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Collecting all his might, dilated stood,

Like Teneriff1 or Atlas,1 unremoved:

His stature reached the sky, and on his crest

Sat horror plumed; nor wanted in his grasp

What seemed both spear and shield. Now dreadful

deeds

Might have ensued; nor only Paradise,

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In this commotion, but the starry cope3

Of heaven perhaps, or all the elements

At least, had gone to wrack, disturbed and torn
With violence of this conflict; had not soon

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The Eternal, to prevent such horrid fray,

Hung forth in Heaven his golden scales, yet seen
Betwixt Astrea and the Scorpion sign,

Wherein all things created first he weighed,

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The pendulous round earth, with balanced air
In counterpoise; now, ponders all events,

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Battles, and realms: in these he put two weights,

The sequel each of parting and of fight:

The latter quick upflew and kicked the beam;

Which Gabriel spying, thus bespake the fiend:

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"Satan! I know thy strength, and thou know'st mine;

"Neither our own, but given: what folly then

"To boast what arms can do! since thine no more "Than Heaven permits, nor mine, though doubled now "To trample thee as mire: for proof look up, "And read thy lot in yon celestial sign;

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1 Like Teneriff,-a lofty peak in the island of that name, 12,182 feet in height. Atlas,--a mountain range in North Africa, rising to the height of 11,400 feet: like these Satan stood lofty, dilated and unremoved,―i. e. firm.

2 Sat Horror plumed,-by a sublime personification, Horror is described as the crest of Satan's helmet.

3 Starry cope,-arch, concave, roof.

4 This sublime imagery of the creation at first, and all events since, being weighed as in balances, gives an exalted idea of Providence, and is founded on Scripture usage; see Isa. xl. 12; 1 Sam. ii. 3; Job xxviii. 25; xxxvii. 16; Prov. xvi. 2; Daniel v. 27. Milton poetically justifies this idea, by referring to the constellation "Libra" or the scales, one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac, situated between Astroa, or the Virgin, and the Scorpion---two other of these signs.

"Where thou art weighed, and shown how light, how

weak,

"If thou resist." The fiend looked up, and knew

His mounted scale aloft: nor more; but fled

Murmuring, and with him fled the shades of night. 1015

BOOK V.

THE ARGUMENT.

MORNING approached, Eve relates to Adam her troublesome dream; he likes it not, yet comforts her: they come forth to their day-labours: their morning hymn at the door of their bower. God, to render man inexcusable, sends Raphael to admonish him of his obedience, of his free estate, of his enemy near at hand, who he is, and why his enemy, and whatever else may avail Adam to know. Raphael comes down to Paradise; his appearance described; his coming discerned by Adam afar off, sitting at the door of his bower; he goes out to meet him, brings him to his lodge, entertains him with the choicest fruits of Paradise got together by Eve; their discourse at table: Raphael performs his message, minds Adam of his state and of his enemy; relates, at Adam's request, who that enemy is, and how he came to be so, beginning from his first revolt in Heaven, and the occasion thereof; how he drew his legions after him to the parts of the north, and there incited them to rebel with him, persuading all but only Abdiel a seraph, who in argument dissuades and opposes him, then forsakes him.

Now Morn, her rosy steps in the eastern clime
Advancing, sowed the earth with orient pearl,
When Adam waked, so customed; for his sleep
Was airy-light, from pure digestion bred,

And temperate vapours bland, which the only sound
Of leaves and fuming rills, Aurora's fan,1

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1 Aurora's fan.-Aurora was the divinity supposed to bring in the dawn of day: the gentle breezes, putting the leaves in motion, are compared by Milton to her fan.

Lightly dispersed, and the shrill matin song
Of birds on every bough: so much the more
His wonder was to find unwakened Eve,1
With tresses discomposed, and glowing cheek,
As through unquiet rest: he, on his side
Leaning half-raised, with looks of cordial love
Hung over her enamoured, and beheld
Beauty, which, whether waking or asleep,
Shot forth peculiar graces; then, with voice
Mild as when Zephyrus2 on Flora breathes,
Her hand soft touching, whispered thus: "Awake,
"My fairest, my espoused, my latest found,
"Heaven's last, best gift, my ever new delight!
"Awake; the morning shines, and the fresh field
"Calls us; we lose the prime, to mark how spring
"Our tended plants,-how blows the citron grove,—
"What drops the myrrh, and what the balmy reed,—
"How nature paints her colours,--how the bee
"Sits on the bloom extracting liquid sweet."
Such whispering waked her, but with startled eye
On Adam; whom embracing, thus she spake :
"O sole in whom my thoughts find all repose,

"3

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66 My glory, my perfection! glad I see

66 Thy face, and morn returned; for I this night
"(Such night till this I never passed) have dreamed,
"(If dreamed,) not, as I oft am wont, of thee,
"Works of day past, or morrow's next design;
"But of offence and trouble, which my mind
"Knew never till this irksome night. Methought,
"Close at mine ear, one called me forth to walk
"With gentle voice; I thought it thine: it said,

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1 The unusual discomposure in Eve's locks, is brought out here as the result of Satan's practising on her as she lay asleep, b. iv. 1. 800, &c.

