Shall them admonifh, and before them fet
The paths of righteousness, how much more fafe
And full of peace, denouncing wrath to come
On their impenitence; and fhall return
Of them derided, but of God observ'd
The one juft man alive; by his command
Shall build a wondrous ark, as thou beheldft,
To fave himself and household from amidst
A world devote to univerfal wrack.

No fooner he with them of man and beaft
Select for life shall in the ark be lodg'd,
And shelter'd round, but all the cataracts
Of Heav'n fet open on the earth fhall pour
Rain day and night; all fountains of the deep
Broke up, fhall heave the ocean to ufurp
Beyond all bounds, till inundation rise
Above the highest hills; then shall this mount
Of Paradife by might of waves be mov'd
Out of his place, pufh'd by the horned flood,
With all his verdure fpoil'd, and trees adrift,
Down the great river to the op'ning gulf,
And there take root an island salt and bare,
The haunt of feals, and orcs, and sea-mews clang:
To teach thee that God attributes to place
No fanctity, if none be thither brought
By men who there frequent, or therein dwell.
And now what further shall ensue, behold.

He look'd, and saw the ark hull on the flood,
Which now abated; for the clouds were fled,
Driv'n by a keen north-wind, that blowing dry
Wrinkled the face of Deluge, as decay'd;
And the clear fun on his wide wat'ry glass
Gaz'd hot, and of the fresh wave largely drew,
As after thirst, which made their flowing shrink
From standing lake to tripping ebb, that stole
With foft foot tow'rds the Deep, who now had
ftopt

His fluices, as the Heav'n his windows fhut.
The ark no more now floats, but seems on ground
Faft on the top of some high mountain fix'd.
And now the tops of hills as rocks appear;
With clamour thence the rapid currents drive
Tow'rds the retreating sea their furious tide.
Forthwith from out the ark a raven flies,
And after him, the furer meffenger,
A dove fent forth once and again to spy
Green tree or ground whereon his foot may light;

The second time returning, in his bill
An olive leaf he brings, pacific fign:
Anon dry ground appears, and from his ark
The ancient fire defcends with all his train;
Then with uplifted hands, and eyes devout,
Grateful to Heav'n, o'er his head beholds
A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow
Confpicuous with three lifted colours gay,
Betokening peace from God, and covenant new.
Whereat the heart of Adam, erst so sad,
Greatly rejoic'd; and thus his joy broke forth.
O thou who future things can represent
As prefent, heav'nly Inftructor, I revive
At this laft fight, affur'd that man shall live
With all the creatures, and their feed preferve.
Far lefs I now lament for one whole world
Of wicked fons deftroy'd, than I rejoice
For one man found so perfect and so just,
That God vouchfafes to raise another world
From him, and all his anger to forget.
But fay, what mean thofe colour'd ftreaks in
Heav'n

Distended as the brow of God appeas'd,
Or ferve they as a flow'ry verge to bind
The fluid fkirts of that fame watry cloud,
Left it again diffolve and fhow'r the earth?
To whom the archangel. Dext'rously thou
aim'ft;

So willingly doth God remit his ire,

Though late repenting him of man deprav'd,
Griev'd at his heart, when looking down he faw
whe whole earth fill'd with violence, and all flesh
Corrupting each their way; yet those remov'd,
Such grace fhall one just man find in his fight,
That he relents, not to blot out mankind,
And makes a covenant never to destroy
The Earth again by flood, nor let the fea
Surpass his bounds, nor rain to drown the world,
With man therein or beast; but when he brings
Over the Earth a cloud, will therein fet
His triple-colour'd bow, whereon to look,
And call to mind his covenant: day and night,
Seed-time and harvest, heat and hoary frost
Shall hold their courfe, till fire purge all things

new,

Both Heav'n and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell.

