THE Son of God presents to his Father the prayers of our first parents now repenting, and intercedes for them: God accepts them: but declares that they must no longer abide in Paradise; sends Michael with a band of cherubim to dispossess them; but first to reveal to Adam future things: Michael's coming down.Adam shows to Eve certain ominous signs: he discerns Michael's approach, goes out to meet him: the angel denounces their departure. Eve's lamentation. Adam pleads, but submits: the angel leads him up to a high hill, sets before him in vision what shall happen till the flood.
THUS they in lowliest plight repentant stood Praying, for from the mercy-seat above, Prevenient grace descending had remov'd The stony from their hearts, and made new flesh Regenerate grow instead, that sighs now breath'd Unutterable, which the spirit of pray'r
Inspir'd, and wing'd for heav'n with speedier flight Than loudest oratory: yet their port
Not of mean suitors, nor important less Seem'd their petition, than when the ancient pair In fables old, less ancient yet than these, Deucalion and chaste Pyrrha, to restore
The race of mankind drown'd, before the shrine Of Themis stood devout. To heav'n their prayers Flew up, nor miss'd the way, by envious winds Blown vagabond or frustrate in they pass'd Dimensionless through heav'nly doors; then clad With incense, where the golden altar fum'd, By their great intercessor, came in sight Before the Father's throne: them the glad Son Presenting, thus to intercede began:
See, Father, what first fruits on earth are sprung From thy implanted grace in man, these sighs And pray'rs, which in this golden censer, mix'd With incense, I thy priest before thee bring,
Fruits of more pleasing savour from thy seed Sown with contrition in his heart, than those Which his own hand manuring all the trees Of Paradise could have produc'd, ere fall'n From innocence. Now therefore bend thine ear To supplication, hear his sighs though mute; Unskilful with what words to pray, let me Interpret for him, me his advocate
And propitiation; all his works on me Good or not good ingraft, my merit those Shall perfect, and for those my death shall pay, Accept me, and in me from these receive The smell of peace toward mankind; let him live Before thee reconcil'd, at least his days Number'd, though sad, till death, his doom (which I To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse,)
To better life shall yield him where with me All
my redeem'd may dwell in joy and bliss, Made one with me as I with thee am one.
To whom the Father, without cloud, serene : All thy request for man, accepted Son, Obtain; all thy request was my decree: But longer in that Paradise to dwell, The law I gave to nature him forbids: Those pure immortal elements that know No gross, no unharmonious mixture foul, Eject him tainted now, and purge him off As a distemper, gross to air as gross, And mortal food, as may dispose him best For dissolution wrought by sin, that first Distemper'd all things, and of incorrupt Corrupted. I at first with two fair gifts Created him, endow'd with happiness And immortality: that fondly lost, This other serv'd but to eternize wo; Till I provided death; so death becomes His final remedy, and after life Try'd in sharp tribulation, and refin'd By faith and faithful works, to second life, Wak'd in the renovation of the just,
Resigns him up with heav'n and earth renew'd. But let us call to synod all the blest
Through heav'n's wide bounds; from them I will not hide
My judgments, how with mankind I proceed, As how with peccant angels late they saw, And in their state, though firm, stood more confirm'd. He ended, and the Son gave signal high To the bright minister that watch'd; he blew His trumpet, heard in Oreb since, perhaps When God descended, and perhaps once more To sound at general doom. Th' angelic blast Fill'd all the regions: from their blissful bowers Of amaranthine shade, fountain or spring, By the waters of life, where'er they sat In fellowships of joy, the sons of light Hasted, resorting to the summons high,
And took their seats; till from his throne supreme Th' Almighty thus pronounc'd his sov'reign will: O sons, like one of us man is become
To know both good and evil, since his taste Of that defended fruit; but let him boast His knowledge of good lost, and evil got, Happier, had it suffic'd him to have known Good by itself, and evil not at all.
He sorrows now, repents, and prays contrite, My motions in him; longer than they move, His heart I know, how variable and vain Self-left. Lest therefore his now bolder hand Reach also of the tree of life, and eat, And live for ever, dream at least to live For ever, to remove him I decree,
And send him from the garden forth to till The ground whence he was taken, fitter soil. Michael, this my behest have thou in charge, Take to thee from among the cherubim Thy choice of flaming warriors, lest the fiend, Or in behalf of man, or to invade
Vacant possession, some new trouble raise:
His full wrath, whose thou feel'st as yet least part, And my displeasure bear'st so ill.
If prayers Could alter high decrees, I to that place Would speed before thee, and be louder heard, That on my head all might be visited, Thy frailty and infirmer sex forgiven, To me committed and by me expos'd. But rise, let us no more contend, nor blame Each other, blam'd enough elsewhere, but strive In offices of love, how we may lighten Each other's burden, in our share of wo; Since this day's death denounc'd if ought I see, Will prove no sudden, but a slow-pac'd evil, A long day's dying to augment our pain, And to our seed (O hapless seed!) deriv'd.
To whom thus Eve, recovering heart, reply'd: Adam, by sad experiment I know
How little weight my words with thee can find, Found so erroneous, thence by just event Found so unfortunate; nevertheless, Restor❜d by thee, vile as I am, to place Of new acceptance, hopeful to regain Thy love, the sole contentment of my heart Living or dying, from thee I will not hide What thoughts in my unquiet breast are risen, Tending to some relief of our extremes, Or end, though sharp and sad, yet tolerable, As in our evils, and of easier choice. If care of our descent perplex us most, Which must be born to certain wo, devour'd By death at last; and miserable it is To be to others cause of misery,
Our own begotten, and of our loins to bring Into this cursed world a woful race, That after wretched life must be at last Food for so foul a monster; in thy power It lies, yet ere conception, to prevent The race unblest, to being yet unbegot. Childless thou art, childless remain: so Death
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