Mercy colleague with juftice, fending the
Man's friend, his mediator, his defign'd
Both ranfom and redeemer voluntary,
And destin'd man himself to judge man fall'n.
So fpake the Father, and unfolding bright
Tow'rds the right-hand his glory, on the Son
Blaz'd forth unclouded Deity; he full
Refplendent all his Father manifeft
Exprefs'd, and thus divinely answer'd mild:
Father Eternal, thine is to decree ;
Mine both in heav'n and earth to do thy will
Supreme, that thou in me, thy Son belov'd,
May'ft ever reft well pleas'd. I go to judge
On earth these thy tranfgreffors; but thou know'st,
Whoever judg'd, the worst on me must light,
When time fhall be, for fo I undertook
Before thee; and not repenting, this obtain
Of right, that I may mitigate their doom
On me deriv'd; yet I fhall temper fo
Juftice with mercy, as may illuftrate moft
Them fully fatisfied, and thee appease.
Attendance none fhall need, nor train, where none
Are to behold the judgment, but the judg'd,
Those two; the third, beft abfent, is condemn'd,
Convict by flight, and rebel to all law:
Conviction to the ferpent none belongs.
Thus faying, from his radiant feat he rofe
Of high collateral glory: him thrones and powers,
Princedoms, and dominations, miniftrant
Accompanied to heav'n gate, from whence
Eden, and all the coaft, in profpect lay.
Down he defcended ftrait: the speed of gods
Time counts not, though with fwifteft minutes wing'd.
Now was the fun in western cadence low
From noon, and gentle airs due at their hour
To fan the earth now wak'd, and usher in
The ev'ning cool, when he from wrath more cool
Came the mild judge and interceffor both
To fentence man. The voice of God they heard,
Now walking in the garden, by foft winds,
Brought to their ears, while day declin'd; they heard,
And from his presence hid themselves among
The thickest trees, both man and wife, till God
Approaching, thus to Adam call'd aloud :
Where art thou, Adam, wont with joy to meet
My coming feen far off? I miss thee here,
Not pleas'd thus entertain'd with folitude,
Where obvious duty ere while appear'd unfought :
Or come I lefs confpicuous, or what change
Abfents thee, or what chance detains ? Come forth.
He came, and with him Eve, more loath, though first
T'offend, discountenanc'd both, and difcompos'd:
Love was in not their looks, either to God
Or to each other, but apparent guilt,
And shame, and perturbation, and defpair,
Anger, and obftinacy, and hate, and guile,
Whence Adam falt'ring long, thus answer'd brief :
I heard thee in the garden, and of thy voice
Afraid, being naked, hid myself. To whom
The gracious judge without revile reply'd :
My voice thou oft haft beard, and hast not fear'd,
But ftill rejoic'd: how is it now become
So dreadful to thee? That thou art naked, who
Hath told thee? haft thou eaten of the Tree,
Whereof I gave thee charge thou should&t not eat?
To whom thus Adam fore befet reply'd:
O Heav'n! in evil ftrait this day I ftand
Before my Judge, either to undergo
Myfelf the total crime, or to accule
My other felf, the partner of my
Whofe failing, while her faith to me remains,
I should conceal, and not expofe to blame
By my complaint; but strict neceffity
Subdues me, and calamitous constraint,
Left on my head both fin and punishment,
Wouldft easily detect what I conceal.
However infupportable, be all
Devolv'd; though, should I hold my peace, yet thou
This Woman, whom thou mad'ft to be my help,
And gay'st me as thy perfect gift, so good,
So fit, fo acceptable, fo divine,
That from her hand I could fufpect no ill,
And what he did, whatever in itself,
Her doing feem'd to justify the deed;
She gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
To whom the Sov'reign Prefence thus reply'd:
Was fhe thy God, that her thou didst obey
Before his voice; or was she made thy guide,
Superior, or but equal, that to her
Thou didst refign thy manhood, and the place
Wherein God fet thee above her, made of thee,
And for thee, whose perfection far excell'd
Hers in all real dignity? Adorn'd
She was indeed, and lovely to attract
Thy love, not thy fubjection; and her gifts
Were fuch as under government well feem'd,
Unfeemly to bear rule, which was thy part
And perfon, hadft thou known thy felf aright.
So having faid, he thus to Eve in few :
Say, woman, what is this which thou hast done?
