THE ARGUMENT.

the

Humbly our faults, and pardon beg; with tears Sown with contrition in his heart than those
Watering the ground, and with our sighs the air Which, his own hand manuring, all the trees
Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign Of Paradise could have produced, ere fallen
Of sorrow unfeigned, and humiliation meek ? From innocence. Now therefore bend thine ear
Undoubtedly he will relent and turn

To supplication; hear his sighs, though mute; From his displeasure; in whose look serene,

Unskilful with what words to pray, let me
When angry most he seemed and most severe, Interpret for him, me, his advocate
What else but favour, grace, and mercy shone ?" And propitiation; all his works on me,

So spake our father penitent, nor Eve Good or not good, ingraft; my merit those
Felt less remorse; they, forthwith to the place Shall perfect, and for these my death shall pay.
Repairing where he judged them, prostrate fell Accept me; and in me, from these receive
Before him reverent; and both confessed The smell of peace toward mankind: let him live
Humbly their faults, and pardon begged with tears Before thee reconciled, at least his days
Watering the ground, and with their sighs the air Numbered, though sad, till death, his doom, (which I
Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse,)
Of sorrow unfeigned, and humiliation meek. 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.”
BOOK XI.

To whom the Father, without cloud, serene: “ All thy request for man, accepted Son,

Obtain; all thy request was my decree: The Son of God presents to his father the prayers of our

But longer in that Paradise to dwell, firse parents now repenting, and intercedes for them; God ac- The law I gave to nature him forbids: cepas them, but declares that they must no longer abide in Pa. Those pure immortal elements, that know radise ; sends Michael with a band of cherubim to dispossess No gross, no unharmonious mixture foul, them; but first to reveal to Adam future things: Michael's Eject him, tainted now; and purge him off coming down. Adam shows to Eve certain ominous signs. As a distemper, gross, to air as gross, be discerns Michael's approach ; goes out to meet him ; angel denounces their departure. Eve's lamentation. Adam And mortal food; as may dispose him best pleads, bat submits : the angel leads him up to a high hill; For dissolution wrought by sin, that first sels before him in vision what shall happen till the flood.

Distempered all things, and of incorrupt

Corrupted. I, at first, with two fair gifts
Thus they, in lowliest plight, repentant stood Created him endowed; with happiness
Praying; for from the mercy-seat above And immortality: that fondly lost,
Prevenient grace descended had removed This other served but to eternize wo,
The stony from their hearts, and made new flesh Till I provided death: so death becomes
Regenerate grow instead, that sighs now breathed His final remedy; and, after life
Unutterable; which the Spirit of prayer Tried in sharp tribulation, and refined
Inspired, and winged for Heaven with speedier By faith and faithful works, to second life,
flight

Waked in the renovatian of the just,
Than loudest oratory: yet their sport

Resigns him up with Heaven and earth renewed. Not of mean suitors, nor important less But let us call to synod all the blest Seemed their petition, than when the ancient pair Through Heaven's wide bounds; from them I will In fables old, less ancient yet than these,

not hide Deucalion and chaste Pyrrha, to restore My judgments; how with mankind I proceed, The race of mankind drowned, before the shrine As how with peccant angels late they saw, Of Themis stood devout. To Heaven their prayers And in their state, though firm, stood more conFlew up, nor missed the way, by envious winds firmed." Blown vagabond or frustrate: in they passed He ended, and the Son gave signal high Dimensionless through heavenly doors; then, clad To the bright minister that watched; he blew With incense, where the golden altar fumed, His trumpet, heard in Oreb since perhaps By their great Intercessor, came in sight When God descended, and perhaps once more Before the Father's throne: them the glad Son To sound at general doom. The angelic blast Presenting, thus to intercede began:

Filled all the regions; from their blissful bowers "See, Father, what first fruits on earth are Of amaranthine shade, fountain or spring, sprung

By the waters of life, where'er they sat From thy implanted grace in man, these sighs In fellowships of joy, the sons of light And prayers, which in this golden censer mixed Hasted, resorting to the summons high With incense, I thy priest before thee bring:

And took their seats; till from his throne supreme Fruits of more pleasing savour from thy seed Th’ Almighty thus pronounced his sovereign will

o sons, like one of us man is become But that from us aught should ascend to Heaven To know both good and evil, since his taste So prevalent as to concern the mind Of that defended fruit; but let him boast Of God high-blest, or to incline his will, His knowledge of good lost, and evil got; Hard to belief may seem; yet this will prayer, Happier! had it sufficed him to have known Or one short sigh of human breath, upborne Good by itself, and evil not at all.

