These as a line their long dimension drew,
Streaking the ground with sinuous trace; not all
Minims of nature; some of serpent kind,
Wondrous in length and corpulence, involv'd
Their snaky folds and added wings. First crept
The parsimonious emmet, provident

Of future, in small room large heart inclos'd,
Pattern of just equality perhaps

Hereafter, joined in her popular tribes

Of commonalty: swarming next appear'd

The female bee, that feeds her husband drone
Deliciously, and builds her waxen cells

With honey stor'd: the rest are numberless,

480

485

490

And thou their natures know'st, and gav'st them

names,

Needless to thee repeated; nor unknown

The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field,
Of huge extent sometimes, with brazen eyes
And hairy mane terrific, though to thee
Not noxious, but obedient at thy call.

484 snaky folds] A. Rams. P. Sacr. i. 10.

'Atque orbibus orbes

Implexos sinuantem anguem.'

495

485 provident-large heart] The former part from Hor. Sat. I. i. 35, and the latter from Virg. Georg. iv. 83. Newton.

491 waxen cells] So Marino's Sl. of the Innocents, p. 28.

'Or when the bees, like murmuring armies, hide The tops of flowers, where sweetest nectar flows, And on their laden wings the odorous prey In troops, unto their waxen camp convey.' 497 hairy mane] See Virg. Æn. ii. 206. 38. J. Obsequens de Prodigiis, p. 54.

Petronii Troje Elosis, v.
Angues jubati.' Plauti

500

505

Now heaven in all her glory shone, and roll'd Her motions, as the great First Mover's hand First wheel'd their course; earth in her rich attire Consummate lovely smil'd; air, water, earth, By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walk'd Frequent; and of the sixth 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 sanctity of reason, might erect His stature, and upright with front serene Govern the rest, self-knowing; and from thence 510 Magnanimous to correspond with heaven;

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

And worship GoD supreme, who made him chief 515 Of all his works: therefore the omnipotent

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

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,

520

Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breath'd 525 The breath of life in his own image he

Amphitr. act. v. sc. i. 'Jubatus anguis major solitis.' Capitolin. Vit. Anton. Pii, ix. 35, ed. Putman.

Created thee, in the image of GOD
Express, and thou becam'st a living soul.
Male he created thee, but thy consort

Female for race; then bless'd mankind, and said, 530
Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth,
Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold
Over fish of the sea, and fowl of the 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;

And freely all their pleasant fruit for food

535

540

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 dy'st ;
Death is the penalty impos'd, beware,

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,
Up to the heaven of heavens his high abode,

545

550

536 thence] Tickell, Fenton, and Bentley have adopted in this passage a wrong punctuation, putting only a comma after 'earth' (534), and a full stop after 'name' (536). Newton restored the reading of Milton's own editions.

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

555

560

565

570

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 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.
The glorious train ascending: He through heaven,
That open'd wide her blazing portals, led
To God's eternal house 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

So sung

575

580

Which nightly as a circling zone thou seest Powder'd with stars. And now on earth the seventh

581 Powder'd] Sylvester's Du Bartas, p. 76.

'Powdred with stars streaming with glorious light.' Todd.

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 585
Of Godhead, fix'd for ever firm and sure,
The Filial Power arriv'd, and sat him down
With his great Father; for he also went
Invisible, yet stay'd, (such privilege

590

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

595

600

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

605

610