Kneel'd and before him humbl'd all my heart,
Methought I faw him placable and mild,
Bending his ear; perswasion in me grew
That I was heard with favour; peace return'd
Home to my breast, and to my memorie
His promise, that thy feed shall bruife our foe
Which then not minded in difmay, yet now
Affures me that the bitternefs of death

Is paft, and we fhall live. Whence haff to thee,
Eve rightly call'd, mother of all mankind,
Mother of all things living, fince by thee
Man is to live, and all things live for man.

To whom thus Eve with fad demeanour meek. Ill worthie I fuch title fhould belong

To me tranfgreffour, who for thee ordain'd
A help, became thy fnare; to me reproach
Rather belongs, distrust and all difpraise :
But infinite in pardon was my judge.

That I who firft brought death on all, am grac't
The fource of life; next favourable thou,
Who highly thus to entitle me voutsafft,
Far other name deferving. But the field
To labour calls us now with sweat impos'd,
Though after fleepless night; for fee the morn,
All unconcern'd with our unreft, begins
Her rofie progress smiling; let us forth,
I never from thỳ fide henceforth to stray,
Where'er our day's work lies, though now enjoin'd
Laborious, till day droop; while here we dwell,
What can be toilfome in thefe pleasant walkes?
Here let us live, though in fall'n ftate, content.

So fpake, fo with’d-much-humbl'd Eve, but fate Subfcrib'd not; nature first gave signs, imprest On bird, beaft, air, air suddenly eclips'd After short blush of morn; nigh in her fight The bird of Jove, ftoopt from his airie tour, Two birds of gayest plume before him drove : Down from a hill the beast that reigns in woods, First hunter then, purfu'd a gentle brace, Goodlieft of all the forreft, hart and hind; Direct to th'eaftern gate was bent their flight.. Adam obferv'd, and with his eye the chafe Pursuing, not unmov'd to Eve thus spake.

O.Eve, fome further change awaits us nigh, Which heav'n, by thefe mute figns in nature fhews Forerunners of his purpose, or to warn

Us haply too fecure of our discharge

From penaltie, because from death releast

Some days; how long, and what till then our life,
Who knows, or more than this, that we are duft,
And thither must return, and be no more.
Why elfe this double object in our fight.

Of flight purfu'd in th'air, and o're the ground
One way the self fame hour? why, in the east
Darkness.ere day's mid-courfe, and morning light
More orient in yon western cloud that draws
O're the blew firmament a radiant white,
And flow descends, with something heav'nly fraught
He err'd not, for by this the heav'nly bands
Down from a skie of Jasper lighted now
In Paradife, and on a hill made alt,
A. glorious apparition, had not doubt

And carnal fear that day dimm'd Adam's eye.
Nor that more glorious, when the angels met
Jacob in Mahanaim, where he faw

The field pavillion'd with his guardians bright;
Nor that which on the flaming mount appeer'd
In Dothan, cover'd with a camp of fire,
Against the Syrian king, who to furprize
One man, affaffin-like had levied war,
War unproclaim'd. The princely hierarchi
In their bright stand, there left his powers to seise
Poffeffion of the garden; he alone,

To find where Adam fhelter'd, took his way,
Not unperceiv'd of Adam, who to Eve,
While the great vifitant approach'd, thus spake.
Eve, now expect great tidings, which perhaps
Of us will foon determine, or impose
New laws to be obferv'd; for I defcrie
From yonder blazing cloud that veils the hill
One of the heav'nly hoft, and by his gate
None of the meanest, some great potentate
Or of the thrones above, fuch majestie
Invests him coming; yet not terrible,
That I should fear, nor fociably mild,
As Raphael, that I fhould much confide,
But folemn and sublime, whom not to cffend,
With reverence I must meet,, and thou retire.
He ended; and th'archangel foon. drew nigh;
Not in his shape celestial, but as man
Clad to meet man; over his lucid arms
A militarie vest of purple flow'd
Livelier than Meliboean, or the grain.

Of Sarra, worn by kings and hero's old
In time of truce; Iris had dipt the wooff;
His starrie helme unbuckl'd fhew'd' him prime
In manhood where youth ended; by his fide
As in a gliftering zodiac hung the fword,
Satan's dire dread, and in his hand the fpear.
Adam bow'd low, he kingly from his state
Inclin'd not, but his coming thus declar'd.

Adam, heav'n's high behest no preface needs : Sufficient that thy prayers are heard, and death, Then due by fentence when thou didst transgress, Defeated of his feifure many days

Giv'n thee of grace, wherein thou may'st repent,
And one bad act with many deeds well done
May'ft cover: well may then thy Lord appeas'd
Redeem thee quite from death's rapacious claim ;
But longer in this Paradise to dwell

Permits not; to remove thee I am come,
And fend thee from the garden forth to till
The ground whence thou waft taken, fatter foil.
He added not, for Adam at the news
Heart-ftrook with chilling gripe of sorrow stood,
That all his senses bound; Eve who unfeen
Yet all had heard, with audible lament
Discover'd foon the place of her retire.

O unexpected stroke, worse than of death!
Muft I thus leave thee Paradife? thus leave
Thee native foil, these happie walks and shades,
Fit haunt of Gods? where I had hope to spend,
Quiet though fad, the respite of that day
That must be mortal to us both. O flours,

That never will in other climate grow,

My early visitation, and my last

At eev'n, which I bred up with tender hand From the first op'ning bud, and gave ye names, Who now shall rear ye to the fun, or ranke Your tribes, and water from th'ambrofial fount? Thee laftly nuptial bowre, by me adorn'd

With what to fight or fmell was fweet; from thee
How fhall I part, and whether wander down
Into a lower world, to this obfcure

And wild, how shall we breath in other air
Lefs pure, accustom'd to immortal fruits ?
Whom thus the angel interrupted mild.
Lament not. Eve, but patiently refign
What juftly thou haft loft; nor fet thy heart,
Thus over-fond, on that which is not thine;
Thy going is not lonely, with thee goes
Thy husband, him to follow thou art bound;
Where he abides, think there thy native foil.
Adam by this from the cold fudden damp
Recovering, and his scatter'd spirits return'd,
To Michael thus his humble words addrefs'd.

Celestial, whether among the thrones, or nam'd Of them the higheft, for fuch of shape may feem Prince above princes, gently haft thou told Thy meffage, which might elfe in telling wound, And in performing end us; what besides Of forrow and dejection and despair Our frailtie can fuftain, thy tidings bring, Departure from this happie place, our sweet Recefs, and only confolation left