That lie bestrown, unsightly and unfinooth,
Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease :
Mean while, as Nature wills, night bids us rest.

635

To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty' adorn'd,. My author and disposer, what thou bid'st Unargu'd I obey; so God ordains;

640

God is thy law, thou mine: to know no more
Is woman's happiest knowledge and her praise.
With thee converfing I forget all time;
All seasons and their change, all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rising sweet
With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the fun,
When first on this delightful land he spreads
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flow'r,
Glift'ring with dew; fragrant the fertile earth 645
After soft show'rs; and sweet the coming on
Of grateful ev'ning mild; then filent night
With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,
And these the gems of heav'n, her starry train :
But neither breath of morn, when the afcends
With charm of earliest birds; nor rising sun
On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flow'r,
Glift'ring with dew; nor fragrance after show'rs;
Nor grateful ev'ning mild; nor filent 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 fleep hath shut all eyes?

650

To whom our general ancestor reply'd. Daughter of God and man, accomplish'd Eve, 660 These have their course to finish round the earth By morrow ev'ning, and from land to land In order, though to nations yet unborn, Minist'ring light prepar'd, they set and rise; Lest total darkness should by night regain

:

665

Her old poffeffion, and extinguish life
In nature and all things; which these soft fires
Not only' enlighten, but with kindly heat
Of various influence foment and warm,
Temper or nourish, or in part shed down
Their stellar virtue on all kinds that grow
On earth, made hereby apter to receive

670

Perfection from the fun's more potent ray.
These then, tho' unbeheld in deep of night,

674

Shine not in vain; nor think, tho' men were none,

That heav'n would want spectators, God want praise;

Millions of fpiritual creatures walk the earth

Unseen, 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

686

Of echoing hill or thicket, have we heard
Celestial voices to the midnight air,
Sole or refponfive to each others note,
Singing their great Creator? oft in bands
While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk,
With heav'nly touch of inftrumental 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 blissful bow'r; it was a place
Chos'n by the sov'reign 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 fide
Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub,
Fenc'd up the verdant wall; each beauteous flow'r,
Iris all hues, roses and jessamine,

690

695

Rear'dhigh their flourish'd heads between, and wrought Mofaic; underfoot the violet,

700

Crocus

705

710

715

Crocus and hyacinth, with rich inlay
Broider'd the ground, more colour'd than with stone
Of costlieft emblem: other creature here,
Beast, bird, infect, or worm, durft enter none,
Such was their awe of man. In fhadier bow'r
More facred and fequester'd, tho' but feign'd,
Pan or Sylvanus never flept, nor nymph
Nor Faunus haunted. Here, in clofs recefs,
With flowers, garlands, and sweet-smelling herbs
Efpoused Eve deck'd first her nuptial bed,
And heav'nly quires the hymenscan fung,
What day the genial angel to our fire,
Brought her, in naked beauty mare adorn'd,
More lovely than Pandora, whom the gods
Endow'd with all their gifts, and O too like
In fad event, when to th' unwiser fon
Of Japhet brought by Hermes, the infnar'd
Mankind with her fair looks, to be aveng'd
On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire.
Thus at their shady lodge arriv'd, both stood, 720
Both turn'd, and under epen sky ador'd
The God that made both sky, air, earth and heav'n,
Which they beheld, the moon's refplendent globe,
And starry pole: Thou also mad'it the night,
Maker Omnipotent, and thou the day,
Which we in our appointed work employ'd
Have finish'd, happy in our mutual help,
And mutual love, the crown of all our bliss
Ordain'd by thee; and this delicious place,
For us too large, where thy abundance wants
Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground.
But thou hast promis'd from us two a race
To fill the earth, who shall with us extol
Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake,
And when we feek, as now, thy gift of fleep.

725

730

735

This faid unanimous, and other rites

Observing none, but adoration pure,
Which God likes best, into their inmost bow'r
Handed they went; and eas'd the putting off

These troublesome disguises which we wear,
Strait fide by side were laid; nor turn'd, I ween,
Adam from his fair spouse, nor Eve the rites

740

Mysterious of connubial love refus'd:
Whatever hypocrites austerely talk
Of purity, and place, and innocence,

745

Defaming as impure what God declares
Pure, and commands to fome, leaves free to all.
Our Maker bids increase; who bids abstain

But our destroyer, foe to God and man?

Hail, wedded love! mysterious law, true source 750 Of human offspring, fole propriety

In Paradife of all things common else.
By thee adult'rous luft was driv'n from men
Among the bestial herds to range; by thee
Founded in reason, loyal, just, and pure,
Relations dear, and all the charities

755

Of father, fon, and brother, first were known.
Far be' it, that I should write thee fin or blame,

760

Or think thee unbefitting holiest place,
Perpetual fountain of domestic sweets,
Whose bed is undefil'd and chaste pronounc'd,
Present, or past, as faints and patriarchs us'd.
Here Love his golden shafts employs, here lights
His constant lamp, and waves his purple wings,
Reigns here and revels; not in the bought smile 265
Of harlots, loveless, joyless, unendear'd,
Casual fruition; nor in court-amours,
Mix'd dance, or wanton masque, or midnight ball,
Or serenate, which the starv'd lover fings
To his proud fair, best quitted with disdain,

Thefe, lull'd by nightingales, embracing slept,
And on their naked limbs the flow'ry roof
Shower'd roses, which the morn repair'd. Sleep on,
Blest pair; and O yet happiest, if ye feek
No happier state, and know to know no more.

775

Now had night measur'd with her shadowy cone Half way up hill this vast sublunar vault, And from their ivory port the cherubim, Forth iffuing at th' accustom'd hour, stood arm'd To their night-watches in warlike parade, When Gabriel to his next in power thus spake.

780

Uzziel, half these draw off, and coast the fouth With strictest watch; these other wheel the north; Our circuit meets full west. As flame they part, Half wheeling to the shield, half to the spear. 785 From these two strong and fubtle spi'rits he call'd That near him stood, and gave them thus in charge. Ithuriel and Zephon, with wing'd speed Search thro' this garden, leave unsearch'd no nook; But chiefly where those two fair creatures lodge, 790 Now laid perhaps afleep, secure of harm. This evening from the fun's decline arriv'd Who tells of some infernal spirit seen

795

Hitherward bent (who could have thought?) escap'd
The bars of hell, on errand bad no doubt :
Such where ye find seize fast. and hither bring.
So faying, on he led his radiant files,

Dazzling the moon; these to the bow'r direct
In search of whom they fought: him there they found

Squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve,

Affaying by his devilish art to reach

The organs of her fancy', and with them forge

Illusions as he lift, phantasms and dreams;

Or if, infpiring venom, he might taint

800

Th' animal spirits, that from pure blood arife 805