As that more willingly thou could'st not seem At heav'n's high feasts t' have fed: yet what com pare?

2

To whom the winged Hierarch reply'd. O Adam! One Almighty is, from Whom All things proceed, and up to Him return If not deprav'd from good; created all Such to perfection, one first matter all, Indu'd with various forms, various degrees Of substance, and in things that live, of life: But more refin'd, more spiritous! and pure, As nearer to him plac'd, or nearer tending Each in their several active spheres affign'd: Till body up to spirit work, in bounds Proportion'd to each kind. So, from the root Springs lighter the green ftalk; from thence, the leaves

More aery; last, the bright consummate flow'r
Spirits odorous breathes; flow'rs, and their fruit ;
(Man's nourishment) by gradual scale sublim'd,
To vital fpirits afpire, to animal,

To intellectual; give both life, and fenfe,
Fancy, and understanding; whence the foul
Reason receives; and reason is her Being,
Difcourfive, or intuitive; difcourfe
Is ofteft yours, the latter moft is ours;
Diff' ring but in degree, of kind the fame.
Wonder not then, what God for you faw good
If I refufe not, but convert, as you,
To proper fubftance. Time may come,

when men

Hath paft in heav'n, fome doubt within me move, But more defire to hear (if thou confent}

The full relation: which muft needs be ftrange, Worthy of facred filence to be heard:

And we have yet large day; for, scarce the fun Hath finish'd half his journey, and scarce begins His other half in the great zone of heav'n.

Thus Adam made request; and Raphael, After short pause affenting, thus began.

High matter thou enjoin'ft me, O prime of men!
Sad task, and hard! For how shall I relate
To human fenfe th' invifible exploits

Of warring fpirits? How, without remorse,
The ruin of fo many, glorious once,

And perfect, while they ftood
The fecrets of another world,

how, last, unfold perhaps

Not lawful to reveal? Yet, for thy good,
This is difpens'd; and what furmounts the reach
Of human fenfe, I shall declineate fo,

By lik'ning fpiritual to corporeal forms,

As may express them beft: though, what if earth
Be but the shadow of heav'n; and things therein
Each t' other like, more than on earth is thought?;
As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild
Reign'd where these heav'ns now 10wl, where earth
now refts

Upon her centre pois'd; when on a day
(For time, though in eternity, apply'd
To motion, measures all things durable
By prefent, paft, and future) on fuch day

As heav'ns great year brings forth, th' empyreal hoft

Of Angels, by imperial fummons call'd,
Innumerable before th' Almighty's throne
Forthwith, from all the ends of heav'n appear'd
Under their hierarchs in orders bright:
Ten thousand thousand ensigns high advanc'd,
(Standards, and gonfalons, 'twixt van,
and rear)
Stream in the air, and for distinction serve
Of Hierarchies, of Orders, and Degrees:
Or in their glittering tissues bear imblaz'd
Holy memorials, acts of zeal, and love,
Recorded eminent. Thus when in orbs
Of circuit in-expreffible they ftood,
Orb within orb, the Father Infinite,
By whom in blifs imbofom'd fat the Son,
Amidft (as from a flaming mount, whofe top
Brightness had made invisible) thus spake.
Hear all ye Angels, progeny of light,
Thrones, Bominations, Princedoms, Virtues

Pow'rs!

Hear My decree, which unrevok'd shall ftand.
This day I have begot whom I declare

My only Son, and on this holy hill

Him have anointed, whom ye now behold,
At my right hand; your Head I Him appoint :
And by My Self have fworn, to Him shall bow
All knees in heav'n, and shall confefs Him Lord,
Under His great Vice-gerent reign abide

United, as one individual soul,

With Angels may participate, and find
-No inconvenient diet, nor too light fare :
And from thefe corporal nutriments, perhaps,
Your bodies may at laft turn all to spirit,
Improv'd by tract of time; and wing'd afcend
Ethereal, as we; or may at choice,
Here, or in heav'nly Paradifes, dwell;
If ye be found obedient, and retain
Unalterably firm His love entire ;

Whose progeny you are. Mean-while, enjoy
Your fill what happiness this happy state
Can comprehend, incapable of more.

To whom the patriarch of mankind reply'd : O favorable fpirit, propitious guest!

Well haft thou taught the way that might direct
Our knowledge, and the scale of nature set
From centre to circumference; whereon,
In contemplation of created things,
By fteps we may afcend to God. But fay,
What meant that caution join'd, if ye be found
Obedient? Can we want obedience then
To Him or poffibly His love defert
Who form'd us from the duft, and plac'd us here,
Full to the utmost measure of what blifs
Human defires can feek, or apprehend?

To whom the Angel. Son of heav'n, and earth,
Attend! That thou art happy, owe to God :
That thou continu'ft fuch, owe to thy felf,
That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.
This was that caution giv'n thee ; be advis'd !

God made thee perfect, not immutable;
And good He made thee; but to perfevere
He left it in thy pow'r; ordain'd thy will
By nature free, not over-rul'd by fate
In-extricable, or ftri& neceffity.
Our voluntary fervice He requires,
Not our neceffitated; fuch with Him
Finds no acceptance, nor can find: for how
Can hearts, not free, be try'd whether they ferve
Willing or no, who will but what they must
By destiny, and can no other chuse?

My felf, and all th' angelic host, that ftand
In fight of God in-thron'd, our happy ftate
Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds
On other furety none: freely we serve,
Because we freely love ; as in our will
To love, or not, in this we ftand, or fall.
And fome are fall'n, to disobedience fall'n;
And fo, from heav'n to deepeft hell: O fall
From what high state of blifs, into what woe!
Tho whom our great progenitor. Thy words
Attentive, and with more delighted ear,
Divine inftructor! I have heard, than when
Cherubic fongs by night from neighb'ring hills
Aereal mufic fend. Nor knew: I not

To be both will, and deed, created free:
Yet, that we never shall forget to love
Our Maker, and obey Him, whose command
Single, is yet fo juft, my conftant thoughts
Affur'd me, and still affure; though what thou

tell'ft