Each perturbation fmooth'd with outward calm, 120
Artificer of fraud; and was the first
That practis'd falfehood under faintly fhow,
Deep malice to conceal, couch'd with revenge.
Yet not enough had practic'd to deceive
Uriel once warn'd, whofe eye purfu'd him down 125
The way he went, and on th' Affyrian mount
Saw him disfigur'd more than could befal
Sp'rit of happy fort: his geftures fierce
He mark'd, and mad demeanour, then alone,
As he fuppos'd, all unobserv'd, unfeen
So on he fares, and to the border comes
Of Eden, where delicious Paradise,
Now nearer, crowns with her inclosure green,
As with a rural mound, the champain head
Of a steep wilderness, whofe hairy fides
With thicket-overgrown, grotesque and wild,
Access deny'd; and over head up grew
Infuperable height of loftieft fhade,
Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm,
A fylvan fcene; and as the ranks afcend
Shade above fhade, a woody theatre
Of stateliest view. Yet higher than their tops
The verd'rous wall of Paradife up fprung:
Which to our general fire gave profpect large
Into his nether empire neighb'ring round.
And higher than that wall a circling row
Of goodlieft trees, loaden with fairest fruit,
Bloffoms and fruits at once of golden hue,
Appear'd, with gay enamell'd colours mix'd:
On which the fun more glad imprefs'd his beams, 150 Than in fair ev'ning cloud, or humid bow,
When God hath fhow'r'd the earth; fo lovely feem'd
That landfkip: and of pure now purer air
Meets his approach, and to the heart infpires
Vernal delight and joy, able to drive
All fadnefs but defpair: now gentle gales,
Fanning their odoriferous wings, difpenfe
Native perfumes, and whifper whence they stole
Thofe balmy spoils. As when to them who fail
Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are past
Mozambic, off at fea north-eat winds blow
Sabean odours from the fpicy fhore
Of Araby the Blefs'd; with fuch delay
Well pleas'd they flack their courfe, and many a league
Chear'd with the grateful smell old Ocean fmiles: 165
So entertain'd those odorous fweets the fiend,
Who came their bane; though with them better pleas'd
Than Afmodeus with the fifhy fume
That drove him, though enamour'd, from the spouse
Of Tobit's fon, and with a vengeance fent
From Media poft to Egypt, there fast bound.
Now to th' afcent of that steep favage hill
Satan had journey'd on, penfive and flow;
But further way found none, fo thick intwin'd,
As one continu'd brake, the undergrowth
Of fhrubs and tangling bufhes had perplex'd
All path of man or beast that pafs'd that way.
One gate there only was, and that look'd east
On th' other fide: which when th' arch felon faw,
Due entrance he difdain'd, and, in contempt,
At one flight bound high overleap'd all bound
Of hill or highest wall, and fheer within
Lights on his feet. As when a prowling wolf,
When hunger drives to feek new haunt for prey,
Watching where fhepherds pen their flocks at eve 185
In hurled cotes amid the field fecure,
Leaps o'er the fence with ease into the fold:
Or as a thief, bent to unhoard the cafh
Of fome rich burgher, whofe fubftantial doors,
Cross-barr'd and bolted fast, fear no assault,
In at the window climbs, or o'er the tiles:
So clamb this first grand thief into God's fold;
So fince into his church lewd hirelings climb.
Thence up he flew, and on the tree of life,
The middle tree, and higheft there that grew,
Sat like a cormorant; yet not true life,
Thereby regain'd, but fad devifing death
To them who liv'd; nor on the virtue thought
Of that life-giving plant, but only us'd
For profpect, what well-us'd had been the pledge 200 Of immortality. So little knows
Any, but God alone, to value right
The good before him, but perverts beft things
To worst abuse, or to their meaneft ufe.
Beneath him with new wonder now he views,
To all delight of human fenfe expos'd,
In narrow room, nature's whole wealth, yea, more,
A heav'n on earth: for blissful Paradife
Of GOD the garden was, by him in th' eaft
Of Eden planted; Eden ftretch'd her line
From Auran eastward to the royal towers
Of great Seleucia, built by Grecian kings,
Or where the fons of Eden long before
Dwelt in Telaffar: in this pleafant foil
His far more pleafant garden GoD ordain'd;
Out of the fertile ground he caus'd to grow
All trees of nobleft kind for fight, fmell, tafte;
And all amid them ftood the tree of life,
High eminent, blooming ambrofial fruit
Of vegetable gold and next to life,
Our death, the tree of knowledge, grew faft by;
Knowledge of good bought dear by knowing ill.
