Whofe progeny you are. Mean while enjoy
Your fill what happiness this happy state
Can comprehend, incapable of more.

505

To whom the patriarch of mankind reply'd.

O favourable Spi'rit, propitious guest,

Well haft thou taught the way that might direct

Our knowledge, and the scale of nature set

510

From center to circumference, whereon
In contemplation of created things

By steps we may afcend to God. But fay,
What meant that caution join'd, If ye be found
Obedient? can we want obedience then

To him, or poffibly his love defert,

Who form'd us from the duft, and plac'd us here
Full to the utmost measure of what blifs
Human defires can feek or apprehend?

To whom the Angel. Son of Heav'n and Earth,
Attend That thou art happy, owe to God;

:

That thou continueft fuch, owe to thyself,

515

520

That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.

This was that caution giv'n thee; be advis'd.
God made thee perfect, not immutable;

And good he made thee, but to persevere

525

He left it in thy pow'r; ordain'd thy will

By nature free, not over-rul'd by fate
Inextricable, or ftrict neceffity:
Our voluntary service he requires,
Not our neceffitated; fuch with him

Finds no acceptance, nor can find; for how

Can hearts, not free, be try'd whether they serve

530

Willing

Willing or no, who will but what they must
By destiny, and can no other choose ?
Myself and all th' angelic host, that stand
'In fight of God enthron'd, our happy state
Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds
On other furety none; freely we serve,
Because we freely love, as in our will

To love or not; in this we ftand or fall :
And fome are fall'n, to difobedience fall'n,
And fo from Heav'n to deepest Hell; O fall
From what high state of bliss into what woe!
To whom our great progenitor. Thy words
Attentive, and with more delighted ear,
Divine instructor, I have heard, than when
Cherubic fongs by night from neighb'ring hills
Aereal mufic fend: nor knew I not

;

535

540

545

To be both will and deed created free;

Yet that we never fhall forget to love

550

Our Maker, and obey him whose command

Single is yet so just, my constant thoughts

Affur'd me', and still affure: though what thou tell'st Hath pass'd in Heav'n, fome doubt within me move, But more defire to hear, if thou confent,

555

The full relation, which muft needs be strange,

Worthy of facred filence to be heard;

And we have yet large day, for scarce the fun
Hath finish'd half his journey', and scarce begins
His other half in the great zone of Heav'n.
Thus Adam made requeft; and Raphaël

After fhort paufe affenting, thus began.

560

High matter thou injoin'st me',

O prime of men,

Sad task and hard; for how shall I relate

To human fenfe th' invifible exploits
Of warring Spirits? how without remorse
The ruin of fo many glorious once

565

And perfect while they ftood? how laft unfold
The fecrets of another world, perhaps

Not lawful to reveal? yet for thy good

570

This is difpens'd; and what furmounts the reach
Of human fenfe, I fhall delineate so,
By likening fpiritual to corporal forms,

As may exprefs them beft; though what if Earth
Be but the shadow' of Heav'n, and things therein 575
Each to' other like, more than on earth is thought?

As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild
Reign'd where these Heav'ns now roll, where Earth now
Upon her center pois'd; when on a day

[refts

(For time, though in eternity, apply'd

To motion, measures all things durable

By prefent, paft, and future) on fuch day

589

As Heav'n's great year brings forth, th' empyreal hoft Of Angels by imperial fummons call'd,

Innumerable before th' Almighty's throne

585

Forthwith from all the ends of Heav'n appear'd

Under their Hierarchs in orders bright:

Ten thousand thousand enfigns high advanc'd,
Standards and gonfalons 'twixt van and rear
Stream in the air, and for diftinction serve
Of hierarchies, of orders, and degrees ;
Or in their glittering tiffues bear imblaz'd

590

Holy

Holy memorials, acts of zeal and love
Recorded eminent. Thus when in orbs
Of circuit inexpreffible they ftood,
Orb within orb, the Father infinite,

By whom in bliss imbosom'd fat the Son,
Amidst as from a flaming mount, whose top
Brightness had made invisible, thus fpake.
Hear all ye Angels, progeny of light,

595

600

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,
Hear my decree, which unrevok'd shall stand.
This day I have begot whom I declare

My only Son, and on this holy hill

Him have anointed, whom ye now behold

605

At my right hand; your head I him appoint;
And by myself have fworn to him shall bow

All knees in Heav'n, and fhall confefs him Lord:
Under his great vice-gerent reign abide

United as one individual foul

For ever happy: Him who difobeys,
Me difobeys, breaks union, and that day,
Caft out from God and blessed vifion, falls
Into' utter darkness, deep ingulf'd, his place
Ordain'd without redemption, without end.

1610

615

So fpake th' Omnipotent, and with his words All feem'd well pleas'd; all feem'd, but were not all. That day, as other folemn days, they spent In fong and dance about the facred hill; Mystical dance, which yonder starry sphere Of planets and of fix'd in all her wheels Refembles neareft, mazes intricate,

620

Eccentric,

Eccentric, intervolv'd, yet regular

Then moft, when most irregular they seem;

And in their motions harmony divine

625

630

So fmooths her charming tones, that God's own ear
Liftens delighted. Evening now approach'd
(For we have alfo' our evening and our morn,
We ours for change delectable, not need)
Forthwith from dance to fweet repast they turn
Defirous; all in circles as they stood,
Tables are fet, and on a fudden pil'd
With Angels food, and rubied nectar flows
In pearl, in diamond, and maffy gold,

Fruit of delicious vines, the growth of Heaven.

635

On flow'rs repos'd, and with fresh flow'rets crown'd,

They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet
Quaff immortality and joy, fecure

Of surfeit where full measure only bounds

Excefs, before th' all-bounteous King, who fhowr'd
With copious hand, rejoicing in their joy.

Now when ambrofial night with clouds exhal'd

From that high mount of God, whence light and shade
Spring both, the face of brightest Heav'n had chang'd
To grateful twilight (for night comes not there
In darker veil) and rofeat dews difpos'd

All but th' unfleeping eyes of God to rest ;

Wide over all the plain, and wider far

Than all this globous earth in plain outspread,

645

(Such are the courts of God) th' angelic throng, 650 Difpers'd in bands and files, their camp extend

By living streams among the trees of life,

Pavilions