No evil thing approach or enter in.
This day at highth of noon came to my sphere
A Spirit, zealous, as he seem'd, to know,
More of th' Almighty's works, and chiefly Man,
God's latest image: I defcrib'd his way
Bent all on fpeed, and mark'd his aery gate;
But in the mount that lies from Eden north,
Where he first lighted, foon difcern'd his looks
Alien from Heav'n, with paffions foul obscur'd:
Mine eye pursued him ftill, but under shade
Loft fight of him: one of the banish'd crew,
I fear, hath ventur'd from the deep, to raise
New troubles; him thy care must be to find.
To whom the winged warrior thus return'd.
Uriel, no wonder if thy perfect fight,
Amid the fun's bright circle where thou fitst,
See far and wide: in at this gate none pass
The vigilance here plac'd, but fuch as come
Well known from Heav'n; and fince meridian hour
No creature thence: if Spirit of other fort,
So minded, have o'er-leap'd these earthy bounds
On purpose, hard thou know'ft it to exclude
Spiritual fubftance with corporeal bar.
But if within the circuit of thefe walks,
In whatsoever shape he lurk, of whom
Thou tell'ft, by morrow dawning I shall know.
So promis'd he; and Uriel to his charge
Return'd on that bright beam, whose point now rais'd
Bore him nope downward to the fun now fall'n
Beneath th' Azores; whether the prime orb,
Incredible how swift, had thither roll'd
Diurnal, or this lefs volúbil carth,
By shorter flight to th' eaft, had left him there
Arraying with reflected purple' and gold
The clouds that on his western throne attend.
Now came ftill evening on, and twilight gray
Had in her fober livery all things clad;
Silence accompanied; for beaft and bird,
They to their graffy couch, these to their nests
Were flunk, all but the wakeful nightingale;
She all night long her amorous descant fung;
Silence was pleas'd: now glow'd the firmament
With living faphirs: Hefperus, that led
The starry host, rode brightest, till the moon
Rifing in clouded majesty, at length
Apparent queen unveil'd her peerless light,
And o'er the dark her filver mantle threw.
When Adam thus to Eve. Fair Confort, th' hour
Of night, and all things now retir'd to rest
Mind us of like repofe, fince God hath fet
Labor and reft, as day and night to men
Succeffive; and the timely dew of fleep
Now falling with foft flumbrous weight inclines 615
Our eye-lids: other creatures all day long
Rove idle unemploy'd, and lefs need reft ;
Man hath his daily work of body' or mind
Appointed, which declares his dignity,
And the regard of Heav'n on all his ways;
While other animals unactive range,
And of their doings God takes no account.
To-morrow ere fresh morning ftreak the east
With first approach of light, we must be risen,
And at our pleasant labor, to reform
Yon flow'ry arbors, yonder alleys green,
Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown,
That mock our fcant manuring, and require
More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth:
Those bloffoms alfo, and thofe dropping gums,
That lie beftrown unfightly and unfmooth,
Afk riddance, if we mean to tread with ease;
Mean while, as Nature wills, night bids us rest.
To whom thus Eve with perfect beauty' adorn'd. My Author and Difpofer, what thou bidst Unargued I obey; fo God ordains;
God is thy law, thou mine: to know no more
Is woman's happiest knowledge and her praise.
With thee converfing I forget all time;
All feafons and their change, all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rising sweet,
With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the fun,
When first on this delightful land he spreads
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower,
Glift'ring with dew; fragrant the fertil earth
After foft fhow'rs; and fweet the coming on
Of grateful evening mild; then filent night
With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,
And these the gems of Heav'n, her starry train:
But neither breath of morn, when she afcends
With charm of earliest birds; nor rising fun
On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flower,
Glift'ring with dew; nor fragrance after showers:
Nor grateful evening mild; nor filent night
With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon,
Or glittering ftar-light without thee is sweet.
But wherefore all night long fhine these? for whom
This glorious fight, when sleep hath shut all eyes?
To whom our general ancestor reply'd.
Daughter of God and Man, accomplish'd Eve,
Thefe have their course to finish round the earth,
By morrow evening, and from land to land
In order, though to nations yet unborn,
Miniftring light prepar'd, they fet and rife ;
Lest total darkness should by night regain
Her old poffeffion, and extinguish life
In nature and all things, which thefe foft fires
Not only' inlighten, but with kindly heat
Of various influence foment and warm,
Temper or nourish, or in part fhed down
Their ftellar virtue on all kinds that grow
On earth, made hereby apter to receive
Perfection from the fun's more potent ray.
Thefe then, though unbeheld in deep of night,
Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were none,
That Heav'n would want spectators, God want praise:
Millions of fpiritual creatures walk the earth
Unfeen, both when we wake, and when we sleep :
All these with ceafelefs praife his works behold
Both day and night: how often from the steep
Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard
Celestial voices to the midnight air,
Sole, or refponfive each to others note,
Singing their great Creator? oft in bands
While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk 685
With heav'nly touch of inftrumental founds
In full harmonic number join'd, their fongs
Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heaven.
Thus talking hand in hand alone they pass'd
On to their blifsful bow'r; it was a place
Chos'n by the fovran Planter, when he fram`d
All things to Man's delightful use; the roof
Of thickest covert was inwoven fhade
Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew
Of firm and fragrant leaf on either fide
Acanthus, and each odorous bufhy shrub
Fenc'd up the verdant wall; each beauteous flower, Iris all hues, rofes, and jeffamin,
Rear'd high their flourish'd heads between, and wrought Mofaic; underfoot the violet,
Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay
Broider'd the ground, more color'd than with stone Of costlieft emblem: other creature here,
Beaft, bird, infect, or worm, durft enter none,
Such was their awe of Man. In fhadier bower .705
More facred and fequefter'd, though but feign'd,
Pan or Sylvanus never flept, nor Nymph,
Nor Faunus haunted. Here in close recefs
With flowers, garlands, and fweet-smelling herbs
Efpoufed Eve deck'd first her nuptial bed,
And heav'nly quires the hymenaan fung,
What day the genial Angel to our fire
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