Such to perfection, one first matter all,
Endued with various forms, various degrees
Of substance, and, in things that live, of life;
But more refined, more spirituous, and pure,
As nearer to him placed, or nearer tending
Each in their several active spheres assign'd,
Till body up to spirit work, in bounds

Proportion'd to each kind. So from the root
Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves
More aery, last the bright consummate flower
Spirit odorous breathes: flowers and their fruit,
Man's nourishment, by gradual scale sublimed,
To vital spirts aspire, to animal,

To intellectual; give both life and sense,
Fancy and understanding whence the soul
Reason receives, and reason is her being,
Discursive, or intuitive; discourse
Is oftest yours, the latter most is ours,
Differing but in degree, of kind the same.
Wonder not then, what God for you saw good

If I refuse 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;
Your bodies may at last turn all to spirit,
Improved by tract of time, and, wing'd, ascend
Ethereal, as we; or may, at choice,
Here in Heavenly Paradises dwell;
If ye be found obedient, and retain
Unalterably firm his love entire,

Whose progeny you are. Meanwhile enjoy
Your fill what happiness this happy state
Can comprehend, incapable of more."

To whom the patriarch of mankind replied:

"O favorable spirit, propitious guest,

Well hast thou taught the way that might direct
Our knowledge, and the scale of nature set

From centre to circumference; where on,
In contemplation of created things,

By steps we may ascend to God. But say,
What meant that caution join'd, If ye be found
Obedient? Can we want obedience then
To him, or possibly his love desert,

Who form'd us from the dust and placed us here,
Full to the utmost measure of what bliss
Human desires can seek or apprehend?”

To whom the Angel: "Son of Heaven and Earth,
Attend! That thou art happy, owe to God;
That thou continuest such, owe to thyself,
That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.
This was that caution given thee; be advised.
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 overruled by fate
Inextricable, or strict necessity:
Our voluntary service he requires

Not our necessitated; such with him
Finds no acceptance, nor can find; for how

Can hearts, not free, be tried whether they serve
Willing or no, who will but what they must
By destiny, and can no other choose?
Myself, and all the angelic host, that stand
In sight of God enthroned, our happy state
Hold, as you yours, while our obedeance holds;
On other surety none: freely we serve,
Because we freely love, as in our will
To love or not; in this we stand or fall:
And some are fallen, to disobedience fallen,
And so from Heaven to deepest Hell; O fall
From what high state of bliss; into what wo!"
To whom our great progenitor; "Thy words
Attentive, and with more delighted ear,
Divine instructor, I have heard, than when

M*

Cherubic songs by night from neighboring hills
Aerial music send; nor knew I not

To be both will and deed created free;
Yet that we never shall forget to love
Our Maker, and obey him whose command

Single is yet so just, my constant thoughts
Assured me, and still assure: though what thou tell'st
Hath pass'd in Heaven some doubt within me move,
But more desire to hear, if thou consent,

The full relation, which must needs be strange,
Worthy of sacred silence to be heard;

And we have yet large day, for scarce the sun
Hath finish'd half his journey, and scarce begins
His other half in the great zone of Heaven."
Thus Adam made request: and Raphael,
After short pause assenting, thus began:

"High matter thou enjoin'st me, O prime of men
Sad task and hard: for how shall I relate
To human sense the invisible exploits

Of warring Spirits? how without remorse,

The ruin of so many glorious once

And perfect while they stood? how last unfold
The secrets of another world, perhaps

Not lawful to reveal? yet for thy good

This is dispensed; and what surmounts the reach
Of human sense, I shall delineate so,

By likening spiritual to corporeal forms,

As may express them best; though what if Earth
Be but the shadow of Heaven, and things therein
Each to other like, more than on Earth is thought?
As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild

Reign'd where these Heavens now roll, where Earth now

rests

Upon her centre poised; when on a day
(For time, though in eternity, applied
To motion, measures all things durable
By present, past, and future,) on such day

As Heaven's great year brings forth, the empyrial host
Of Angels, by imperial summons call'd,

Innumerable before the Almighty's throne
Forthwith, from all the ends of Heaven, appear'd
Under their Hierarchs in orders bright:

Ten thousand thousand ensigns high advanced,
Standards and gonfalons 'twixt van and rear
Stream in the air; and for distinction serve
Of hierarchies, of orders, and degrees;
Or in their glittering tissues bear imblazed
Holy.memorials, acts of zeal and love
Recorded eminent. Thus when in orbs
Of circuit inexpressible they stood,
Orb within orb, the Father Infinite,
By whom in bliss imbosomed sat the Son,
Amidst as from a flaming mount, whose top
Brightness had made invisible, thus spake :
"Hear all ye Angels, progeny of light,
Thrones, dominations, princedom's virtues, powers;
Hear my decree, which unrevoked 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; your head I him appoint;
And by myself have sworn, to him shall bow
All knees in Heaven, and shall confess him Lord;
Under his great vicegerent reign abide
United, as one individual soul,

For ever happy: him who disobeys,
Me disobeys, breaks union, and that day,
Cast out from God and blessed vision, falls
Into utter darkness, deep ingulf'd his place
Ordain'd without redemtion, without end.'

So spake the Omnipotent, and with his words
All seem'd well pleased; all seem'd, but were not all.
That day, as other solemn days, they spent

In song and dance about the sacred hill;

Mystical dance, which yonder starry sphere
Of planets, and of fix'd, in all her wheels
Resembles nearest, mazes intricate,

Eccentric, intervolved, yet regular

Then most, when most irregular they seem;
And in their motions harmony divine

So smooths her charming tones, that God's own ear
Listens delighted. Evening now aproach'd
(For we have also our evening and our morn,
We ours for change delectable, not need;)
Forthwith from dance to sweet repast they turn
Desirous: all in circles as they stood,

Tables are set, and on a sudden piled
With Angel's food, and rubied nectar flows

In pearl, in diamond, and massy gold,

Fruit of delicious vines, the growth of Heaven.

On flowers reposed, and with fresh flowerets crown'd,
They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet
Quaff immortality and joy, secure

Of surfeit, where full measure only bounds
Excess, before the all bounteous King who shower'd
With copious hand, rejocing in their joy.

Now when ambrosial night, with clouds exhaled

From that high mount of God whence light and shade
Spring both, the face of brightest Heaven had changed
To grateful twilight (for night comes not there
In darker veil) and roseate dews disposed
All but the unsleeping eyes of God to rest;
Wide over all the plain, and wider far
Than all this globous Earth in plain outspread
(Such are the courts of God) the angelic throng,
Dispers'd in bands and files, their camp extend
By living streams among the trees of life,
Pavilions numberless, and sudden rear'd,

Celestial tabernacles, where they slept

Fann'd with cool winds; save those, who in their course, Melodious hymns about the sovereign throne