Duft of the ground, and in thy noftrils breath'd 525
The breath of life; in his own image he
Created thee, in the image of GOD

Exprefs, and thou becam'st a living foul.
Male he created thee, but thy confort

Female for race; then blefs'd mankind, and said, 530
Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth,
Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold
Over fish of the fea, and fowl of the air,
And ev'ry living thing that moves on th' earth.
Wherever thus created, for no place

Is yet diftin&t by name, thence, as thou know'st,
He brought thee into this delicious grove,
This garden, planted with the trees of GoD,
Delectable both to behold and taste :-

535

And freely all their pleafant fruit for food

540

Gave thee; all forts are here that all th' earth yields,

Variety without end; but of the tree,

Which tafted works knowledge of good and evil,

Thou may'ft not in the day thou eat'ft, thou dy'st; Death is the penalty impos'd; beware,,

And govern well thy appetite, left Sin.

Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death.
Here finifh'd he, and all that he had made
View'd, and behold all was entirely good;
So ev❜n and morn accomplish'd the fixth day;
Yet not till the Creator from his work
Defifting, though unwearied, up return'd,
Up to the Heav'n of Heav'ns, his high abode,
Thence to behold this new created world,

545

550

Th' addition of his empire, how it show'd

555

In profpect from his throne, how good, how fair,

Anfw'ring his great idea. Up he rode,

Follow'd with acclamation, and the found

Symphonious of ten thoufand harps that tun'd

Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air

560

Refounded, (thou remember'ft, for thou heard')

The heav'ns and all the conftellations rung,

The planets in their ftation lift'ning ftood,

While the bright pomp afcended jubilant.
Open, ye everlasting gates, they fung,

565

Open, ye heav'ns, your living doors; let in
The great Creator from his work return'd
Magnificent, his fix days work, a world;
Open, and henceforth oft; for GOD will deign
To vifit oft the dwellings of just men,
Delighted, and with frequent intercourfe
Thither will fend his winged meffengers
On errands of fupernal grace. So fung

570

The glorious train afcending. He through heav'n,
That open'd wide her blazing portals, led
To God's eternal houfe direct the way;

575

A broad and ample road, whofe dust is gold
And pavement stars, as ftars to thee appear,
Seen in the galaxy, that milky way;

580

Powder'd with ftars. And now on earth the fev❜nth

Which nightly, as a circling zone, thou feeft

Ev'ning arofe in Eden; for the fun

Was fet, and twilight from the east came on,
Forerunning nigh: when at the holy mount

Of Heav'n's high-feated top, th' imperial throne 585
Of Godhead, fix'd for ever firm and fure.

The Filial Pow'r arriv'd, and fat him down
With his great Father; for he also went
Invifible, yet stay'd (such privilege

Hath Omniprefence), and the work ordain'd,

599

Author and end of all things; and from work

Now refting, blefs'd and hallow'd the fev'nth day,
As refting on that day from all his work:
But not in filence holy kept; the harp

Had work, and refted not; the folemn pipe
And dulcimer, all organs of fweet stop,
All founds on fret by ftring or golden wire
Temper'd foft tunings, intermix'd with voice
Choral or unifon; of incenfe clouds,

595

Fuming from golden cenfers, hid the mount.

бсо

Creation and the fix days acts they fung,

Great are thy works, Jehovah, infinite

Thy pow'r; what thought can meafure thee, or tongue

Relate thee? greater now in thy return

Than from the giant-angels: thee that day

605

Thy thunders magnify'd; but to create

Is greater than created to destroy.

Who can impair thee, mighty King, or bound
Thy empire? Eafily the proud attempt
Of ip'rits apoftate, and their counfels vain,
Thou haft repell'd, while impioufly they thought
Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw
The number of thy worshippers. Who feeks
To leffen thee, againft his purpofe ferves
To manifeft the more thy might; his evil
Thou ufeft, and from thence creat'it more good.
Witness this new-made world, another heav'n,
From heav'n gate not far, founded in view
On the clear hyaline, the glaffy fea;
Of amplitude almoft immenfe, with stars
Num'rous, and ev'ry ftar perhaps a world
Of deftin'd habitation; but thou know'st
Their feasons among these the feat of men,
Earth, with her nether ocean circumfus'd,

610

615

620

Their prefent dwelling place. Thrice happy men, 625
And fons of men, whom Gop hath thus advanc'd,
Created in his image, there to dwell,

And worship him; and in reward to rule
Over his works, on earth, in fea, or air;
And multiply a race of worshippers,
Holy and juft: thrice happy, if they know
Their happiness, and perfevere upright.