2 Zephyrus, the soft west wind. Flora, the goddess of flowers-or her treasures in their expanded blossoms.

3 Compare Song of Solomon ii. 10, &c., vii. 11, 12. Prime,--the finest, best part of the day.

4 With startled eye on Adam,-On awakening, Adam caught her eye, and the sight of him startled her after her dream.

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“‹ Why sleep'st thou, Eve? now is the pleasant time,
"The cool, the silent, save where silence yields
“To the night-warbling bird, that now awake
"Tunes sweetest his love-laboured song; now reigns
"Full-orbed the Moon, and with more pleasing light
Shadowy sets off the face of things; in vain,

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“If none regard: Heaven wakes with all his eyes,
"Whom to behold but thee, Nature's desire?1
"In whose sight all things joy, with ravishment
"Attracted by thy beauty still to gaze.'

"I rose, as at thy call, but found thee not;

"To find thee I directed then my walk;

"And on, methought, alone I passed through ways
"That brought me on a sudden to the tree
"Of interdicted knowledge: fair it seemed,—
"Much fairer to my fancy than by day :

“And, as I wondering looked, beside it stood

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"One shaped and winged like one of those from Heaven 55

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By us oft seen; his dewy locks distilled

"Ambrosia :2 on that tree he also gazed:

“And, ‘O fair plant,' said he, ' with fruit surcharged!
"Deigns none to ease thy load, and taste thy sweet,
"Nor God, nor Man? is knowledge so despised?
"Or envy, or what reserve, forbids3 to taste?
"Forbid who will, none shall from me withhold
"Longer thy offered good; why else set here?'
"This said, he paused not, but with venturous arm
"He plucked, he tasted; me damp horror chilled
"At such bold words vouched with a deed so bold:
“But he thus, overjoyed : ‘O fruit divine!
"Sweet of thyself, but much more sweet thus cropt!
« Forbidden here, it seems, as only fit

"For gods, yet able to make gods of men:

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Nature's desire, Desire, put for the object of desire, by a Latin idiom. 2 Ambrosia :-though the imaginary food of the gods, is used poetically to signify anything peculiarly pleasing to smell or taste.

3 Reserve or envy, or what reserve forbids,-Does envy forbid? or what reserve, caution, or restraint forbids to taste.

Vouched,-confirmed, backed, supported.

"And why not gods of men, since good, the more "Communicated, more abundant grows,

"The author not impaired, but honoured more?
"Here, happy creature, fair angelic Eve,
"Partake thou also; happy though thou art,

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66 Happier thou mayst be, worthier canst not be:
"Taste this, and be henceforth among the gods
66 Thyself a goddess; not to earth confined,
"But sometimes in the air, as we, sometimes
"Ascend to Heaven by merit thine, and see
"What life the gods live there, and such live thou !'
"So saying he drew nigh, and to me held,-
"Even to my mouth,-of that same fruit held part
"Which he had plucked: the pleasant savoury smell
"So quickened appetite, that I, methought,
"Could not but taste. Forthwith up to the clouds
"With him I flew, and underneath beheld
"The earth outstretched immense,-a prospect wide
"And various,-wondering at my flight and change
"To this high exaltation: suddenly

"My guide was gone; and I, methought, sunk down,
"And fell asleep: but, O, how glad I waked
"To find this but a dream!" Thus Eve her night
Related, and thus Adam answered sad:

"Best image of myself, and dearer half!
"The trouble of thy thoughts this night in sleep
“ Affects me equally; nor can I like

"This uncouth dream,-of evil sprung, I fear :
"Yet evil whence? in thee can harbour none,
"Created pure. But know, that in the soul
"Are many lesser faculties, that serve
"Reason as chief; among these Fancy next
"Her office holds; of all external things,
"Which the five watchful senses represent,
"She forms imaginations, airy shapes,
"Which Reason joining, or disjoining, frames
"All what we affirm, or what deny, and call
"Our knowledge or opinion; then retires

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