As one who in his journey bates at noon, Though bent on speed; fo here th' arch-angel paus'd

Betwixt the world deftroy'd and world reftor'd,
If Adam ought perhaps might interpofe;
Then with tranfition fweet new fpeech refumes.
Thus thou haft feen one world begin and end;
And man as from a fecond stock proceed.
Much thou hast yet to fee, but 1 perceive

Thy mortal fight to fail; objects divine

Muft needs impair and weary human fenfe;
Henceforth what is to come I will relate;
Thou therefore give due audience, and attend.
This fecond fource of men, while yet but few,
And while the dread of judgment paft remains
Fresh in their minds, fearing the Deity,
With fome regard to what is juft and right
Shall lead their lives, and multiply apace,
Lab'ring the foil, and reaping plenteous crop,
Corn, wine, and oil; and from the herd or flock
Oft facrificing bullock, lamb, or kid,
With large wine-offerings pour'd, and facred feaft,
Shall fpend their days in joy unblam'd, and dwell
Long time in peace by families and tribes
Under paternal rule; till one shall rife
Of proud ambitious heart, who not content,
With fair equality, fraternal ftate,
Will arrogate dominion undeferv'd
Over his brethren, and quite difpoffefs
Concord and law of nature from the earth,
Hunting (and men, not beasts shall be his game)
With war and hoftile fnare, fuch as refufe
Subjection to his empire tyrannous;

A mighty Hunter thence he shall be stil'd
Before the Lord, as in despight of Heav'n,
Or from Heav'n claiming fecond fov'reignty;
And from rebellion fhall derive his name,
Though of rebellion others he accuses.
He with a crew, whom like ambition joins
With him, or under him to tyrannize,
Marching from Eden tow'rds the weft, fhall find
The plain, wherein a black bituminous gurge
Boils out from under ground, the mouth of Hell;
Of brick, and of that stuff they caft to build

A city and tower, whole top may reach to
Heav'n;

And get themfelves a name, left far difpers'd
In foreign lands their memory be loit,
Regardless whether good or evil fame.
But God, who oft defcends to vifit men
Unfeen, and through their habitations walks
To mark their doings, them beholding foon,
Comes down to fee their city, e'er the tower
Obfruct Heav'n-tow'rs, and in derifion fets
Upon their tongues a various fp'rit to rafe
Quite out their native language, and inftead
To fow a jangling noife of words unknown;
Forthwith a hideous gabble rifes loud
Among the builders; each to other calls
Not understood, till hoarfe, and all in rage,
As mock'd they ftorm; great laughter was in

Heav'n,

And looking down, to fee the hubbub strange, And hear the din; thus was the building left Ridiculous, and the work Confufion nam'd.

Whereto thus Adam, fatherly, difpleas'd,

O execrable fon, so to aspire
Above his brethren, to himself affuming
Authority ufurp'd, from God not giv'n:
He gave us only over beaft, fifh, fowl,
Dominion abfolute; that right we hold
By his donation; but man over men
He made not lord; fuch title to himself
Referving, human left from human free.
But this ufurper his encroachment proud
Stays not on man; to God his tow'r intends
Siege and defiance; wretched man! what food
Will he convey up thither to fustain

Himself and his rafh army, where thin air
Above the clouds will pine his entrails grofs,
And famifh him of breath, if not of bread?
To whom thus Michael. Juftly thou abhorr't
That fon, who on the quiet state of men
Such trouble brought, affecting to fubdue
Rational liberty; yet know withal,
Since thy original lapfe true liberty

Is loft, which always with right reafon dwell's
Twinn'd, and from her hath no dividual being:
Reafon in man obscur'd, or not obey'd,
Immediately inordinate defires

And upftart paflions catch the government
From reafon, and to fervitude reduce

Man till then free. Therefore, fince he permits
Within himself unworthy powers to reign
Over free reafon, God in judgment just
Subjects him from without to violent lords;
Who oft as undefervedly inthrall

His outward freedom; tyranny must be,
Though to the tyrant thereby no excufe.
Yet fometimes nations will decline fo low
From virtue which is reafon, that no wrong,
But juftice, and fome fatal curfe annex'd,
Deprives them of their outward liberty,
Their inward loft: witness th' irreverent fon
Of him who built the ark, who for the fhame
Done to his father, heard this heavy curfe,
Servant of fervants, on his vicious race.
Thus will this latter, as the former world,
Still tend from bad to worfe, till God at last
Wearied with their iniquities, withdraw
His prefence from among them, and avert
His holy eyes; refolving from thenceforth
To leave them to their own polluted ways;
And one peculiar nation to felect

From all the rest, of whom to be invok'd,
A nation from one faithful man to fpring:
Him on this fide Euphrates yet refiding,
Bred up in idol-worship; O that maṇ
(Cana thon believe?) should be fo ftupid grown,
While yet the Patriarch liv'd, who fcap'd the
flood,

