THESE are thy glorious works, Parent of Good! Almighty thine this univerfal frame,

Thus wondrous fair! thy felf how wondrous then!
Unfpeakable! who fit'ft above these heav'ns,
To us invifible, or dimly feen

In thefe thy lowest works: yet these declare
Thy goodness beyond thought, and pow'r divine.
Speak ye who beft can tell, ye fons of light,
Angels for ye behold him, and with fongs,
And choral fymphonies, day without night,
Circle his throne rejoicing; ye in heav'n :
Qn carth join all ye creatures, to extol

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Him firft, him laft, him midft, and without end!
Fairest of ftars! laft in the train of night,
If better thou belong not to the dawn,
Sure pledge of day, that crown'ft the smiling morn
With thy bright circlet, praife him in thy sphere
While day arifes, that fweet hour of prime.
Thou fan of this great world both eye and foul,
Acknowledge him thy greater; found his praise
In thy eternal course, both when thou climb'st,
And when high noon has gain'd, and when thou fall'st.
Moon! that now meet'ft the orient fun, now fly'ft,
With the fix'd stars, fix'd in their orb that flies; 176
And ye five other wandring fires! that move
In myftic dance not without fong, refound
His praife, who out of darkness call'd up light.
Air, and ye elements the eldest birth
Of nature's womb, that in quaternion run
Perpetual circle, multiform; and mix,

And nourish all things; let your ceaseless change
Vary to our great Maker ftill new praise.
Ye mifts, and exhalations! that now rife
From hill, or fteaming lake, dufky, or grey,
Till the fun paint your fleecy fkirts with gold,

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In honour to the world's great author rife:
Whether to deck with clouds th' uncolour'd fky,
Or wet the thirsty earth with falling show'rs,
Rifing, or falling, ftill advance his praife..
His praife, ye winds! that from four quarters blow,
Breathe foft, or loud; and wave your tops, ye pines!
With every plant, in fign of worship wave.
Fountains and ye that warble, as ye flow,
Melodious murmurs! warbling tune his praife.
Join voices all ye living fouls! ye birds,
That finging up to heaven-gate afcend,

Bear on your wings, and in your notes, his praise !
Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk
The earth, and stately tread, or lowly creep!
Witness if I be filent, morn or even,

To hill, or valley, fountain, or fresh shade,
Made vocal by my fong, and taught his praise.
Hail univerfal Lord! be bounteous ftill

:

To give us only good and if the night
Have gather'd ought of evil, or conceal'd,
Difperfe it, as now light difpels the dark!

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So pray'd they innocent, and to their thoughts Firm peace recover'd foon, and wonted calm. On to their morning's rural work they hafte, Among sweet dews, and flow'rs; where any row Of fruit-trees, over-woody, reach'd too far Their pamper'd boughs, and needed hands to check Fruitless embraces: or, they led the vine To wed her elm; fhe fpous'd, about him twines Her marriageable arms, and with her brings Her dow'r, th' adopted clusters, to adorn His barren leaves. Them thus employ'd beheld With pity heav'n's high King, and to him call'd RAPHAEL, the fociable fpirit, that deign'd

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To travel with TOBIAS, and fecur'd

His marriage with the feventimes wedded maid.

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RAPHAEL, faid he, thou hear'st what stir on earth
SATAN, from hell 'fcap'd thro' the darksome gulf,
Hath rais'd in Paradife, and how disturb'd
This night the human pair, how he defigns
In them at once to ruin all mankind :

Go therefore, half this day, as friend with friend,
Converse with ADAM, in what bow'r or fhade
Thou find'ft him, from the heat of noon retir'd,
To refpit his day-labour with repast,
Or with repose and fuch discourse bring on,
As may advife him of his happy ftate,
Happiness in his pow'r left free to will,
Left to his own free will; his will, though free,
Yet mutable: whence warn him to beware
He swerve not, too fecure. Tell him withal
His danger, and from whom; what enemy,

