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No evil thing approach or enter in.

This day at highth of noon came to my sphere
A Spirit, zealous, as he seem'd, to know,
More of th' Almighty's works, and chiefly Man,
God's latest image: I defcrib'd his way
Bent all on speed, and mark'd his aery gate:
But in the mount that lies from Eden north,
Where he first lighted, foon discern'd his looks
Alien from Heav'n, with paffions foul obscur'd:
Mine eye purfued him ftill, but under shade
Loft fight of him: one of the banish'd crew,
I fear, hath ventur'd from the deep, to raise
New troubles; him thy care must be to find.
To whom the winged warrior thus return'd.
Uriel, no wonder if thy perfect fight,
Amid the fun's bright circle where thou fitst,
See far and wide: in at this gate none pass
The vigilance here plac'd, but fuch as come

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Well known from Heav'n; and fince meridian hour

No creature thence: if Spi'rit of other sort,

So minded, have o'er-leap'd thefe earthy bounds
On purpose, hard thou know'ft it to exclude
Spiritual fubftance with corporeal bar.
But if within the circuit of these walks,
In whatsoever shape he lurk, of whom

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Thou tell'ft, by morrow dawning I shall know.
So promis'd he; and Uriel to his charge
Return'd on that bright beam, whose point now rais'd
Bore him flope downward to the fun now fall'n
Beneath th' Azores; whether the prime orb,

Incredible

Incredible how swift, had thither roll'd

Diurnal, or this lefs volúbil earth,

By fhorter flight to th' east, had left him there
Arraying with reflected purple' and gold
The clouds that on his western throne attend.
Now came ftill evening on, and twilight gray
Had in her sober livery all things clad;
Silence accompanied; for beaft and bird,
They to their graffy couch, these to their nests
Were flunk, all but the wakeful nightingale ;
She all night long her amorous defcant fung;
Silence was pleas'd: now glow'd the firmament
With living faphirs: Hesperus, that led
The ftarry hoft, rode brightest, till the moon
Rifing in clouded majefty, at length
Apparent queen unveil'd her peerless light,

And o'er the dark her filver mantle threw.

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When Adam thus to Eve. Fair Confort, th' hour
Of night, and all things now retir'd to rest
Mind us of like repose, fince God hath set
Labor and rest, as day and night to men
Succeffive; and the timely dew of fleep

Now falling with foft flumbrous weight inclines 615
Our eye-lids: other creatures all day long
Rove idle unemploy'd, and lefs need rest;
Man hath his daily work of body' or mind
Appointed, which declares his dignity,
And the regard of Heav'n on all his ways;
While other animals unactive range,
And of their doings God takes no account.

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To

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To-morrow ere fresh morning streak the east
With firft approach of light, we must be rifen,
And at our pleasant labor, to reform
Yon flow'ry arbors, yonder alleys green,
Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown,
That mock our fcant manuring, and require
More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth:
Those bloffoms also, and those dropping gums, 630
That lie beftrown unfightly and unfmooth,
Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease;
Mean while, as Nature wills, night bids us reft.
To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty' adorn'd.
My Author and Difpofer, what thou bidst
Unargued I obey; fo God ordains;

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 feafons and their change, all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing 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 flower,
Glift'ring with dew; fragrant the fertil earth
After soft show'rs; and fweet the coming on
Of grateful evening 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 she ascends
With charm of earliest birds; nor rifing sun
On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flower,

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Glift'ring

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Glift'ring with dew; nor fragrance after showers:
Nor grateful evening mild; nor filent night
With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon,
Or glittering ftar-light without thee is sweet.
But wherefore all night long shine these? for whom
This glorious fight, when fleep hath shut all eyes?
To whom our general ancestor reply'd:
Daughter of God and Man, accomplish'd Eve,
These have their courfe to finish round the earth,
By morrow evening, and from land to land
In order, though to nations yet unborn,
Miniftring light prepar'd, they fet and rife;

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Left total darkness should by night regain

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Her old poffeffion, and extinguish life

In nature and all things, which these soft fires

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Not only' inlighten, but with kindly heat
Of various influence foment and warm,
Temper or nourish, or in part fhed down
Their ftellar virtue on all kinds that grow
On earth, made hereby apter to receive
Perfection from the fun's more potent ray.
These then, though unbeheld in deep of night,
Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were none,
That Heav'n would want fpectators, God want praise:
Millions of fpiritual creatures walk the earth

Unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep:
All these with ceafelefs praise his works behold

Both day and night: how often from the fteep 680
Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard

Celeftial voices to the midnight air,

Sole,

Sole, or refponfive each to others note,

Singing their great Creator? oft in bands

While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk 685
With heav'nly touch of inftrumental founds
In full harmonic number join'd, their fongs
Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heaven.
Thus talking, hand in hand along they pass'd

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On to their blissful bow'r; it was a place
Chos'n by the fovran Planter, when he fram'd
All things to Man's delightful use; the roof
Of thickest covert was inwoven fhade
Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew
Of firm and fragrant leaf; on either fide

Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub

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Fenc'd up the verdant wall; each beauteous flower, Iris all hues, roses, and jeffamin,

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

Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay

Broider'd the ground, more color'd than with stone
Of costlieft emblem: other creature here,
Beast, bird, infect, or worm, durft enter none,

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Such was their awe of Man. In fhadier bower 705
More facred and fequefter'd, though but feign'd,
Pan or Sylvanus never flept, nor Nymph,
Nor Faunus haunted. Here in close recefs
With flowers, garlands, and sweet-fmelling herbs
Efpoufed Eve deck'd firft her nuptial bed,
And heav'nly quires the hymenaan fung,
What day the genial Angel to our fire

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Brought

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