Mind us of like repofe, fince God hath fet
Labour and reft, as day and night, to men
Succeffive; and the timely dew of fleep
Now falling with soft flumb'rous weight, inclines 615
Cur eye-lis other creatures all day long
Rove idle unemploy'd, and lefs need reit;
Man hath his daily work of body' or mind
Appointed, which declares his dignity,
And the regard of heav'n, on all his ways;
While other animals unactive range,
And of their doings GoD takes no account.
To-morrow, ere fresh morning streak the east
With first approach of light, we must be risen,
And at our prefent labour, to reform
Yon flow'ry arbour, yonder alleys green,
Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown,
That mock our fcant manuring, and require
More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth:
Thofe bloffoms alfo, and those dropping gums,
That lie beftrown, unfightly and unfmooth,
Afk riddance, if we mean to tread with eafe;
Mean while, as Nature wills, night bids us reft.
To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty' adorn'd.
My author and difpofer, what thou bidst
Unargu'd I obey: "fo GoD ordains:
GOD is thy law, thou mine: to know no more
Is woman's happiest knowledge, and her prane.
With thee converfing I forget all time;
All feafons, and their change, all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing fweet,
With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the fun,
When firft on this delightful land he spreads
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower,
Glift'ring with dew; fragrant the fertile earth
After foft fhow'rs; and fweet the coming on
Of grateful ev'ning mild; then filent night,
With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,
And thefe the gems of heav'n, her starry train :
But neither breath of morn, when the afcends
With charm of earliest birds; nor rising fun
On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flower,
Glift'ring with dew; nor fragrance after fhowers;
Nor grateful ev'ning mild; nor filent night,
With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon,
Or glitt'ring ftar-light, without thee is fweet.-
But wherefore all night long fhine thefe ? for whom
This glorious fight, when fleep hath shut all eyes?
To whom our general ancestor reply'd.
Daughter of GoD and man, accomplish'd Eve,
These have their courfe to finish round the earth,
By morrow ev'ning, and from land to land
In order, though to nations yet unborn,
Minift'ring light prepar'd, they fet and rife,
Left total darknefs fhould by night regain
Her old poffeffion, and extinguish life
In nature and all things; which thefe foft fires
Not only' enlighten, but with kindly heat
Of various influence foment and warm,
Temper or nourish, or in part shed down
Their ftellar virtue on all kind's that
grow On earth, made hereby apter to receive Perfection from the fun's more potent ray.
Thefe then, though unbeheld in deep of night, Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were none,
That heav'n would want fpectators, GoD want praise :
Millions of fpiritual creatures walk the earth
Unseen, both when we wake, and when we fleep:
All these with ceaseless praise his works behold
Both day and night: how often, from the steep 680
Of echoing hill or thicket, have we heard
Celestial voices to the midnight air,
Sole, or refponfive each to others note,
Singing their great Creator? oft in bands
While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk, 685
With heav'nly touch of inftrumental founds
In full harmonic number join'd, their fongs
Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to heav'n.
Thus talking, hand in hand along they pafs'd
On to their blifsful bow'r: it was a place
Chos'n by the fov'reign planter, when he fram'd
All things to man's delightful ufe; the roof
Of thickeft covert was inwoven fhade
Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew
Of firm and fragrant leaf; on either fide
Acanthus, and each odorous bufhy shrub,
Fenc'd up the verdant wall; each beauteous flower, Iris all hues, rofes, and jeffamin,
Rear'dhigh their flourish'd heads between, and wrought Mofaic; under foot the violet,
Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay,
Broider'd the ground, more colour'd than with stone
Of coftlieft emblem: other creature here,
Beaft, bird, infect, or worm, durft enter none;
Such was their awe of man. In fhadier bower
More facred and fequefter'd, though but feign'd,
Pan or Sylvanus never flept, nor nymph,
Nor Faunus haunted. Here, in clofs recefs,
With flowers, garlands, and fweet smelling herbs,
Efpoufed Eve deck'd firft her nuptial bed,
And heav'nly quires the hymenaan fung,
What day the genial angel to our fire
Brought her, in naked beauty more adorn'd,
More lovely, than Pandora, whom the gods
Endow'd with all their gifts, and, O! too like
In fad event, when to th' unwifer fon
Of Japhet brought by Hermes, fhe infnar'd
Mankind with her fair looks, to be aveng'd
On him who had ftole Jove's authentic fire.
