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
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
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 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.
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.
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,
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;
Left total darkness should by night regain
Her old poffeffion, and extinguish life
In nature and all things, which these soft fires
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, 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
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
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,
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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