Imatges de pàgina
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A fpirit, zealous, as he feem'd, to know
More of th' Almighty's works, and chiefly Man,

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God's lateft image: I defcrib'd his way

Bent all on fpeed, and mark'd his aery gait;

But in the mount that lies from Eden north,
Where he first lighted, foon difcern'd his looks 570
Alien from Heav'n, with passions foul obfcur'd:
Mine eye purfued him ftill, but under fhade
Loft fight of him: one of the banish'd crew,
I fear, hath ventur'd from the Deep, to raise
New troubles; him thy care must be to find.
To whom the winged warrior thus return'd.
Uriel, no wonder if thy perfect fight,
Amid the fun's bright circle where thou fitst,
See far and wide: in at this gate none pass

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The vigilance here plac'd, but such as come

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Well known from Heav'n; and since meridian hour

No creature thence: if fpi'rit of other fort,

So minded, have o'er-leap'd thefe earthy bounds
On purpose, hard thou know'ft it to exclude
Spiritual fubftance with corporeal bar.
But if within the circuit of thefe walks,
In whatfoever shape he lurk, of whom

Thou tell'st, by morrow dawning I shall know.
So promis'd he; and Uriel to his charge

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Return'd on that bright beam, whose point now rais'd Bore him flope downward to the fun now fall'n 591 Beneath th❜Azores: whether the prime orb,

Incredible how swift, had thither roll'd

Diurnal, or this less volúbil Earth,

By fhorter flight to th' East, had left him there 595
Arraying with reflected purple' and gold

The clouds that on his western throne attend.
Now came still Evening on, and Twilight gray
Had in her fober livery all things clad;
Silence accompained; for beast and bird,
They to their graffy couch, these to their nefts
Were flunk, all but the wakeful nightingale;
She all night long her amorous descant fung;
Silence was pleas'd· now glow'd the firmament
Whith living faphirs: Hefperus, that led
The starry host, rode brightest, till the Moon
Rifing in clouded majesty, at length

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Apparent queen unveil'd her peerless light,
And o'er the dark her filver mantle threw.
When Adam thus to Eve. Fair Confort, th' hour
Of night, and all things now retir'd to rest
Mind us of like repose, since God hath fet
Labor and rest, as day and night to men
Succeffive; and the timely dew of fleep

Now falling with soft slumbrous weight inclines 615
Our eye-lids: other creatures all day long

Rove idle unemploy'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;

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While other animals unactive range,

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And of their doings God takes no account.
To morrow ere fresh morning streak the east
With first approach of light, we must be risen,
And at our pleasant labor, to reform
Yon flow'ry arbors, yonder alleys green,
Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown,
That mock our scant manuring, and require
More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth:
Those bloffoms alfo, and those dropping gums, 630
That lie beftrown unfightly and unsmooth,
Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease;
Mean while, as Nature wills, Night bids us rest.
To whom thus Eve with perfect beauty' adorn'd.
My Author and Difpofer, what thou bidft

Unargued I obey; fo God ordains;

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God is thy law, thou mine: to know no more
Is Woman's happiest knowledge and her praise.
With thee conversing I forget all time;
All feafons and their change, all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of Morn, her rifing sweet,
With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the Sun,
When first on this delightful land he spreads
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower,
Glift'ring with dew; fragrant the fertil Earth 645
After soft show'rs; and fweet the coming on
Of grateful Evening mild; then filent Night
With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,
Volume I.

R

194

PARADISE LOST.

And these the gems of Heav'n, her starry train :
But neither breath of Morn, when she afcends 650
With charm of earliest birds; nor rising fun

On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flower,
Glist'ring with dew; nor fragrance after show'rs;
Nor grateful Evening mild; nor silent Night
With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon, 655
Or glitt❜ring star-light, without thee is sweet.
But wherefore all night long shine these? for whom
This glorious fight, when sleep hath shut all eyes?
To whom our general Ancestor reply'd.

Daughter of God and Man, accomplish'd Eve, 660
These have their courfe to finish round the earth
By morrow evening, and from land to land
In order, though to nations yet unborn,
Ministring light prepar'd, they fet and rise;
Left total Darkness should by night regain
Her old poffeffion, and extinguish life

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In Nature and all things, which these soft fires
Not only' inlighten, 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
Perfection from the fun's more potent ray.
These then, though unbeheld in deep of night, 674
Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were none,
That Heav'n would want spectators, God want praise:

Millions of fpiritual creatures walk the earth
Unfeen, both when we wake, and when we fleep:
All these with ceaseless praise his works behold
Both day and night: how often from the steep 680
Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard
Celestial voices to the midnight air,
Sole, or refponfive each to other's note,
Singing their great Creator? oft in bands

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While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk
With heav'nly touch of instrumental founds
In full harmonic number join'd, their fongs
Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heav'n.
Thus talking hand in hand alone they pass'd

On to their blifsful bow'r; it was a place

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Chos'n by the fovran Planter, when he fram'd
All things to man's delightful use; the roof
Of thickest covert was inwoven shade
Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew
Of firm and fragrant leaf; on either side
Acanthus and each odorous bushy shrub
Fenc'd up the verdant wall; each beauteous flower,
Iris all hues, rofes, and jeffamin

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

Mofaic; underfoot the violet,

Crocus, and hyacinth with rich inlay

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Broider'd the ground, more color'd than with stone

Of costlieft emblem: other creature here,

Beast, bird, infect, or worm durft enter none,

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