When out of hope, behold her, not far off,
Such as I saw her in my dream, adorned
With what all Earth or Heaven could bestow
To make her amiable: on she came,
Led by her heavenly Maker, (though unseen)
And guided by his voice; nor uninformed
Of nuptial sanctity and marriage rites:
Grace was in all her steps, Heaven in her eye,
In every gesture dignity and love.

I, overjoyed, could not forbear aloud :—

This turn hath made amends; thou hast fulfilled

Thy words, Creator bounteous and benign,
Giver of all things fair! but fairest this
Of all thy gifts! nor enviest. I now see
Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, myself
Before me: Woman is her name; of Man
Extracted for this cause he shall forego
Father and mother, and to his wife adhere;
And they shall be one flesh, one heart, one soul.
She heard me thus; and though divinely brought,
Yet innocence, and virgin modesty,

Her virtue, and the conscience of her worth,
That would be wooed, and not unsought be won,
Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retired,
The more desirable; or, to say all,

Nature herself, though pure of sinful thought,
Wrought in her so, that, seeing me, she turned :
I followed her; she what was honour knew,
And with obsequious majesty approved

My pleaded reason. To the nuptial bower

I led her, blushing like the morn: all Heaven,

R

And happy constellations, on that hour
Shed their selectest influence; the Earth
Gave sign of gratulation, and each hill :
Joyous the birds; fresh gales and gentle airs
Whispered it to the woods, and from their wings
Flung rose, flung odours from the spicy shrub,
Disporting, till the amorous bird of night
Sung spousal, and bid haste the evening-star
On his hill top, to light the bridal lamp.

Thus have I told thee all my state, and brought My story to the sum of earthly bliss,

Which I enjoy; and must confess to find

In all things else delight indeed, but such

As, used or not, works in the mind no change,
Nor vehement desire; these delicacies

I mean of taste, sight, smell, herbs, fruits, and

flowers,

Walks, and the melody of birds: but here
Far otherwise, transported I behold,

Transported touch; here passion first I felt,
Commotion strange! in all enjoyments else
Superiour and unmoved; here only weak
Against the charm of Beauty's powerful glance.
Or Nature failed in me, and left some part
Not proof enough such object to sustain;
Or, from my side subducting, took perhaps
More than enough; at least on her bestowed
Too much of ornament, in outward show
Elaborate, of inward less exact.
For well I understand in the prime end
Of Nature her the inferiour, in the mind

And inward faculties, which most excel;
In outward also her resembling less

His image who made both, and less expressing
The character of that dominion given

O'er other creatures: yet when I approach
Her loveliness, so absolute she seems

And in herself complete, so well to know
Her own, that what she wills to do or say,
Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best:
All higher knowledge in her presence falls
Degraded; Wisdom in discourse with her
Loses discountenanced, and like Folly shows;
Authority and Reason on her wait,
As one intended first, not after made
Occasionally; and, to consummate all,
Greatness of mind and Nobleness, their seat
Build in her loveliest, and create an awe
About her, as a guard angelick placed.

To whom the Angel with contracted brow.
Accuse not Nature, she hath done her part;
Do thou but thine; and be not diffident

Of Wisdom: she deserts thee not, if thou
Dismiss not her, when most thou need'st her nigh,
By áttributing overmuch to things

Less excellent, as thou thyself perceiv'st.

For, what admir'st thou, what transports thee so?
An outside? fair, no doubt, and worthy well
Thy cherishing, thy honouring, and thy love;
Not thy subjection: weigh with her thyself;
Then value: oft-times nothing profits more
Than self-esteem, grounded on just and right,

Well managed: of that skill the more thou know'st,

The more she will acknowledge thee her head,
And to realities yield all her shows :
Made so adorn for thy delight the more;

So awful, that with honour thou mayst love
Thy mate, who sees when thou art seen least wise.
But if the sense of touch, whereby mankind
Is propagated, seem such dear delight
Beyond all other; think the same vouchsafed
To cattle and each beast; which would not be
To them made common and divulged, if aught
Therein enjoyed were worthy to subdue
The soul of man, or passion in him move.
What higher in her society thou find'st
Attractive, human, rational, love still:
In loving thou dost well, in passion not;
Wherein true love consists not: love refines
The thoughts, and heart enlarges; hath his seat
In reason, and is judicious; is the scale

By which to heavenly love thou mayst ascend,
Not sunk in carnal pleasure; for which cause,
Among the beasts no mate for thee was found.

To whom thus, half abashed, Adam replied.
Neither her outside formed so fair, nor aught
In procreation common to all kinds,
(Though higher of the genial bed by far,
And with mysterious reverence I deem,)
So much delights me, as those graceful acts,
Those thousand decencies, that daily flow
From all her words and actions, mixed with love,
And sweet compliance, which declare unfeigned

Union of mind, or in us both one soul;
Harmony to behold in wedded pair,

More grateful than harmonious sound to the ear.
Yet these subject not: I to thee disclose
What inward thence I feel, not therefore foiled,
Who meet with various objects, from the sense
Variously representing; yet, still free,

Approve the best, and follow what I approve.

To love, thou blam'st me not; for Love, thou say'st, Leads up to Heaven, is both the way and guide; Bear with me then, if lawful what I ask :

Love not the heavenly Spirits? and how their love Express they? by looks only? or do they mix Irradiance, virtual or immediate touch?

To whom the Angel (with a smile that glowed Celestial rosy red, Love's proper hue)

Answered.

Let it suffice thee that thou know'st
Us happy, and without love no happiness.
Whatever pure thou in the body enjoy'st,
(And pure thou wert created) we enjoy
In eminence; and obstacle find none
Of membrane, joint, or limb, exclusive bars;
Easier than air with air, if Spirits embrace,
Total they mix, union of pure with pure
Desiring, nor restrained conveyance need,
As flesh to mix with flesh, or soul with soul.
But I can now no more; the parting sun
Beyond the Earth's green Cape and verdant Isles
Hesperian sets, my signal to depart.

Be strong, live happy, and love! But, first of all,
Him, whom to love is to obey, and keep