In all the liveries deck'd of summer's pride
With spots of gold and purple, azure and green:
These, as a line, their long dimension drew,
Streaking the ground with sinuous trace; not all
Minims of nature; some of serpent kind,
Wondrous in length and corpulence, involved
Their snaky folds, and added wings. First crept
The parsimonious emmet, provident

of future; in small room large heart enclosed;
Pattern of just equality perhaps

Hereafter, joined in her popular tribes

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Of commonalty: swarming next appear'd

The female bee, that feeds her husband drone
Deliciously, and builds her waxen cells

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With honey stored: the rest are numberless,

And thou their natures know'st, and gavest them names, Needless to thee repeated; nor unknown

The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field,

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Of huge extent sometimes, with brazen eyes

And hairy mane terrific, though to thee

Not noxious, but obedient at thy call.

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Now Heaven in all her glory shone, and roll'd Her motions, as the great first Mover's hand First wheel'd their course: Earth in her rich attire Consummate lovely smiled; air, water, earth, By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walk'd, Frequent; and of the sixth day yet remain'd: There wanted yet the master-work, the end Of all yet done; a creature, who, not prone And brute as other creatures, but endued With sanctity of reason, might erect

His stature, and upright with front serene

505

Govern the rest, self-knowing; and from thence 510
Magnanimous to correspond with Heaven,

But grateful to acknowledge whence his good
Descends, thither with heart, and voice, and eyes
Directed in devotion, to adore

And worship God Supreme, who made him chief 515

Of all his works: therefore the Omnipotent

Eternal Father (for where is not he

Present?) thus to his Son audibly spake :

Let us make now Man in our image, Man

In our similitude, and let them rule

Over the fish and fowl of sea and air,

520

Beast of the field, and over all the Earth,

And every creeping thing that creeps the ground.

This said, he form'd thee, Adam, thee, O Man,

Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breathed 525 The breath of life; in his own image he

Created thee, in the image of God

Express; and thou becamest a living soul.

Male he created thee; but thy consórt

Female, for race; then bless'd mankind, and said, 530
Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth;
Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold
Over fish of the sea, and fowl of the air,

And every living thing that moves on the Earth.
Wherever thus created, for no place

535

Is yet distinct by name, thence, as thou know'st,

He brought thee into this delicious grove,

This garden, planted with the trees of God,
Delectable both to behold and taste;

And freely all their pleasant fruit for food

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Gave thee; all sorts are here that all the Earth yields

Variety without end; but of the tree,

Which, tasted, works knowledge of good and evil,

Thou mayst not; in the day thou eat'st, thou diest:

Death is the penalty imposed; beware,

And govern well thy appetite; lest Sin

Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death.
Here finish'd he, and all that he had made

View'd, and behold all was entirely good;

545

So even and morn accomplish'd the sixth day;
Yet not till the Creator from his work

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Desisting, though unwearied, up return'd,

Up to the Heaven of Heavens, his high abode ;

Thence to behold this new created world,

The addition of his empire, how it show'd

555

In prospect from his throne, how good, how fair,
Answering his great idea. Up he rode

Follow'd with acclamation, and the sound

Symphonious of ten thousand harps, that tuned
Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air

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Resounded (thou remember'st, for thou heard'st,)
The heavens and all the constellations rung
The planets in their station listening stood,
While the bright pomp ascended jubilant.
Open, ye everlasting gates! they sung,
Open, ye Heavens! your living doors; let in
The great Creator from his work return'd
Magnificent, his six days' work, a World;
Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deign
To visit oft the dwellings of just men,
Delighted; and with frequent intercourse
Thither will send his winged messengers

On errands of supernal grace. So sung

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The glorious train ascending: He through Heaven,
That open'd wide her blazing portals, led
To God's eternal house direct the way;
A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold
And pavement stars, as stars to thee appear,
Seen in the galaxy, that milky way,

Which nightly, as a circling zone, thou seest

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Powder'd with stars. And now on Earth the seventh

Evening arose in Eden, for the sun

Was set, and twilight from the east came on,

Forerunning night; when at the holy mount

Of Heaven's high-seated top, the imperial throne 585
Of Godhead, fix'd for ever firm and sure,

The Filial Power arrived, and sat him down
With his great Father; for he also went
Invisible, yet staid (such privilege

Hath Omnipresence,) and the work ordain'd,
Author and End of all things; and, from work-

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Now resting, blessed and hallow'd the seventh day,
As resting on that day from all his work
But not in silence holy kept: the harp
Had work and rested not; the solemn pipe,
And dulcimer, all organs of sweet stop,
All sounds on fret by string or golden wire,
Temper'd soft tunings, intermix'd with voice
Choral or unison: of incense clouds,
Fuming from golden censers, hid the mount.
Creation and the six days' acts they sung:

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Great are thy works, Jehovah ! infinite

Thy power! what thought can measure thee, or tongue Relate thee! Greater now in thy return

Than from the giant Angels: Thee that day

605

Thy thunders magnified; but to create

Is greater than created to destroy.

Who can impair thee, Mighty King, or bound
Thy empire! Easily the proud attempt
Of Spirits apostate, and their counsels vain,
Thou hast repelled; while impiously they thought

610

Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw

:

The number of thy worshippers. Who secks
To lessen thee, against his purpose serves
To manifest the more thy might his evil
Thou usest, and from thence createst more good.
Witness this new-made world, another Heaven
From Heaven gate not far, founded in view
On the clear hyaline, the glassy sea;
Of amplitude almost immense, with stars
Numerous, and every star perhaps a world
Of destined habitation; but thou know'st
Their seasons: among these the seat of Men,
Earth, with her nether ocean circumfused,

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Their pleasant dwelling place. Thrice happy Men, 625 And sons of Men, whom God hath thus advanced!

Created in his image, there to dwell

And worship him; and in reward to rule

Over his works, on earth, in sea, or air,

And multiply a race of worshippers
Holy and just thrice happy, if they know
Their happiness, and persevere upright!

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So sung they, and the empyréan rung With hallelujahs: thus was sabbath kept.

And thy request think now fulfill'd, that ask'd
How first this world and face of things began,
And what before thy memory was done
From the beginning; that posterity,

634

Inform'd by thee, might know: if else thou seek'st Aught, not surpassing human measure, say

640