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Heart-ftruct with chilling gripe of forrow food,
That all his fenfes bound: Eve, who unfeen
Yet all had heard, with audible lament
Discover'd foon the place of her retire.

O unexpected ftroke, worse than of death!
Muft I thus leave thee, Paradife? thus leave

Thee, native foil, thefe happy walks and fhades, 270
Fit haunt of Gods? where I had hope to fpend,
Quiet, though fad, the respite of that day.

That must be mortal to us both? O flow'is
That never will in other climate grow,

My early vifitation, and my last

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At ev❜n, which I bred up with tender hand
From the first op'ning bud, and gave ye names,
Who now fall rear ye to the fun, or rank

Your tribes and water from th' ambrofial fount?
Thee laftly, nuptial bow'r, by me adorn’d
With what to fight or smell was sweet! from thee

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How fhall I part, and whither wander down
Into a lower world, to this obfcure

And wild? how fhall we breathe in other air

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Lefs pure, accuftom'd to immortal fruits?
Whom thus the Angel interrupted mild
Lament not, Eve, but patiently refign
What justly thou haft loft; nor fet thy heart,
Thus over-fond, on that which is not thine;
Thy going is not lonely; with thee goes
Thy husband; him to follow thou art bound;
Where he abides think there thy native foil.

Adam by this from the cold fudden damp
Recoving, and his fcatter'd fpirits return'd,
To Michael thus his humble words address'd.

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Celeftial, whether among the Thrones, or nam'd
Of them the high'eft, for fuch of fhape may feem
Prince above princes, gently thou haft told
Thy meffage, which might elfe in telling wound,
And in performing end us; what befides
Of forrow, and dejection, and defpair,
Our frailty can fullain, thy tidings bring,
Departure from this happy place, our fweet
Recefs, and only confolation left

Familiar to our eyes; all places elfe

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Inhofpitable appear and defolate,

Nor knowing us nor known: and if by pray'r
Inceffant I could hope to change the will

Of him who all things can, I would not ceafe
To weary him with my affiduous cries :
But prayer against his abfolute decree

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No more avails than breath against the wind,

Blown ftifling back on him that breathes it forth:
Therefore to his great bidding 1 fubmit.

This most afflicts me, that departing hence,

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As from his face I fhall be hid, depriv'd

His bleffed count'nance; here I could frequent

With worthip place by place where he vouchlaf'd
Prefence divine, and to my fons relate,

On this mount he appear'd, under this tree

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Stood visible, among these pines his voice

I heard, here with him at this fountain talk'd;

So many grateful altars I would rear

Of graffy turf, and pile up ev'ry stone
Of luftre from the brook, in memory,

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Or monument to ages, and thereon

Offer sweet smelling guns, and fruits, and flow'rs:
In yonder nether world, where fhall 1 feek
His bright appearances, or footsteps trace?
For though I fled him angry, yet recall'd
To life prolong'd and promis'd race, I now
Gladly behold though but his utmost skirts
Of glory, and far off his fteps adore.

To whom thus Michael, with regard benign.

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Adam, thou know'st Heav'n his, and all the earth 335
Nor this rock only'; his omniprefence fills
Land, sea, and air, and ev'ry kind that lives,
Fomented by his virtual pow'r and warm'd:
All th' earth he gave thee to poffefs and rule,
No defpicable gift; furmife not then

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His prefence to thefe narrow bounds confin'd
Of Paradise or Eden; this had been

Perhaps thy capital feat, from whence had fpread

All generations, and had hither come

From all the ends of th' earth, to celebrate

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And rev'rence thee their great progenitor.

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But this pre-eminence thou' haft loft, brought down
To dwell on even ground now with thy fons :
Yet doubt not but in valley and in plain
GOD is as here, and will be found alike
Prefent, and of his prefence many a fign
Still following thee, ftill compafling thee round
With goodnefs and paternal love, his face
Expreis, and of his steps the tract divine.

360

Which that thou may'ft believe, and be confirm'd 355
Ere thou from hence depart, know I am fent
To fhew thee what thall come in future days
To thee and to thy offspring good with bad;
Expect to hear fupernal grace contending
With finfulness of men; thereby to learn
True patience, and to temper joy with fear
And pious forrow, equally inur'd
By moderation either state to bear,
Profperous or adverfe: fo fhalt thou lead
Safeft thy life, and beft prepar'd endure
Thy mortal paffage when it comes. Afcend
This hill; let Eve (for I have drench'd her eyes)
Here fleep below, while thou to forefight wak'ft;
As once thou flept', while fhe to life was form'd.
To whom thus Adam gratefully reply'd.

