Such pairs, in love and mutual honour join'd?
With goddess-like demeanour forth she went ;-
Not unattended, for on her as queen
A pomp of winning graces waited still,
And from about her shoot darts of defire
Into all eyes to wish her still in fight.
And Raphael now to Adam's doubt propos'd
Benevolent and facil thus repli'd.
To ask or search I blame thee not, for heav'n Is as the book of God before thee fet, Wherein to read his wondrous works, and learne His feafons, hours, or days, or months, or years : This to attain, whether heav'n move or earth, ›› Imports not, if thou reck'n right, the rest From man or angel the great architect Did wifely to conceal, and not divulge His fecrets to be scann'd by them who ought Rather admire; or if they lift to try Conjecture, he his fabric of the heav'nsHath left to their disputes, perhaps to move His laughter at their quaint opinions wide Hereafter, when they come to model heav'n' And calculate the stars, how they will weild The mightie frame, how build, unbuild, contrive To fave appearances, how gird the sphear With centric and eccentric fcribl'd o're,
Cycle and epicyle, orb in orb :
Alreadie by thy reasoning this I guess,
Who art to lead thy offspring, and supposeft
That bodies bright and greater should not serve
The lefs not bright, nor heav'n fuch journies run,
Earth fitting ftill, when the alone receaves
The benefit confider firft, that great
Or bright infers not excellence: the earth-
Though, in comparison of heav'n, so small,
Nor gliftring, may of folid good contain
More plenty than the fun that barren shines,
Whofe vertue on itself workes no effect,
But in the fruitful earth; there first receav'd
His beams, unactive elfe, their vigor find.
Yet not to earth are thofe bright luminaries
Officious, but to thee earth's habitant.
And for the heav'n's wide circuit, let it speaks.
The maker's high magnificence, who built
So fpacious, and his line ftretsht out fo far;
That man may know he dwells not in his own;..
An edifice too large for him to fill
Lodg'd in a small partition, and the reft
Ordain'd for ufes to his lord best known.
The fwiftness of those circles attribute,
Though numberless, to his omnipotence,
That to corporeal substances could add
Speed almofi fpiritual; me thou thinkst not slow,
Who fince the morning hour fet out from heav'n,
Where. God refides, and ere, mid-day arriv'd
In Eden, distance inexpreffible
By numbers that have name. But this I urge,
Admitting motion in the heav'ng, to shew
Invalid that which thee to doubt it moy'd ;
Not that Ifo affirm, though fo it seem
To thee who.haftthy dwelling here on earth,
God to remove his ways from human fenfe
Plac'd heav'n from earth so far, that earthly fight,
If it presume, might err-in things too high,
And no advantage gain. What if the fun
Be center to the world, and other stars
By his attractive virtue, and their own
Incited, dance about him various rounds?
Their wand'ring course.now high, now low, then hid,
Progreffive, retrograde, or standing still,
In fix thou seeft, and what if sev❜nth to these
The planet earthy so stedfast though she seem,
Infenfibly three different motions-move-?
Which else to feveral fphears thou must afcribe,
Mov'd contrarie with thwart obliquities,
Or fave the fun his labour, and that swift
Nocturnal and diurnal rhomb fuppos'd}
Invisible elfe above all stars, the wheel
Of day and night; which needs not thy beleef,
If earth-induftrious of herself fetch day
Travelling east, and with her part averfe
From the fun's beam meet night, her other part
Still luminous by his ray. What if that light
Sent from her through the wide transpicuous air,
To the terreftrial moon be as a star
Enlightning her by day, as the by night"
This earth? reciprocal, if land be there,
Fields and inhabitants: her fpots thou seest
As clouds, and clouds may rain, and rain produce
Fruits in her foft'nd foile, for fome to eat
Allotted there, and other funs perhaps
With their attendant moons thou wilt defcrie
Communicating male and femal light,
Which two great fexes animate the world,
Stor'd in each orb perhaps with fome that live.
For fuch vaft room in nature unpossest
By living foul, defert and defolate,
Onely to shine, yet scarce to contribute
Each orb a glimps of light, convey'd fo far
Down to this habitable, which returns
Light back to them, is obvious to difpute.
But whether thus these things, or whether not,
Whether the fun predominant in heav'n
Rife on the earth, or earth rife on the fun,
He from his east his flaming rode begin,
Or the from weft her filent course advance
With inoffenfive pace that spinning sleeps
On her foft axle, while the paces eev'n,
And bears thee foft with the smooth air along,
Sollicit not thy thoughts with matters hid,
Leave them to God above, him serve and fear;
Of other creatures, as him pleases best,
Wherever plac't, let him dispose: joy thou
In what he gives to thee, this Paradife
And thy fair Eve; heav'n is for thee too high
To know what paffes there; be lowlie wife :
Think only what concerns thee and thy being;
Dream not of other worlds, what creatures there
Live, in what ftate, condition or degree,
Contented that thus far hath been reveal'd
Not of earth only but of highest heav'n.
To whom thus Adam cleer'd of doubt, repli'd,..
How fully haft thou fatisfi'd me, pure
Intelligence of heav'n, angel ferene,
And freed from intricacies, taught to live,
The easiest way, nor with perplexing thoughts
To interrrupt the fweet of life, from which
God hath bid dwell' far off all anxious cares,
And not moleft us, unless we ourselves
Seek them with wandring thoughts, and notions vain.
But apt the mind or fancie is to roave
Uncheckt, and of her roaving is no end;
Till warn'd, or by experience taught, she learn,
That not to know at large of things remote
From ufe, obfcure and futtle, but to know
That which before us lies in daily life,
Is the prime wisdom, what is more, is fume,
Or emptiness, or fond impertinence,
And renders us in things that most concern
Unpractis'd, unprepar'd, and still to feek.
Therefore from this high pitch let us defcend
A lower flight, and speak of things at hand.
Useful, whence haply mention may arise
Of something not unseasonable to ask
By fufferance, and thy wonted favour deign'd.
Thee I have heard relating what was done
Ere my remembrance: now hear me relate
My storie, which perhaps thou haft not heard;
And day is yet not spent; till then thou feest
How futtly to detuin 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 heav'n,
And sweeter thy difcourfe is to my ear
Then fruits of palm-tree pleasantest to thirst-
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