“ Prosperous or advérse: so shalt thou lead 365 “ Safest thy life, and best prepar'd endure “ Thy mortal passage when it comes. Ascend “ As once thou slep'st, while she to life was form’d.” 370 To whom thus Adam gratefully replied: “ Ascend; I follow thee, safe guide! the path My obvious breast; arming to overcome So both ascend, The hemisphere of earth, in clearest ken, Not higher that hill, nor wider looking round, To show him all earth's kingdoms, and their glory. 385 His eye might there command wherever stood City, of old or modern fame; the seat And Samarchand by Oxus, Temir's throne, 390 To Paquin of Sinæan kings; and thence To Agra and Lahor of Great Mogul, In Hispahan; or where the Russian Kzar 395 In Mosco; or the Sultan in Bizance, Turchestan-born: nor could his eye not ken Mombaza, and Quiloa, and Melind, Of Congo, and Angola, farthest south ; Morocco, and Algiers, and Tremisen; The world : in spirit perhaps he also saw Of Atabalipa; and yet unspoil'd Call El Dorado. But to nobler sights Had bred; then purg'd with euphrasy and rue 415 The visual nerve, for he had much to see, And from the well of life three drops instill’d. That Adam, now enforc'd to close his eyes, But him the gentle angel by the hand thine and first behold His eyes he open'd, and beheld a field, 430 Part arable and tilth, whereon were sheaves New-reaped; the other part sheep-walks and folds; A sweaty reaper from his tillage brought Uncull’d, as came to hand : a shepherd next, 425 The inwards and their fat, with incense strew'd, 440 On the cleft wood, and all due rites perform’d: His offering soon propitious fire from heaven Whereat he inly rag'd, and, as they talk’d, 445 Smote him into the midriff with a stone That beat out life: he fell; and, deadly pale, Dismay'd, and thus in haste to the angel cried : 450 “O teacher! some great mischief hath befall'n “ To that meek man, who well had sacrific'd : To whom Michael thus, he also mov’d, replied: “ These two are brethren, Adam, and to come “For envy that his brother's offering found “Lose no reward ; though here thou see him die, 460 “ Rolling in dust and gore." To which our sire: “Of terror, foul and ugly to behold! To whom thus Michaël: “Death thou hast seen “ In his first shape on man: but many shapes “Of death, and many are the ways that lead “ To bis grim cave; all dismal ! yet to sense 470“ More terrible at the entrance, than within. “Some, as thou saw'st, by violent stroke shall die; “ Diseases dire, of which a monstrous crew 475 “ Before thee shall appear, that thou mayst know “ What misery the inabstinence of Eve Immediately a place A lazar-house it seem'd; wherein were laid 480 Numbers of all diseas'd; all maladies Of ghastly spasm, or racking torture, qualms Intestine stone, and ulcer, colic pangs, 485 Demoniac phrensy, moping melancholy, And moon-struck madness, pining atrophy, Dire was the tossing, deep the groans! Despair 490 Tended the sick, busiest from couch to couch; And over them triumphant Death his dart Sight so deform what heart of rock could long 495 Dry-eyed behold? Adam could not, but wept, Though not of woman born ; compassion quell’d “O miserable mankind! to what fall “So goodly and erect, though faulty since, 510 “ To such unsightly sufferings be debas'd 500 505 525 530 “ In part, from such deformities be free, “ And, for his Maker's image' sake, exempt ?" 515 “Their Maker's image," answer'd Michael, “ then “Forsook them, when themselves they vilified “ Inductive mainly to the sin of Eve. Disfiguring not God's likeness, but their own ; “I yield it just,” said Adam," and submit. passages, how we may come “ There is,” said Michael, “ if thou well observe “ Till many years over thy head return: 535 “ So mayst thou live; till, like ripe fruit, thou drop “ Into thy mother's lap; or be with ease Thy youth, thy strength, thy beauty, which will change 540 “ To wither’d, weak, and gray; thy senses, then “ Obtuse, all taste of pleasure must forego, “A melancholy damp of cold and dry, To whom our ancestor : |