Thy face, and Morn return'd, for I this Night, 30
Such night till this I never pass'd, have dream'd,
If dream'd, not as I oft am wont, of thee,
Works of day pass'd, or morrows next defign,
But of offence and trouble, which my mind
Knew never till this irksome night; methought 35
Close at mine ear one call'd me forth to walk
With gentle voice, I thought it thine; it faid,
Why fleepft thou Eve? now is the pleasant time,
The cool, the filent, fave where filence yields
To the night-warbling Bird, that now awake
Tunes fweeteft his love-labour'd fong; now reigns
Full Orb'd the Moon, and with more pleasant light
Shadowy sets off the face of things; in vain,
If none regard; Heav'n wakes with all his Eyes,
Whom to behold but thee, Natures defire,
In whofe fight all things joy, with ravishment
Attracted by thy beauty ftill to gaze.
I rofe as at thy call, but found thee not;
To find thee I directed then my walk;
And on, methought, alone I pass'd thro' ways so
That brought me on a fudden to the Tree
Of interdicted Knowledge: fair it seem'd,
Much fairer to my Fancy than by day:
And as I wondring lookt, befide it flood
One fhap'd and wing'd like one of thofe from Heav'n
By us oft feen; his dewy locks diftill'd
Ambrofia; on that Tree he also gaz'd;
And O fair Plant, faid he, with fruit furcharg'd, Deigns none to ease thy load and tafte thy sweet,
Nor God, nor Man; is Knowledge fo defpis'd? 60
Or envy, or what referve forbids to taste?
Forbid who will, none shall from me with-hold
Longer thy offer'd good, why else set here?
This faid he paus'd not, but with ventrous Arm
He pluckt, he tafted; me damp horror chil'd
69
At fuch bold words voucht with a deed fo bold:
But he thus overjoy'd, O Fruit Divine,
Sweet of thy felf, but much more sweet thus cropt,
Forbidden here, it feems, as only fit
For Gods, yet able to make Gods of Men:
And why not Gods of Men, fince good, the more Communicated, more abundant grows,
The Author not impair'd, but honour'd more?
Here, happy Creature, fair Angelic Eve,
Partake thou also; happy though thou art,
Happier thou mayft be, worthier canst not be:
Taste this, and be henceforth among the Gods
Thy felf a Goddess, not to Earth confin'd,
But fometimes in the Air, as we, fometimes
Ascend to Heav'n, by merit thine, and fee
What life the Gods live there, and fuch live thou
So faying, he drew nigh, and to me held,
Even to my mouth of that fame fruit held part
Which he had pluckt; the pleasant favoury smell
So quicken'd appetite, that I, methought, 85
Could not but tafte. Forthwith up to the Clouds
With him I flew, and underneath beheld
The Earth outftretcht immense, a profpect wide
And various; wondring at my flight and change
To this high exaltation; suddenly
My Guide was gone, and I, methought, funk down,
And fell asleep; but O how glad I wak'd
To find this but a dream! Thus Eve her Night
Related, and thus Adam answer'd fad.
Beft Image of my self and dearer half,
The trouble of thy thoughts this night in sleep
Affects me equally; nor can I like
This uncouth dream, of evil fprung I fear;
Yet evil whence? in thee can harbour none,
Created pure. But know that in the Soul
Are many leffer Faculties that serve
Reason as chief; among these Fancy next
Her office holds; of all external things,
Which the five watchful Senfes represent,
he forms Imaginations, Aerie shapes,
Which Reason joyning or disjoyning, frames
All what we affirm or what deny, and call
Our knowledge or opinion; then retires
Into her private Cell, when Nature rests.
Oft in her abfence mimic Fancy wakes
To imitate her; but misjoyning fhapes,
Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams,
Ill matching words and deeds long past or late.
Some fuch refemblances methinks I find
Of our laft Evening's talk, in this thy dream, FIS But with addition ftrange; yet be not fad,
Evil into the mind of God or Man
May come and go, fo unapprov'd, and leave
No fpot or blame behind: Which gives me hope
That what in fleep thou didst abhor to dream, 120
Waking thou never wilt confent to do.
Be not dishearten'd then, nor cloud thofe looks
That wont to be more chearful and ferene
Than when fair Morning first smiles on the World,
And let us to our fresh Imployments rife
Among the Groves, the Fountains, and the Flours,
That open now their choiceft bofom'd smells
Referv'd from night, and kept for thee in store.
So chear'd he his fair Sponse, and she was chear'd,
But filently a gentle tear let fall
From either eye, and wip'd them with her haire;
Two other precious drops that ready food,
Each in their Chrystal fluice, he e'er they fell
Kifs'd as the gracious figns of fweet remorse
And pious awe, that fear'd to have offended.
So all was clear'd, and to the Field they haste, But firft from under hadie arborous roof, Soon as they forth were come to open fight Of day-spring, and the Sun, who scarce up rifen With wheels yet hov'ring o'er the Ocean brim, 140 Shot paralel to the earth his dewy ray, Discovering in wide Lantskip all the East Of Paradife and Eden's happy Plains, Lowly they bow'd adoring, and began Their Orifons, each Morning duly paid In various ftyle, for neither various style Nor holy rapture wanted they to praise Their Maker, in fit ftrains pronounc'd or fung Vameditated, fuch prompt eloquence
Flow'd from their lips, in Profe or numerous Verfe, More tuneable than needed Lute or Harp
To add more fweetness, and they thus began.
These are thy glorious works, Parent of good, Almighty, thine this univerfal Frame,
Thus wondrous fair; thy felf how wondrous then! Unfpeakable, who first above these Heavens
To us invifible or dimly seen
In these thy lowest works, yet these declare
Thy goodness beyond thought, and Power Divine:
Speak ye who beft can tell, ye Sons of light, 160
Angels, for ye behold him, and with songs
And choral fymphonies, Day without Night,
Circle his Throne rejoycing, ye in Heav'n,
On Earth joyn all ye Creatures to extoll
Him firft, him last, him midst, and without end. 165
Fairest of Stars, laft in the train of Night,
If better thou belong not to the dawn,
Sure pledge of day that crownft the fmiling Morn
With thy bright Circlet, praife him in thy Spheare
While day arifes, that fweet hour of Prime.
Thou Sun, of this great World both Eye and Soul,
Acknowledge him thy Greater, found his praise
In thy eternal course, both when thou climbft,
And when high Noon haft gain'd,and when thou fallft.
Moon, that now meetst the orient Sun, now fly'ft 175
With the fixt Stars, fixt in their Orb that flies,
And ye five other wandring Fires that move
In myftic Dance not without Song, refound
His praife, who out of Darkness call'd up Light,
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