Even to the seat of God. For since I sought He sorrows now, repents, and prays contrile, By prayer the offended Deity to appease, My motions in him; longer than they move,

Kneeled, and before him humbled all my heart, His heart I know, how variable and vain, Methought I saw him placable and mild, Self-left. Lest therefore his now bolder hand Bending his ear; persuasion in me grew Reach also of the tree of life, and eat,

That I was heard with favour; peace returned And live for ever, dream at least to live Home to my breast, and to my memory For ever, to remove him I decree,

His promise, that thy seed shall bruise our foe: And send him from the garden forth to till Which, then not minded in dismay, yet now The ground whence he was taken, fitter soil. Assures me that the bitterness of death Michael, this my behest have thou in charge; Is past, and we shall live. Whence hail to thee, Take to thee from among the cherubim

Eve rightly called, mother of all mankind, Thy choice of Aaming warriors, lest the fiend, Mother of all things living, since by thee Or in behalf of man, or to invade

Man is to live, and all things live for man.” Vacant possession, some new trouble raise: To whom thus Eve with sad demeanour meek. Haste thee, and from the Paradise of God “Ill worthy I such title should belong Without revenge drive out the sinful pair ; To me transgressor, who, for thee ordained From hallowed ground the unholy; and denounce A help, became thy snare; to me reproach To them, and to their progeny, from thence Rather belongs, distrust, and all dispraise : Perpetual banishment. Yet, lest they faint But infinite in pardon was my Judge, At the sad sentence rigorously urged,

That I, who first brought death on all, am graced For I behold them softened and with tears The source of life; next unfavourable thou, Bewailing their excess, all terror hide.

Who highly thus to entitle me vouchsaf'st If patiently thy bidding they obey,

Far other name deserving. But the field Dismiss them not disconsolate; reveal

To labour calls us, now with sweat imposed, To Adam what shall come in future days, Though after sleepless night; for see! the morn, As I shall thee enlighten; intermix

All unconcerned with our unrest, begins My covenant in the woman's seed renewed, Her rosy progress smiling; let us forth; So send them forth, though sorrowing, yet in peace I never from thy side henceforth to stray. And, on the east side of the garden, place, Where'er our day's work lies, though now enWhere entrance up from Eden easiest climbs, joined Cherubic watch; and of a sword the flame Laborious, till day droop; while here we dwell, Wide-waving; all approach far off to fright, What can be toilsome in these pleasant walks ? And guard all passage to the tree of life; Here let us live, though in fallen state, content." Lest Paradise a receptacle prove

So spake, so wished much humbled Eve; but To spirits foul, and all my trees their prey,

fate With whose stolen fruit man once more to delude." Subscribed not; Nature first gave signs, impressed

He ceased; and the archangelic power prepared On bird, beast, air; air suddenly eclipsed For swift descent; with him the cohort bright After short blush of morn; nigh in her sight Of watchful cherubim: four faces each

The bird of Jove, stooped from his aery tour, Had, like a double Janus; all their shape Two birds of gayest plume before him drove; Spangled with eyes, more numerous than those Down from a hill the beast that reigns in woods, Of Argus, and more wakeful than to drowse, First hunter then, pursued a gentle brace, Charmed with Arcadian pipe, the pastoral reed Goodliest of all the forest, hart and bind; Of Hermus, or his opiate rod. Meanwhile, Direct to the eastern gate was bent their flight. To resalute the world with sacred light, Adam observed, and, with his eye the chase Leucothea waked, and with fresh dews embalmed Pursuing, not unmoved, to Eve thus spake. The earth; when Adam and first matron Eve “O Eve, some further change awaits us nigh, Had ended now their orisons, and found Which Heaven, by these mute signs in nature, Strength added from above, new hope to spring shows Out of despair; joy, but with fear yet linked; Forerunners of his purpose; or to warn Which thus to Eve his welcome words renewed. Us, haply too secure, of our discharge “Eve, easily may faith admit, that all

From penalty, because from death released The good which we enjoy from Heaven descends;'Some days: how long, and what till then our life,

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Who knows? or more than this, that we are dust, May'st cover: well may then thy Lord, appeased,
And thither must return, and be no more ? Redeem thee quite from Death's rapacious claim;
Why else this double object in our sight But longer in this Paradise to dwell
Of flight pursued in the air, and o'er the ground, Permits not; to remove thee I ain come,
One way the self-same hour? why in the east And send thee from the garden forth to till
Darkness ere day's mid course, and morning light The ground whence thou wast taken, fitter soil.'
More orient in yon western cloud, that draws He added not, for Adam at the news
O'er the blue firmament a radiant white, Heart-struck with chilling gripe of sorrow stood,
And slow descends, with something Heavenly That all his senses bound : Eve, who unseen,
fraught?"

