When Adam thus to Eve. Fair Confort, th'hour Of night, and all things now retir'd to rest Mind us of like repose; since God hath fet Labor and reft, as day and night, to men Succeffive; and the timely dew of sleep,
Now falling with soft flumbrous weight inclines 615 Our eye-lids: other creatures all day long Rove idle,unemploy'd, and less need rest; Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed, which declares his dignity, And the regard of Heav'n on all his ways; While other animals unactive range, And of their doings God takes no account. To morrow, ere fresh morning streak the eaft With first approach of light, we must be risen, And at our pleasant labor, to reform
Yon flow'ry arbors, yonder alleys green, Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown, That mock our scant manuring, and require More hands than ours to`lop their wanton growth: Those blossoms also, and those dropping gums, 630 That lie beftrown unfightly and unsmooth, Afk riddance, if we mean to tread with ease;
Mean while, as Nature wills, night bids us rest. To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty adorn'd. My Author and Disposer, what thou bidst
Unargued I obey; fo God ordains;
God is thy law, thou mine: to know no more
Is woman's happiest knowledge and her praise. With thee converfing I forget all time,
All feasons and their change; all please alike. 640 Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing fweet, With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the sun, When first on this delightful land he spreads His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower, Glift'ring with dew; fragrant the fertil earth 645 After foft fhow'rs; and fweet the coming on Of grateful evening mild; then silent night, With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon, And these, the gems of Heav'n, her starry train: But neither breath of morn, when she afcends With charm of earliest birds; nor rising sun On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flower, Glift'ring with dew; nor fragrance after showers; Nor grateful evening mild; nor filent night With this her folemn bird; nor walk by moon, 655 Or glittering ftar-light, without thee is sweet. But wherefore all night long shine these? for whom This glorious fight, when fleep hath fhut all eyes? To whom our general anceflor reply'd. Daughter of God and Man, accomplish'd Eve, 660 These have their course to finish round the earth, By morrow evening; and from land to land In order, though to nations yet unborn, Miniftring light prepar'd, they set and rise; Left total darkness should by night regain
Her old poffeffion, and extinguish life
In nature and all things, which these foft fires Not only inlighten, but with kindly heat, Of various influence, foment and warm, Temper or nourish; or in part fhed down Their ftellar virtue on all kinds that grow On earth, made hereby apter to receive Perfection from the fun's more potent ray. These then, though unbeheld in deep of night, Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were none, That Heav'n would want spectators, God want praise: Millions of fpiritual creatures walk the earth, Unseen, both when we wake, and when we fleep: All these,with ceaseless praise,his works behold Both day and night: how often from the fteep 680 Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard Celestial voices,to the midnight air,
Sole, or responsive each to others note, Singing their great Creator? oft in bands While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk,685 With heav'nly touch of inftrumental sounds, In full harmonic number join'd, their fongs Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heaven. Thus talking,hand in.hand,alone they pafs'd
On to their blissful bow'r; it was a place Chos'n by the fovran Planter, when he fram'd All things to Man's delightful use; the roof, Of thickest covert, was inwoven fhade
Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew
Of firm and fragrant leaf; on either fide Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub
Fenc'd up the verdant wall; each beauteous flower, Iris all hues, rofes, and jeffamin
Reard high their florish'd heads between, and wrought Mofaic; underfoot the violet,
Crocus, and hyacinth,with rich inlay,
Broider'd the ground; more color'd than with stone Of coftlieft emblem: other creature here, Beaft, bird, infect, or worm,durft enter none; Such was their awe of Man. In fhadier bower 705 More facred and sequester'd, though but feign'd, Pan or Sylvanus never flept, nor Nymph, Nor Faunus haunted. Here in close recefs
With flowers, garlands, and fweet-smelling herbs Espoused Eve deck'd first her nuptial bed, And heav'nly quires the hymenæan fung; What day the genial Angel to our fire Brought her,in naked beauty more adorn'd, More lovely than Pandora, whom the Gods Endow'd with all their gifts; and O too like In fad event, when to th'unwifer fon Of Japhet brought by Hermes, she infnar'd Mankind with her fair looks, to be aveng'd On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire. Thus at their fhady lodge arriv'd, both stood, 720 Both turn'd, and under open sky ador'd
The God that made both sky, air, earth and heaven, Which they beheld, the moon's refplendent globe, And ftarry pole: Thou also mad'st the night, Maker omnipotent, and thou the day, Which we in our appointed work employ'd Have finish'd, happy in our mutual help, And mutual love, the crown of all our bliss, Ordain'd by thee; and this delicious place For us too large, where thy abundance wants 730 Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground. But thou hast promis'd from us two a race To fill the earth, who shall with us extol Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake, And when we seek, as now, thy gift of fleep. 735 This faid, unanimous, and other rites
Obferving none, but adoration pure,
Which God likes beft, into their inmost bower Handed they went; and, eas'd the putting off These troublesome disguises which we wear, Strait fide by fide were laid; nor turn'd I ween Adam from his fair spouse, nor Eve the rites Mysterious of connubial love refus'd: Whatever hypocrites aufterely talk Of purity, and place, and innocence, Defaming as impure what God declares
Pure, and commands to fome, leaves free to all. Our Maker bids increafe; who bids abftain But our Destroyer, foe to God and Man?
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