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Now falling with soft flumbrous weight, inclines
Our eye-lids. Other creatures all day long
Rove idle, un-employ'd, and lefs need reft:
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 unactive range ;
And of their doings GoD takés no account.
To-morrow, ere fresh morning ftreak the east
With first approach of light, we must be ris'n,
And at our pleasant labour, to reform
Yon flowry arbors; yonder allies green;

Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown ;
'That mock our fcant manuring, and require
More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth.
Those bloffoms alfo, and thofe dropping gums,.
That lie bestrown unfightly and unfmooth,
Ak riddance, if we mean to tread with ease:
Mean while, as nature wills, night bids us rest.

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My author, and difpofer! what thou bid'at
Ta-argu'd I obey; fo God ordains :

To whom thus EVE, with perfect beauty adorn'd.

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GOD is thy law, thou mine: to know no more
Is woman's happiest knowledge, and her praise.
With thee converfing I forget all time;

All seasons, and their change, all please alike :
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing sweet,
With charm of earliest birds: pleasant the fun,
When first on this delightful land he fpreads

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His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flow'r,

Glift'ring with dew: fragrant the fertile earth
After foft fhow'rs and fweet the coming on
Of grateful ev'ning mild: then filent night,

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With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,

And thefe, the gems of heav'n, her starry train..

But neither breath of morn, when she ascends

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With charm of earliest birds: nor rifing fun

On this delightful land: nor herd, fruit, flow'rs,

Glift'ring with dew; nor fragrance after show'rs:

Nor

Nor grateful evening mild: nor filent night,
With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon:
Or glittering ftar-light, without thee is fweet.
But wherefore all night long fhine these? for whom
This glorious fight, when sleep hath shot all eyes?

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In order, though to nations yet unborn,

To whom our general ancestor reply'd. Daughter of GOD and man, accomplish'd EVE! These have their courfe to finish round the earth, By morrow ev'ning; and from land to land

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Miniftring light prepar'd, they fet and rife:
Left total darkness should by night regain

Her old poffeffion, and extinguish life

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In nature, and all things; which these foft fires
Not only enlighten, but with kindly heat,
Of various influence, foment and warm,
Temper or.nourish; or in part fhed down
Their ftellar virtue on all kinds that grow
On earth; made hereby apter to receive
Perfection from the fun's more potent ray.
These then, though unbeheld in deep of night,
Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were none,
'That heav'n would want fpectators, GoD want praise:
Millions of fpiritual creatures walk the earth
Unseen, both when we wake, and when we fleep:
All these, with ceaseless praife, his works behold
Both day and night: how often, from the steep
Of echoing hill, or thicket, have we heard
Cœleftial voices to the midnight air

(Sole, or refponfive each to other's note)
Singing their great Creator? oft in bands

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While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk, 685 With heav'nly touch of inftrumental founds,

In full harmonic number join'd, their fongs

Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to heaven.

Thus talking, hand in hand, along they pafs'd

On to their blissful bow'r: it was a place

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Chofe

Chofe by the Sov'reign Planter, when He fram'd

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 fide
Acanthus, and each od'ròus bufhy fhrub,

Fenc'd up the verdant wall: each beauteous flow'r,
Iris all hues, rofes, and jeffamin

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Rear'd high their flourish'd heads between, and wrought Mofaic: underfoot the violet,

Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich in-lay

Broider'd the ground; more colour'd than with stone
Of costlieft emblem: other creature here,
Beast, bird, infect, or worm, durft enter none;
Such was their awe of man! In fhady bow'r
More facred, and fequefter'd, though but feign'd,
PAN, or SYLVANUS, never flept; nor Nymph,
Nor FAUNUS, haunted. Here, in clofe recefs,
With flowers, garlands, and fweet-fmelling herbs,
Efpoufed EVE deck'd firft her nuptial bed ::
And heav'nly Choirs the Hymenæan fung,
What day the genial Angel to our fire
Brought her, in naked beauty more adorn'd,
More lovely, than PANDORA whom the Gods
Endow'd with all their gifts, (and O, too like
In fad event!) when to th'un-wiser fon
Of JAPHET brought by HERMES, fhe infnar'd
Mankind with her fair looks, to be aveng'd
On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire.

