Invests him coming; yet not terrible
That I fhould fear, nor fociably mild,
As Raphael, that I should much confide,
But folemn and fublime, whom not to' offend,
With reverence I must meet, and thou retire.
He ended; and th' Arch-Angel foon drew nigh,
Not in his fhape celeftial, but as man
Clad to meet man; over his lucid arms
A military veft of purple flow'd,
Livelier than Meliboean, or the grain
Of Sarra, worn by kings and heroes old
In time of truce; Iris had dipt the woof;
His starry helm unbuckled show'd him prime
In manhood where youth ended; by his fide
As in a glist'ring zodiac hung the sword,
Satan's dire dread, and in his hand the spear.
Adam bow'd low; he kingly from his state
Inclin'd not, but his coming thus declar'd.
Adam, Heav'n's high beheft no preface needs :
Sufficient that thy pray'rs are heard, and Death,
Then due by fentence when thou didst tranfgrefs,
Defeated of his feifure many days
Giv'n thee of grace, wherein thou may'st repent,
And one bad act with many deeds well done
Mayft cover well may then thy Lord appeas'd
Redeem thee quite from Death's rapacious clame;
But longer in this Paradise to dwell
Permits not; to remove thee I am come,
And fend thee from the garden forth to till
The ground whence thou waft taken, fitter foil.
He added not, for Adam at the news
Heart-ftruck with chilling gripe of forrow stood,
That all his fenfes bound; Eve, who unseen
Yet all had heard, with audible lament
Discover'd foon the place of her retire.
O unexpected stroke, worse than of Death!
Muft I thus leave thee, Paradife? thus leave
Thee, native foil, these happy walks and fhades, 270
Fit haunt of Gods? where I had hope to spend,
Quiet though fad, the refpit of that day
That must be mortal to us both. O flowers,
That never will in other climate grow,
My early vifitation, and my laft
At even, which I bred up with tender hand
From the first opening bud, and gave you names,
Who now fhall rear you to the fun, or rank
Your tribes, and water from th' ambrofial fount?
Thee laftly, nuptial bow'r, by me adorn'd
With what to fight or smell was sweet, from thee
How shall I part, and whither wander down
Into a lower world, to this obfcure
And wild? how fhall we breathe in other air
Lefs pure, accuftom'd to immortal fruits?
Whom thus the Angel interrupted mild.
Lament not, Eve, but patiently refign
What justly thou hast loft; nor fet thy heart,
Thus over-fond, on that which is not thine
Thy going is not lonely; with thee goes
Thy husband; him to follow thou art bound;
Where he abides, think there thy native foil.
Adam by this from the cold fudden damp Recovering, and his scatter'd spi'rits return'd, To Michael thus his humble words addrefs'd.
Celestial, whether among the Thrones, or nam'd
Of them the high'eft, for fuch of shape may seem
Prince above princes, gently haft thou told
Thy meffage, which might elfe in telling wound,
And in performing end us; what besides
Of forrow and dejection and defpair
Our frailty can sustain, thy tidings bring,
Departure from this happy place, aur fweet
Recefs, and only confolation left
Familiar to our eyes, all places elfe
Inhofpitable' appear and defolate,
Nor knowing us nor known: and if by prayer
Inceffant I could hope to change the will
Of him who all things can, I would not cease
To weary him with my affiduous cries :
But pray'r against his abfolute decree
No more avails than breath against the wind,
Blown ftifling back on him that breathes it forth :
Therefore to his great bidding I submit.
This most afflicts me, that departing hence,
As from his face I fhall be hid, depriv'd
His bleffed count'nance; here I could frequent
With worship place by place where he vouchsaf'd
Presence divine, and to my fons relate,
On this mount he appear'd, under this tree
Stood visible, among these pines his voice
I heard, here with him at this fountain talk'd:
So many grateful altars I would rear
Of graffy turf, and pile up every stone
Of luftre from the brook, in memory,
Or monument to ages, and thereon
Offer sweet smelling gums and fruits and flowers :
In yonder nether world where fhall I seek
His bright appearances, or foot-step trace?
For though I fled him angry, yet, recall'd
To life prolong'd and promis'd race, I now
Gladly behold though but his utmost skirts
Of glory, and far off his steps adore.
To whom thus Michael with regard benign.
Adam, thou know'ft Heav'n his, and all the Earth,
Not this rock only'; his omniprefence fills
Land, fea, and air, and every kind that lives,
Fomented by his virtual power and warm'd :
All th' earth he gave thee to poffefs and rule,
No defpicable gift; furmise not then
His prefence to these narrow bounds confin'd
Of Paradife or Eden: this had been
Perhaps thy capital feat, from whence had spread
All generations, and had hither come
From all the ends of th' earth, to celebrate
And reverence thee their great progenitor.
But this præeminence thou' haft loft, brought down To dwell on even ground now with thy fons :
Yet doubt not but in valley and in plain
God is as here, and will be found alike
Prefent, and of his prefence many a fign
Still following thee, ftill compaffing thee round
With goodness and paternal love, his face
Express, and of his steps the track divine.
Which that thou may'ft believe, and be confirm'd 355
Ere thou from hence depart, know I am fent
To fhow thee what fhall come in future days
To thee and to thy offspring; good with bad
Expect to hear, fupernal grace contending
With finfulness of men; thereby to learn
True patience, and to temper joy with fear
And pious forrow, equally inur'd
By moderation either state to bear,
Profperous or adverse so fhalt thou lead
Safeft thy life, and best prepar'd indure
Thy mortal paffage when it comes.
This hill; let Eve (for I have drench'd her eyes)
Here fleep below, while thou to forefight wak'st ;
As once thou flept'ft, while fhe to life was form'd.
To whom thus Adam gratefully reply'd.
Afcend, I follow thee, fafe Guide, the path
Thou lead' me', and to the hand of Heav'n submit,
However chaft'ning, to the evil turn
My obvious breaft, arming to overcome
By fuffering, and earn reft from labor won,
If fo I may attain. So both afcend
In the vifions of God: It was a hill
Of Paradise the higheft, from whose top
The hemifphere of earth in clearest ken
Stretch'd out to th" ampleft reach of profpect lay. 380
Not high'er that hill nor wider looking round,
Whereon for different cause the Tempter fet
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