Succeffive; and the timely dew of fleep,
Now falling with foft flumbrous weight, inclines
Our eye-lids. Other creatures all day-long
Rove idle, un-employ'd, and less need rest;
Man hath his daily work of body, or mind,
Appointed, which declares his dignity,
And the regard of heav'n on all his ways:
While other animals unactive range;
And of their doings God takes no account.
To-morrow, e'er fresh morning ftreak the eaft
With firft approach of light, we must be ris'n,
And at our pleasant labor, to reform

Yon flow'ry arbors; yonder allies green,
Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown ;
That mock our fcant manuring, and require
More hands than ours to lop their wanton growthe
Thofe bloffoms alfo, and thofe dropping gums,
That lie beftrown, unfightly, and unsmooth,
Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease:
Mean-while, as nature wills, night bids us reft.
To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty adorn'd.
My author, and difpofer! what thou bidft
Un-argu'd I obey; fo God ordains :

God is thy law, thou mine: to know no more
Is woman's happiest knowledge, and her praise
With thee converfing I forget all time;
All feafons, and their change, all please alike:
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing sweet,
With charm of earlieft birds: pleafant the fun
When first on this delightful land he spreads

His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flow'r, Glift'ring with dew: fragrant the fertile earth After foft show'rs and sweet the coming on

:

Of grateful ev'ning mild: then, filent night,
With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,
And these the gems of heav'n, her starry train.
But neither breath of morn, when she afcends
With charm of earliest birds: nor rifing fun
On this delightful land: nor herb, fruit, flower,
Glift'ring with dew: nor fragrance after show'rs :
Nor grateful evening mild: nor filent night,
With this her folemn bird: nor walk by moon:
Or glittering ftar-light, without thee is fweet.
But wherefore all night long shine these for
whom

This glorious fight, when fleep hath shut all eyes?
To whom our general ancestor reply'd.
Daughter of God and man, accomplish'd Eve!
These have their courfe to finish, round the earth,
By morrow ev'ning; and from land to land
In order, though to nations yet unborn,
Miniftring light prepar'd, they set, and rise:
Left total darkness should by night regain
Her old poffeffion, and extinguish life
In nature, and all things; which these foft fires
Not only enlighten, but with kindly heat,
Of various influence, foment, and warm,
Temper, or nourish ; or in part shed down
Their ftellar virtue, on all kinds that grow
On earth; made hereby apter to receive

Tome I.

L

Perfection from the fun's more potent ray.

These then, though un beheld in deep of night, Shine not in vain: nor think, though men were

none,

That heav'n would want fpectators, God want praise:

Millions of fpiritual creatures walk the earth Un-feen, both when we wake, and when we fleep: All thefe, with ceafelefs praife, his works behold Both day, and night: how often, from the steep Of echoing hill, or thicket, have we heard Cœleftial voices, to the midnight air (Sole, or refponfive each to other's note) Singing their great Creator oft in bands While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk, With heav'nly touch of inftrumental founds, In full harmonie number join'd, their fongs Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to heaven. Thus talking, hand in hand, alone they pass'd On to their blissful bow'r : it was a place Chos'n by the Sov'reign Planter, when He fram'd All things to man's delightful ufe: the roof, Of thickest covert, was inwoven shade, Laurel, and myrtle; and what higher grew Of firm, and fragrant leaf: on either fide Acanthus, and each od'rous bushy shrab, Fenc'd up the verdant wall: each beauteous flow'r, Iris all hues, roses, and jessamin,

Rear'd high their flourish'd heads between, and wrought

Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich in-lay

Broider'd the ground; more color'd, than with ftone

Of coftlieft emblem: other creature here,
Beaft, bird, infect, or worm, durft enter none;
Such was their awe of man! In shady bow'r
More facred, and fequefter'd, though but feign'd,
Pan, or Sylvanus, never slept ; nor Nymph,
Nor Faunus, haunted. Here, in close recefs,
With flowers, garlands, and sweet-fmellings herbs,
Efpoufed Eve deck'd firft her nuptial bed :
An heav'nly Choirs the Hymenæan sung,
What day the genial Angel to our fire
Brought her, in naked beauty more adorn'd,
More lovely, than Pandora; whom the Gods
Endow'd with all their gifts, (and O, too lik
Ind fad event!) when to th’unwiser son
Of Japhet brought by Hermes, she infnar'd
Mankind with her fair looks, to be aveng'd
On him who had ftole Jove's authentic fire. I

Thus at their shady Lodge arriv'd, both stood,
Both turn'd, and under open sky ador'd
The God that made both sky, air, earth and

heav'n,

Which they beheld; the moon's refplendent globe,
And ftarry Pole: Thou also mad'ft the night,
Maker Omnipotent! and Thou the day,
Which we in our appointed work employ'd
Have finish'd, happy in our mutual help

And mutual love, the crown of all our blifs
Ordain'd by Thee; and this delicious place,
For us too large; where Thy abundance wants
Partakers, and uncrop'd falls to the ground.
But Thou haft promis'd from us two a race
To fill the earth, who shall with us extol
Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake,
And when we feek, as now, Thy gift of fleep.
This faid unanimous, and other rites
Obferving none, but adoration pure,

Which God likes beft, into their inmoft bow'r
Handed they went; and (eas'd the petting off
These troublesome disguises which we wear,)
Strait fide by fide were laid: nor turn'd, I ween,
Adam from his fair spouse; nor Eve the rites
Mysterious of connubial love refus'd;
Whatever hypocrites aufterely talk
Of purity, and place, and innocence ;
Defaming as impure what God declares

Pure; and commands to fome, leaves free to all,
Our Maker bids increafe; who bids abftain,
But our deftroyer, foe to God, and man?
Hail wedded love! myfterious law, true fource
Of human offspring, fole propriety
In Paradife of all things common elfe.
By thee adult'rous luft was driv'n from men,
Among the beftial herds to range; by thee
(Founded in reafon, loyal, just, and pure)
Relations dear, and all the charities

Of father, son, and brother, first were known.