Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers,
Rising or falling, still advance his praise.

His praise, ye Winds, that from four quarters blow,
Breathe soft or loud; and wave your tops, ye Pines,
With every Plant, in sign of worship wave.
Fountains, and ye, that warble, as ye flow,
Melodious murmurs, warbling tune his praise.
Join voices, all ye living Souls. Ye Birds,
That, singing, up to Heaven-gate ascend,

Bear on your wings and in your notes his praise.
Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk
The earth, and stately tread, or lowly creep,
Witness if I be silent, morn or even,

To hill or valley, fountain, or fresh shade,
Made vocal by my song, and taught his praise.
Hail, universal Lord! Be bounteous still
To give us only good; and, if the night
Have gathered aught of evil, or concealed,
Disperse it, as now light dispels the dark."

THE DISOBEDIENCE OF OUR FIRST PARENTS

ADAM, first of men, to first of women, Eve:

"Sole partner and sole part of all these joys, Dearer thyself than all, needs must the Power That made us, and for us this ample World,

Be infinitely good, and of his good

As liberal and free as infinite;

That raised us from the dust, and placed us here

In all this happiness, who at his hand

Have nothing merited, nor can perform

Aught whereof he hath need; he who requires

From us no other service than to keep

This one, this easy charge of all the trees

In Paradise that bear delicious fruit

So various, not to taste that only Tree

Of Knowledge, planted by the Tree of Life;

So near grows Death to Life, whate'er Death is-
Some dreadful thing no doubt; for well thou know'st
God hath pronounced it Death to taste that Tree:
The only sign of our obedience left

Among so many signs of power and rule
Conferred upon us, and dominion given

Over all other creatures that possess

Earth, Air, and Sea. Then let us not think hard

One easy prohibition, who enjoy

Free leave so large to all things else, and choice

Unlimited of manifold delights;

But let us ever praise him, and extol

His bounty, following our delightful task,

To prune these growing plants, and tend these flowers; Which, were it toilsome, yet with thee were sweet."

WHA

HAT is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?

To whom thus Eve replied:-"O thou for whom
And from whom I was formed flesh of thy flesh,
And without whom am to no end, my guide
And head! what thou hast said is just and right.
For we to him, indeed, all praises owe,
And daily thanks-I chiefly, who enjoy
So far the happier lot, enjoying thee
Pre-eminent by so much odds, while thou
Like consort to thyself canst nowhere find.
Adam, well may we labour still to dress

This Garden, still to tend plant, herb, and flower,
Our pleasant task enjoined; but, till more hands
Aid us, the work under our labour grows,
Luxurious by restraint: what we by day
Lop overgrown, or prune, or prop, or bind,
One night or two with wanton growth derides,
Tending to wild. Thou, therefore, now advise,
Or hear what to my mind first thoughts present.
Let us divide our labours-thou where choice
Leads thee, or where most needs, whether to wind
The woodbine round this arbour, or direct
The clasping ivy where to climb; while I
In yonder spring of roses intermixed
With myrtle find what to redress till noon.
For, while so near each other thus all day
Our task we choose, what wonder if so near
Looks intervene and smiles, or objects new
Casual discourse draw on, which intermits
Our day's work, brought to little, though begun
Early, and the hour of supper comes unearned!"

To whom mild answer Adam thus returned:"Sole Eve, associate sole, to me beyond Compare above all living creatures dear!

Well hast thou motioned, well thy thoughts imployed
How we might best fulfil the work which here

God hath assigned us, nor of me shalt pass
Unpraised; for nothing lovelier can be found
In woman than to study household good,
And good works in her husband to promote.
Yet not so strictly hath our Lord imposed
Labour as to debar us when we need
Refreshment, whether food, or talk between,
Food of the mind, or this sweet intercourse

Of looks and smiles; for smiles from reason flow
To brute denied, and are of love the food-

Love, not the lowest end of human life.

For not to irksome toil, but to delight,

He made us, and delight to reason joined.

These paths and bowers doubt not but our joint hands
Will keep from wilderness with ease, as wide
As we need walk, till younger hands ere long
Assist us. But, if much converse perhaps

I

S not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

They were all bound together with one chain of darkness.

If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, through thy forsaking the Lord thy God, while he was leading thee on the right way?

Ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.

Be sure your sin will find you out.

Even so are the ways of all that forget God.

For whereas wickedness is fearful, it beareth witness of its condemnation: for a troubled conscience always forecasteth grievous things.

For fear is nothing else but a yielding up of the succours from thought.

And while there is less expectation from within, the greater doth it count the ignorance of that cause which bringeth the torment.

Because fear hath torment.

Thee satiate, to short absence I could yield;
For solitude sometimes is best society,

And short retirement urges sweet return.

But other doubt possesses me, lest harm

Befall thee, severed from me; for thou know'st
What hath been warned us-what malicious foe,
Envying our happiness, and of his own
Despairing, seeks to work us woe and shame
By sly assault, and somewhere nigh at hand
Watches, no doubt, with greedy hope to find
His wish and best advantage, us asunder,
Hopeless to circumvent us joined, where each
To other speedy aid might lend at need.
Whether his first design be to withdraw
Our fealty from God, or to disturb
Conjugal love-than which perhaps no bliss
Enjoyed by us excites his envy more-

Or this, or worse, leave not the faithful side

That gave thee being, still shades thee and protects. The wife, where danger or dishonour lurks,

Safest and seemliest by her husband stays,

Who guards her, or with her the worst endures."

To whom the virgin majesty of Eve,

As one who loves, and some unkindness meets,

With sweet austere composure thus replied:"Offspring of Heaven and Earth, and all Earth's lord! That such an Enemy we have, who seeks

Our ruin, both by thee informed I learn,

And from the parting Angel overheard,

As in a shady nook I stood behind,

Just then returned at shut of evening flowers.

But that thou shouldst my firmness therefore doubt

To God or thee, because we have a foe

May tempt it, I expected not to hear.

His violence thou fear'st not, being such

As we, not capable of death or pain,

Can either not receive, or can repel.

His fraud is, then, thy fear; which plain infers

Thy equal fear that my firm faith and love

Can by his fraud be shaken or seduced :

Thoughts, which how found they harbour in thy breast, Adam! misthought of her to thee so dear?"

To whom, with healing words, Adam replied:"Daughter of God and Man, immortal Eve!

For such thou art, from sin and blame entire

Not diffident of thee do I dissuade

Thy absence from my sight, but to avoid

The attempt itself, intended by our Foe.

For he who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses

The tempted with dishonour foul, supposed

Not incorruptible of faith, not proof