Whose progeny you are.

Your fill what happiness this happy state

Can comprehend, incapable of more.

Mean while enjoy

505

By steps we may afcend to God. But say,

What meant that caution join'd, If ye be found
Obedient? can we want obedience then

To him, or poffibly his love defert,

515

Who form'd us from the duft, and plac'd us here
Full to the utmost measure of what blifs
Human defires can seek or apprehend?

To whom the Angel. Son of Heav'n and Earth,
Attend That thou art happy, owe to God;

:

That thou continueft fuch, owe to thyself,

That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.

520

This was that caution giv'n thee; be advis'd.
God made thee perfect, not immutable;

And good he made thee, but to perfevere

525

He left it in thy pow'r; ordain'd thy will

By nature free, not over-rul'd by fate

Inextricable, or strict necessity :
Our voluntary service he requires,
Not our neceffitated; fuch with him

Finds no acceptance, nor can find; for how

Can hearts, not free, be try'd whether they serve

530

Willing

Willing or no, who will but what they must
By destiny, and can no other choose ?

Myself and all th' angelic hoft, that stand

In fight of God enthron'd, our happy state-
Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds ;
On other furety none; freely we serve,
Because we freely love, as in our will

To love or not; in this we ftand or fall :
And fome are fall'n, to difobedience fall'n,
And fo from Heav'n to deepest Hell; O fall
From what high state of blifs into what woe!

To whom our great progenitor. Thy words
Attentive, and with more delighted ear,
Divine inftructor, I have heard, than when

Cherubic fongs by night from neighb'ring hills

Aereal mufic fend: nor knew I not

To be both will and deed created free;

157

535

540

545

Yet that we never fhall forget to love

Our Maker, and obey him whofe command

550

Single is yet fo juft, my conftant thoughts

Affur'd me', and still affure: though what thou tell'st Hath pafs'd in Heav'n, fome doubt within me move, But more defire to hear, if thou confent,

555

The full relation, which must needs be ftrange,

Worthy of facred filence to be heard;

And we have yet large day, for scarce the fun
Hath finish'd half his journey', and scarce begins
His other half in the great zone of Heav'n.
Thus Adam made request; and Raphaël
After fhort paufe affenting, thus began.

560

High matter thou injoin'ft me', O prime of men,
Sad task and hard; for how fhall I relate
To human fenfe th' invifible exploits
Of warring Spirits? how without remorse
The ruin of fo many glorious once

And perfect while they stood? how last unfold
The fecrets of another world, perhaps
Not lawful to reveal? yet for thy good

565

570

This is difpens'd; and what furmounts the reach
Of human fenfe, I fhall delineate fo,

By likening fpiritual to corporal forms,

As may exprefs them beft; though what if Earth
Be but the fhadow' of Heav'n, and things therein 575
Each to other like, more than on earth is thought?

As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild
Reign'd where these Heav'ns now roll, where Earth now
Upon her center pois'd; when on a day
(For time, though in eternity, apply'd
To motion, meafures all things durable

[refts

580

By prefent, past, and future) on fuch day

As Heav'n's great year brings forth, th' empyreal hoft

Of Angels by imperial fummons call'd,

Innumerable before th' Almighty's throne

Forthwith from all the ends of Heav'n appear'd
Under their Hierarchs in orders bright:.
Ten thousand thousand enfigns high advanc'd,
Standards and gonfalons 'twixt van and rear
Stream in the air, and for distinction ferve
Of hierarchies, of orders, and degrees;
Or in their glittering tiffues bear imblaz'd

585

599

Holy

Holy memorials, acts of zeal and love
Recorded eminent. Thus when in orbs
Of circuit inexpreffible they stood,
Orb within orb, the Father infinite,

By whom in blifs imbofom'd fat the Son,
Amidst as from a flaming mount, whofe top
Brightnefs had made invifible, thus fpake.
Hear all ye Angels, progeny of light,
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues,
Hear my decree, which unrevok'd shall stand.
This day I have begot whom I declare

My only Son, and on this holy hill
Him have anointed, whom ye now behold
At my right hand; your head I him appoint;
And by myfelf have fworn to him shall bow

595

600 Powers,

All knees in Heav'n, and fhall confess him Lord:
Under his great vice-gerent reign abide
United as one individual foul

For ever happy: Him who difobeys,
Me difobeys, breaks union, and that day,
Caft out from God and blessed vifion, falls
Into' utter darknefs, deep ingulf'd, his place
Ordain'd without redemption, without end.

605

610

615

So fpake th' Omnipotent, and with his words All feem'd well pleas'd; all feem'd, but were not all. That day, as other folemn days, they spent In fong and dance about the facred hill; Mystical dance, which yonder ftarry sphere Of planets and of fix'd in all her wheels Resembles nearest, mazes intricate,

620

Eccentric,

Eccentric, intervolv'd, yet regular

Then moft, when moft irregular they feem;

And in their motions harmony divine

625

630

So fmooths her charming tones, that God's own ear
Liftens delighted. Evening now approach'd
(For we have alfo' our evening and our morn,
We ours for change delectable, not need)
Forthwith from dance to fweet repast they turn
Defirous; all in circles as they stood,
Tables are fet, and on a fudden pil'd
With Angels food, and rubied nectar flows
In pearl, in diamond, and maffy gold,

Fruit of delicious vines, the growth of Heaven.

635

On flow'rs repos'd, and with fresh flow'rets crown'd,

They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet

Quaff immortality and joy, fecure

Of furfeit where full measure only bounds

Excefs, before th' all-bounteous King, who showr'd
With copious hand, rejoicing in their joy.
Now when ambrofial night with clouds exhal'd

645

From that high mount of God, whence light and fhade
Spring both, the face of brightest Heav'n had chang'd
To grateful twilight (for night comes not there
In darker veil) and roseat dews difpos'd
All but th' unfleeping eyes of God to reft;
Wide over all the plain, and wider far

Than all this globous earth in plain outspread,

(Such are the courts of God) th' angelic throng, 650 Difpers'd in bands and files, their camp extend

By living ftreams among the trees of life,

Pavilions