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God's latest image: I described his way

Bent all on speed, and mark'd his aery gait;
But in the mount that lies from Eden north,
Where he first lighted, soon discern'd his looks 570
Alien from Heav'n, with passions far obscured:
Mine eye pursued him still, but under shade
Lost sight of him. One of the banish'd crew,
I fear, hath ventured 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 sight,
Amid the Sun's bright circle, where thou sitt'st,
See far and wide: in at this gate none pass
The vigilance here placed, but such as come

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Well known from Heav'n; and since meridian hour

No creature thence: if Spirit of other sort

So minded, have o'erleap'd these earthy bounds

On purpose, hard thou know'st it to exclude

Spiritual substance with corporeal bar.

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But if within the circuit of these walks,

In whatsoever shape he lurk, of whom

Thou tell'st, by morrow dawning I shall know,

So promised he; and Uriel to his charge

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Return'd on that bright beam, whose point now raised,

Bore him slope downward to the Sun, now fall'n
Beneath th' Azores; whether the prime orb,
Incredible how swift, had thither roll'd
Diurnal, or this less volúble earth,

By shorter flight to th' east, had left him there
Arraying with reflected purple' and gold
The clouds that on his western throne attend.
Now came still ev'ning on, and twilight grey
Had in her sober liv'ry all things clad;
Silence accompanied: for beast and bird,
They to their grassy couch, these to their nests,

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567. The first image of God was Christ; the second, Angels; the last, Man-Described, that is, observed attentively. 592. The Azores are islands in the Atlantic, off the coast of Portugal. The word is to be pronounced as three syllables. 594. Voluble, with the u pronounced long.

596. This is the first evening in the time of the poem, and it fur. nishes Milton with an opportunity of putting forth the splendour of his descriptive genius in one of its most magnificent efforts. One of the commentators on this passage absurdly remarks that it was the poet's weak eyes made him love to mention the evening twilight,

Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale :
She all night long her am'rous descant sung:
Silence was pleased. Now glow'd the firmament
With living sapphires: Hesperus, that led
The starry host, rode brightest, till the Moon,
Rising in clouded majesty, at length

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Apparent queen, unveil'd her peerless light,
And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw.

When Adam thus to Eve: Fair Consort, th' hour

Of night, and all things now retired to rest,
Mind us of like repose, since God hath set
Labour and rest, as day and night, to men
Successive; and the timely dew of sleep

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Now falling, with soft slumb'rous weight inclines

Our eye-lids. Other creatures all day long

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Rove idle, unemploy'd, and less 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 inactive range;
And of their doings God takes no account.
To-morrow, ere fresh morning streak the east
With first approach of light, we must be ris'n,
And at our pleasant labour, to reform
Yon flow'ry arbours, yonder alleys green,
Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown,

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That mock our scant manuring, and require

More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth:
Those blossoms also, and those dropping gums,
That lie bestrown unsightly and unsmooth,
Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease;
Meanwhile, as Nature wills, Night bids us rest.

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To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty' adorn'd: My Author and Disposer, what thou bidst,

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Unargued, I obey; so God ordains;

God is thy law, thou mine; to know no more
Is woman's happiest knowledge and her praise.
With thee conversing I forget all time;
All seasons and their change, all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of Morn, her rising sweet,

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627. Walks in the first edition.

628. Manuring; in the sense of the French manœuvre, to manage or cultivate.

640. The seasons of the day, not of the year, are here meant.

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With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the Sun,
When first on this delightful land he spreads
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower,
Glist'ring with dew; fragrant the fertile earth
After soft show'rs; and sweet the coming on
Of grateful ev'ning mild; then silent Night,
With this her solemn 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 rising Sun
On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flower,
Glist'ring with dew; nor fragrance after showers;
Nor grateful ev'ning mild; nor silent Night
With this her solemn bird, nor walk by Moon, 655
Or glitt'ring star-light, without thee is sweet.
But wherefore all night long shine these? For whom
This glorious sight, when sleep hath shut all eyes?
To whom our general ancestor reply'd:
Daughter of God and Man, accomplish'd Eve,
These have their course to finish round the earth
By morrow ev'ning, and from land to land
In order, though to nations yet unborn,
Minist'ring light prepared, they set and rise;
Lest total darkness should by night regain
Her old possession, and extinguish life

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In nature and all things, which these soft fires
Not only enlighten, but with kindly heat
Of various influence, foment and warm,
Temper or nourish, or in part shed down
Their stellar virtue on all kinds that grow
On earth, made hereby apter to receive
Perfection from the Sun's more potent ray.
These then, though unbeheld in deep of night, 674
Shine not in vain; nor think, tho' men were none,
That Heav'n would want spectators, God want praise

648. A very ingenious essay has been written, by whom I forget, to shew that the ancients considered the nightingale's song cheer ful. 661. Those is read in some editions.