Afcend, I follow thee, fafe guide, the path

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Thou lead'ft me', and to the hand of Heav'n fubmit, However chaft'ring, to the evil turn

My obvious breaft, arming to overcome

By fuff'ring, and earn reft from labour won, 375 If fo I may attain. So both afcend'

In the vifions of God. It was a hill

Of Paradife the higheft, from whose top
The hemifphere of earth in cleareft ken

Stretch'd out to th' ampleft reach of profpect lay. 380
Not higher that hill, nor wider looking round,
Whereon for diff'rent caufe the tempter fet

Our fecond Adam in the wilderness,

To fhew him all earth's kingdoms, and their glory. His eye might there command wherever ftood 385 City of old or modern fame, the feat.

Of mightiest empire, from the deftin'd walls
Of Cambula, feat of Cathaian Can,
And Samarchand by Oxus, Temir's throne,
To Paquin of Sinean king, and thence
To Arga and Lahor of great Mogul,
Down to the golden Cherfonefe, or where
The Perfian in Ecbatan fat, or fince
In Hifpahan, or where the Ruffian Czar
In Mofco, or the Sultan in Bizance,
Turcheftan-born; nor could his eye not ken
Th' empire of Negus to his utmost port
Ercoco, and the lefs maritime kings,
Mombaza, and Quiloa, and Melind,
And Sofala thought Ophir, to the realm.
Of Congo, and Angola fartheft fouth:
Or thence from Niger flood to Atlas mount,
The kingdoms of Almanfor, Fez and Sus,
Morocco, and Algiers, and Tremifen;

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On Europe thence, and where Rome was to fway 405 The world in fp'rit perhaps he also faw

Rich Mexico, the feat of Montezuma,

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And Cufco in Peru, the richer feat
Of Atabalipa, and yet unfpoil'd
Guiana, whofe great city Geryon's fons
Call El Dorado. But to nobler fights
Michael from Adam's eyes the film remov'd,
Which the falfe fruit that promis'd clearer fight
Had bred; then purg'd with eupharafy and rue
The visual nerve, for he had much to see ;
And from the well of life three drops inftill'd,
So deep the pow'r of these ingredients pierc'd,
Ev'n to the inrnoft feat of mental fight,
That Adam now inforc'd to clofe his eyes,
Sunk down, and all his fp'rits became intranc'd; 420
But him the gentle Angel by the hand

Soon rais'd, and his attention thus recall'd.

415

Adam, now ope thine eyes, and firft behold Th' effects which thy original crime hath wrought In fome to fpring from thee, who never touch'd 425 Th' accepted tree, nor with the fnake confpir'd, Nor finn'd thy fin, yet from that fin derive

Corruption to bring forth more violent deeds.

430

His eyes he open'd, and beheld a field, Part arable and tilth, whereon were sheaves New reap'd; the other part sheep walks and folds; I' th' midst an altar as the land-mark stood, Ruftic, of graffy fod; thither anon

A fweaty reaper from his tillage brought

Firft fruits, the green ear, and the yellow fheaf, 435
Uncull'd, as came to hand; a fhepherd next,
More meek, came with the firstling of his flock
Choiceft and beft; then facrificing, laid

The inwards and their fat, with incenfe frow'd
On the cleft wood, and all due rites perform'd.
His off'ring foon propitious fire from Heav'n
Confum'd with nimble glance, and grateful steam;
The other's not, for his was not fincere:
Whereat he inly rag'd, and as they talk'd,
Smote him into the midriff with a stone
That beat out life: he fell, and deadly pale
Groan'd out his foul with gufhing blood effus'd!
Much at that fight was Adam in his heart
Difmay'd, and thus in hafte to th' Angel cry'd.
O teacher, fome great mischief hath befall'n
To that meek man, who well had facrific'd;
Is piety thus and pure devotion paid?

T'whom Michael thus, he also mov’d, reply’d.
These two are brethren, Adam, and to come
Out of thy loins; th' unjust the just hath slain,
For envy
that his brother's off'ring found
From Heav'n acceptance: but the bloody act
Will be aveng'd; and th' other's faith approv'd,
Lofe no reward, though here thou fee him die,
Rolling in duft and gore. To which our fire.
Alas, both for the deed and for the cause !
But have I now feen Death? Is this the way
I must return to native duft? O fight
Of terror, foul and ugly to behold,
Horrid to think, how horrible to feel! 'sit

To whom Michacl. Death thou haft feen
In his first fhape on man; but many fhapes
Of death, and many are the ways that lead

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455

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