Thus at their fhady Lodge arriv'd, both stood,

The God that made both sky, air, earth, and heav'n,

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Both turn'd, and under open sky ador'd

Which they beheld; the moon's refplendent globe,

And ftarry Pole: Thou alfo mad'ft the night,

Maker Omnipotent! and Thou the day,

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Which we in our appointed work employ'd

Have finish'd, happy in our mutual help,
And mutual love, the crown of all our blifs
Ordain'd by Thee; and this delicious place,,

For

For us too large; where Thy abundance wants
Partakers, and un-crop'd falls to the ground.
But Thou has promis'd from us two a race
To fill the earth, who fhall with us extol
Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake,
And when we feek, as now, Thy gift of fleep.

This faid unanimous, and other rites Obferving none, but adoration pure,

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Which God likes beft, into their inmoft bow'r
Handed they went; and (eas'd the putting off

These troublesome disguises which we wear,)

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Straight fide by fide were laid: nor turn'd, I ween,

ADAM from his fair spouse; nor EVE the rites
Mysterious of connubial love refus'd:

Whatever hypocrites aufterely talk

Of purity, and place, and innocence ;

745

Defaming as impure what God declares

Pure; and commands to fome, leaves free to all.

Our Maker bids increase; who bids abftain,

But our destroyer, foe to GoD, and man

Hail wedded love! myfterious law, true fource
Of human offspring, fole propriety

750

In Paradise, of all things common else.
By thee adult'rous luft was driv'n from men,
Among the beftial herds to range; by thee,
(Founded in reason, loyal, juft, and pure)
Relations dear, and all the charities

755

Of father, fon, and brother, first were known.

Far be it, that I fhould write thee fin or blame!

Or think thee unbefitting holieft place;

Perpetual fountain of domestic sweets!

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Whose bed is undefil'd and chafte pronounc'd,
Prefent, or past; as faints and patriarchs us'd.
Here, Love his golden fhafts employs; here lights
His conftant lamp; and waves his purple wings;
Reigns here and revels: not in the bought smile
Of harlots, lovelefs, joylefs, un-endear'd;
Cafual fruition! nor in Court-amours,

Mix'd dance, or wanton mask, or midnight ball,,

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Or

Or ferenate, which the starv'd lover fings

To his proud Fair; beft quitted with difdain.
Thefe, lull'd by nightingales, embracing flept;
And on their naked limbs the flow'ry roof
Shower'd rofes, which the morn repair'd. Sleep on,.
Bleft pair! and O! yet happieft, if ye
feek

No happier state, and know to know no more.

Now had night meafur'd, with her fhadowy cone,
Half-
fway up hill this vaft fublunar vault :
And from their ivory port the Cherubim
Forth iffuing at th' accustom'd hour, flood arm'd
To their night watches in warlike parade,
When GABRIEL to his next in pow'r thus fpake.

UZZIEL! half these draw off, and coast the south
With ftricteft watch: these other wheel the north:
Our circuit meets full weft. As flame they part,
Half wheeling to the shield, half to the spear.
From these, two ftrong and fubtile fpirits he call'd,
That near him ftood, and gave them thus in charge.

ITHURIEL, and ZEPHON! with wing'd speed
Search thro' this garden, leave unfearch'd no nook;
But chiefly where those two fair creatures lodge,
Now laid perhaps afleep, fecure of harm.
This evening from the fun's decline arriv'd,
Who tells of fome infernal spirit, feen

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Hitherward bent (who could have thought?) escap'd
The bars of hell; on errand bad, no doubt:

795

Such, where ye find, seize faft, and hither bring.

So faying, on he led his radiant files,

Dazling the moon: these to the bow'r direct,

In fearch of whom they fought: him there they found,
Squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve;
Affaying, by his devilish art, to reach

The organs of her fancy, and with them forge
Illufions, as he lift, phantafms and dreams :
Qr if, inspiring venom, he might taint

800

Th' animal