“Let us make now Man in our image, Man In our similitude, and let them rule Over the fish and fuwl of sea and air, Beast of the field, and over all the earth, And every creeping thing that creeps the ground!' This said, he form'd thee, Adam, thee, O Man! Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breath'd The breath of life; in his own image he Created thee, in the image of God Express, and thou becam’st a living soul. Male be created thee, but thy consort Female for race; then bless'd mankind, and said, • Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold, Over fish of the sea, and fowl of th'air, And every living thing that moves on the earth.' Wherever thus created, for no place Is yet distinct 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 taste; Aod freely all their pleasant fruit for food Gave thee: all sorts are here that all th' earth yields, Variety without end; but of the tree, Which tasted works knowledge of good and evil, Thou may'st not; in the day thou eat’st, thou diest; Death is the penalty impos’d. Beware, And govern well thy appetite, lést Sin Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death.

“ Here finish'd he, and all that he had made View'd, and behold, all was entirely good; So even and morn accomplish'd the sixth day :: Yet not till the Creator from his work Desisting, though unwearied, up return'd, Up to the heaven of heavens, bis high abode, Thence to behold this new-created world, Th' addition of his empire, how it show'd In prospect from his throne, how good, how fair, Answering his great idea. Up he rode, Follow'd with acclamation, and the sound Symphonious of ten thousand harps that tun'd

:

Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air
Resounded, (thou remember'st, for thou heard'st)
The heavens, and all the constellations rung,
The planets in their station list'ning stood,
While the bright pomp ascended jubilant.
• Open, ye everlasting gates!' they sung,

Open ye heavens! your living doors; let in
The great Creator from his work return'd
Magnificent, his six days' work, a world :
Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deiga
To visit oft the dwellings of just men
Delighted, and with frequent intercourse
Thither will send his winged messengers
On errands of supernal grace.' So sung
The glorious train ascending: He through heaven,
That open'd wide her blazing portals, led
To God's eternal bouse direct the way,
A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold,
And pavement stars, as stars to thee appear,
Seen in the galaxy, that milky way,
Which nightly as a circling zone thou seest
Powder'd with stars. And now on earth the seventh
Evening arose in Eden, for the sun
Was set, and twilight from the east came on,
Forerunning night; when at the holy mount
Of heaven's high-seated top, th' imperial throne
Of Godbead, fix'd for ever firm and sure,
The Filial Power arriv'd, and sat bim down
With his great Father, for he also went
Invisible, yet stay'd, (such privilege
Hath Omnipresence) and the work ordain'd,
Author and end of all things; and from work
Now resting, bless'd and hallow'd the seventh day,
As resting on that day from all his work.
But not in silence holy kept; the harp
Had work and rested not, the solemn pipe,
And dulcimer, all organs of sweet stop,
All sounds on fret by string or golden wire,
Temper'd soft tunings intermix'd with voice
Choral or unison; of incense clouds
Fuming from golden censers hid the mount.

Creation and the six days' acts they sung:
• Great are thy works, Jehovah ! infinite
Thy power; what thought can measure thee, or tongue
Relate thee? greater now in thy return
Than from the giant angels; thee that day
Thy thunders magnified; 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 apostate and their counsels vain
Thou hast repell’d, while impiously they thought
Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw
The number of thy worshippers. Who seeks
To lessen thee, against bis purpose serves
To manifest the more thy might: his evil
Thou usest, and from thence creat'st more good.
Witness this new-made world, another heaven
From heaven-gate not far, founded in view
Of the clear hyaline, the glassy sea;
Of amplitude almost immense, with stars
Numerous, and every star perhaps a world
Of destin'd habitation; but thou know'st
Their seasons: among these the seat of men,
Earth with her nether ocean circumfus'u,
Their pleasant dwelling-place. Thrice happy men,
And sons of men, whom God bath thus advanc'd!
Created in his image, there to dwell
And worship him, and in reward to rule
Over his works, ou earth, in sea, or air,
And multiply a race of worshippers
Holy and just! thrice happy, if they know
Their happiness, and persevere upright!'

“ So sung they, and the empyrean rung
With hallelujahs: thus was sabbath kept.
And thy request think now fulfill'd, that ask'd
How first this world and face of things began,
And what before thy memory was done
From the beginning, that posterity
Inform'd by thee might know; if else thou seek'st
Ought, not surpassing human measure, say."

PARADISE LOST.

BOOK VIII.

THE ARGUMENT. Adam inquires concerning celestial motions; is doubtfully answered, and exhorted to search rather things more worthy of knowledge: Adam assents, and, still desirous to detain Raphael, relates to him what he remembered since his own creation, his placing in Paradise, his talk with God concerning solitude and fit society, his first meeting and nuptials with Eve; his discourse with the angel thereuponi, who, after admonitions repeated, departs.

The angel ended, and in Adam's ear
So charming left his voice, that he awhile
Thought him still speaking, still stood fix'd to hear;
Then, as pew wak’d, thus gratefully replied:

“ What thanks sufficient, or what recompense
Equal have I to render thee, divine
Historian! who thus largely hast allay'd
The thirst I had of knowledge, and vouchsaf 'd
This friendly condescension, to relate
Things else by me unsearchable, now heard
With wonder, but delight, and as is due,
With glory attributed to the high
Creator ? Something yet of doubt remains,
Which only thy solution can resolve.
When I behold this goodly frame, this world,
Of heaven and earth consisting, and compute
Their magnitudes, this earth a spot, a grain,
An atom, with the firmament compar'd
And all her number'd stars, that seem to roll
Spaces inçoinprehensible (for such
Their distance argues and their swift return
Diurnal,) merely to officiate light
Round this opacous carth, this punctual spot,
One day and night, in all their vast survey
Useless besides; reasoning, I oft admire,
How Nature, wise and frugal, could commit

Such disproportions, with superfluous hand
So many nobler bodies to create,
Greater so manifold, to this one use,
For ought appears, and on their orbs impose
Such restless revolution, day by day
Repeated, while the sedentary earth,
That better might with far less compass move,
Serv'd by more nobler then herself, attains
Her end without least motion, and receives,
As tribute, such a sumless journey brought
Of incorporeal speed, her warmth and light;
Speed, to describe wbose swiftness number fails.”

So spake our sire, and by bis countenance seem'd
Ent’ring on studious thoughts abstruse, which Eve
Perceiving, where she sat retird in sight
With lowliness majestic from her seat,
And grace that won who saw to wish her stay,
Rose and went forth among her fruits and flowers,
To visit how they prosper'd, bud and bloom,
Her nursery; they at her coming sprung,
And touch'd by her fair tendance, gladlier grew.
Yet went she not, as not with such discourse
Delighted, or not capable her ear
Of what was high: such pleasure she reserved,
Adam relating, she sole auditress;
Her husband the relater she preferr'd
Before the angel, and of him to ask
Chose rather; he, she knew, would intermix
Grateful digressions, and solve higli dispute
With conjugal caresses; from his lip
Not words alone pleas'd her. (O! when meet now
Such pairs, in love and mutual honour join'd?)
With goddess-like demeanour forth she went,
Not unattended, for on her as queen
A pomp of winning graces waited still,
And from about her shot darts of desire
Into all eyes to wish her still in sight.
And Raphael now to Adam's doubt propos'd,
Benevolent and facilc thus replied ;

“ To ask or search I blame thee not, for heaven Is as the book of God before the set,