ll or highest wall, and fheer within

ts on his feet. As when a prowling wolf, m hunger drives to feek new haunts for prey, ching where shepherds pen their flocks at seve urdl'd cotes amid the field fecure,

>s o're the fence with ease into the fould: s a thief bent to unhoord the caf

ome rich burgher, whofe fubftantial dores, s-barr'd and bolted faft, fear no affault, t the window climbes, or o're the tu lomb this first grand thief into God's fuit : ince into his church lewd hirelings clitust nce up he flew, and on the tree of ine, #middle tree and highest there that grew, like a cormorant; yet not true life reby regain'd, but fat devising death them who liv'd; nor on the virtue thought that life-giving plant, but only us'd

prospect, what well us'd had been the penge immortalitie. So little knows

y, but God alone, to value right

e good before him, but perverts betting worst abuse, or to their meaneft

neath him with new wonder now be views all delight of human fenfe expos'd

narrow room nature's whole weath, ya orz

heav'n on earth: for blissful Paradife

God the garden was, by him in the ext

Or where the fons of Eden long before
Dwelt in Telaffar: in this pleasant foile
His far more pleasant garden God ordain'd;
Out of the fertile ground he caus'd to grow
All trees of noblest kind for fight, smell, tafte;
And all amid them ftood the tree of life,
High eminent, blooming ambrofial fruit
Of vegetable gold; and next to life

Our death the tree of knowledge grew faft by,
Knowledge of good bought dear by knowing ill.
Southward through Eden went a river large,
Nor chang'd his course, but through the shaggie hill
Pafs'd underneath ingulft, for God had thrown
That mountain as his garden mould high rais'd
Upon the rapid current, which through veins
Of porous earth with kindly thirst updrawn,
Rose a fresh fountain, and with many a rill
Water'd the garden; thence united fell
Down the steep glade, and met the neather flood,
Which from his darksome paffage now appeers,
And now divided into four main ftreams,
Runs divers, wandring many a famous realme
And country whereof here needs no account,
But rather to tell how, if art could tell,
How from that faphire fount the crisped brooks,
Rowling on orient pearle and fands of gold,
With mazie error under pendent fhades
Ran nectar, visiting each plant, and fed
Flours worthy of Paradife which not nice art
In beds and curious knots, but nature boon
Powr'd forth profufe on hill and dale and plain,

Both where the morning sun firft warmly smote
The open field, and where the unpierc't fhade
Imbrown'd the noontide bowrs: thus was this place
A happy rural feat of various view;

Groves whofe rich trees wept odorous gumms and balme,
Others whofe fruit burnifht with golden rinde

Hung amiable, Hefperian fables true,

If true, here only, and of delicious taste :
Betwixt them lawns, and level downs, and flocks
Grafing the tender herb, were interpos'd,
Or palmie hilloc, or the flourie lap
Of fome irriguous valley fpread her store,
Flours of all hue, and without thorn the rofe :
Another fide, umbrageous grots and caves
Of cool recefs, o're which the mantling vine
Lays forth her purple grape, and gently creeps
Luxuriant; mean while murmuring waters fall
Down the flope hills, difperft, or in a lake,

That to the fringed bank with myrtle crown'd,
Her chryftall mirror holds, unite their ftreams.
The birds their quire apply; aires, vernal aires,
Breathing the fmell of field and grove, attune
The trembling leaves, while univerfal Pan
Knit with the Graces and the Hours in dance
Led on th'eternal fpring. Not that fair field
Of Enna, where Proferpin gath'ring flours
Herfelf a fairer floure by gloomie Dis

Was gather'd, which coft Ceres all that pain

To seek her through the world,; nor that sweet grove

Of Daphne by Orontes, and th'infpir'd

Caftalian spring might with his Paradife

Of Eden strive; nor that Nyscian ifle
Girt with the river Triton, where old Cham,
Whom gentiles Ammon call and Lybian Jove,
Hid Amalthea and her florid fon

Young Bacchus from his stepdame Rhea's eye;
Nor where Ambaffin kings their iffue guard,
Mount Amara, though this by fome fuppos'd
True Paradife under the Ethiop line

By Nilus head, enclos'd with shining rock,
A whole day's journey high, but wide remote
From this Affyrian garden, where the fiend
Saw undelighted all delight, all kind

Of living creatures new to fight and strange :
Two of far nobler shape erect and tall,
Godlike erect, with native honour clad
In naked majefty feem'd lords of all,
And worthie feem'd, for in their looks divine
The image of their glorious Maker shon,
Truth, wisdom, fanctitude fevere and pure,
Severe, but in true filial freedom plac't;
Whence true autoritie in men; though both
Not equal, as their fex not equal feem'd;
For contemplation he and valour form'd,
For foftness she and sweet attractive grace,
He for God only, the for God in him :
His fair large front and eye fublime declar'd
Abfolute rule;
and hyacinthin locks

Round from his parted forelock manly hung
Cluftring, but not beneath his shoulders broad:
She as a vail down to the flender wafte

Her unadorned golden treffes wore

Difhevel'd, but in wanton ringlets wav'd
As the vine curles her tendrils, which impli'd
Subjection, but requir'd with gentle sway,
And by her yielded, by him best receiv'd,
Yielded with coy fubmiffion, modest pride,
And fweet reluctant amorous delay.

Nor those mysterious parts were then conceal'd,
Then was not guiltie shame, dishonest shame
Of nature's works, honour dishonourable,
Sin-bred, how have ye troubl'd all mankind
With fhews instead, mere fhews of feeming pure,
And banisht from man's life his happiest life,
Simplicitie and fpotless innocence.

So pass'd they naked on, nor shun'd the fight
Of God or angel, for they thought no ill :
So hand in hand they pafs'd, the loveliest pair
That ever fince in love's imbraces met,

Adam the goodliest man of men fince born
His fons, the fairest of her daughters Eve.
Under a tuft of fhade that on a green
Stood whispering foft, by a fresh fountain fide
They fat them down, and after no more toil
Of their sweet gard'ning labour then fuffic'd
To recommend cool zephyr, and made ease
More eafie, wholsome thirst and appetite
More grateful, to their supper fruits they fell,
Nectarine fruits which the compliant boughes
Yielded them, fide-long as they fat reclin'd
On the foft downie bank damaskt with flours:
The favourie pulp they chew, and in the rinde
Still as they thirsted scoop the brimming stream;
E