Ufeful, whence haply mention may arife.
Of fomething not unfeasonable to ask,
By fuff'rance, and thy wonted favour deign'd..
Thee I have heard relating what was done
Ere my remembrance: now hear me relate
My ftory, which perhaps thou haft not hear'd;
And day is yet not fpent; till then thou feeft
How fubtly to detain thee I devife,.
Inviting thee to hear while I relate,
Fond, were it not in hope of thy reply:
For while I fit with thee, I feem in heaven,
And fweeter thy difcourfe is to my ear
Than fruits of palm-tree, pleasantest to thirst
And hunger both, from labour, at the hour
Of sweet repast: they fatiate, and foon fill,
Though pleasant; but thy words with grace divine
Imbu'd, bring to their sweetness no fatiety. 216
To whom thus Raphael answer'd heavenly meek,
Nor are thy lips ungraceful, fire of men,
Nor tongue ineloquent; for God on thee
Abundantly his gifts hath also pour'd,
Inward and outward both, his image fair:
Speaking or mute, all comeliness and grace
Attends thee, and each word, each motion forms;:
Nor lefs think we in heaven of thee on earth
Than of our fellow-fervant, and inquire.
Gladly into the ways of God with man:
For God we fee hath honour'd thee, and fet
On man his equal love. Say therefore on ;.
For I that day was abfent, as befel,
Bound on, a voyage uncouth and obfcure,
Far on excurfion tow'ard the gates of hell;
Squar❜d in full legion, (fuch command we had),
To fee that none thence iffu'd forth a spy,
Or enemy, while God was in his work
Left he incens'd at fuch eruption bold,
Destruction with creation might have mix'd,
Not that they durft without his leave attempt;
But us he fends upon his high behefts
For state, as Sov'reign King, and to inure
Our prompt obedience. Faft we found, faft fhut 240
The difmal gates, and barricado'd strong;
But long ere our approaching, heard within
Noife, other than the found of dance or fong,
Torment, and loud lament, and furious rage.
Glad we return'd up to the coafts of light
Ere Sabbath-ev'ning: fo we had in charge.
But thy relation now; for I attend,
Pleas'd with thy words no lefs than thou with mine.
So fpake the godlike Power, and thus our fire:
For man to tell how human life began
Is hard; for who himself beginning knew?
Defire with thee ftill longer to converse
Induce'd me. As new wak'd from foundest sleep,
Soft on the flow'ry herb I found me laid
In balmy fweet, which with his beams the fun 25$
Soon dry'd, and on the reaking moisture fed.
Strait toward heaven my wond'ring eyes I turn'd,
And gaz'd a while the ample sky, till rais'd
By quick inftinctive motion, up I fprung,
As thitherward endeavouring, and upright
Stood on my feet about me round I faw
Hill, dale, and fhady woods, and funny plains,
And liquid lapfe of murm'ring ftreams; by thefe,
Creatures that liv'd and mov'd, and walk'd, or flew,
Birds on the branches warbling; all things fmil'd, 265.
With fragrance and with joy my heart o'erflow'd.
Myfelf I then perus'd, and limb by limb
Survey'd, and fometimes went, and fometimes ran.
With fupple joints, as lively vigour led
But who I was, or where, or from what caufe,
Knew not; to speak I try 6, and forthwith spake;
My tongus chey'd, and readily could name
Whate'er I law. Thou fun, faid I, fair light,
And thou enige tn'a earth, fo fresh and gay,
Ye hills and dales, ye rivers, woods, and plains,
And ye that live and move, fair creatures, tell,
Tell, if ye faw, how came I thus, how here?
Not of myself; by fome great Maker then,
In goodness and in power preeminent ;
Tell me, how may I know him, how adore,
From whom I have that thus I move and live,
And feel that I am happier than I know.
While thus I call'd, and ftray'd I knew not whither, From where I first drew air, and first beheld
This happy light; when anfwer none return'd, 285
On a green fhady bank, profuse of flowers,
Penfive I fat me down: there gentle fleep
First found me, and with foft oppreffion feiz'd
My droused sense, untroubled, though I thought
I then was paffing to my former ftate
Infenfible, and forthwith to dissolve:
When fuddenly stood at my head a dream,
Whose inward apparition gently mov'd
My fancy to believe I yet had being,
And liv'd. One came, methought, of fhape divine,
And faid, Thy manfion wants thee, Adam, rife, 296
First man, of men innumerable ordain'd
Firft father; call'd by thee, I come thy guide
To the garden of blifs, thy feat prepar'd.
So faying, by the hand he took me rais'd,
And over fields and waters, as in air
Smooth fliding without step, laft led me up
A woody mountain; whose high top was plain,
A circuit wide, inclos'd with goodlieft trees
Planted, with walks, and bowers, that what I faw 305
Of earth before scarce pleasant feem'd. Each tree
Loaden with fairest fruit, that hung to th' eye
Tempting, ftirr'd in me fudden appetite
To pluck and eat; whereat I wak'd,, and found
Before mine eyes all real, as the dream
Had lively shadow'd. Here had new begun
My wand'ring, had not he who was my guide
Up hither, from among the trees appear'd,
Prefence Divine. Rejoicing, but with awe,
In adoration at his feet I fell
Submifs: he rear'd me', and Whom thou fought'ft I am,
Said mildly, Author of all this thou feest
Above, or round about thee, or beneath,
This Paradife I give thee, count it thine
To till and keep, and of the fruit to eat :
Of every tree that in the garden grows
Eat freely with glad heart; fear here no dearth:
But of the tree whofe operation brings
Knowledge of good and ill, which I have fet
The pledge of thy obedience and thy faith,
Amid the garden by the tree of life,
Remember what I warn thee, fhun to taste,
And fhun the bitter confequence: for know,
The day thou eat'ft thereof, my fole command
Tranfgrefs'd, inevitably thou fhalt die,
From that day mortal; and this happy state
Shalt lofe, expell'd from hence into a world
Of woe and forrow. Sternly he pronounce'd
The rigid interdiction, which resounds
Yet dreadful in mine ear, though in my choice 335
Not to incur; but foon his clear afpéct
Return'd, and gracious purpose thus renew'd.
Not only thefe fair bounds, but all the earth
To thee and to thy race I give; as lords
Poffefs it, and all things that therein live,
Or live in fea, or air, beast, fish, and fowl.
In fign whereof each bird and beast behold
After their kinds; I bring them to receive
From thee their names, and pay thee feälty
With low fubjection; understand the fame
Of fish within their watry refidence,
Not hither fummon'd, fince they cannot change
Their element, to draw the thinner air.
As thus he spake, each bird and beast behold
Approaching two and two, thefe cowring low
With blandishment, each bird ftoop'd on his wing.
I nam'd them, as they pass'd, and understood
Their nature, with fuch knowledge God endu'd
My fudden apprehenfion. But in these
I found not what methought I wanted fill
And to the heavenly vifion thus prefum'd.
O by what name, for thou above all these, Above mankind, or ought than mankind higher, Surpaffeft far my naming, how may I
Adore thee, Author of this univerfe,
And all this good to man? for whose well-being
So amply, and with hands fo liberal,
Thou haft provided all things: but with me
I fee not who partakes. In folitude
What happiness, who can enjoy alone,
Or all enjoying, what contentment find?
Thus I prefumptuous; and the vifion bright,
As with a fmile more brighten'd, thus reply'd."
What call'st thou folitude? Is not the earth
With various living creatures, and the air,
Replenish'd, and all thefe at thy command
To come and play before thee? Know'st thou not
Their language and their ways? they alfo know,
And reafon not contemptibly; with these
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