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Or emptiness, or food impertinence,

195

200

And renders us in things that moft concern
Unpractic'd, unprepar`d, and still to seek.
Therefore from this high pitch let us descend
A lower fight, and ipek of things at hand
Useful, whence hinly mention may arise
Of fomething not unifomble to ask
Fy fafferance, and thy wonted favor deign'd,
Thee I have heard relating what was done
Ere my remembrance: now hear me relate
My flory, which perhaps thou hast not heard; 205

204. — now bear me relate My fury] Adam, to detain the Angel, enters upon his own hillory, and relaces to him the circenfances in which he found himself upon his creation; as alid his conveniat on with his Maker, and his frit meet ing with Eve There is no part of the poem more apt to raise the attention of the reader, than this difcourse of our great ancestor; as nothing can be more furprising and delightful to us, than to hear the fentiments that arofe in the first man while he was yet new and freth from the hands of his Creator. The poet has interwoven every thing which is delivered upon this fubject in holy Writ with fo many beautiful imaginations of his own, that nothing can be conceived more juft

d natural than this whole epilode.

And

As our author knew this fubject could not but be agreeable to his reader, he would not throw it into the relation of the fix days works, but reserved it for a diftinct episode, that he might have an opportunity of expatiating upon it more at large. Before I enter on this part of the poem, I cannot but take notice of two fhining paffages in the dialogue between Adam and the Angel. The first is that wherein our ancestor gives an account of the pleasure he took in converfing with him, which contains a very noble moral.

For while I fit with thee, I seem

in Heaven &c.

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And day is yet not spent; till then thou seest
How fubtly to detain thee I devise,

Inviting thee to hear while I relate,

Fond, were it not in hope of thy reply:
For while I fit with thee, I feem in Heaven,
And sweeter thy discourse is to my ear
Than fruits of palm-tree pleasantest to thirst
And hunger both, from labor, at the hour
Of sweet repast; they fatiate, and foon fill
Though pleafant, but thy words with grace
Imbued, bring to their sweetness no fatiety.

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210

214

divine

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The dismal gates, and barricado'd strong;
But long ere our approaching heard within
Noife, other than the found of dance or fong,
Torment, and loud lament, and furious rage.
Glad we return'd up to the coafts of light
Ere fabbath evening: fo we had in charge.
But thy relation now; for I attend,

245

Pleas'd with thy words no lefs than thou with mine,
So fpake the Godlike Pow'r, and thus our fire.
For Man to tell how human life began

Is hard; for who himself beginning knew?
Defire with thee ftill longer to converse
Induc'd me. As new wak'd from foundest fleep

To hearken at the fame he waxed bold,

And heard moft woful mourning,

plaints, and cries, Such as from Hell were likely to arife. Harrington.

253. As new wak'd from foundeft Sleep &c.] Adain then proceeds to give an account of his condition and fentiments immediately after his creation. How agreeably does he reprefent the polture in which he found himfelf, the beautiful landskip that furrounded him, and the gladness of heart which grew up in him on that occafion? Adam is afterwards deferib'd as furprised at his own existence, and taking a

250

Soft

furvey of himself, and of all the works of nature. He likewife is reprefented as difcovering by the light of reafon, that he and every thing about him must have been the effect of fome being infinitely good and powerful, and that this being had a right to his worship and adoration. Hi firit addrefs to the fun and to thofe parts of the creation which made the moft diftinguish'd figure, is very natural and amufing to the imagination. His next fentiment, when upon his first going to fleep he fancies himself lofing his existence, and falling away into nothing, can never be fufficiently admir'd. His dream, in which he still preferves the consciousness of his existence,

to

Soft on the flow'ry herb I found me laid

260

In balmy sweat, which with his beams the fun 255
Soon dry'd, and on the reaking moisture fed.
Strait toward Heav'n my wond'ring eyes I turn'd,
And gaz'd ́a while the ample sky, till rais'd
By quick instinctive motion up I fprung,
As thitherward endevoring, and upright
Stood on my feet; about me round I faw
Hill, dale, and fhady woods, and funny plains,
And liquid lapfe of murm'ring ftreams; by these,
Creatures that liv'd and mov'd, and walk'd, or flew,
Birds on the branches warbling; all things fmil'd, 265
With fragrance and with joy my heart o'erflow'd.

together with his removal into the garden which was prepared for his reception, are allo circumftances finely imagined, and grounded upon what is delivered in facred ftory. These and the like wonderful inci

dents in this part of the work have in them all the beauties of novelty, at the fame time that they have all the graces of nature. They are fuch as none but a great genius could have thought of, though, upon the perufal of them, they feem to rife of themselves from the fubject of which he treats. In a word, tho' they are natural, they are not obvious, which is the true character of all fine writing. Addifon.

256. — reaking] Or reeking is

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But vix I vs, I e I÷m what cause, 270
Kiev at, a j fek I ay i, ud forthwith spake;
My mngne cher à mi sdy adld name
Wareer Hix. The Sun, id I får light,
And thou higham Earth, & fab and gay,
Ye HDD, and Dulles, re Ares, Woods, and Plains,
And ye the Ive md more, ir Creatures tell, 276
Te, Eyelv, he came I thas, how here?
Not of myeld, by Some gren Miker then,
In goodness and in pow'r preeminent;

Tell me, how may I know him, how adore, -280
From

rounder, the culence mere munca, and the expresie por pesa By fragrant Men has enderord to give an idea of that expire and delicious joy of heart Homer to often exprelles by area, a word that fignifics the fragrance that fowers emit after a shower or dew. Milton has used a like expresion in his treatise of Reformation. p. 2. Edit. 1738. Methinks a iovran and "reviving joy muft needs ruth into "the bofom of him that reads or “hears, and the fweet odor of the "returning Gospel imbath his foul with the fragrance of Heaven." Richardfon.

Mr. Riciation might have further cerved, the Mon himself had expreted the same thought with more benery if poble in IV. 153. where freaking of Satan's approach to the garden of Paradife he fays,

Meets his approach, and to the -And of pure now purer air heart inspires

Vernal delight and joy, able to drive

All sadness but despair. Thyer.

259. — as lively vigor led:] We have printed it after the firft edition, though the second represents it thus,

and

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