This spacious ground, in yonder shady bower
To rest; and what the garden choicest bears
To sit and taste, till this meridian heat
Be over, and the sun more cool decline.'
Whom thus the angelic virtue answer'd mild.
"Adam, I therefore came, nor art thou such
Created, or such place hast here to dwell,
As may not oft invite, though spirits of Heaven,
To visit thee; lead on then, where thy bower
O'ershades; for these mid-hours, till evening rise,
I have at will."-So to the sylvan lodge
They came, that like Pomona's arbour smiled,
With flowerets deck'd, & fragrant smells; but Eve,
Undeck'd, save with herself, more lovely fair
Than wood-nymph, or the fairest goddess feign'd
Of three, that in mount Ida naked strove,
Stood to entertain her guest from Heaven; no veil
She needed, virtue-proof; no thought infirm
Alter'd her cheek. On whom the angel hail
Bestow'd, the holy salutation, used
Long after, to bless'd Mary, second Eve.
"Hail Mother of mankind, whose fruitful womb
Shall fill the world, more numerous with thy sons,
Than, with these various fruits, the trees of God
Have heap'd this table." Raised of grassy turf
Their table was, and mossy seats had round,
And on her ample square, from side to side,
All Autumn piled; though spring and autumn here
Danced hand in hand. A while discourse they hold;
No fear lest dinner cool; when thus began
Our author. "Heavenly stranger, please to taste
These bounties, which our Nourisher, from whom
All perfect good, unmeasured out, descends.
To us, for food and for delight, hath caused
The earth to yield; unsavoury food perhaps
To spiritual natures; only this I know,
That one celestial Father gives to all."
To whom the angel. "Therefore what he gives,
Whose praise be ever sung, to man, in part
Spiritual, may of purest spirits be found
No ingrateful food: and, food alike those pure
Intelligential substances require,
As doth your rational; and both contain
Within them every lower faculty
Of sense, whereby they hear, see, smell, touch, taste,
Tasting, concoct, digest, assimilate,
And corporeal to incorporeal turn.
For know, whatever was created, needs
To be sustain'd and fed; of elements
The grosser feeds the purer, earth the sea,
Earth and the sea feed air, the air those fires
Ethereal, and, as lowest, first the moon ;
Whence, in her visage round, those spots, unpurged
Vapours, not yet into her substance turn'd.
Nor, doth the moon no nourishment exhale,
From her moist continent, to higher orbs.
The sun, that light imparts to all, receives
From all his alimental recompense,
In humid exhalations; and at even
Sups with the ocean. Though, in Heaven, the trees
Of life ambrosial fruitage bear, and vines
Yield nectar; though from off the boughs each morn,
We brush mellifluous dews, and find the ground
Cover'd with pearly grain: yet God hath here
Varied his bounty so with new delights,
As may compare with Heaven; and to taste
Think not I shall be nice." So down they sat,
And to their viands fell; nor seemingly
The angel, nor in mist, the common gloss
Of theologians, but with keen dispatch
Of real hunger, and concoctive heat
To transubstantiate what redounds, transpires
Through spirits with ease: nor wonder, if, by fire
Of sooty coal, the empyric alchemist
Can turn, or holds it possible to turn,
Metals of drossiest ore to perfect gold,
As from the mine. Mean while, at table Eve
Minister'd naked, and their flowing cups.
With pleasant liquors crown'd: O innocence
Deserving Paradise! if ever, then,
Then had the sons of God excuse to have been
Enamour'd, at that sight; but in those hearts
Love unlibidinous reign'd, nor jealousy
Was understood, the injur'd lover's hell.
Thus, when with meats & drinks they had suffic'd
Not burden'd nature, sudden mind arose
In Adam, not to let the occasion pass,
Given him by this great conference, to know
Of things above his world, and of their being,
Who dwell in Heaven; whose excellence he saw
Transcend his own so far, whose radiant forms,
Divine effulgence; whose high power so far
Exceeded human; and his wary speech
Thus, to the empyreal minister, he framed.
Inhabitant with God, now know I well
Thy favour, in this honour done to man;
Under whose lowly roof thou hast vouchsafed
To enter, and these earthly fruits to taste;
Food not of angels, yet accepted so,
As that more willingly thou couldst not seem
At Heaven's high feasts to have fed; yet what compare?"
To whom the winged hierarch replied.
"O Adam, one Almighty is, from whom
All things proceed, and up to him return,
If not depraved from good, created all,
Such to perfection, one first matter all,
Endued with various forms, various degrees
Of substance, and in things that live, of life;
But more refined, more spirituous, and pure;
As nearer to him placed, or nearer tending,
Each in their several active spheres assign'd,
Till body up to spirit work, in bounds.
