All things proceed, and up to him return,
If not deprav'd from good; created all
Such to perfection; one first matter all,
Indued 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 afsign'd,
Till body up to spirit work, in bounds
Proportion'd to each kind. So from the root
Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves
More aery, laft the bright confummate flower 481
Spirits odorous breathes: flow'rs and their fruit,
Man's nourishment, by gradual scale fublim'd,
To vital spirits afpire, to animal,
To intellectual; give both life and sense,
Fancy and understanding; whence the foul
Reafon receives, and reafon is her being,
Difcurfive, or intuitive; discourse
Is ofteft yours, the latter moft is ours;
Differing but in degree, of kind the fame.
Wonder not then, what God for you
If I refuse not, but convert, as you,
To proper fubftance: time may come, when Men
With Angels may participate, and find
No inconvenient diet, nor too light fare;
And from these 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 Paradises 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 Spirit, propitious guest,
Well haft thou taught the way that might direct
Our knowledge, and the scale of nature fet
From center to circumference; whereon,
In contemplation of created things,
By steps we may ascend 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 dust, and plac'd us here,
Full to the utmost measure of what blifs
Human defires can seek or apprehend?
To whom the Angel. Son of Heav'n and Earth,
Attend: That thou art happy, owe to God;
That thou continueft fuch, owe to thyself,
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 persevere
He left it in thy pow'r; ordain'd thy will
By nature free; not over-rul'd by fate
Inextricable, or strict neceffity:
Our voluntary service 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 serve
Willing or no; who will but what they muft
By deftiny, and can no other choose?
Myself and all th'angelic host, that stand
In fight of God enthron'd, our happy state
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 fland or fall:
And some are fall'n, to disobedience fall'n,
And fo from Heav'n to deepest Hell; O fall!
From what high state of bliss into what woe!
To 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'st
Hath past in Heav'n, some doubt within me move,
But more defire to hear, if thou consent,
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The full relation, which must needs be strange,
Worthy of facred filence to be heard;
And we have yet large day, for scarce the sun
Hath finish'd half his journey, and scarce begins
His other half in the great zone of Heaven.
Thus Adam made requeft; and Raphaël,
After short pause affenting, thus began.
High matter thou injoin'ft me, O prime of men, Sad task, and hard; for how shall I relate,
To human fense, th' invifible exploits
Of warring Spirits? how, without remorse,
The ruin of fo many,glorious once
And perfect while they stood? how last unfold
The fecrets of another world, perhaps
Not lawful to reveal? yet for thy good
This is difpens'd; and what furmounts the reach
Of human sense, I fhall delineate so,
By likening spiritual to corporal forms,
may express them beft; though what if Earth Be but the shadow of Heav'n, and things therein 575 Each to other like, more than on earth is thought? As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild Reign'd where these Heav'ns now roll, where Earth Upon her center pois'd; when on a day, (now rests (For time, though in eternity, apply'd To motion, measures all things durable
By present, past, and future) on such day
As Heav'n's 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 enfigns high advanc'd,
Standards and gonfalons, 'twixt van and rear,
Stream in the air, and for diftinction ferve
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 inexpreffible they stood,
Orb within orb, the Father infinite,
By whom in bliss 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, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,
Hear my decree, which unrevok'd shall stand.
This day I have begot, whom I declare,
My only Son, and on this holy hill
At my right hand; your head I him appoint;
And by myself have fworn to him fhall bow
All knees in Heav'n, and shall confefs him Lord:
Under his great vice-gerent reign abide
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