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THE Son of God presents to his Father the prayers of our first parents now repenting, and intercedes for them: God accepts them, but declares that they must no longer abide in Paradise; sends Michael with a band of Cherubim to dispossess them; but first to reveal to Adam future things: Michael's coming down. Adam shows to Eve certain ominous signs; he discerns Michael's approach; goes out to meet him; the Angel denounces their departure. Eve's lamentation. Adam pleads, but submits: the Angel leads him up to a high hill; sets before him in vision what shall happen till the flood.

THUS they, in lowliest plight, repentant stood,
Praying; for from the mercy-seat above
Prevenient grace descending had removed

The stony from their hearts, and made new flesh
Regenerate grow instead; that sighs now breathed
Unutterable; which the Spirit of prayer

Inspired, and winged for Heaven with speedier flight
Than loudest oratory: yet their port

Not of mean suitors; nor important less

Seemed their petition, than when the ancient pair
In fables old (less ancient yet than these),
Deucalion, and chaste Pyrrha, to restore
The race of mankind drowned, before the shrine
Of Themis stood devout. To Heaven their prayers
Flew up, nor missed the way, by envious winds
Blown vagabond, or frustrate: in they passed
Dimensionless through heavenly doors; then, clad
With incense, where the golden altar fumed,
By their great Intercessor, came in sight
Before the Father's throne: them the glad Son

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Presenting, thus to intercede began:

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See, Father, what first-fruits on Earth are sprung "From thy implanted grace in Man! these sighs "And prayers, which, in this golden censer, mixed "With incense, I thy priest before thee bring-"Fruits of more pleasing savour, from thy seed "Sown with contrition in his heart, than those "Which, his own hand manuring, all the trees "Of Paradise could have produced, ere fallen "From innocence. Now therefore bend thine ear "To supplication; hear his sighs, though mute : "Unskilful with what words to pray, let me "Interpret for him; me, his Advocate "And propitiation; all his works on me, "Good or not good, ingraft; my merit those

"Shall perfect, and for these my death shall pay.

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Accept me; and, in me, from these receive

"The smell of peace toward mankind: let him live

"Before thee reconciled,—at least his days

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Numbered, though sad; till death, his doom, (which I 40 "To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse,)

"To better life shall yield him; where with me
"All my redeemed may dwell in joy and bliss;
"Made one with me, as I with thee am one." ""
To whom the Father, without cloud, serene :
"All thy request for Man, accepted Son!
"Obtain; all thy request was my decree.
"But, longer in that Paradise to dwell,
"The law I gave to nature him forbids:
"Those pure immortal elements, that know
"No gross, no unharmonious mixture foul,

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Eject him, tainted now; and purge him off, "As a distemper, gross to air as gross, "And mortal food; as may dispose him best "For dissolution, wrought by sin that first

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Distempered all things, and of incorrupt

Corrupted. I, at first, with two fair gifts "Created him endowed-with happiness "And immortality: that fondly lost,

"This other served but to eternize woe;

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"Till I provided death: so death becomes "His final remedy; and, after life

"Tried in sharp tribulation, and refined

"By faith and faithful works, to second life, "Waked in the renovation of the just,

"Resigns him up with Heaven and Earth renewed.

"But let us call to synod all the blest

"Through Heaven's wide bounds: from them I will not hide
"My judgments; how with mankind I proceed;
"As how with peccant Angels late they saw,

"And in their state, though firm, stood more confirmed."
He ended; and the Son gave signal high
To the bright minister that watched: he blew
His trumpet, heard in Oreb since, perhaps,
When God descended, and perhaps once more
To sound at general doom. The angelic blast
Filled all the regions: from their blissful bowers
Of amaranthine shade, fountain or spring,
By the waters of life, where'er they sat

In fellowships of joy, the sons of light
Hasted, resorting to the summons high;

