of good loft, and evil got,
Happier, had it fuffic'd him to have known
Good by itself, and evil not at all.
He forrows now, repents, and prays contrite,
My motions in him; longer than they move,
His heart I know, how variable and vain
Self-left. Left therefore his now bolder hand
Reach alfo of the tree of life, and eat,
And live for ever, dream at least to live
For ever, to remove him I decree,
And fend him from the garden forth to till
The ground whence he was taken, fitter foil.
Michael, this my beheft, have thou in charge,
Take to thee from among the Cherubim
Thy choice of flaming warriors, left the Fiend,
Or in behalf of Man, or to invade
Vacant poffeffion, fome new trouble raise:
Hafte thee, and from the Paradife of God
Without remorfe drive out the finful pair,
From hallow'd ground th' unholy, and denounce
To them and to their progeny from thence
Perpetual banishment. Yet left they faint
At the fad fentence rigorously urg'd,
For I behold them foften'd and with tears
Bewailing their excefs, all terror hide.
If patiently thy bidding they obey,
Dismiss them not disconfolate; reveal
To Adam what shall come in future days,
As I fhall thee inlighten; intermix
My covenant in the Woman's feed renew'd;
So fend them forth, though sorrowing, yet in peace:
And on the eaft fide 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,
And guard all paffage to the tree of life:
Left Paradife a receptacle prove
To Spirits foul, and all my trees their prey,
With whofe ftol'n fruit Man once more to delude. 125
He ceas'd; and th' archangelic Pow'r prepar'd
For fwift defcent, 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 drouse,
Charm'd with Arcadian pipe, the paft'ral reed
Of Hermes, or his opiate rod. Mean while
To refalute the world with facred light
Leucothea wak'd, and with fresh dews imbalm'd 135
The earth, when Adam and firft matron Eve
Had ended now their orifons, and found
Strength added from above, new hope to fpring
Out of despair, joy, but with fear yet link'd;
Which thus to Eve his welcome words renew'd.
Eve, easily may faith admit, that all
The good which we enjoy, from Heav'n defcends;
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