To whom fad Eve, with fhame nigh overwhelm'd
Confeffing foon, yet not before her Judge
Bold or loquacious, thus abash'd reply'd:
The ferpent me beguil'd, and I did eat.
Which, when the Lord God heard, without delay
To judgment he proceeded on th' accus'd
Serpent, though brute, unable to transfer
The guilt on him who made him inftrument
Of mischief, and polluted from the end
Of his creation; juftly then accurs'd,
As vitiated in nature: more to know
Concern'd not man (fince he no further knew)
Nor alter'd his offence; yet God at last
To Satan first in fin his doom apply'd,
Though in mysterious terms, judg'd as then beft;
. And on the ferpent thus his curse let fall:
Because thou haft done this, thou art accurs'd
Above all cattle, each beat of the field;
Upon thy belly grovelling thou shalt go,
And duft fhalt eat all the days of thy life.
Between thee and the woman I will put
Enmity, and between thine and her feed ;
Her feed fhall bruife thy head, thou bruife his heel.
So fpake this Oracle, then verify'd
When Jefus, Son of Mary, fecond Eve,
Saw Satan fall like lightning down from heav'n,
Prince of the air; then rifing from his grave,
Spoil'd principalities and powers, triumph'd
In open thow, and with ascension bright
Captivity led captive through the air,
The realm itself of Satan long ufurp'd,
Whom he fhall tread at laft under our feet
;
E'en he who now foretold his fatal bruife,
And to the woman thus his fentence turn'd:
Thy forrow I will greatly multiply
By thy conception; children thou shalt bring
In forrow forth; and to thy husband's will
Thine fhall fubmit: he over thee fhall rule.
On Adam last thus judgment he pronounc'd:
Because thou haft hearken'd to th' voice of thy wife,
And eaten of the tree, concerning which
I charg'd thee, faying, Thou fhalt not eat thereof,
Curs'd is the ground for thy fake; thou in forrow
Shalt eat thereof all the days of thy life;
Thorns alfo and thiftles it fhall bring thee forth
Unbid; and thou fhalt eat th' herb of the field,
In the fweat of thy face fhalt thou eat bread
Till thou return unto the ground; for thou
Out of the ground was taken; know thy birth,
For duft thou art, and fhalt to duft return.
So judg'd he Man, both Judge and Saviour fent,
And th' inftant stroke of death denounc'd that day
Remov'd far off; then pitying how they stood
Before him naked to the air, that now
Muft fuffer change, disdain'd not to begin
Thenceforth the form of fervant to affume,
As when he wash'd his fervants feet; fo now,
As father of his family, he clad
Their nakedness with skins of beasts, or flain,
Or as the fnake with youthful coat repaid;
And thought not much to clothe his enemies:
Nor he their outward only with the skins
Of beafts, but inward nakedness, much more
Opprobrious, with his robe of righteoulness
Arraying, cover'd from his Father's fight.
To him with fwift afcent he up return'd,
Into his blissful bofom reaffum'd
In glory as of old to him appeas'd
All, though all-knowing, what had pafs'd with man
Recounted, mixing interceffion fweet.
Meanwhile ere thus was finn'd and judg'd on Earth,
Within the gates of Hell, fat Sin and Death,
In counterview within the gates, that now
Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame
Far into Chaos, fince the Fiend pafs'd through,
Sin opening, who thus now to Death began:
O Son, why fit we here each other viewing
Idly, while Satan, our great author, thrives
In other worlds, and happier feat provides
For us his offspring dear? It cannot be
But that fuccefs attends him; if mishap,
Ere this he had return'd, with fury driven
By his avengers, fince no place like this
Can fit his punishment, or their revenge.
Methinks I feel new ftrength within me rife,
Wings growing, and dominions giv'n me large
Beyond this deep; whatever draws me on,
Or fympathy, or fome connatural force,
Powerful at greateft diftance to unite
With fecret amity things of like kind
By fecreteft conveyance. Thou my fhade
Infeparable muft with me along;
For Death from Sin no power can separate;
But left the difficulty of paffing back
Stay his return perhaps over this gulf
Impaffable, impervious, let us try
Adventrous work, yet to thy power and mine
Not unagreeable, to found a path
Over this main from hell to that new world
Where Satan now prevails, a monument
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