Proportion'd to each kind. So, from the root,
Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves
More airy, last, the bright consummate flower
Spirits odorous breathes : flowers and their fruit,
Man's nourishment, by gradual scale sublimed,
The vital spirit aspire, to animal,
To intellectual; give both life and sense,
Fancy and understanding; whence the soul
Reason receives, and reason is her being,
Discursive, or intuitive; discourse
Is oftest yours, the latter most is ours,
Differing but in degree, of kind the same.
Wonder not then, what God for you saw good,
If I refuse not, but convert, as you,
To proper substance: time may come, when men,
With angels may participate, and find
No inconvenient diet, nor too light fare;
And, from these corporal nutriments perhaps,
Your bodies may at last turn all to spirit,
Improved by tract of time, and wing'd, ascend
Ethereal, as we; or may at choice,
Here, or in heavenly Paradises dwell;
If ye be found obedient, and retain
Unalterably firm his love entire,
Whose progeny you are. Meanwhile, enjoy
Your fill, what happiness this happy state
Can comprehend, incapable of more.'
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To whom the patriarch of mankind reply'd. "O favourable spirit, propitious guest,
Well hast thou taught the way, that might direct
Our knowledge, and the scale of nature set,
From centre to circumference, whereon,
In contemplation of created things,
By steps we may ascend to God. But say,
What meant that caution join'd, if ye be found
Obedient?' Can we want obedience then
To him, or possibly his love desert,
Who form'd us from the dust, and placed us here,
Full to the utmost measure of what bliss
Human desires can seek, or apprehend?"
To whom the Angel. "Son of Heaven and Earth
Attend that thou art happy, owe to God;
That thou continuest such, owe to thyself;
That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.
This was that caution given thee; be advis'd.
God made thee perfect, not immutable;
And good he made thee; but to persevere
He left it in thy power, ordain'd thy will
By nature free, not over-ruled by fate
Inextricable, or strict necessity;
Our voluntary service he requires,
Not our necessitated; such with him
Finds no acceptance, nor can find; for how
Can hearts, not free, be try'd whether they serve
Willing or no, who will, but what they must
By destiny, and can no other choose?
Myself and all the Angelic host, that stand
In sight of God enthroned, our happy state
Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds
On other surety none; freely we serve,
Because we freely love, as in our will
To love or not; in this we stand or fall:
And some are fallen, to disobedience fallen,
And so from Heaven to deepest Hell. O fall,
From what high state of bliss, into what woe!"
To whom our great progenitor. "Thy words.
Attentive, and with more delighted ear,
Divine instructor, I have heard, than when
Cherubic songs, by night from neighbouring hills,
Aerial music send: nor knew I not
To be both will and deed created free;
Yet, that we never shall forget to love
Our Maker, and obey him, whose command
Single is yet so just, my constant thoughts
Assured me, & still assure: though what thou tell'st
Hath pass'd in Heaven, some doubt within me move,
But more desire to hear, if thou consent,
The full relation, which must needs be strange,
Worthy of sacred silence to be heard;
And we have yet large day, for scarce the sun
Hath finish'd half his journey, and scarce begins
His other half, in the great zone of Heaven
Thus Adam made request; and Raphael,
After short pause, assenting, thus began.
High matter thou enjoin'st me, O`prime of men,
Sad task and hard; for how shall I relate,
To human sense, the invisible exploits
Of warring spirits? how, without remorse,
The ruin of so many, glorious once,
And perfect while they stood? how last unfold
The secrets of another world, perhaps
Not lawful to reveal? yet for thy good
This is dispens'd; and what surmounts the reach
Of human sense, I shall delineate so,
By likening spiritual to corporeal forms,
As may express them best; though, what if Earth
Be but the shadow of Heaven, and things therein,
Each to other like, more than on earth is thought?
As yet this world was not; and Chaos wild Reign'd where these Heavens now roll, where Earth now Upon her centre pois'd; when on a day,
For time, though in eternity, applied
To motion, measures all things durable
By present, past, and future; on such day,
As Heaven's great year brings forth, the empyreal host
Of angels, by imperial summons call'd,
Innumerable, before the Almighty's throne,
Forthwith from all the ends of Heaven appear'd,
Under their hierarchs, in order bright;
Ten thousand thousand ensigns high advanced,
Standards and gontalons, 'twixt van and rear,
Stream in the air, and for distinction serve
Of hierarchies, of orders, and degrees;
Or, in their glittering tissues, bear imblazed
Holy memorials, acts of zeal and love
Recorded eminent. Thus, when in orbs
Of circuit inexpressible they stood,
Orb within orb, the Father infinite,
By whom, in bliss imbosom'd, sat the Son,
Amidst, as from a flaming mount, whose top
Brightness had made invisible, thus spake.
"Hear all ye Angels, progeny of light,
Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers,
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