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Late fall'n himself from heav'n, is plotting now 240
The fall of others from like ftate of blifs:

By violence? no: for that shall be withstood:
But by deceit, and lies: this let him know,
Left wilfully tranfgreffing, he pretend
Surprifal, un-admonish'd, un-forewarn'd,

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So fpake th' eternal FATHER, and fulfill'd All juftice: nor delay'd the winged faint, After his charge receiv'd; but from among Thousand cœleftial ardors, where he stood Veil'd with his gorgeous wings, up-fpringing light, Flew thro' the mid'it of heav'n: th' angelic Choirs, On each hand parting, to his speed gave way Through all th' empyreal road; till at the gate Of heav'n arriv'd, the gate felf-open'd wide,

On

On golden hinges turning; as by work
Divine, the fov'reign architect had fram'd.
From hence, no cloud, or, to obftruct his fight,
Star interpos'd, however fmall, he fees,
Not unconform to other fhining globes,

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Earth, and the gard'n of GOD, with cedars crown'd

Above all hills. As when by night the glass

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Of GALILEO, lefs affur'd, obferves Imagin'd lands, and regions, in the moon : Or pilot, from amidst the CYCLADES, DELOS, OF SAMOS, firft appearing kens A cloudy fpot. Down thither prone in flight He fpeeds, and through the valt ethereal iky Sails between worlds and worlds: with fteddy wing Now on the polar winds; then, with quick fan Winnows the buxom air: till within foar Of tow'ring eagles, t'all the fowls he feems. A phoenix, gaz'd by all, as that fole bird, When to infhrine his reliques in the fun's Bright temple, to EGYPTIAN THEBES he flies. At once on th' eastern cliff of Paradise He lights, and to his proper fhape returns, A feraph wing'd: fix wings he wore, to shade His lineaments divine; the pair that clad Each fhoulder broad, came mantling o'er his breast With regal ornament: the middle pair Girt like a ftarry zone his waift, and round Skirted his loins, and thighs, with downy gold, And colours dip'd in heav'n: the third, his feet Shadow'd from either heel with feather'd mail, Sky-tinctur'd grain! Like MAIA's fon he flood, 285 And fhook his plumes, that heav'nly fragrance fill'd The circuit wide. Strait knew him all the bands Of angels under watch; and to his state, And to his meffage high, in honour rife;

K 4

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For

For on fome meffage high they guefs'd him bound.
Their glitt'ring tents he pafs'd, and now is come
Into the blissful field, through groves of myrrh,
And flow'ring odors, caffia, nard, and balm;
A wilderness of fweets! for nature here
Wanton'd, as in her prime, and plaid at will
Her virgin-fancies, pouring forth more sweet,
Wild above rule, or art, enormous bliss!
Him through the fpicy foreft onward come
ADAM difcern'd, as in the door he fat

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Of his cool bow'r; while now the mounted fun 300 Shot down direct his fervid rays, to warm

Earth's inmoft womb, more warmth than ADAM needs:
And EVE within, due at her hour, prepar'd

For dinner favoury fruits, of tafte to please
True appetite, and not difrelish thirst

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Of nectarous draughts between, from milky stream, Berry, or grape; to whom thus ADAM call'd.

HASTE hither, EVE! and worth thy fight behold Eastward among those trees, what glorious fhape Comes this way moving; feems another morn 310 Ris'n on mid-noon; fome great beheft from heav'n To us perhaps he brings, and will vouchsafe This day to be our gueft. But go with speed, And what thy ftores contain, bring forth, and pour, Abundance, fit to honour and receive Our heav'nly stranger: well we may afford Our givers their own gifts, and large bestow From large beftow'd, where nature multiplies Her fertil growth, and by disburd'ning grows More fruitful, which inftructs us not to fpare. 320

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To whom thus EVE. ADAM! earth's hallow'd mould, Of GOD infpir'd! fmall ftore will ferve, where ftore,

All