Southward through Eden went a river large,
Nor chang'd his courfe, but through the fhaggy hill
Pafs'd underneath ingulf'd; for God had thrown 225
That mountain as his garden-moul'd high rais'd
Upon the rapid current, which through veins
Of porous earth, with kindly thirft up-drawn,
Rofe a fresh fountain, and with many a rill
Water'd the garden; thence united fell
Down the fteep glade, and met the nether flood,
Which from his darkfome paffage now appears;
And now divided into four main ftreams,
Runs diverse, wand'ring many a famous realm
And country, whereof here needs no account;
But rather to tell how, if art could tell,
How from that fapphir fount the crifped brooks,
Rolling on orient pearl and fands of gold,
With mazy error under pendent fhades
Ran nectar, vifiting each plant, and fed
Flow'rs, worthy' of Paradife, which not nice art
In beds and curious knots, but nature boon
Under a turf of fhade that on a green
Stood whifp'ring foft, by a fresh fountain fide
They fat them down; and after no more toil
Of their fweet gard'ning labour than suffic'd
To recommend cool zephyr, and made ease
More ealy, wholefome thirft and appetite
More grateful, to their fupper fruits they fell,
Nectarine fruits which the compliant boughs
Yielded then, fide long as they fat recline
On the foft downy bank damafk'd with flowers;
The favoury pulp they chow, and in the rind,
Still as they thirsted, scoop the brimming stream;
Nor gently purpofe, nor endearing fmiles
Wanted, nor youthful dalliance, as beseems
Fair couple, link'd in happy nuptial league,
Alone as they. About them frifking play'd
All beafts of th' earth, fince wild, and of all chafe
In wood or wilderness, forest or den ;
Sporting the lion ramp'd, and in his paw
Dandled the kid; bears, tygers, ounces, pards,
Gambol'd before them; th' unwieldy elephant, 345
To make them mirth, us'd all his might, and wreath'd
His lithe probofcis; clofe the ferpent fly
Infinuating, wove with Gordian twine
His braided train, and of his fatal guile
Gave proof unheaded; others on the grafs
Couch'd, and now fill'd with paflure gazing fat,
Or bedward ruminating; for the fun
Declin'd was hafting now with prone career
To th' ocean ifles, and in th' afcending scale
Of heav'n the stars that usher evening rofe:
When Satan still in gaze, as firft he stood,
Scarce thus at length fail'd speech recover'd, faid.
O hell! what do mine eyes with grief behold!
Into our room of blifs thus high advanc'd
Creatures of other mould, earth-born perhaps,
Not fpirits, yet to heav'nly spirits bright
Little inferior; whom my thoughts purfue
With wonder, and could love, fo lively fhines
In them divine refemblance, and fuch grace
The brand that form'd them on their fhape hath pour'd.
Ah, gentle pair! ye little think how nigh
Your change approaches, when all these delights
Will vanish, and deliver you to woe!
More woe, the more your tafte is now of joy;
Happy, but for fo happy, ill fecur'd
Long to continue, and this high feat your heav'n
Ill fenc'd for heav'n to keep out such a foe
As now is enter'd; yet no purpos'd foe
To you, whom I could pity thus forlorn,
Though I unpitied. League with you I seek
And mutual amity, fo ftrait, so close,
That I with you must dwell, or you with me
Henceforth my dwelling haply may not pleafe,
Like this fair Paradife, your fenfe; yet fuch
Accept your Maker's works; he gave it me,
Which I as freely give: hell fhall unfold,
To entertain you two, her wideft gates,
And fend forth all her kings; there will be room,
Not like thefe narrow limits,, to receive
Your num'rous offspring; if no better place,
Thank him who puts me loath to this revenge
On you who wrong me not for him who wrong'd.
And should I at your harmless innocence
Melt, as I do, yet public reafon juft,
Honour and empire with revenge enlarg'd
By conqu'ring this new world, compels me now
To do what elfe, though damn'd, I should abhor.
So fpake the fiend, and with neceffity,
The tyrant's plea, excus'd his devilish deeds.
Then from his lofty stand on that high tree
Down he alights among the fportful herd
Of thofe four footed kinds, himself now one,
Now other, as their fhape ferv'd beft his end
Nearer to view his prey, and unspy'd
To mark what of their ftate he more might learn, 400 By word or action mark’d: about them round
A lion now he ftalks with fiery glare;
Then as a tyger, who by chance hath spy'd
In fome purlieu two gentle fawns at play,
Straight couches clofe, then rifing changes oft
His couchant watch, as one who chofe his ground, M
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