As from the mine. Meanwhile at table Eve Minister'd naked, and their flowing cups Deserving Paradise ! if ever, then- Love unlibidinous reign’d; nor jealousy 450 Was understood, the injur'd lover's hell. Thus when with meats and drinks they had suffic'd, Giv'n him by this great conference, to know 455 Of things above his world, and of their being Who dwell in heaven, whose excellence he saw Exceeded human: and his wary speech 460 Thus to the empyreal minister he fram'd : “ Inhabitant with God! now know I well “ To enter, and these earthly fruits to taste; 465 “Food not of angels, yet accepted so, “ As that more willingly thou couldst not seem To whom the winged hierarch replied : “O Adam! one Almighty is, from whom 470 “ All things proceed, and up to him return, “ If not depraved from good, created all “Of substance, and, in things that live, of life; 475 “But more refin’d, more spirituous and pure, “ As nearer to him plac'd, or nearer tending, Proportion'd to each kind. So, from the root 480 “ Springs lighter the green stalk; from thence the leaves, More aery; last, the bright consummate flower Spirits odorous breathes; flowers, and their fruit, “ Man's nourishment, by gradual scale sublim'd, “ To vital spirits aspire, to animal, Fancy and understanding; whence the soul “ Is oftest yours, the latter most is ours; “ Wonder not then, what God for you saw good “With angels may participate, and find “ And from these corporal nutriments, perhaps, Improv'd by tract of time; and, wing'd, ascend “Ethereäl, as we; or may, at choice, “If ye be found obedient, and retain, “ Your fill what happiness this happy state 505 “ Can comprehend, incapable of more.” To whom the patriarch of mankind replied: “O favourable spirit, propitious guest ! “ Well hast thou taught the way that might direct “Our knowledge, and the scale of nature set 510 " From centre to circumference; whereon, “ In contemplation of created things, “Obedient ? Can we want obedience then 515 “ To him? or possibly his love desert, “ Who form'd us from the dust, and plac'd us here, To whom the angel: “Son of heaven and earth! 520 “ Attend. That thou art happy, owe to God; “ That thou continuest such, owe to thyself, “God made thee perfect, not immutable; 525 “ And good he made thee; but to persevere “He left it in thy power; ordain'd thy will “Our voluntary service he requires, 530 “ Not our necessitated; such with him “ Finds no acceptance, nor can find; for how “By destiny, and can no other choose ? 535 « Myself, and all the angelic host, that stand “ Because we freely love, as in our will 540 “ To love or not; in this we stand or fall, “ And some are fallen—to disobedience fallen; To whom our great progenitor : “ Thy words 345 “ Attentive, and with more delighted ear, “ Divine instructor! I have heard, than when “ To be both will and deed created free; 550 “ Yet, that we never shall forget to love “Our Maker, and obey him whose command Single is yet so just, my constant thoughts “ Assur'd me, and still assure: though what thou tellist “Hath pass'd in heaven, some doubt within me move, 555 “But more desire, to hear, if thou consent, “ The full relation, which must needs be strange, “Worthy of sacred silence to be heard; “Hath finish'd half his journey, and scarce begins 560 “ His other half in the great zone of heaven.” Thus Adam made request; and Raphaël, “ High matter thou enjoin'st me, O prime of men! “ Sad task, and hard! for how shall I relate 565 “ To human sense the invisible exploits “Of warring spirits ? how, without remorse, “ The secrets of another world, perhaps “ This is dispens'd: and what surmounts the reach By lik’ning spiritual to corporal forms, “ As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild 575 " rests “Upon her centre pois’d; when on a day, 580" (For time, though in eternity, applied “ To motion, measures all things durable By present, past, and future,) on such day “Of angels, by imperial summons call'd, “Forthwith, from all the ends of heaven, appear'd “ Standards and gonfalons 'twixt van and rear, 590 “ Stream in the air, and for distinction serve “ Recorded eminent. Thus when in orbs 595 “Of circuit inexpressible they stood, “Orb within orb, the Father Infinite, Amidst, as from a flaming mount whose top Brightness had made invisible, thus spake: 600 “ Hear, all ye angels, progeny of light, “Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers ! “My only Son, and on this holy hill “At my right hand : your head I him appoint; “ Under his great vicegerent reign abide 610 « United, as one individual soul, “For ever happy: him who disobeys, "Into utter darkness, deep ingulf'd, his place 615 “Ordain'd without redemption, without end.' “ So spake th' Omnipotent, and with his words “ All seem'd well pleas'd—all seem'd, but were not all. “ That day, as other solemn days, they spent “ In song and dance about the sacred hill; “Of planets, and of fix'd, in all her wheels, “ Then most, when most irregular they seem; 625 “ And in their motions harmony divine “ So smooths her charming tones, that God's own ear “ We ours for change delectable, not need :) “ Desirous; all in circles as they stood, |