And took their seats: till, from his throne supreme,
The Almighty thus pronounced his sovran will:
"O sons, like one of us man is become,
"To know both good and evil, since his taste
"Of that defended fruit; but let him boast
"His knowledge of good lost, and evil got;
"Happier, had it sufficed him to have known
"Good by itself, and evil not at all!
"He sorrows now, repents, and prays contrite,
"My motions in him; longer than they move,
"His heart I know how variable and vain,

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"Self-left. Lest therefore his now bolder hand
"Reach also of the tree of life, and eat,
"And live for ever-dream at least to live

"For ever, to remove him I decree,

"And send him from the garden forth, to till
"The ground whence he was taken-fitter soil!
"Michael! this my behest have thou in charge:
"Take to thee from among the Cherubim

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"Thy choice of flaming warriors, lest the fiend, "Or in behalf of man, or to invade

"Vacant possession, some new trouble raise :
"Haste thee, and from the Paradise of God,

"Without remorse, drive out the sinful pair:
"From hallowed ground the unholy; and denounce
"To them, and to their progeny, from thence
Yet, lest they faint

66 Perpetual banishment.

"At the sad sentence rigorously urged,

"(For I behold them softened, and with tears

66 Bewailing their excess,) all terror hide.
"If patiently thy bidding they obey,
"Dismiss them not disconsolate; reveal
"To Adam what shall come in future days,
"As I shall thee enlighten; intermix

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My covenant in the Woman's seed renewed;

"So send them forth, though sorrowing, yet in peace: "And, on the east side of the garden, place,

"Where entrance up from Eden easiest climbs, "Cherubic watch; and of a sword the flame

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Wide-waving; all approach far off to fright, "And guard all passage to the tree of life; "Lest Paradise a receptacle prove

"To spirits foul, and all my trees their prey;

"With whose stolen fruit Man once more to delude."
He ceased; and the archangelic Power prepared
For swift descent; with him the cohort bright
Of watchful Cherubim: four faces each
Had, like a double Janus; all their shape
Spangled with eyes, more numerous than those
Of Argus, and more wakeful than to drowse,
Charmed with Arcadian pipe, the pastoral reed
Of Hermes, or his opiate rod. Meanwhile,
To resalute the world with sacred light,
Leucothea waked, and with fresh dews embalmed
The Earth; when Adam, and first matron Eve,
Had ended now their orisons, and found
Strength added from above-new hope to spring
Out of despair-joy, but with fear yet linked;
Which thus to Eve his welcome words renewed:

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"Eve! easily may faith admit, that all

"The good which we enjoy from Heaven descends;
66 But, that from us aught should ascend to Heaven
"So prevalent, as to concern the mind

"Of God high-blest, or to incline his will,
"Hard to belief may seem; yet tis will prayer,
"Or one short sigh of human breath, upborne
"Even to the seat of God: for since I sought

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By prayer the offended Deity to appease,

'Kneeled, and before him humbled all my heart, Methought I saw him placable and mild,

"Bending his ear; persuasion in me grew

"That I was heard with favour; peace returned
"Home to my breast; and to my memory

"His promise, that thy seed shall bruise our foe;
"Which, then not minded in dismay, yet now
"Assures me that the bitterness of death

"Is past, and we shall live. Whence hail to thee,
"Eve rightly called, mother of all mankind!
"Mother of all things living, since by thee
"Man is to live; and all things live for Man."
To whom thus Eve, with sad demeanour meek:
"Ill worthy I, such title should belong
"To me transgressor; who, for thee ordained
"A help, became thy snare; to me reproach
"Rather belongs, distrust, and all dispraise.
"But infinite in pardon was my Judge,

"That I, who first brought death on all, am graced

"The source of life; next favourable thou,
"Who highly thus to entitle me vouchsafest,
"Far other name deserving. But the field

"To labour calls us, now with sweat imposed,

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Though after sleepless night; for see! the Morn, "All unconcerned with our unrest, begins

"Her rosy progress smiling: let us forth; "I never from thy side henceforth to stray,

"Where'er our day's work lies, though now enjoined "Laborious till day droop: while here we dwell,

"What can be toilsome in these pleasant walks?

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Here let us live, though in fallen state, content."

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