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
« НазадПродовжити » |