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By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walk'd
Frequent; and of the fixth day yet remain'd;
There wanted yet the master work, the end
Of all yet done; a creature who not prone
And brute as other creatures, but indued
With fanctity of reafon, might erect

His ftature, and upright with front ferene
Govern the reft, felf-knowing, and from thence 510
Magnanimous to correfpond with Heaven,

But grateful to acknowledge whence his good.
Defcends, thither with heart and voice and eyes
Directed in devotion, to adore

And worship God fupreme, who made him chief 515
Of all his works: therefore th' Omnipotent

Eternal Father (for where is not he

Prefent?) thus to his Son audibly fpake.

Let us make now Man in our image, Man In our fimilitude, and let them rule

Over the fish and fowl of fea and air,

Beast of the field, and over all the earth,
And every creeping thing that creeps the ground.
This faid, he form'd thee, Adam, thee, O Man,
Duft of the ground, and in thy noftrils breath'd
The breath of life; in his own image he
Created thee, in the image of God

Exprefs, and thou becam'ft a living foul.
Male he created thee, but thy confort

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Female for race; then blefs'd mankind, and said, 530 Be fruitful, multiply, and the earth,

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Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold

Over fish of the fea, and fowl of th' air,
And every living thing that moves on th' earth.
Wherever thus created, for no place

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Is yet diftinct by name, thence, as thou know'st,
He brought thee into this delicious grove,

This garden, planted with the trees of God,
Delectable both to behold and tafte;

And freely all their pleasant fruit for food

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Gave thee; all forts are here that all th' earth yields

Variety without end; but of the tree,

Which tafted works knowledge of good and evil,

Thou may'st not; in the day thou eat'st, thou dy'st; Death is the penalty impos'd, beware,

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And govern well thy appetite, left Sin

Surprise thee, and her black attendent Death.
Here finish'd he, and all that he had made
View'd, and behold all was entirely good;
So ev❜n and morn accomplish'd the sixth day:
Yet not till the Creator from his work
Defifting, though unwearied, up return'd,
Up to the Heav'n of Heav'ns his high abode,
Thence to behold this new created world

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Th' addition of his empire, how it show'd

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In profpect from his throne, how good, how fair,
Anfwering his great idea. Up he rode

Follow'd with acclamation and the found
Symphonious of ten thousand harps that tun'd
Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air

Refounded, (thou remember'ft, for thou heardst)
The Heav'ns and all the constellations rung,

VOL. I.

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5.60

The

The planets in their station list`ning stood,
While the bright pomp afcended jubilant.
Open, ye everlasting gates, they fung,
Open, ye Heav'ns, your living doors; let in
The great Creator from his work return'd
Magnificent, his fix days work, a world;
Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deign
To vifit oft the dwellings of just men
Delighted, and with frequent intercourse
Thither will fend his winged meffengers
On errands of fupernal gracc. So fung

The glorious train ascending: He through Heaven,
That open'd wide her blazing portals, led,

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To God's eternal houfe direct the way,

A broad and ample road, whofe duft is gold

And pavement stars, as stars to thee appear,
Seen in the galaxy, that milky way,

Which nightly as a circling zone thou feest

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Powder'd with ftars. And now on earth the feventh

Evening arofe in Eden, for the fun

Was fet, and twilight from the east came on,
Forerunning night; when at the holy mount

Of Heav'n's high seated top, th' imperial throne 585

Of Godhead, fix'd for ever firm and fure,

The filial Pow'r arriv'd, and fat him down
With his great Father, for he also went
Invisible, yet ftay'd, (fuch privilege

Hath Omniprefence) and the work ordain'd,

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Author and end of all things, and from work
Now refting, bless'd and hallow'd the fev`nth day,

As

As refting on that day from all his work,
But not in filence holy kept; the harp
Had work and rested not, the folemn pipe,
And dulcimer, all organs of sweet stop,
All founds on fret by string or golden wire
Temper'd foft tunings, intermix'd with voice
Choral or unifon: of incenfe clouds
Fuming from golden cenfers hid the mount.
Creation and the fix days acts they fung,

Great are thy works, Jehovah, infinite

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Thy pow'r; what thought can meafure thee, or tongue Relate thee? greater now in thy return

Than from the giant Angels; thee that day

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Thy thunders magnify'd; but to create

Is greater than created to destroy.

Who can impair thee, mighty King, or bound
Thy empire easily the proud attempt

Of Spirits apoftate and their counfels vain

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Thou haft repell'd, while impiously they thought

Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw

The number of thy worshipers. Who feeks
To leffen thee, against his purpose ferves
To manifest the more thy might: his evil
Thou usest, and from thence creat'ft more good.
Witness this new-made world, another Heaven
From Heaven gate not far, founded in view
On the clear hyaline, the glaffy sea;
Of amplitude almoft immenfe, with stars
Numerous, and every ftar perhaps a world
Of deftin'd habitation; but thou know'ft
Q2

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Their

Their feafons among these the feat of Men,
Earth with her nether ocean circumfus'd,

Their pleasant dwelling-place. Thrice happy Men,
And fons of Men, whom God hath thus advanc'd,
Created in his image, there to dwell

And worship him, and in reward to rule
Over his works, on earth, in fea, or air,
And multiply a race of worshipers
Holy and just thrice happy if they know
Their happiness, and perfevere upright.

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So fung they, and the empyréan rung With halleluiahs: Thus was fabbath kept.

And thy request think now fulfill'd, that afk'd
How first this world and face of things began,

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And what before thy memory was done

From the beginning, that pofterity

Inform'd by thee might know; if else thou seek'st
Ought, not furpaffing human measure, say.

THE END OF THE SEVENTH BOOK.

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