feventh to thefe, this Planet the Earth (feemingly fo ftedfaft) hath three (e) different Motions infenfibly? Which elfe thou muft afcribe to feveral Spheres, mov'd contrarywife and with indirect Motions; or fave the Sun his Labour, and that fwift daily and nightly Revolution fuppos'd invifible about the Stars; which has no Need of thy Belief, if the Earth moving towards the Eaft bring the Day, and her other oppofite Part turning from the Sun meet Night: What if Earth's Light, fent from the Earth through the wide transparent Air, be as a Star to the Moon, reciprocally enlightening her by Day, and her Inhabitants, (if Inhabitants are there) as the by Night does this Earth? Thou feeft her Spots like Clouds, and Clouds may rain, and Rain may produce Fruits in her foften'd Soil, allotted there for fome to cat; and perhaps thou or thy Pofterity may difcover other Suns communicating dazling Lights, and other Moons communicating weaker Lights, each Orb perhaps fill'd with living Inhabitants: For it remains very open to Difpute, that fuch a vaft Part of the Univerfe fhould be uninhabited by living Souls, and be defart and defolate, and ferve only to fhine; yet fcarcely to contribute each Orb one Glimpfe of Light, when convey'd down fo far as this habitable Earth, which again returns Light back to them. But whether thefe Things are thus, or not; whether the Sun, above all, rife on the Earth, or Earth rife on the Sun, or whether he begin his Road from the Eaft, or fhe advance her filent Courfe from the Weft, do not thou be anxious to know Things which are hid from thee; but . leave them to GoD above, and ferve and fear him: Let him difpofe of other Creatures wherever he has plac'd them, as pleafes him beft; do thou enjoy what he hath given to thee, that is this PARADISE, and thy beautiful

(e) Three, i. e. The Diurnal, the Annual and the Motion on her own dxis.

beautiful EVE: Heaven is too high for thee to know what paffes there; be humbly wife; think only of what concerns thee and thy Being; don't dream about other Worlds, what Creatures may live there, or if living there, what may be their State, Condition, or Degree: Reft contented, that thus much hath been reveal'd to thee, not only Things belonging to this Earth, but many concerning the highest Heaven.

CHA P. II.

Adam affents to the Advice of Raphael, and being fill defirous to detain him, relates what he remember'd fince his own Creation.

B

Y the Speech of the Angel, ADAM being clear'd of all Doubts, made this Reply:

SERENE Angel! pure Intelligence of Heaven! how fully haft thou fatisfied, freed from Intricacies, and taught me to live the beft and eafieft Way! not to interrupt the Sweets of Life with perplexing Thoughts, which God hath bid to keep far off from us, and not moleft us; unless we ourselves, with wandering Minds and vain Motions, feek them out: But the Soul or the Fancy is apt to rove uncheck'd, to which there is no Bound; till advis'd or taught by Experience, fhe learn, that not to know at large of obfcure Things, full of Subtilty, and remote from Ufe, but to know that which lies before us in daily Life, is the first Wisdom; what is more is but a Vapour, Emptinefs, or trifling, and renders us unpractis'd, unprepar'd, and ftill to feck in Things that moft concern us. Therefore let us defcend from thefe high Subjects to thofe of a lower Nature, and fpeak of Things which are near to us, and of Ufe; whence Mention

S3

Mention may perhaps be made of fomething, which by thy Permiflion and wonted Condefcenfion may not be unfeasonable to enquire about.

I HAVE heard thee relate what was done before my Remembrance: Now hear me relate my Story, which perhaps thou haft never yet heard, and the Day is not yet fpent; 'till then thou feeft how I contrive to detain thee, inviting thee to give Audience while I fpeak; which I can only excufe by faying, that I do it, only hoping to hear thy Reply. For I feem in Heaven while I fit with thee, and thy Difcourfe is fweeter to my Ear, than the Fruit of the Palm-Tree (at the Hour of fweet Repaft) is to the Tafte, though pleasant both to Hunger and Thirft; that fatiates foon and fills, but thy Words, endu'd with divine Grace, bring no Surfeit with their Sweetnefs. To whom thus RAPHAEL anfwer'd, with heavenly Meeknefs:

