Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves
More aerie, laft the bright confummate flour
Spirits odorous breathes: flours and their fruit
Man's nourishment, by gradual scale fublim'd
To vital Spirits aspire, to animal,
To intellectual, give both life and fenfe,
Fancy and understanding, whence the Soul
Reason receives, and reason is her being,
Difcurfive, or Intuitive; difcourfe
Is ofteft yours, the latter moft is ours,
Differing but in degree, of kind the fame.
Wonder not then, what God for you faw good
If I refufe not, but convert, as you,
To proper substance; time may come when men ́
With Angels may participate, and find
No inconvenient Diet, nor too light Fare:
And from these corporal nutriments perhaps
Your bodies may at laft turn all to Spirit,
Improv'd by tract of time, and wing'd ascend
Ethereal, as we, or may at choice
Here or in Heav'nly Paradifes dwell;
If ye be found obedient, and retain
Unalterably firm his love entire
Whofe progeny you are: Mean while enjoy
Your fill what happiness this happy state
Can comprehend, incapable of more.
To whom the Patriarch of mankind reply'd,
O favourable fpirit, propitious gueft,
Well haft thou taught the way that might direct
Our knowledge, and the fcale of Nature fet
From center to circumference, whereon
In contemplation of created things
By steps we may afcend to God. But say,
What meant that caution join'd, if ye be found
Obedient? can we want obedience then
To him, or poffibly his love defert
Who form'd us from the duft, and plac'd us here
Full to the utmost measure of what blifs
Human defires can feek or apprehend?
To whom the Angel. Son of Heav'n and Earth, 'Attend: That thou art happy, owe to God; That thou continu'ft fuch, owe to thy felf, That is, to thy obedience; therein stand. This was that caution giv'n thee; be advis'd. God made thee perfect, not immutable; And good he made thee, but to persevere He left it in thy power, ordain'd thy will By nature free, not over rul'd by Fate Inextricable, or ftrict 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
Willing or no, who will but what they must
By Destiny, and can no other chufe?
My felf and all th' Angelic Hoft that ftand 535
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 disobedience fall'n,
And fo from Heav'n to deepeft. Hell; O fall
From what high ftate of blifs into what woe!
To whom our great Progenitor. Thy words
Attentive, and with more delighted ear,
Divine inftructer, I have heard, than when
Cherubic Songs by night from neighbouring Hills
Aereal Mufick fend: nor knew I not
To be both will and deed created free;
Yet that we never fhall forget to love
Our maker, and obey him whofe command
Single, is yet fo juft, my conftant thoughts
Affur'd me, and ftill affure: though.what thou tell'st
Hath past in Heav'n, fome doubt within me move,
But more defire to hear, if thou confent,
The full relation, which muat needs be ftrange,
. Worthy of Sacred filence to be heard;
And we have yet large day, for fcarce the Sun
Hath finifht half his journey, and fearce begins
His other half to the great Zone of Heav'n.
Thus Adam made request, and Raphael
After fhort paufe affenting, thus began.
High matter thou enjoinft me, O prime of men,
Sad task and hard, for how fhall I relate
To human fenfe th'invifible exploits
Of warring Spirits; how without remorse
The ruin of fo 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
This is difpenc'd, and what furmounts the reach
Of human fenfe, I fhall delineate so,
By lik'ning fpiritual to corporeal forms,
As may exprefs them beft, 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
Reign'd where thefe Heav'ns now rowl, where Earth
Upon her Center pois'd, when on a day
(For time, though in Eternity, apply'd
To motion, measures all things durable
By prefent, paft, and future) on such day
As Heav'ns great Year brings forth, th’Empyreal Hoft
Of Angels by Imperial fummons call'd,
Innumerable before th' Almighties Throne
Forthwith from all the ends of Heav'n appear'd
Under their Hierarchs in orders bright
Ten thousand thoufand Enfigns 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
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 him in blifs imbofom'd fat the Son
Amidst as from the flaming Mount, whofe top
Erightness had made invifible, thus fpake.
Hear all ye Angels, Progeny of Light,
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
At my right hand; our Head I him appoint;
And by my Self have sworn to him shall bow
All knees in Heav'n, and fhall confefs him Lord:
Under his great Vice-gerent Reign abide
United as one individual Soul
For ever happy him who disobeys
Me difobeys, breaks union, and that day
Caft out from God and blessed vifion, falls
Into utter darkness, deep ingulft, his place
Ordain'd without redemption, without end.
So fpake th' Omnipotent, and with his words
All feem'd well pleas'd, all feem'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 Spheare
Of Planets and of fixt in all her Wheels
Refembles nearest, mazes intricate,
Eccentric, intervolv'd, yet regular
Then moft, when moft irregular they feem,
And in their motions harmony Divine
So fmooths her charming tones, that Gods own ear
Liftens delighted. Eevning now approach'd
(For we have alfo our Eevning and our Morn,
We ours for change delectable, not need)
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