God fitting on his throne fees Satan flying towards this world, then newly created; fhows him to the Son, who fat at his right hand; foretels the fuccefs of Satan in perverting mankind; clears his own juftice and wisdom from all imputation, having created Man free and able enough to have withstood his tempter; yet declares his purpose of grace towards him, in regard he fell not of his own malice, as did Satan, but by him feduced. The Son of God renders praises to his Father for the manifeftation of his gracious purpofe towards Man; but God again declares, that grace cannot be extended towards Man without the fatiffaction of divine juftice; Man hath offended the majesty of God by afpiring to Godhead, and therefore with all his progeny devoted to death muft die, unlefs fome one can be found fufficient to answer for his offenfe, and undergo his, punishment. The Son of God freely offers himself a ransome for Man: the Father accepts him, ordains his incarnation, pronounces his exaltation above all names in Heaven and Earth; commands all the Angels to adore him; they obey, and hymning to their harps in full quire, celebrate the Father and the Son. Mean while Satan alights upon the bare convex of this world's outermost orb; where wand'ring he first finds a place, fince call'd the Limbo of Vanity; what perfons and things fly up thither; thence comes to the gate of Heaven, defcrib'd ascending by stairs, and the waters above the firmament that flow about it: His paffage thence to the orb of the fun; he finds there Uriel the regent of that orb, but first changes himself into the fhape of a meaner Angel; and pretending a zealous defire to behold the new creation, and Man whom God had plac'd here, inquires of him the place of his habita. tion, and is directed; alights firit on mount Niphates.
AIL holy Light, off-spring of Heav'n first-born, Or of th' Eternal coeternal beam
May I exprefs thee' unblam'd? fince God is light, And never but in unapproached light
Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee, Bright effluence of bright effence increate. Or heart thou rather pure ethereal stream, Whofe fountain who fhall tell? before the fun, Before the Heav'ns thou wert, and at the voice Of God, as with a mantle didit invest The rifing world of waters dark and deep, Won from the void and formless infinite. Thee I re-vifit now with bolder wing,
Efcap'd the Stygian pool, though long detain'd In that obfcure fojourn, while in my flight Through utter and through middle darkness borne With other notes than to th' Orphéan lyre
I fung of Chaos and eternal Night, Taught by the heav'nly Muse to venture down The dark defcent, and up to re-afcend, Though hard and rare: thee I revifit fafe, And feel thy fovran vital lamp; but thau
Revifit'ft not thefe eyes, that roll in vain To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn; So thick a drop ferene hath quench'd their orbs, Or dim fuffufion veil'd. Yet not the more Cease I to wander, where the Mufes haunt Clear fpring, or fhady grove, or funny hill,
Smit with the love of facred fong; but chief Thee, Sion, and the flowry brooks beneath,
That wash thy hallow'd feet, and warbling flow, Nightly I vifit: nor fometimes forget
Those other two equal'd with me in fate, So were I equal'd with them in renown, Blind Thamyris and blind Mæonides, And Tirefias and Phineus prophets old: Then feed on thoughts, that voluntary move Harmonious numbers; as the wakeful bird Sings darkling, and in fhadiest covert hid
Tunes her nocturnal note. Thus with the year
Seafons return, but not to me returns
Day, or the sweet approach of ev'n or morn,
Or fight of vernal bloom, or fummer's rofe, Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine; But cloud instead, and ever-during dark Surrounds me, from the chearful ways Cut off, and for the book of knowledge fair Prefented with a univerfal blank Of nature's works to me expung'd and ras'd, And wisdom at one entrance quite shut out. So much the rather thou, celeftial Light, Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers
Irradiate, there plant eyes, all mist from thence Purge and difperfe, that I may fee and tell
Of things invisible to mortal fight.
Now had th' almighty Father from above, From the pure empyréan where he fits
High thron'd above all highth, bent down his eye, His own works and their works at once to view : About him all the Sanctities of Heaven Stood thick as ftars, and from his fight receiv'd Beatitude past utterance; on his right The radiant image of his glory fat, His only Son; on earth he firft beheld Our two first parents, yet the only two Of mankind, in the happy garden plac'd, Reaping immortal fruits of joy and love, Uninterrupted joy, unrival'd love In blissful folitude; he then furvey'd Hell and the gulf between, and Satan there Coasting the wall of Heav'n on this fide Night In the dun air fublime, and ready now To ftoop with wearied wings and willing feet On the bare outside of this world, that seem'd Firm land imbofom'd, without firmament, Uncertain which, in ocean or in air. Him God beholding from his prospect high, Wherein paft, present, future he beholds, Thus to his only Son foreseeing spake.
Only begotten Son, feeft thou what rage Transports our Adverfary? whom no bounds Prefcrib'd, no bars of Hell, nor all the chains
Heap'd on him there, nor yet the main abyss Wide interrupt can hold; so bent he seems On desperate revenge, that fhall redound Upon his own rebellious head.
Through all restraint broke loose he wings his way Not far off Heav'n, in the precincts of light, Directly tow'rds the new created world, And Man there plac'd, with purpose to assay If him by force he can deftroy, or worse, By fome falfe guile pervert; and shall pervert, For Man will hearken to his glozing lies, And eafily tranfgrefs the fole command, Sole pledge of his obedience: So will fall, He and his faithlefs progeny: Whose fault? Whose but his own? Ingrate, he had of me All he could have; I made him just and right, Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall. Such I created all th' ethereal Powers
And Spirits, both them who stood and them who fail'd'; Freely they ftood who stood, and fell who fell. Not free, what proof could they have giv'n fincere Of true allegiance, conftant faith or love,
¿Where only what they needs must do appear'd,
Not what they would? what praise could they receive? What pleasure I from fuch obedience paid,
When will and reason (reason alfo' is choice) Ufelefs and vain, of freedom both defpoil'd, Made paffive both, had ferv'd neceffity, Not me? They therefore as to right belong'd, So were created, nor can justly' accufe
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