Whofe

progeny you are. Mean while enjoy Your fill what happiness this happy state Can comprehend, incapable of more.

505

1 To whom the patriarch of mankind reply'd.

O favourable Spi'rit, propitious guest,

Well haft thou taught the way that might direct

510

Our knowledge, and the scale of nature set
From center to circumference, whereon
In contemplation of created things

By steps we may afcend to God. But fay,

What meant that caution join'd, If ye be found
Obedient? can we want obedience then

To him, or poffibly his love defert,

515

Who form'd us from the duft, and plac'd us here
Full to the utmost measure of what bliss
Human defires can seek or apprehend?

To whom the Angel. Son of Heav'n and Earth,

:

Attend That thou art happy, owe to God;
That thou continuest such, owe to thyself,

That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.
This was that caution giv'n thee; be advis'd.
God made thee perfect, not immutable;

529

And good he made thee, but to perfevere

525

He left it in thy pow'r; ordain'd thy will

By nature free, not over-rul'd by fate
Inextricable, or strict neceffity:
Our voluntary service he requires,
Not our neceffitated; fuch with him

Finds no acceptance, nor can find; for how

Can hearts, not free, be try'd whether they ferve

530

Willing

Willing or no, who will but what they must
By destiny, and can no other choose?

Myself and all th' angelic hoft, that stand

In fight of God enthron'd, our happy state

Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds;
On other furety none; freely we serve,
Because we freely love, as in our will

To love or not; in this we ftand or fall :
And fome are fall'n, to difobedience fall'n,
And fo from Heav'n to deepest Hell; O fall
From what high state of bliss into what woe!

To whom our great progenitor. Thy words

535

540

Attentive, and with more delighted ear,
Divine inftructor, I have heard, than when

545

Affur'd me', and still affure: though what thou tell'ft
Hath pafs'd in Heav'n, fome doubt within me move,
But more defire to hear, if thou confent,
The full relation, which must needs be strange,

Worthy of facred filence to be heard;

And we have yet large day, for fcarce the fun
Hath finish'd half his journey', and searce begins
His other half in the great zone of Heav'n.
Thus Adam made requeft; and Raphaël

After fhort paufe affenting, thus began.

555

560

High matter thou injoin'ft me', O prime of

Sad task and hard; for how shall I relate

men,

To human fenfe th' invisible exploits

565

Of warring Spirits? how without remorfe
The ruin of so many glorious once

And perfect while they ftood? how laft unfold
The fecrets of another world, perhaps
Not lawful to reveal? yet for thy good

570

This is difpens'd; and what furmounts the reach
Of human sense, I fhall delineate fo,

By likening spiritual to corporal forms,

As may express them best; though what if Earth
Be but the shadow' of Heav'n, and things therein 575
Each to other like, more than on earth is thought?
As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild

[reft's

Reign'd where these Heav'ns now roll, where Earth now
Upon her center pois'd; when on a day
(For time, though in eternity, apply'd
To motion, measures all things durable

580

By present, past, and future) on fuch day

As Heav'n's great year brings forth, th' empyreal host

Of Angels by imperial fummons call'd,

Innumerable before th' Almighty's throne

585

Forthwith from all the ends of Heav'n appear'd

Under their Hierarchs in orders bright:
Ten thousand thousand ensigns high advanc'd,
Standards and gonfalons 'twixt van and rear
Stream in the air, and for diftinction ferve
Of hierarchies, of orders, and degrees ;
Or in their glittering tiffues bear imblaz'd

590

Holy

Holy memorials, acts of zeal and love
Recorded eminent. Thus when in orbs
Of circuit inexpreffible they ftood,

Orb within orb, the Father infinite,

By whom in bliss imbosom'd fat the Son,
Amidst as from a flaming mount, whose top
Brightness had made invisible, thus fpake.
Hear all ye Angels, progeny of light,

595

600

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,
Hear my decree, which unrevok'd shall stand.
This day I have begot whom I declare

My only Son, and on this holy hill

Him have anointed, whom ye now behold

605

At my right hand; your head I him appoint;

And by myself have fworn to him shall bow

All knees in Heav'n, and shall confefs him Lord:
Under his great vice-gerent reign abide
United as one individual foul

For ever happy: Him who disobeys,
Me disobeys, breaks union, and that day,
Caft out from God and blessed vifion, falls
Into' utter darkness, deep ingulf'd, his place
Ordain'd without redemption, without end.

610

615

So fpake th' Omnipotent, and with his words All seem'd well pleas'd; all seem'd, but were not all. That day, as other folemn days, they spent In fong and dance about the facred hill; Myftical dance, which yonder ftarry sphere Of planets and of fix'd in all her wheels Refembles neareft, mazes intricate,

620

Eccentric,

Eccentric, intervolv'd, yet regular

Then moft, when most irregular they seem;

And in their motions harmony divine

625

So fmooths her charming tones, that God's own car

Liftens delighted. Evening now approach'd

(For we have alfo' our evening and our morn,

We ours for change delectable, not need)

Forthwith from dance to fweet repast they turn
Defirous; all in circles as they ftood,
Tables are fet, and on a fudden pil'd
With Angels food, and rubied nectar flows
In pearl, in diamond, and maffy gold,

630

Fruit of delicious vines, the growth of Heaven.

635

On flow'rs repos'd, and with fresh flow'rets crown'd,

They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet

Quaff immortality and joy, fecure

Of furfeit where full measure only bounds

Excefs, before th' all-bounteous King, who fhowr'd With copious hand, rejoicing in their joy.

Now when ambrofial night with clouds exhal'd

645

From that high mount of God, whence light and shade
Spring both, the face of brightest Heav'n had chang'd
To grateful twilight (for night comes not there
In darker veil) and rofeat dews difpos'd
All but th' unfleeping eyes of God to reft;
Wide over all the plain, and wider far
Than all this globous earth in plain outspread,
(Such are the courts of God) th' angelic throng,
Difpers'd in bands and files, their camp extend
By living streams among the trees of life,

650

Pavilions