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,
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,
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,
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,
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:
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:
Grace was in all her fteps, Heav'n in her eye,
In every gesture dignity and love.
I overjoy'd could not forbear aloud.
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
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,
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
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
Which I enjoy, and must confess to find
In all things elfe delight indeed, but fuch
As us'd or not, works in the mind no change, Nor vehement defire, thefe delicacies
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,
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.
For well I understand in the prime end Of nature her th' inferior, in the mind
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
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;
Authority and reason on her wait,
As one intended first, not after made
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,
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
Beyond all other, think the fame vouchfaf'd
To cattel and each beaft; which would not be
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