Yet all had heard, with audible lament
He erred not; for by this the heavenly bands Discovered soon the place of her retire.
Down from a sky of jasper lighted now

“O unexpected stroke, worse than of death! In Paradise, and on a hill made halt:

Must I thus leave thee, Paradise ? thus leave A glorious apparition, had not doubt

Thee, native soil, these happy walks and shades, And carnal fear that day dimmed Adam's eye. Fit haunt of gods? where I had hope to spend, Not that more glorious, when the angels met Quiet though sad, the respite of that day Jacob in Mahanaim, where he saw

That must be mortal to us both. O flowers, The field pavilioned with his guardians bright; That never will in other climate grow, Nor that, which on the flaming mount appeared My early visitation, and my last In Dothan, covered with a camp of fire, At even, which I bred up with tender hand Against the Syrian king, who to surprise From the first opening bud, and gave ye names ! One man, assassin-like, had levied war,

Who now shall rear ye to the sun, or rank War unproclaimed. The princely Hierarch Your tribes, and water from th' ambrosial fount? In their bright stand there left his powers, to seize Thee, lastly, nuptial bower, by me adorned Posssession of the garden; he alone,

With what to sight or smell was sweet! from theo To find where Adam sheltered, took his way, How shall I part, and whither wander down Not unperceived of Adam; who to Eve, Into a lower world, to this obscure While the great visitant approached, thus spake. And wild ? how shall we breathe in other air

" Eve, now expect great tidings, which perhaps, Less pure, accustomed to immortal fruits ?” Of us will soon determine, or impose

Whom thus the angel interrupted mild. New laws to be observed; for I descry,

"Lament not, Eve, but patiently resign From yonder blazing cloud that veils the hill, What justly thou hast lost; nor set thy heart, One of the Heavenly host, and, by his gait, Thus over-fond, on that which is not thine: None of the meanest; some great potentate, Thy going is not lonely; with thee goes Or of the thrones above, such majesty

Thy husband; him to follow thou art bound: Invests him coming! yet not terrible,

Where he abides, think there thy native soil.” That I should fear, nor sociably mild,

Adam, by this from the cold sudden damp As Raphael, that I should much confide; Recovering, and his scattered spirits returned, But solemn and sublime, whom not to offend, To Michael thus his humble words addressed. With reverence I must meet, and thou retire." “Celestial, whether among the thrones, or named

He ended; and the archangel soon drew nigh, Of them the highest, for such of shape may seem Not in his shape celestial, but as man

Prince above princes! gently hast thou told Clad to meet man; over his lucid arms

Thy message, which might else in telling wound, A military vest of purple flowed,

And in performing end us; what besides Livelier than Melibaan, or the grain

Of sorrow,

and dejection, and despair
Of Sarra, worn by kings and heroes old Our frailty can sustain, thy tidings bring,
In time of truce; Iris had dipped the woof; Departure from this happy place, our sweet
His starry helm unbuckled showed him prime Recess, and only consolation left
In manhood where youth ended; by his side, Familiar to our eyes! all happy else
As in a glistering zodiac hung the sword, Inhospitable appear, and desolate,
Satan's dire dread, and in his hand the spear.

Nor knowing us, nor known: and, if by prayer
Adam bowed low; he, kingly, from his state Incessant I could hope to change the will
Inclined not, but his coming thus declared. Of Him who all things can, I would not cease
"Adam, Heaven's high behest no preface needs: To weary him with my assiduous cries :
Sufficient that thy prayers are heard ; and Death, But prayer against his absolute decree
Then due by sentence when thou didst transgress, No more avails than breath against the wind,
Defeated of his seizure many days

Blown stifling back on him that breathes it forth; Given thee of grace ; wherein thou may’st repent, Therefore to his great bidding I submit, And one bad act with many deeds well done This most afflicts me, that, departing hence,

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As from his face I shall be hid, deprived

