To us for food and for delight, hath caus'd
The earth to yield; unfavourie food perhaps
To spiritual nature; only this I know,
That one celeftial father gives to all,

To whom the angel. Therefore what he gives
(Whose praise be ever fung), to man in part
Spiritual, may of pureft fpirits be found
No ingrateful food and food alike those pure
Intelligential fubftances require

As doth your rational; and both contain

Within them every lower facultie

Of fenfe, whereby they hear, fee, fmell, touch, taste:
Tafting concoct, digeft, affimilate,

And corporeal to incorporeal turn.
For know, whatever was created, needs
To be fuftain'd and fed; of elements
The groffer feeds the purer, earth the sea,
Earth and the fea feed air, the air thofe fires
Ethereal, and as lowest first the moon;
Whence in her visage round those spots, unpurg'd
Vapours not yet into her substance turn'd.
Nor doth the moon no nourishment exhale
From her moist continent to higher orbes.
The fun that light imparts to all, receives
From all his alimental recompence

In humid exhalations, and at even

Sups with the ocean: though in heav'n the trees
Of life ambrosial frutage bear, and vines

Yield nectar, though from off the boughs each morn • We brush mellifluous dewes, and find the ground Cover'd with pearly grain; yet God hath here

Varied his bounty so with new delights,
As may compare with heaven; and to taste
Think not I shall be nice. So down they fat,
And to their viands fell, nor feemingly
The angel, nor in mift, the common glofs
Of theologians, but with keen dispatch
Of real hunger, and concoctive heate

To tranfubftantiate; what redounds, transpires
Through spirits with eafe; nor wonder, if by fire
Of footy coal the empiric alchimist

Can turn, or holds it poffible to turn
Metals of droffieft ore to perfect gold

As from the mine. Mean while at table Eve
Minister'd naked, and their flowing cups
With pleasant liquors crown'd: O innocence
Deferving Paradise ! if ever, then,

Then had the fons of God excufe to have been
Enamour'd at that fight; but in those hearts
Love unlibidinous reign'd, nor jealousie
Was understood, the injur'd lover's hell.

Thus when with meats and drinks they had fuffic'd,
Not burden'd nature, fudden mind arose
In Adam, not to let th'occafion pafs
Given him by this great conference to know
Of things above his world, and of their being
Who dwell in heav'n, whose excellence he faw
Tranfcend his own fo far, whose radiant forms,
Divine effulgence, whose high power so far
Exceeded human, and his wary speech
Thus to th'empyreal minister he fram'd.
Inhabitant with God, now know I well

Thy favour, in this honour done to man,
Under whose lowly roof thou haft voutsaf't

To enter, and these earthly fruits to taste,
Food not of angels, yet accepted fo,

As that more willingly thou couldst not seem

At heav'n's high feasts to have fed: yet what compare?
To whom the winged hierarch repli'd.

O Adam, one almightie is, from whom
All things proceed, and up to him return,
If not deprav'd from good, created all
Such to perfection, one first matter all,
Indu'd with various forms, various degrees
Of substance, and in things that live, of life;
But more refin'd, more fpirituous, and pure,
As neerer to him plac't or neerer tending
Each in their several active sphears affign'd,
Till body up to fpirit work in bounds
Proportion'd to each kind, fo from the root
Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves
More aerie, laft the bright confummate floure
Spirits odorous breathes: flours and their fruit.
Man's nourishment, by gradual scale sublim'd
To vital fpirits afpire, to animal,

To intellectual, give both life and sense,
Fancie and understanding, whence the foul
Reafon receives, and reafon is her being,
Difcurfive or intuitive; difcourfe

Is ofteft yours, the latter moft is ours,
Differing but in degree, of kind the fame.
→Wonder not then, what God for you faw good
If I refuse not, but convert, as you,

To proper substance; time may come when men
With angels may participate, and find

No inconvenient diet, nor too light fare:
And from these corporal nutriments perhaps
Your bodies may at last turn all to spirit,
Improv'd by tract of time, and wing'd ascend
Ethereal, as we, or may at choice
Here or in heav'nly Paradifes dwell;
If ye be found obedient, and retain
Unalterably firm his love entire

Whose progenie you are. Mean while enjoy
Your fill what happiness this happie ftate
Can comprehend, incapable of more.
To whom the patriarch of mankind repli'd,:
O favourable spirit, propitious guest,

Well haft thou taught the way that might direct
Our knowledge, and the scale of nature set
From centre to circumference, whereon
In contemplation of created things

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

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

To whom the angel. Son of heav'n and earth,
Attend That thou art happie, Owe to God;
That thou continu'ft fuch, owe to thyself,
That is, to thy obedience: therein stand.
This was that caution giv’n thee; be advis’d.

God made thee perfect, not immutable;
And good he made thee, but to perfevere
He left it in thy power, ordain'd thy will:
By nature free, not over-rul'd by fate
Inextricable, or strict necessity;
Our voluntarie fervice he requires,
Not our neceffitated, fuch with him

Finds no acceptance, nor can find, for how
Can hearts, not free, he tri'd whether they ferve
Willing or no, who will but what they must
By deftinie, and can no other choose?
Myself and all th’angelic, host that stand
In fight of God enthron'd, our happie 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 stand or fall:
And some are fall'n,, to disobedience fall'n,,
And fo from heav'n to deepest hell: O fall
From what high ftate of blifs into what woe!
To whom our great progenitors Thy words:
Attentive, and with more delighted ear
Divine inftructer, have heard, than when
Cherubic fongs by night from neighbouring hills
Aereal mufic fend': nor knew I not

To be both will and deed created free;
Yet that we never fhall forget to love
Our maker, and obey him whose command
Single, is yet so just, my constant thoughts
Affur'd me and still affure: though what thou telft
Hath past in heav'n, fome doubt within me move,