HUS they in lowlieft plight repentant stood
Praying, for from the mercie-feat above
Prevenient grace defcending had remov'd
The ftonie from their hearts, and made new flesh
Regenerate grow instead, that fighs now breath'd
Unutterable, which the spirit of prayer
Infpir'd, and wing'd for heav'n with speedier flight
Than loudest oratorie: yet their port
Not of mean fuiters, nor important less
Seem'd their petition, than when the ancient pair
In fables old, lefs ancient yet than these,
Deucalion and chafte Pyrrha to restore
The race of mankind drown'd, before the fhrine
Of Themis ftood devout. To heav'n their prayers
Flew up, nor mifs'd the way, by envious winds
Blown vagabond or fruftrate: in they pafs'd
Dimentionless through heav'nly dores; then clad
With incense, where the golden altar fum❜d,
By their great Interceffor, came in fight
Before the Father's throne: them the glad Son
Prefenting, thus to intercede began.
See Father, what first fruits on earth are sprung
From thy implanted grace in man, these fighs
And prayers, which in this golden cenfer, mixt
With incenfe, I thy prieft before thee bring,
Fruits of more pleasing favour from thy feed
Sown with contrition in his heart, than those
Which his own hand manuring all the trees
Of Paradife could have produc't, ere fall'n
From innocence. Now therefore bend thine ear
To fupplication, hear his fighs though mute;
Unskilful with what words to pray, let me
Interpret for him, me his advocate
And propitiation, all his works on me
Good or not good ingraft, my merit those
Shall perfect, and for these my death shall pay.
Accept me, and in me from these receave
The smell of peace toward mankind, let him live
Before thee reconcil'd, at least his days
Number'd, though sad, till death, his doom (which I
To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse)
To better life fhall yield him, where with me
All my redeem'd may dwell in joy and blifs,
Made one with me as I with thee am one.
To whom the Father, without cloud, ferene.
All thy request for man, accepted fon,
Obtain, all thy request was my decree :
But longer in that Paradife to dwell,
The law I gave to nature him forbids:
Those pure immortal elements that know
No grofs, no unharmonious mixture foule,
Eject him, tainted now, and purge him off.
As a diftemper, gross to air as grofs,
And mortal food, as may dispose him best
For diffolution wrought by fin, that first
Diftemper'd all things, and of incorrupt:
Corrupted. I at first with two fair gifts
Created him endow'd, with happiness
And immortalitie: that fondly loft,
This other ferv'd but to eternize woe ;
Till I provided death; fo death becomes
His final remedie, and after life
Tri'd in sharp tribulation, and refin'd
By faith and faithful works, to second life,
Wakt in the renovation of the juft,
Refigns him up with heav'n and earth renew’d.
But let us call to fynod all the bleft
Through heav'n's wide bounds; from them I will not hide
My judgments, how with mankind I proceed,
As how with peccant angels late they faw;
And in their state, though firm, ftood more confirm'd.
He ended, and the Son gave signal high
To the bright minister that watch'd, he blew
His trumpet, heard in Oreb fince perhaps
When God defcended, and perhaps once more.
To found at general doom. Th'angelic blast
Fill'd all the regions: from their blissful bowrs
Of Amarantin fhade, fountain or spring,
By the waters of life, where ere they fate;
In fellowships of joy: the fons of light.
Hafted, reforting to the fummons high,
And took their feats; till from his throne supream
Th'Almighty thus pronounc'd his fovran will.
O fons, like one of us man is become
To know both good and evil, fince his taste
Of that defended fruit; but let him boast
His knowledge of good loft, and evil go
Happier, had it fuffic'd him to have known
Good by itself, and evil not at all.
He forrows now, repents, and prays contrite,
My motions in him, longer than they move,
His heart I know, how variable and vain
Self-left. Least therefore his new bolder hand
Reach alfo of the tree of life, and eat,
And live for ever, dream at least to live
For ever, to remove him I decree,
And fend him from the garden forth to till
The ground whence, he was taken, fitter foil.
Michael, this my behest have thou in charge,
Take to thee from among the cherubim
Thy choice of flaming warriours, leaft the fiend
Or in behalf of man, or to invade
Vacant poffeffion some new trouble raise :
Hafte thee, and from the Paradife of God
Without remorfe drive out the, finful pair,
From hallow'd ground th’unholie, and denounce.
To them and to their progenie from thence
Perpetual banishment. Yet leaft they faint
At the fad fentence rigorously urg'd,
For I behold them foft'nd and with tears,
Bewailing their excess, all terror hide..
If patiently thy bidding they obey,
Difmifs them not difconfolate; reveal
To Adam what shall come in future days,
As I fhall thee enlighten, intermix
My cov❜nant in the woman's feed renew'd;
So fend them forth, though sorrowing, yet in peace? And on the east fide of the garden place,
Where entrance up from Eden eafieft climbs,
Cherubic watch, and of a fword the flame
Wide waving, all approach far off to fright,
And guard all paffage to the tree of life :
Left Paradife a receptacle prove
To spirits foule, and all my trees their prey,
With whofe ftol'n fruit man once more to delude.
and th'archangelic power prepar'd
For swift descent, with him the cohort bright
Of watchful cherubim ; four faces each
;
Had, like a double Janus, all their shape
Spangled with eyes more numerous than those
Of Argus, and more wakeful than to drouze,
Charm'd with Arcadian pipe, the pastoral reed
Of Hermes, or his opiate rod. Mean while
To refalute the world with facred light
Leucothea wak'd, and with fresh dews imbalm'd
The earth, when Adam and first matron Eve
Had ended now their orifons, and found
Strength added from above, new hope to spring
Out of defpaire, joy, but with fear yet linkt ;
Which thus to Eve his welcome words renew'd.
Eve, eafily may faith admit, that all
The good which we enjoy, from heav'n descends :
But that from us aught should ascend to heav'n
So prevalent as to concern the mind
Of God high-bleft, or to incline his will,
Hard to belief may feem; yet this will prayer,
Or one short figh of human breath, up-born
Ev'n to the feat of God. For fince I faught
By prayer th offended deity to appeafe,
|