671. Milton's affectation of learning has been mentioned ant objected to. I venture, however, to observe, though he may seem to have erred when such passages in his poem are subjected to the severe and particularizing eye of a critic, that, taken as a whole, its grandeur and splendid effect upon the mind would have been considerably less, had these appliances of a high knowledge been nemployed in it illustration.

684

Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth
Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep.
All these with ceaseless praise his works behold,
Both day and night. How often from the steep 680
Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard
Celestial voices to the midnight air,
Sole, or responsive each to other's note,
Singing their great Creator! Oft in bands
While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk
With heav'nly touch of instrumental sounds,
In full harmonic number join'd, their songs
Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heav'n.
Thus talking hand in hand alone they pass'd
On to their blissful bow'r; it was a place
Chosen by the Sov'reign Planter, when he framed
All things to Man's delightful use. The roof
Of thickest covert was inwoven shade
Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew
Of firm and fragrant leaf: on either side
Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub

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Fenced up the verdant wall; each beauteous flow'r, Iris all hues, roses, and jessamine,

Rear'd high their flourish'd heads between, and

Mosaic

underfoot the violet,

Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay

[wrought 701

Broider'd the ground, more colour'd than with stone
Of costliest emblem. Other creature here,
Beast, bird, insect, or worm, durst enter none:
Such was their awe of Man. In shadier bower 705
More sacred and sequester'd, though but feign'd,
Pan or Sylvanus never slept, nor Nymph
Nor Faunus haunted. Here, in close recess,

With flowers, garlands, and sweet-smelling herbs,
Espoused Eve deck'd first her nuptial bed,
And heav'nly choirs the hymenean sung,

What day the genial Angel to our sire
Brought her in naked beauty more adorn'd,

More lovely than Pandora, whom the Gods

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Endow'd with all their gifts: and O too like 715

700. Homer, II. xiv. 347.

714. Pandora, the fable of Pandora's box needs no explanation. -Authentic fire, the original, and prototype, or the source of earthly fire, Unwiser is not a comparative here, but means verv

unwise

In sad event, when to th' unwiser son
Of Japhet brought by Hermes, she ensnared
Mankind with her fair looks, to be avenged
On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire.

Thus at their shady lodge arrived, both stood, 720 Both turn'd, and under open sky adored

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The God that made both sky, air, earth, and heav'n,
Which they beheld, the moon's resplendent globe,
And starry pole: Thou also mad'st the night,
Maker omnipotent, and thou the day,
Which we in our appointed work employ'd
Have finish'd, happy in our mutual help
And mutual love, the crown of all our bliss
Ordain'd by thee; and this delicious place
For us too large, where thy abundance wants
Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground.
But thou hast promised from us two a race
To fill the earth, who shall with us extol
Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake
And when we seek, as now, thy gift of sleep.
This said unanimous, and other rites
Observing none, but adoration pure

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Which God likes best, into their inmost bower Handed they went; and eased the putting off These troublesome disguises which we wear, Straight side by side were laid; nor turn'd I ween Adam from his fair spouse, nor Eve the rites Mysterious of connubial love refused:

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Whatever hypocrites austerely talk

Of purity, and place, and innocence,

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Defaming as impure what God declares

Our Maker bids increase; who bids abstain

Pure, and commands to some, leaves free to all.

But our Destroyer, foe to God and Man?

Hail wedded Love, mysterious law, true source 750

Of human offspring, sole propriety

In Paradise of all things common else.

By thee adult'rous lust was driven from men,

Among the bestial herds to range; by thee,
Founded in reason, loyal, just, and pure,

746. In allusion to 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2, 3.

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750. This apostrophe is said to be borrowed from one of Tasso letters. Mysterious: See Eph. v. 32.

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