Thus at their fhady lodge arriv'd both ftood, 720 Both turn'd, and under open sky ador'd
The God that made both sky, air, earth, and heav'n,
Which they beheld, the moon's refplendent globe,
And ftarry pole: Thou alfo mad'st the night,
Maker omnipotent, and thou the day,
Which we in our appointed work employ'd
Have finish'd happy in our mutual help,
And mutual love, the crown of all our blifs
Ordain'd by thee; and this delicious place,
For us too large, where thy abundance wants
Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground.
But thou haft promis'd from us two a iace
To fill the earth, who fhall with us extol
Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake,
N
And when we feek, as now, thy gift of fleep.
This faid unanimous, and other rites
Obferving none, but adoration pure,
Which GOD likes beft, into their inmoft bower
Handed they went; and eas'd the putting off
Thefe trouble fome difguifes which we wear,
Straight fide by fide were laid; nor turn'd, Iween,
Adam from his fair spouse, nor Eve the rites
Myfterious of connubial love refus'd:
Whatever hypocrites aufterely talk
Of purity, and place, and innocence,
Defaming as impure what God declares
Pure, and commands to fome, leaves free to all.
Our Maker bids increase: who bids abftain,
But our destroyer, foe to GoD and man?
Hail, wedded love, myfterious law, true fource 750 Of human offspring, fole propriety
In Paradife of all things common else.
By thee adult'rous luit was driv'n from men,
Among the beftial herds to range; by thee
Founded in reafon. loyal, juft, and pure,
Relations dear, and all the charities
Of father, fon, and brother, first were known.
Far be' it, that I fhould write the fin or fhame,
Or think thee unbefitting holiest place,
Perpetual fountain of domeftic fweets,
Whofe bed is undefil'd and chafte pronounc'd,
Prefent, or paft, as faints and patriarchs us'd.
Here Love his golden fhafts employs, here lights
His conftant lamp, and waves his purple wings.
Reigns here and revels; not in the bought fimile 765
Of harlots, lovelefs, joyless, unendear'd,
Cafual fruition; nor in court amours,
Mix'd dance, or wanton mafk, or midnight-ball,
Or ferenade, which the ftarv'd lover fings
To his proud fair, beft quitted with difdain.
Thefe lull'd by nightingales, embracing fleep,
And on their naked limbs the flow'ry roof
Show'r'd roses, which the morn repair'd. Sleep on,
Blefs'd pair; and, O yet happieft, if ye feek
No happier state, and know no more.
Now had night meafur'd with her fhadowy cone
Half way up hill this vaft fublunar vault,
And from their iv'ry port the Cherubim
Forth iffuing at th' accuftom'd hour, stood arm'd
To their night watches in warlike parade;
When Gabriel to his next in pow'r thus fpake.
Uzziel, half thefe draw off, and coaft the fouth With ftricteft watch; thefe other wheel the north; Our circuit meets full weft. As flame they part, Half wheeling to the fhield, half to the fpear. 785 From thefe, two strong and fubtle fp'rits he call'd That near him ftood, and gave them thus in charge. Ithuriel and Zephon, with wing'd fpeed
Search through this garden, leave unfearch'd no nook;
But chiefly where those two fair creatures lodge, 790
Now laid perhaps afleep, fecure of harm.
This ev'ning from the fun's decline arriv❜d,
Who tells of fome infernal fpirit feen
Hitherward bent (who could have thought?) efcap'd
The bars of hell, on errand bad no doubt :
Such where ye find, feize fast, and hither bring
So faying, on he led his radiant files,
Dazzling the moon: these to the bow'r direct,
In fearch of whom they fought him there they found
Squat like a toad, clofe at the ear of Eve,
Elaying by his devilish art to reach
Th' organs of her fancy, and with them forge
Illufions as he lift, phantafms and dreams;
Or if, infpiring venom, he might taint
Th' animal fpirits, that from pure blood arise
Like gentle breaths from rivers pure, thence raife
At leaft diftemper'd, difcontented thoughts,
Vain hopes, vain aims, inordinate defires,
Blown up with high conceits ingend'ring pride.
Him thus intent, I huriel with his fpear
Touch'd lightly for no falfehood can endure
Touch of celeftial temper, but returns
Of force to its own likenefs: up he starts
Difcover'd and furpris'd. As when a fpark
Lights on a heap of nitrous powder, laid
Fit for the tun fome magazine to ftore
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