As to forfake the living God, and fall

To worship their own work in wood and ftone For Gods! yet him God the most High vouchfafes

To call by vilion from his father's house,
His kindred and falfe gods, into a land
Which he will fhew him, and from him will raife
A mighty nation, and upon him thower
His benediction fo, that in his feed
All nations shall be bleft; he ftrait obeys,

Not knowing to what land, yet firm believes;
I fee him, but thou capft not, with what faith
He leaves his gods, his friends, and native foil
Ur of Chaldæa, paffing now the ford
To Haran, after him a cumbrous train
Of herds and flocks, and numerous fervitude;
Not wand'ring poor, but trufting all his wealth
With God, who call'd him, in a land unknown.
Canaan he now attains; I fee his tents
Pitch'd about Sechem, and the neighb'ring plain'
Of Morch; there by promife he receives
Gift to his progeny of all that land,

From Hamath northward to the defert fouth,
(Things by their names I call, though yet un-
nam'd)

From Hermon caft to the great western sea;
Mount Hermon, yonder fea, each place behold
In profpect, as I point them; on the fhore
Mount Carmel; here the double-founted ftream
Jordan, true limit eaftward; but his fons
Shall dwell to Senir, that long ridge of hills.
This ponder, that all nations of the earth
Shall in his feed be bleffed; by that feed
Is meant thy great deliverer, who fhall bruife
The ferpent's head; whereof to thee anon
Plainlier fhall be reveal'd. This patriarch bleft,
Whom faithful Abraham due time fhall call,
A fon, and of his fon a grand-child leaves,
Like him in faith, in wifdom, and renown;
The grand-child with twelve fons increas'd departs
From Canaan, to a land hereafter call'd
Egypt, divided by the river Nile;

See where it flows, difgorging at feven mouths
Into the fea to fojourn in that land

He comes, invited by a younger fon
In time of dearth, a fon whofe worthy deeds
Raife him to be the fecond in that realm
Of Pharoah: there he dies, and leaves his race
Growing into a nation, and now grown
Sufpected to a fequent king, who feeks
To ftop their overgrowth, as inmate guests
Too numerous; whence of guests he makes then
flaves

Inhospitably', and kills their infant males;
Till by two brethren (thofe two brethren call
Mofes and Aaron) fent from God to claim
His people from inthralment, they return
With glory' and spoil back to their promis'd land..
But first the lawlefs tyrant, who denies
To know their God, or meffage to regard,
Must be compell d, by figns and judgments dire
To blood unfhed the rivers must be turn'd;
Frogs, lice, and flies, must all his palace fill
With loath'd intrufion, and fill all the land;
His cattle muft of rot and murren die;
Botches and blains must all his flesh imbofs,
And all his people; thunder mix'd with hail,
Hail mix'd with fire, muft rend th' Egyptian sky,
And wheel on th'earth, devouring where it rolls;
What it devours not, herb, or fruit, or grain,
A darkfome cloud of locufts fwarming down'
Muft eat, and on the ground leave nothing green;
Darkness muft overfhadow all his bounds,
Palpable darkvefs, and blot out three days;
Laft with one midnigh ftroke all the first-born

Of Egypt muft lie dead. Thus with ten wounds
The river-dragon tam'd at length submits
To let his fojourners depart, and oft
Humbles his ftubborn heart, but still as ice
More harden'd after thaw, till in his rage
Purfning whom he late difmifs'd, the fea
Swallows him with his host, but them lets pafs
As on dry land, between two crystal walls,
Aw'd by the rod of Mofes fo to ftand
Divided, till his rescued gain their shore :
Such wondrous power God to his faint will lend,
Though present in his angel, who fhall go
Before them in a cloud, and pill'ar of fire,
By day a cloud, by night a pillar of fire,
To guide them in their journey, and remove
Behind them, while th' obdurate king pursues:
All night he will purfue, but his approach
Darknefs defends between till morning watch;
Then through the fiery pillar and the cloud
God looking forth will trouble all his hoft,
And craze their chariot wheels: when, by com-
mand,

