All th' earth he gave thee to poffels and rule,
No defpicable gift: furmife not then
His prefence to thefe narrow bounds confin'd
Of Paradife or Eden; this had been
Perhaps thy capital feat, from whence had spread
All generations, and had hither come
From all the ends of th' earth, to celebrate
And reverence thee their great progenitor.
But this pre-eminence thou haft loft, brought down
To dwell on even ground now with thy fons :
Yet doubt not but in valley and in plain
God is as here, and will be found alike
Present, and of his prefence many a sign
Still following thee, ftill compaffing thee round
With goodness and paternal love, his face
Express, and of his steps the track divine.
Which that thou may'st believe, and be confirm'd
Ere thou from hence depart, know I am fent
To fhow thee what shall come in future days
To thee and to thy offspring; good with bad
Expect to hear, fupernal grace contending
With finfulness of man; thereby to learn
True patience, and to temper joy with fear
And pious forrow, equally inur'd
By moderation either itate to bear,
Profperous or adverfe: fo fhalt thou lead
Safeft thy life, and beft prepar'd endure
Thy mortal paffage when it comes.
This hill; let Eve (for I have drench'd her eyes)
Here fleep below, while thou to forefight wak'ft;
As once thou flept'ft while the to life was form'd.
To whom thus Adam gratefully reply'd:
Afcend; I follow thee, fafe guide, the path
Thou lead'ft me, and to the hand of heav'n submit,
However chaft'ning, to the evil turn
My obvious breaft, arming to overcome
By fuffering, and earn reft from labour won,
If fo I may attain. So both afcend
In the vifions of God: it was a hill
Of Paradife the highest, from whole top
The hemifphere of earth in cleareft ken
Stretch'd out to th' ampleft reach of profpect lay.
Not higher that hill, nor wider looking round,
Whereon for different caufe the Tempter fet
To fhow him all Earths kingdoms and their glory.
Our second Adam in the wilderness,
His eyes might there command whatever stood
City of old or modern fame, the feat
Of mightiest empire, from the deftin'd walls
Of Cambalu, feat of Cathaian Can,
And Samarchand by Oxus, Temir's throne,
To Paquin of Sinaan kings, and thence
To Agra and Lahor, of great Mogul
Down to the golden Cherfonefe, or where
The Perfian in Ecbatan fat, or fince
In Ifpahan, or where the Ruffian Kfar
In Mofco, or the Sultan in Bizance,
Turcheftan-born; nor could his eye not ken
Th' empire of Negus to his utmost port
Ercoco, and the lefs maritim kings
Mombaza, and Quiloa, and Melind,
And Sofala, thought Ophir, to the realm
Of Congo, and Angola farthest fouth;
Or thence from Niger flood to Atlas mount
The kingdoms of Almanfor, Fez, and Sus,
Morocco, and Algiers, and Tremifen
On Europe thence, and where Rome was to fway 405
The world in spirit perhaps he also faw
Rich Mexico, the feat of Montezume,
And Cusco in Peru, the richer feat
Of Atabalipa, and yet unfpoil'd
Guiana, whofe great city Geryon's fons
Call El Dorado: but to nobler fights
Michael from Adam's eyes the film remov'd,
Which that falfe fruit that promis'd clearer fight
Had bred; then purg'd with euphrafy and rue
The vifual nerve, for he had much to fee;
And from the well of life three drops inftill'd.
So deep the power of thefe ingredients pierc❜d,
E'en to th' inmoft feat of mental fight,
That Adam, now enforc'd to close his eyes,
Sunk down, and all his fpirits became entranc'd; 420
But him the gentle angel by the hand
Soon rais'd, and his attention thus recall'd:
Adam, now ope thine eyes, and fifft behold
Th' effects which thy original crime hath wrought
In fome to fpring from thee, who never touch'd
Th' excepted tree, nor with the snake conspir'd,
Nor finn'd thy fin, yet from that fin derive
Corruption to bring forth more violent deeds.
His eyes he open'd, and beheld a field,
Part arable and tilth, whereon were sheaves
New reap'd, the other part fheep-walks and folds
I' th' midft an altar as the land-mark stood,
Ruftic, of graffy ford; thither anon
A fweaty reaper from his tillage brought
Firft fruits, the green ear, and the yellow sheaf,
Uncull'd, as came to hand; a fhepherd next
More meek, came with the firftlings of his flock
Choiceft and beft; then sacrificing, laid ́
The inwards and their fat, with incenfe ftrow'd,
On the cleft wood, and all due rights perform'd. 440
His offering foon propitious fire from heav'n
Confum'd with nimble glance, and grateful ftream;
The other's not, for his was not fincere ;
Whereat he inly rag'd, and as they talk'd,
Smote him into the midriff with a stone
That beat out life; he fell, and deadly pale
Groand out his foul with gufhing blood effus'd.