Ascend, I follow thee, safe guide, the path His blessed countenance: here I could frequent Thou lead'st me; and to the hand of Heaven With worship place by place where he vouch- submit, safed

However chastening; to the evil turu Presence divine ; and to my sons relate,

My obvious breast; arming to overcome 'On this mount he appeared; under this tree By suffering, and earn rest from labour won, Stood visible; among these pines his voice If so I may attain.” So both ascend I heard; here with him at this fountain talked: In the visions of God: It was a hill, So many grateful altars I would rear

Of Paradise the highest, from whose top Of grassy turf, and pile up every stone

The hemisphere of earth, in clearest ken, Of lustre from the brook, in memory,

Stretched out to the amplest reach of prospect lay Or monument to ages; and thereon

Not higher that hill, nor wider looking round,
Offer sweet-smelling gums, arfd fruits, and flowers: Whereon, for different cause, the tempter set
In yonder nether world where shall I seek Our second Adam, in the wilderness,
His bright appearances, or footstep trace ? To show him all earth's kingdoms, and their glory.
For though I fed him angry, yet, recalled His eye might there command wherever stood
To life prolonged and promised race,

I now City of old or modern fame, the seat
Gladly behold though but his utmost skirts Of mightiest empire, from the destined walls
Of glory; and far off his steps adore."

OfCambalu, seat of Cathaian Can,
To whom thus Michael with regard benign. And Samarchand by Oxus, Temir's throne,
"Adam, thou knowest Heaven his, and all the To Paquin of Sinæan kinys; and thence
earth;

To Agra and Lahor of great Mogul,
Not this rock only; his omnipresence fills Down to the golden Chersonese; or where
Land, sea, and air, and every kind that lives, The Persian in Ecbatan sat, or since
Fomented by his virtual power and warmed: In Hispahan; or where the Russian ksar
All the earth he gave thee to possess and rule, In Mosco; or the sultan in Bizance,
No despicable gift; surmise not then

Turchestan-born; nor could his eye not ken
His presence to these narrow bounds confined The empire of Negus to his utmost port
Of Paradise or Eden: this had been

Ercoco, and the less maritime kings,
Perhaps thy capital seat, from whence had spread Mombaza, and Quiloa, and Melind,
All generations, and had hither come

And Sofala, thought Ophir, to the realm
From all the ends of the earth, to celebrate Of Congo, and Angola farthest south;
And reverence thee, their great progenitor. Or thence from Niger flood to Atlas mount
But this pre-eminence thou hast lost, brought The kingdoms of Almansor, Fez, and Sus,
down

Morocco, and Algiers, and Tremisen;
To dwell on even ground now with thy sons : On Europe thence, and where Rome was to sway
Yet doubt not but in valley, and in plain, The world: in spirit perhaps he also saw
God is, as here; and will found alike

Rich Mexico, the seat of Montezume, Present; and of his presence many a sign And Cusco in Peru, the richer seat Still following thee, still compassing thee round Of Atabalipa; and yet unspoiled With goodness and paternal love, his face Guiana, whose great city Geryon's sons Express, and of his steps the tract divine. Call El Dorado. But to nobler sights Which that thou may'st believe, and be confirmed Michael from Adam's eyes the film removed, Ere thou from hence depart; know I am sent Which that false fruit that promised clearer sight To show thee what shall come in future days Had bred; then purged with euphrasy and rue To thee and to thy offspring; good with bad The visual nerve, for he had much to see; Expect to hear; supernal grace contending And from the well of life three drops instilled. With sinfulness of men; thereby to learn So deep the power of these ingredients pierced, True patience, and to temper joy with fear Even to the inmost seat of mental sight, And pious sorrow; equally innured

That Adam now enforced to close his eyes, By moderation either state to bear,

Sunk down, and all his spirits became entranced; Prosperous or adverse: so shalt thou lead But him the gentle angel by the hand Safest thy life, and best prepared endure Soon raised, and his attention thus recalled. Thy mortal passage when it comes. Ascend " Adam, now ope thine eyes: and first behold This hill; let Eve (for I have drenched her eyes) The effects which thy original crime hath wrought Here sleep below while thou to foresight wak’st; In some to spring from thee; who never touched As once thou sleep'st, while she to life was The excepted tree; nor with the snake conspired formed.”

Nor sinned thy sin; yet from that sin derive To whom thus Adam gratefully replied. Corruption, to bring forth more violent deeds."

