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And worship God supreme, who made him chief
Of all his works: therefore the Omnipotent

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Eternal Father (for where is not he

Present?) thus to his Son audibly spake,

""Let us make now Man in our image, Man

In our similitude, and let them rule

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Over the fish and fowl 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 he created thee, but thy consort

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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 the air,

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And every living thing that moves on the earth.
Wherever thus created, (for no place

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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;

And freely all their pleasant fruit for food

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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 di'st;

Death is the penalty impos'd, beware,

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And govern well thy appetite, lest 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 ev❜n and morn accomplish'd the sixth day:
Yet not till the Creator from his work
Desisting, though unwearied, up return'd

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Up to the Heav'n of Heav'ns, his high abode,
Thence to behold this new-created World

Th' addition of his empire, how it shew'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

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Resounded (thou remember'st, for thou heardst)
The heav'ns 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 Heav'ns, your living doors; let in
The great Creator from his work return'd
Magnificent, his six day's work, a world;
Open and henceforth oft; for God will deign
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

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The glorious train ascending: he through Heav'n,
That open'd wide her blazing portals, led
To God's eternal house direct the way,

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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

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Powder'd with stars. And now on Earth the seventh
Ev'ning arose in Eden, for the sun

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

Of Heav'ns high-seated top, th' imperial throne
Of Godhead, fixt for ever firm and sure,
The Filial Power arriv'd, and sate him down
With his great Father; for he also went
Invisible, yet stay'd (such privilege

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Hath Omnipresence) and the work ordain'd,

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Author and end of all things, and from work

Now resting, bless'd and hallow'd the sev'nth 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, intermixt with voice
Choral or unison: of incense clouds
Fuming from golden censers hid the mount.
Creation and the six days' acts they sung:

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""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

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Thy thunders magnifi'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 apostate and their counsels vain

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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 his 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 Heav'n
From Heaven-gate not far, founded in view

:

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On the clear hyaline, the glassy sea;

Of amplitude almost immense, with stars
Numerous, and every star perhaps a world
Of destined habitation; but thou know'st
Their seasons: among these the seat of men,
Earth with her nether ocean circumfus'd,

Their pleasant dwelling-place.

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Thrice happy men,

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And sons of men, whom God hath thus advanc't,

Created in his image, there to dwell

And worship him, and in reward to rule

Over his works, on 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.

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And thy request think now fulfill'd, that ask'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 posterity

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

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BOOK VIII.

THE ARGUMENT.

Adam enquires 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 thereupon; 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 fixt to hear;
Then, as new-wak't, thus gratefully replï'd.
'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 voutsaf't
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 heav'n 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 incomprehensible (for such

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