Much at that fight was Adam in his heart
Difmay'd, and thus in hafte to th' angel cry'd:
O Teacher, fome great mifchief hath befall'n
To that meek man, who well had facrific'd;
Is piety thus and pure devotion paid?
T'whom Michael thus, he allo mov'd, reply'd:
These two are brethren, Adam, and to come
Out of thy loins; th' unjust the just hath flain
For envy that his brother's offering found
From heav'n acceptance, but the bloody fact
Will be aveng'd, and th' other's faith approv'd
Lofe no reward, tho' here thou fee him die,
Rolling in duft and gore. To which our Sire:
Alas! both for the deed and for the cause!
But have I now feen death? is this the way
I must return to native duft? O fight
Of terror, foul and ugly to behold,
Horrid to think, how horrible to feel;
To whom thus Michael: Death thou haft feen
In his first shape on man; but many shapes
Of Death, and many are the ways that lead
To his grim cave, all difmal; yet to sense
More terrible at th' entrance than within.
Some, as thou faw'ft, by violent stroke fhall die,
By fire, flood, famine, by intemp❜rance more
In meats and drinks, which on the earth shall bring
Diseases dire, of which a monstrous crew
Before thee shall appear; that thou may'st know
What mifery th' inabftinence of Eve
Shall bring on men. Immediately a place
Before his eyes appear'd, fad, noisome, dark,
A lazar-house it feem'd, wherein were laid
Numbers of all difeas'd, all maladies;
Of ghaftly fpafm, or racking torture, qualms
Of heart-fick agony, all feverous kinds,
Convulfions, epilepfies, fierce catarrahs,
Inteftine ftone and ulcer, colic pangs,
Demoniac phrenzy, moaping melancholy,
And moon-ftruck madnefs, pining atrophy,
Marafmus, and wide-wafting peftilence,
Dropfies, and afthmas, and joint racking rheums.
Dire was the toffing, deep the groans; Despair
Tended the fick bufieft from couch to couch:
And over them triumphant Death his dart
Shook, but delay'd to strike, though oft invok'd
With vows, as their chief good, and final hope.
Sight fo deform what heart of rock could long
Dry-ey'd behold? Adam could not, but wept,
Though not of woman born; compaffion quell'd
His belt of man, and gave him up to tears
A fpace, till firmer thoughts reftrain'd excess
And scarce recovering words his plaint renew'd.
O miferable mankind, to what fall
Degraded, to what wretched ftate referv'd!
Better end here unborn. Why is life given
To be thus wretted from us? rather why
Obtruded on us thus ? who, if we knew
What we receive, would either not accept
Life offer'd, or foon beg to lay it down,
Glad to be fo difmifs'd in peace. Can thus
Th' image of God, in man created once
So goodly and erect, though faulty fince,
To fuch unfightly fufferings he debas'd
Under inhuman pains? Why fhould not man,
Retaining ftill divine fimilitude
In part, from fuch deformities be free,
And for his Maker's image fake exempt
Their Maker's image, anfwer'd Michael, then 515
Forfook them, when themfelves they vilify'd
To ferve ungovern'd appetite, and took
His image whom they ferv'd, a brutish vice,
Inductive mainly to the fin of Eve.
Therefore fo abject is their punishment,
Disfiguring not God's likeness, but their own,
Or if his likeness, by themselves defac'd,
While they prevent pure Nature's healthful rules
To loathfome ficknets, worthily, fince they
God's image did not reverence in themselves.
I yield it juft, faid Adam, and fubmit,
But is there yet no other way, befides
Thefe painful paffages, how we may come
To death, and mix with our connatural dust ?
There is, faid Michael, if thou well obferve
The rule of not too much, by temp'rance taught,
In what thou eat'st and drink'st, feeking from thence Due nourishment, not gluttonous delight,
Till many years over thy head return :
So may'st thou live, till like ripe fruit thou drop
Into thy mother's lap, or be with ease
Gather'd, not harfhly pluck'd, for death mature:
|