Mofes once more his potent rod extends
Over the fea; the fea his rod obeys;
On their embattl'd ranks the waves return,
And overwhelm their war; the race elect
Safe towards Canaan from the fhore advance
Through the wild defert, not the readiest way,
Left entering on the Canaanite alarm'd,
War terrify them inexpert, and fear
Return them back to Egypt, choosing rather
Inglorious life with fervitude; for life
To noble and ignoble is more fweet
Untrain'd in arms, where rafhnefs leads not on.
This alfo fhall they gain by their delay
In the wide wilderness; there they fhall found
Their government, and their fenate choofe
Through the twelve Tribes, to rule by laws or-
dain'd:

God from the mount of Sinai, whose grey top
Shall tremble, he defcending, will himfelf
in thunder, lightning, and loud trumpet's found,
Ordain them laws; part fuch as appertain
To civil juftice, part religious rites
Of facrifice, informing them, by types
And fhadows, of that deftin'd feed to bruife
The Serpent, by what means he shall achieve
Mankind's deliverance. But the voice of God
To mortal ear is dreadful; they befeech
That Mofes might report to them his will,
And terror ceafe; he grants what they befought,
Inftructed that to God is no accefs
Without Mediator, whofe high office now
Mofes in figure bears, to introduce
One greater, of whofe day he fhall foretel,
And all the Prophets in their age the times
Of great Mefli'h fhall fing. Thus laws and rites
Establish'd, fuch delight hath God in men
Obedient to his will, that he vouchfafes
Among them to fet up his tabernacle,
The Holy One with mortal men to dwell:
By his prefcript a fanctuary is fram'd
Of cedar, overlaid with gold, therein
An ark, and in the ark his teftimony,
'The records of his covenant, over thefe

A mercy-feat of gold between the wings
Of two bright cherubim; before him burn
Sev'n lamps, as in a zodiac, representing
The heav'nly fires; over the tent a cloud
Shall reft by day, a fiery gleam by night,
Save when they journey, and at length they come
Conducted by his Angels, to the land
Promis'd to Abraham and his feed: the reft
Were long to tell, how many battles fought,
How many kings deftroy'd, and kingdoms won
Or how the fun fhall in mid Heav'n ftand still
A day entire, and night's due course adjourn,
Man's voice commanding, fun in Gibeon stand,
And thou Moon in the vale of Aialon,
Till Ifrael overcome; fo call the third
From Abraham, son of Ifaac, and from him
His whole defcent, who thus fhall Canaan win,
Here Adam interpos'd. O fent from Heav'n,
Inlightener of my darkness, gracious things
Thou haft reveal'd, thofe chiefly which concern
Just Abraham and his feed: now first I find
Mine eyes true opening, and my heart much eas'd
E'erwhile perplex'd with thoughts what would

become

Of me and all mankind; but now I fee
His day, in whom all nations fhall be bleft,
Favour unmerited by me, who fought
Forbidden knowledge by forbidden means.
This yet I apprehend not, why to those
Among whom God will deign to dwell on earth
So many and fo various laws are given;
So many laws argue fo many fins
Among them; how can God with such refide?
To whom thus Michael. Doubt not but that
Sin

Will reign among them, as of thee begot;
And therefore was law giv'n them to evince
Their natural pravity, by stirring up

Sin against law to fight: that when they fee
Law can difcover fin, but not remove,
Save by thofe fhadowy expiations weak,

The blood of bulls and goats, they may conclude
Some blood more precious must be paid for man,
Juft for unjust, that in such righteousness
To them by faith imputed, they may find
Juftification towards God, and peace
Of confcience, which the law by ceremonies
Cannot appeafe, nor man the moral part,
Perform, and not performing cannot live.
So law appears imperfect, and but given
With purpose to refign them in full time
Up to a better covenant, difciplin'd
From fhadowy types to truth, from flesh to spirit,
From impofition of strict laws to free
Acceptance of large grace, from fervile fear
To filial, works of law to works of faith;
And therefore shall not Mofes, though of God
Highly belov'd, being but the minifter
Of law, his people into Canaan lead;
But Joshua, whom the Gentiles Jefus call,
His name and office bearing, who fhall quell
The adversary serpent, and bring back
Through the world's wilderness long wander'd
Safe to eternal paradife of reft.

[man

Meanwhile they in their earthly Canaan plac'd,

Gij