:

His eyes he opened, and beheld a field, | And moonstruck madness, pining atrophy, Part arable and tilth, whereon were sheaves Marasmus, and wide-wasting pestilence, New reaped, the other part sheep-walks and folds; Dropsies, and asthras, and joint racking rheums, l'th' midst an altar as the land-mark stood, Dire was the tossing, deep the groans; Despair Rustic, of grassy sord; thither anon

Tended the sick busiest from couch to couch; A sweaty reaper from his tillage brought And over them triumphant Death his dart First fruits, the green ear, and the yellow sheaf, Shook, but delayed to strike, though oft invoked Unculled, as came to hand; a shepherd next, With vows, as their chief good, and final hope More meek, came with the firstlings of his flock Sight so deform what heart of rock could long Choicest and best; then, sacrificing, laid Dry-eyed behold? Adam could not, but wept, The inwards and their fat, with incense strowed, Though not of woman born; compassion quelled On the cleft wood, and all due rites performed. His best of man, and gave him up to tears His offering soon propitious fire from Heaven A space, till firmer thoughts restrained excess; Consumed with nimble glance, and grateful steam; And, scarce recovering words, his plaint renewed. The other's not, for his was not sincere:

“O miserable mankind, to what fall Whereat he inly raged, and, as they talked, Degraded, to what wretched state reserved! Smote him into the midriff with a stone

Better end here unborn. Why is life given That beat out life; he fell; and, deadly pale, To be thus wrested from us? rather, why Groaned out his soul with gushing flood effused. Obtruded on us thus ? who, if we knew Much at that sight was Adam in his heart What we receive, would either not accept Dismayed, and thus in haste to th' angel cried. Life offered, or soon beg to lay it down;

"O teacher, some great mischief hath befallen: Glad to be so dismissed in peace. Can thus To that meek man who well had sacrificed ; The image of God in man, created once Is piety thus and pure devotion paid ?" So goodly and erect, though faulty since,

To whom Michael thus, he also moved, replied: To such unsightly sufferings be debased " These two are brethren, Adam, and to come Under inhuman pains? Why should not man Out of thy loins; th’ unjust the just hath slain, Retaining still divine similitude For envy that his brother's offering found In part, from such deformities be free, From Heaven acceptance; but the bloody fact And, for his Maker's image sake, exempt ?" Will be avenged; and the other's faith approved, “ Their Maker's image,” answered Michael, Lose no reward; though here thou see him die,

" then Rolling in dust and gore.” To which our sire: Forsook them, when themselves they vilified

" Alas! both for the deed and for the cause! To serve ungoverned appetite, and took But have I now seen Death ? Is this the way His image whom they served, a brutish vice, I must return to native dust ? O sight

Inductive mainly to the sin of Eve. Of terror, foul and ugly to behold,

Therefore so abject is their punishment. Horrid to think, how horrible to feel!"

Disfiguring not God's likeness, but their own; To whom thus Michael. “Death thou hast Or if his likeness, by themselves defaced;

While they pervert pure nature's healthful rules In his first shape on man; but many shapes To loathsome sickness; worthily, since they Of Death, and many are the ways that lead God's image did not reverence in themselves.” To his grim cave, all dismal ; yet to sense

“ I yield it just,” said Adam," and submit. More terrible at th' entrance than within. But is there yet no other way, besides Some, as thou sawest, by violent stroke shall die; These painful passages, how we may come By fire, food, famine, by intemperance more To death, and mix with our connatural dust ?" In meats and drinks, which on the earth shall “ There is,” said Michael, “if thou well ob

bring Diseases dire, of which a monstrous crew

The rule of Not too much; by temperance taught, Before thee shall appear; that thou mayest know In what thou eat'st and drink’st; seeking from What misery the inabstinence of Eve

thence Shall bring on men.” Immediately a place Due nourishment, not gluttonous delight, Before his eyes appeared, sad, noisome, dark Till many years over thy head return: A lazar-house it seemed; wherein were laid So may'st thou live, till, like ripe fruit, thou drop Numbers of all diseased; all maladies

Into thy mother's lap; or be with ease Of ghastly spasm, or racking torture, qualms Gathered, not harshly plucked, for death mature: Of heart-sick agony, all severous kinds,

This is old age; but then thou must outlive Convulsions, epilepsies, fierce catarrhs, Thy youth, thy strength, thy beauty; which will Intestine stone and ulcer, colic pangs,

change Demoniac phrenzy moping melancholy, To withered, weak, and gray; thy senses then

seen

serve