By men who there frequent or therein dwell. He look'd, and saw the ark hull on the flood. With soft foot towards the deep; who now had stopp'd His sluices, as the Heaven his windows shut. The ark no more now floats, but seems on ground, An olive-leaf he brings, pacific sign: Of wicked sons destroy'd, than I rejoice But say, what mean those color'd streaks in Heaven Or serve they, as a flowery verge, to bind To whom the Arch-Angel! Dexterously thou aim'st; So willingly doth God remit his ire, Though late repenting him of man depraved; THE ARGUMENT. The Angel Michael continues, from the flood, to relate what shall succeed; then in the mention of Abraham, comes by degrees to explain who that Seed of the Woman shall be, which was promised Adam and Eve in the fall; his incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension; the state of the church till his second coming. Adam, greatly satisfied and recomforted by these relations and promises, descends the hill with Michael; wakens Eve, who all this while had slept,but with gentle dreams composed to quietness of mind and submission; Michael in either hand leads them out of Paradise, the fiery sword waving behind them, and the Cherubims taking their stations to guard the place. |