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PARADISE LOST.

BOOK

XII.

S one who in his journey bates at noon,

AsThough the archangel paus'd.

Betwixt the world destroy'd and world restor'd,
If Adam aught perhaps might interpofe ;
Then with transition sweet new speech resumes.
Thus thou haft feen one world begin and end;
And man as from a second stock proceed.
Much thou haft yet to fee, but I perceave
Thy mortal fight to fail; objects divine
Must needs impaire and wearie human fense:
Henceforth what is to come I will relate,
Thou therefore give due audience, and attend.
This fecond fource of men, while yet but few;
And while the dread of judgment past remains
Fresh in their minds, fearing the deitie,
With fome regard to what is just and right
Shall lead their lives, and multiplie apace,
Labouring the foil, and reaping plenteous crop,
Corn, wine and oyle; and from the herd or flock,
Oft facrificing bullock, lamb, or kid,

With large wine-off'rings pour'd, and facred feast,
Shall spend their dayes in joy unblam'd, and dwell
Long time in peace by families and tribes
Under paternal rule; till one shall rife
Of proud ambitious heart, who not content
With fair equalitie, fraternal state,

Will arrogate dominion undeferv'd

Over his brethren, and quite dispossess

Concord and law of nature from the earth,

Hunting (and men, not beasts shall be his game)
With war and hoftile (nare fuch as refufe
Subjection to his empire tyrannous:
A mighty hunter thence he shall be ftyl'd
Before the Lord, as in defpight of heav'n,
Or from heav'n claiming second sovrantie ;
And from rebellion shall derive his name,
Though of rebellion others he accufe.
He with a crew, whom like ambition joins
With him or under him to tyrannize,,
Marching from Eden towards the weft, fhall find
The plain, wherein a black bituminous gurge
Boiles out from under ground, the mouth of hell;
Of brick, and of that stuff they caft to build
A citie and towre, whose top may reach to heav'n';
And get themselves a name, leaft far disperst
In foreign lands their memorie be loft
Regardless whether good or evil fame.
But God who oft defcends to vifit men
Unfeen, and through their habitations walks
To mark their doings, them beholding foon,
Comes down to see their city, ere the tower
Obftruct heav'n towers, and in derifion fets
Upon their tongues a various spirit to rase
Quite out their native language, and instead
To fow a jangling noife of words unknown:
Forthwith a hidious gabble rifes loud
Among the builders; each to other calls

Not understood, till hoarfe, and all in rage,

As mockt they storm; great laughter was in heav'n
And looking down, to see the hubbub strange
And hear the din; thus was the building left
Ridiculous, and the work confufion nam'd.
Whereto thus Adam fatherly difpleas'd.
O execrable son so to aspire

Above his brethren, to himself assuming
Authoritie ufurpt, from God not giv'n:
He gave us only over beaft, fifh, fowl
Dominion abfolute; that right we hold
By his donation; but man over men
He made not lord; fuch title to himself
Referving, human left from human free.
But this ufurper his encroachment proud
Stayes not on man; to God his tower intends
Siege and defiance: wretched man! what food
Will he convey up thither to sustain

Himself and his rash armie, where thin air
Above the clouds will pine his entrails grofs,
And famish him of breath, if not of bread?
To whom thus Michael. Juftly thou abhorr'ft
That son, who on the quiet state of men
Such trouble brought, affecting to fubdue
Rational libertie; yet know withall,

Since thy original lapfe, true libertie

Is loft, which alwayes with right reason dwells
Twinn'd, and from her hath no dividual being ::
Reason in man obfcur'd, or not obey'd,

Immediately inordinate defires

And upstart paffions catch the government<

From reason, and to fervitude reduce

Man till then free. Therefore fince he permits
Within himself unworthie powers to reign
Over free reason, God in judgment just
Subjects him from without to violent lords;
Who oft as undeservedly enthrall

His outward freedom: tyrannie must be,
Though to the tyrant thereby no excuse.
Yet fometimes nations will decline fo low
From virtue, which is reafon, that no wrong,
But juftice, and fome fatal curse annext
Deprive them of their outward libertie,
Their inward loft: witness th'irreverent fon
Of him who built the arc, who for the shame
Done to his father, heard this heavy curse,
Şervant of fervants, on his vitious race.
Thus will this latter, as the former world,
Still tend from bad to worfe, till God at last
Wearied with their iniquities, withdraw
His prefence from among them, and avert
His holy eyes; refolving from thenceforth
To leave them to their own polluted wayes :
And one peculiar nation to select

From all the reft, of whom to be invok'd,
A nation from one faithful man to spring :
Him on this fide Euphrates yet residing,
Bred up in idol-worship; O that men

(Canft thou believe?) should be so stupid grown, While yet the patriarch liv'd, who fcap'd the floud, As to forfake the living God, and fall

To worship their own work in wood and stone

For gods! yet him God the moft high voutfafes
To call by vifion from his fathers house,

His kindred and falfe gods, into a land

Which he will fhew him, and from him will raise
A mightie nation, and upon him showre
His benediction fo, that in his feed

All nations shall be bleft; he ftraight obeys,
Not knowing to what land, yet firm believes :
I fee him, but thou canst not, with what faith
He leaves his gods, his friends, and native foil
Ur of Chaldea, paffing now the ford

To Haran, after him a cumbrous train

Of herds and flocks, and numerous fervitude;
Not wandring poor, but trufting all his wealth
With God, who call'd him, in a land unknown,
Canaan he now attains, I fee his tents
Pitcht about Sechem, and the neighbouring plain
Of Morch; there by promise he receaves
Gift to his progenie of all that land';

From Hamath northward to the defert fouth
(Things by their names I call, though yet unnam'd)
From Hermon east to the great western fea,
Mount Hermon, yonder fea, each place behold
In profpect, as I point them; on the fhoar
Mount Carmel; here the double-founted stream
Jordan, true limit eastward; but his fons
Shall dwell to Senir, that long ridge of hills.
This ponder, that all nations of the earth
Shall in his feed be bleffed by that feed
Is meant thy great deliverer, who shall bruise
The ferpent's head; whereof to thee anon

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