Though after fleepless night; for fee the morn,
All unconcern'd with our unreft, begins
Her rofy progrefs fmiling; let us forth,
I never from thy fide henceforth to stray,
Where'er our day's work lies, though now injoin'd
Laborious, till day droop; while here we dwell,
What can be toilfome in these pleasant walks?
Here let us live, though in fall'n ftate, content.
So fpake, fo wifh'd much-humbled Eve, but fate
Subfcrib'd not; Nature firft gave figns, imprefs'd
On bird, beaft, air, air fuddenly eclips'd
After short blush of morn; nigh in her fight
The bird of Jove, ftoop'd from his aery tour,
Two birds of gayeft plume before him drove ;
Down from a hill the beast that reigns in woods,
First hunter then, purfu'd a gentle brace,
Goodlieft of all the foreft, hart and hind;
Direct to th' eastern gate was bent their flight.
Adam obferv'd, and with his eye the chafe
Pursuing, not unmoy'd to Eve thus fpake.
O Eve, some further change awaits us nigh,
Which Heav'n by these mute figns in nature shows,
Forerunners of his purpose, or to warn
Us haply too fecure of our discharge
From penalty, because from death releas'd
Some days; how long, and what till then our life,
Who knows, or more than this, that we are dust,
And thither muft return and be no more?
Why else this double object in our fight
Of flight purfu'd in th' air, and o'er the ground,
One way the self-fame hour? why in the east
Darkness ere day's mid-courfe, and morning light
More orient in yon western cloud, that draws
O'er the blue firmament a radiant white,
And flow defcends, with fomething heav'nly fraught?
He err'd not, for by this the heav'nly bands
Down from a sky of jasper lighted now
In Paradife, and on a hill made halt,
A glorious apparition, had not doubt
And carnal fear that day dimm'd Adam's eye.
Not that more glorious, when the Angels met
Jacob in Mahanaim, where he faw
The field pavilion'd with his guardians bright;
Nor that which on the flaming mount appear'd
In Dothan, cover'd with a camp of fire,
Against the Syrian king, who to surprise
One man, affaffin like, had levied war,
War unproclam'd. The princely Hierarch
In their bright stand there left his Pow'rs to feife
Poffeffion of the garden; he alone,
To find where Adam fhelter'd, took his way,
Not unperceiv'd of Adam, who to Eve,
While the great vifitant approach'd, thus spake.
Eve, now expect great tidings, which perhaps
Of us will foon determin, or impofe
New laws to be obferv'd; for I defery
From yonder blazing cloud that veils the hill
One of the heav'nly hoft, and by his gait
None of the meaneft, fome great Potentate
Or of the Thrones above, fuch majefty
Invefts him coming; yet not terrible
That I should fear, nor fociably mild,
As Raphael, that I should much confide,
But folemn and fublime, whom not to' offend,
With reverence I must meet, and thou retire.
He ended; and th' Arch-Angel foon drew nigh,
Not in his fhape celeftial, but as man
Clad to meet man; over his lucid arms
A military veft of purple flow'd,
Livelier than Meliban, or the grain
Of Sarra, worn by kings and heroes old
In time of truce; Iris had dipt the woof;
His ftarry helm unbuckled fhow'd him prime
In manhood where youth ended; by his fide
As in a glift'ring zodiac hung the sword,
Satan's dire dread, and in his hand the spear.
Adam bow'd low; he kingly from his state
Inclin'd not, but his coming thus declar'd.
Adam, Heav'n's high beheft no preface needs :
Sufficient that thy pray'rs are heard, and Death,
Then due by fentence when thou didst tranfgrefs,
Defeated of his feifure many days
Giv'n thee of grace, wherein thou may'ft repent, 255
And one bad act with many deeds well done
Mayft cover well may then thy Lord appeas'd
Redeem thee quite from Death's rapacious clame
But longer in this Paradife to dwell
Permits not; to remove thee I am come,
And fend thee from the garden forth to till
The ground whence thou waft taken, fitter foil,
He added not, for Adam at the news
Heart-ftruck with chilling gripe of forrow stood,
That all his fenfes bound; Eve, who unfeen
Yet all had heard, with audible lament
Discover'd foon the place of her retire.
O unexpected ftroke, worse than of Death!
Muft I thus leave thee, Paradife? thus leave
Thee, native foil, thefe happy walks and fhades, 270
Fit haunt of Gods? where I had hope to spend,
Quiet though fad, the refpit of that day
That must be mortal to us both. O flowers,
That never will in other climate grow,
My early vifitation, and my laft
At even, which I bred up with tender hand
From the first opening bud, and gave you names,
Who now fhall rear you to the fun, or rank
Your tribes, and water from th' ambrofial fount?
Thee laftly, nuptial bow'r, by me adorn'd
With what to fight or smell was fweet, from thee
How fhall I part, and whither wander down
Into a lower world, to this obfcure
And wild? how fhall we breathe in other air
Lefs pure, accuftom'd to immortal fruits?
Whom thus the Angel interrupted mild.
Lament not, Eve, but patiently refign
What juftly thou haft loft; nor fet thy heart,
Thus over-fond, on that which is not thine;
Thy going is not lonely; with thee goes.
Thy husband; him to follow thou art bound;
Where he abides, think there thy native foil.
Adam by this from the cold fudden damp Recovering, and his scatter'd spi'rits return'd, To Michael thus his humble words addrefs'd.
Celestial, whether among the Thrones, or nam'd
Of them the high'eft, for fuch of shape may feem
Prince above princes, gently hast thou told
Thy meffage, which might elfe in telling wound,
And in performing end us; what besides
Of forrow and dejection and despair
Our frailty can fuftain, thy tidings bring,
Departure from this happy place, our sweet
Recefs, and only confolation left
Familiar to our eyes, all places elfe
Inhofpitable' appear and defolate,
Nor knowing us nor known: and if by prayer
Inceffant I could hope to change the will
Of him who all things can, I would not cease
weary him with my affiduous cries:
But pray'r against his abfolute decree
No more avails than breath against the wind,
Blown ftifling back on him that breathes it forth :
Therefore to his great bidding I submit.
This most afflicts me, that departing hence,
As from his face I shall be hid, depriv'd
His blessed count'nance; here I could frequent
With worship place by place where he vouchfaf'd
Presence divine, and to my fons relate,
On this mount he appear'd, under this tree
Stood vifible, among these pines his voice
I heard, here with him at this fountain talk'd:
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