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And find thee knowing not of beafts alone,
Which thou haft rightly nam'd, but of thyself,
Expreffing well the fpirit within thee free,
My image, not imparted to the brute,
Whofe fellowship therefore unmeet for thee
Good reafon was thou freely shouldft dislike,
And be fo minded ftill; I, ere thou spak'st,
Knew it not good for Man to be alone,
And no fuch company as then thou faw'ft
Intended thee, for trial only brought,

To fee how thou could't judge of fit and meet:
What next I bring fhall pleate thee, be assur'd,
Thy likenefs, thy fit help, thy other felf,
Thy with exactly to thy heart's defire.

He ended, or I heard no more, for now

My earthly by his heav'nly overpower'd,

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Which it had long ftood under, ftrain'd to th' highth, In that celeftial colloquy fublime,

As with an object that excels the fenfe

Dazled and spent, funk down, and fought repair
Of fleep, which inftantly fell on me, call'd
By nature as in aid, and clos'd mine eyes.
Mine eyes he clos'd, but open left the cell

Of fancy my internal fight, by which
Abstract as in a trance methought I saw,
Though sleeping, where I lay, and faw the shape
Still glorious before whom awake I ftood;
Who ftooping open'd my left fide, and took
From thence a rib, with cordial fpirits warm,

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And

And life-blood streaming fresh; wide was the wound,
But fuddenly with flesh fill'd up and heal'd:
The rib he form'd and fashion'd with his hands;
Under his forming hands a creature grew,
Manlike, but different fex, fo lovely fair,

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That what feem'd fair in all the world, feem'd now Mean, or in her fumm'd up, in her contain'd

And in her looks, which from that time infus'd
Sweetness into my heart, unfelt before,

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And into all things from her air inspir'd
The fpi'rit of love and amorous delight.
She disappear'd, and left me dark; I wak'd
To find her, or for ever to deplore

Her lofs, and other pleasures all abjure:

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When out of hope, behold her, not far off,
Such as I faw her in my dream, adorn'd
With what all Earth or Heaven could bestow
To make her amiable: On the came,
Led by her heav'nly Maker, though unfeen,
And guided by his voice, nor uninform'd
Of nuptial fanctity and marriage rites:

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Grace was in all her fteps, Heav'n in her eye,

In every gesture dignity and love.

I overjoy'd could not forbear aloud.

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This turn hath made amends; thou haft fulfill'd

Thy words, Creator bounteous and benign,

Giver of all things fair, but fairest this

Of all thy gifts, nor enviest. I now fee

Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, myself

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Before

Before me; Woman is her name, of Man
Extracted; for this cause he shall forego
Father and mother, and to' his wife adhere;
And they fhall be one flesh, one heart, one foul.
She heard me thus, and though divinely brought,
Yet innocence and virgin modesty,

Her virtue and the confcience of her worth,
That would be woo'd, and not unfought be won,
Not obvious, not obtrufive, but retir'd,
The more defirable, or to say all,

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Nature herself, though pure of finful thought,

Wrought in her so, that seeing me, she turn'd;

I follow'd her, fhe what was honor knew,

And with obfequious majesty approv'd

My pleaded reafon. To the nuptial bower

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I led her blushing like the morn: all Heaven,

And happy constellations on that hour

Shed their felecteft influence; the earth

Gave fign of gratulation, and each hill;

Joyous the birds; fresh gales and gentle airs
Whisper'd it to the woods, and from their wings
Flung rofe, flung odors from the spicy shrub,
Difporting, till the amorous bird of night
Sung fpoufal, and bid haste the evening star
On this hill top, to light the bridal lamp.
Thus have I told thee all my state, and brought
My story to the fum of earthly blifs

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Which I enjoy, and must confess to find

In all things elfe delight indeed, but fuch

As

As us'd or not, works in the mind no change,
Nor vehement defire, thefe delicacies

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I mean of tafte, fight, fmell, herbs, fruits, and flowers, Walks, and the melody of birds; but here

Far otherwife, transported I behold,

Tranfported touch; here paffion firft I felt,

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Commotion ftrange, in all enjoyments elfe
Superior and unmov'd, here only weak
Against the charm of beauty's pow'rful glance.
Or nature fail'd in me, and left fome part
Not proof enough fuch object to fuftain,
Or from my fide fubducting, took perhaps
More than enough; at least on her bestow'd
Too much of ornament, in outward show
Elaborate, of inward lefs exact.

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For well I understand in the prime end
Of nature her th' inferior, in the mind

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And inward faculties, which most excel,

In outward also her refembling lefs

His image who made both, and lefs expreffing
The character of that dominion given

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O'er other creatures; yet when I approach

Her lovelinefs, fo abfolute the feems
And in herself complete, fo well to know
Her own, that what the wills to do or fay,
Seems wifeft, virtuoufeft, difcreeteft, beft;
All higher knowledge in her prefence falls
Degraded, wifdom in difcourfe with her
Lofes difcountenanc'd, and like folly shows;

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Authority

Authority and reason on her wait,

As one intended first, not after made

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Occafionally; and to confummate all,
Greatness of mind, and nobleness their feat
Build in her lovelieft, and create an awe
About her, as a guard angelic plac'd.

To whom the Angel with contracted brow.
Accufe not nature, the hath done her part;
Do thou but thine, and be not diffident
Of wisdom, the deferts thee not, if thou
Difmifs not her, when most thou need'ft her nigh,
By attributing over much to things

Lefs excellent, as thou thyself perceiv'st.
For what admir'ft thou, what transports thee so,
An outside ? fair no doubt, and worthy well
Thy cherishing, thy honoring, and thy love,
Not thy fubjection: weigh with her thyself;
Then value: Oft-times nothing profits more
Than felf-esteem, grounded on juft and right
Well manag'd; of that skill the more thou know'st,
The more fhe will acknowledge thee her head,

And to realities yield all her shows :

Made fo adorn for thy delight the more,

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So awful, that with honor thou may'st love

Thy mate, who fees when thou art feen least wise.

But if the fenfe of touch whereby mankind

Is propagated feem fuch dear delight

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Beyond all other, think the fame vouchfaf'd

To cattel and each beaft; which would not be

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