630

So fung they, and the empyrean rung,
With Halleluiahs: Thus was fabbath kept.
And thy request think now fulfill'd, that afk'd
How first this world and face of things began,
And what before thy memory was done
From the beginning, that pofterity,

635

Inform'd by thee, might know; if else thou seek'st
Ought, not surpassing human measure, say.

END OF THE SEVENTH Book.

640

Adam enquires concerning celeftial motions; is doubtfully anfwered, and exhorted to fearch rather things more worthy of knowledge: Adam affents; and still defirous to detain Raphael, relates to him what he remembered fince his own creation, his placing in Paradife, his talk with God concerning folitude and fit fociety, his first meeting and nuptials with Eve; his difcourfe with the Angel thereupon, who, after admonitions repeated, departs.

HE Angel ended, and in Adam's ear

TH

So charming left his voice, that he a while
Thought him ftill speaking, still stood fix'd to hear :
Then, as new wak'd, thus gratefully reply'd.
What thanks fufficient, or what recompenfe
Equal have I to render thee, divine
Hiftorian, who thus largely haft allay'd
The thirst I had of knowledge, and vouchfaf'd
This friendly converfation to relate

Things elfe by me unfearchable, now heard
With wonder, but delight, and, as is due,
With glory attributed to the high
Creator? Something yet of doubt remains,
Which only thy folution can refolve.

When I behold this goodly frame, this world,
Of Heav'n and earth confifting, and compute
Their magnitudes, this earth a fpot, a grain,
An atom, with the firmament compar'd,
And all her number'd stars, that feem to roll
Spaces incomprehenfible, (for fuch
Their distance argues, and their fwift return
Diurnal) merely to officiate light

Round this opacous earth, this punctual spot,
One day and night, in all their vaft furvey
Ufelefs befides; reas'ning I oft admire,
How nature wife and frugal could commit

15

20

25

Such difproportions, with fuperfluous hand
So many noble bodies to create,
Greater fo manifold, to this one use,

30

35

For ought appears, and on their orbs impofe
Such restless revolution day by day
Repeated, while the fedentary earth,
That better might with far lefs compass move,
Serv'd by more noble than herself, attains
Her end without leaft motion, and receives,
As tribute, fuch a fumlefs journey brought
Of incorporeal speed, her warmth and light;
Speed, to defcribe whofe fwiftness number fails.
So fpake our fire, and by his count'nance feem'd
Ent'ring on ftudious thoughts abftrufe; which Eve 40
Perceiving, where the fat retir'd in fight,
With lowlinefs majestic from her feat,

And grace that won who faw to wifh her ftay,
Rofe, and went forth among her fruits and flow'rs,
To vifit how they profper'd, bud and bloom,
Her nursery; they at her coming fprung,
And touch'd by her fair tendance gladlier grew.
Yet went the not, as not with fuch difcourfe
Delighted, or not capable her ear

45

Of what was high: fuch pleasure the referv'd,

50

Adam relating, fhe fole auditrefs;

Her husband the rélator fhe preferr'd'

Before the Angel, and of him to ask

Chofe rather; he, fhe knew, would intermix

Not words alone pleas'd her. O when meet now

Such pairs, in love and mutual honour join'd?

With goddess like demeanour forth the went;'

Not unattended; for on her, as a queen,

60

A pomp of winning graces waited till,
And from about her fhot darts of defire
Into all eyes, to wish her ftill in fight.
And Raphael now to Adam's doubt propos'd
Benevolent and facile thus reply'd

To ask or fearch I blame thee not; for Heav'n

Is as the book of Gon before thee fet,

Wherein to read his wondrous works, and learn

65