FATHER of MANKIND! think not that thy Lips are incapable of fpeaking Things pleasant to hear, or that thy Tongue is without Eloquence; for God hath alfo pour'd his Gifts abundantly on thee, and made thee both inwardly and outwardly his own fair Image: All Comlinefs and Grace attend thee, and form each Word or Motion; nor do we in Heaven think lefs of thee upon Earth, than of our own Fellow-Servant, and we gladly enquire into the Ways of GOD with MAN; for GOD we fee hath honour'd thee, and fet his Love upon MAN equal with the Angels: Therefore fpeak on, for on the Day of MAN's Creation it befell that I was abfent, bound upon an obfcure and uncouth Voyage, out upon Excurfion towards the Gates of Hell, with many Legions of Angels, (for we had fuch a Command) to fee that none iffu'd forth from thence, either as an Enemy or a Spy, while GOD was in his great Work; left he (incens'd

if

if fuch bold Eruption had been made) might have mix'd Destruction with Creation: Not that they durft attempt any fuch Thing, without his Permiffion; but he fends us to execute his high Commands, (as being the Sovereign King) to exercife his Power, and inure us to ready Obedience: We found the difmal Gates faft fhut, and ftrongly barricaded; but long before we approach'd them, we heard a Noife far different from the Voice of Joy, loud Lamentations and furious Rage, the Effect of Torment: We return'd gladly up to Heaven before the Evening of the Sabbath, for fo we had in Charge to do. But now begin thy Relation, for I attend, as much pleas'd with thy Words as thou art with mine.

So fpoke the Angel, and thus in Reply ADAM: It is hard for MAN to tell how human Life began; for who knew himfelf Begirning? But Defire ftill to converfe longer with thee, firft induc'd me to fpeak.

I found myself lying upon the Grafs, as if new wak'd from found Sleep, and in a gentle Sweat, which the Sun foon dry'd with his Beams. Strait I . turn'd my wond'ring Eyes towards Heaven, and gazed a-while at the fpacious Sky; 'till rais'd by quick Motion, I fprung upward, (as naturally defirous, and endeavouring to go thither) and ftood upright upon my Feet: Round about me I faw Hills, Dales, Woods, and running Streams, and by thefe, Creatures that liv'd and mov'd, and walk'd or elfe flew; Birds were finging on the Branches, all Things look'd pleafant and full of Sweetnefs, and my own Heart overflow'd with Joy. Then I confider'd myfelf, and furvey'd me, Limb by Limb; fometimes I walk'd, fometimes, as lively Vigour prompted me, I ran; but I knew not who I was, or where, or from what Caufe: I try'd to speak, and immediately I fpoke; my Tongue could readily name whatever I faw. Thou Sun, faid I, fair Light! and Thou, the enlighten'd S 4

Earth

Earth! fo fresh and fine! ye Hills, and Vallies! ye Plains, Woods, and Rivers! and ye that live and move, all ye fair Creatures! tell me (if ye faw) how I came here? ---- Not of myself. Then by fome great Maker, pre-eminent in Goodness, and in Power: Tell me, how I may know him, how adore him, from whom I have this Power of Motion and this Life, and feel that I am happier than I yet know. While I call'd thus and wander'd, I did not know whither, from the Place where I first drew Breath, and firft beheld this happy Light, and none returning Anfwer, I fat me down penfive on a green fhady Bank, cover'd with Flowers; there gentle Sleep first came upon me, and with foft Oppreffion feiz'd my drowzy untroubled Senfes, (though I then thought I was paffing to my former State, that I was going to become again infenfible, and forthwith be in a State of Diffolution) when fuddenly there appear'd to me a Dream, which gently mov'd my Fancy to believe, that I yet had Being, and liv'd. Methought there came one of divine Shape, and faid to me, "ADAM!

thy Habitation wants thee; rife, first MAN, and "ordain'd firft Father of innumerable MEN! I come "(call'd by thee) to be thy Guide to thy prepar'd "Seat, which is the Garden of PARADISE." Saying this, he took and rais'd me by the Hand, and over Fields and Waters, in the Air, as it were wafting me along, without ftopping, at laft led me up to a woody Mountain, upon whofe high Top was a Plain; a wide Circuit inclos'd, planted with all Manner of goodly Trees, having many Walks and Bowers, in Comparison of which what I faw upon Earth before fcarcely feem'd pleasant: Every Tree was loaded with the faireft Fruit, that hung tempting to the Eye, and mov'd in me a certain Appetite to gather of it and eat; whereon I wak'd, and found all real before my Eyes, as the Dream had in a lively Manner represented to me. Here I had began to wander