Talia dum loquitur, Superûm radiantia latè
Agmina flammanti jactârunt fulgura vultu ;
Lunatis fimul exacuunt conversa phalangas
Cornibus, ac Satanam circumdant undique telis :
Quàm denfa horrefcit Meffis matura per agros
Undantes, agitata notis dum fpicea Silva
Hinc atque inde fluit; mofto ftupet anxius ore.
Agricola, & metuit dubiis incertus ariftis.
Parte aliâ excitus Satanas collegerat omnes
Impavidus vires, & vaftâ mole refiftens,
Qualis Atlas qualifve Nivaria, vertice nubes
Attingit; cristâque comans fuper incubat Horror.
Dumque haftam dextrâ attollit clypeumque sinistrâ,
Horrendam intentat ftragem, quâ nec Paradifus
Unicus, aftriferi at cœli fors arduus Axis
Occiderat; noftri faltem quaffata tumultu
Corruerant trepida inter fe Primordia Mundi.
While thus he fpake, th' Angelic Squadron bright
Turn'd fiery red, fharpning in mooned horns
Their phalanx; and began to hem him round.
With ported fpears; as thick, as when a field
Of Ceres, ripe for harvest, waving bends
Her bearded grove of ears, which way the wind
Sways them the careful Plowman doubting ftands,
Left on the threshing floor his hopeful fheaves
Prove chaff. On th' other fide Satan alarm'd,
Collecting all his might, dilated stood
Like Teneriff, or Atlas, unremov'd:
His Stature reach'd the Sky, and on his Crest
Sate Horror plum'd; nor wanted in his grasp
What feem'd both spear, and fhield. Now dreadful
Might have enfu'd: not only Paradife
In this commotion, but the ftarry Cope
Of Heav'n perhaps, or all the Elements
Providus aft cœlo Omnipotens fufpendit aperto
Lances ex auro geminas (nunc orbe videndas
Stellifero Erigonen inter Chelasque propinquas)
Queis magnus quondam Genitor quæcunque creârat,
Terrarumque globum, pendentesque aeris auras,
Nunc rerum eventus, gentefque & prælia librat.
Pondera bina capit, cœlique affignat Alumno
Hanc trutinam, atque illam Satana Pater: Illa levat se
Ocius, Hæc depreffa cadit. Quæ figna notavit
Calicola, atque hoftem his dictis invadit atrocem :
En Utrique patet, Satana, quid poffit Uterque!
Nec noftræ hæ vires: Cur arma minemur inanes?
Haud Tibi fas quidquam ulterius quàm numine fummo
Annuit Omnipotens; Sed nec Mihi: cui tamen intus
Jam nunc profiliunt geminatæ ad prælia vires,
Ut Te calce teram, fi contra audentius ibis.
Nonne vides, cœli figno fufpenfus in illo
At least, had gone to wrack, disturb'd and torn
With violence of this conflict; had not foon
Th' Eternal, to prevent fuch horrid fray,
Hung forth in Heav'n his golden Scales, yet feen
Betwixt Aftrea and the Scorpion Sign,
Wherein all things created first he weigh'd,
The pendulous round Earth, with balanc'd Air
In counterpoife; now ponders all Events,
Battles, and Realms: in thefe He put two weights,
The fequel each of Parting, and of Fight;
The latter quick up flew, and kick'd the beam:
Which Gabriel fpying, thus befpake the Fiend:
Satan, I know thy ftrength, and thou know'ft
Neither our own, but giv'n: what folly then
To boast what Arms can do? fince thine no more
Than Heav'n permits; nor mine, tho' doubled now
To trample thee as mire. For proof look up,
Quam levis invalidufque fies? Surfum extulit
Attonitufque fuam agnovit fublime levatam
Hoftis atrox trutinam. Nec plura; at murmura fugit
Ingeminans; Noctifque una fugere tenebræ.
And read thy Lot in yon celestial Sign: [weak,
Where thou art weigh'd, and shown how light, how
If thou refift. The Fiend look'd up, and knew
His mounted scale aloft: nor more; but fled Murm'ring, and with him fled the shades of night.
AM rosea in tractus veftigia duxit Eoos
Aurora, & latè gemmis rorantibus orbem
Sparferat: Adamus fomnum dimifit, ut olli
Mos erat; aerius leviter nam fomnus habebat,
Simplicibufque cibis, blandifque vaporibus ortus:
Soli illum foliorum, Aurora mollia Flabra,
Lenes dimovere fufurri, garrula fontis
Murmura, vel primo per ramos mane Volucrum
Concentus. Ergo hinc Conjux magis anxius hæret,
Evam adeo infolitos miratus ducere fomnos,
Ardentique genâ, & paffis fine lege capillis.
Ille inclinatâ pendens cervice, jacenti
Inftat, inexpletum vultu fuper ufque moratus,
Vultu, qui vigil expandit feu lumina, fomno
Seu premit, infignes pariter jaculatur amores.
Tum quali affatus dilectam murmure Floram
Demulcet lenis Zephyrus, dextramque benignè
Contrectans, blandâ fic voce fufurrat in aurem :
Excute te fomnis Conjux pulcherrima, cœlo
Quæ mihi Dos fuprema venis, jucundior una
Omnibus, una Voluptatum fons ufque recentum,
Excute te. Lux alma vocat, campique virentes
Invitant: reducis quid pignora prima diei
Negligimus? quin jam plantas vifamus, amicis
Ut vigeant cultæ ftudiis; quas Citrea Silva
Effundat gemmas; quas diti cortice Myrrha
Sudet odoratas lacrimas, quæ balsama arundo
Præbeat; ut miftos variet Natura colores,
Utque Apis ex florum labiis trahat humida Mella.
Voce fufurrantis fefe erigit excita fomno
Eva oculis trepida attonitis: Sic deinde Maritum
Hung over her enamour'd; and beheld
Beauty, which whether waking or asleep,
Shot forth peculiar Graces; then with voice
Mild as when Zephyrus on Flora breathes,
Her hand foft touching, whisper'd thus: Awake
My faireft, my efpous'd, my latest found,
Heav'n's last best gift, my ever new delight,
Awake: the morning fhines, and the fresh field
Calls us; we lose the prime, to mark how fpring
Our tended Plants, how blows the Citron Grove,
What drops the Myrrh, and what the balmy Reed,
How Nature paints her colours, how the Bee
Sits on the Bloom extracting liquid fweet.
Such whifp'ring wak'd her, but with startled
On Adam; whom embracing, thus fhe fpake.
O fole, in whom my thoughts find all repose,
My Glory, my Perfection, glad I fee
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