As from his Laire the wilde Beast where he wonns

In Forrest wilde, in Thicket, Brake, or Den;

Among the Trees in Pairs they rose, they walk'd:

The Cattel in the Fields and Meddowes green:

Those rare and solitarie, these in flocks

Pasturing at once, and in broad Herds upsprung:

The grassie Clods now Calv'd, now half appeer'd

The Tawnie Lion, pawing to get free

His hinder parts, then springs as broke from Bonds,

And Rampant shakes his Brinded main; the Ounce,

The Libbard, and the Tyger, as the Moale

Rising, the crumbl'd Earth above them threw

In Hillocks; the swift Stag from under ground

Bore up his branching head: scarse from his mould

BEHEMOTH biggest born of Earth upheav'd

His vastness: Fleec't the Flocks and bleating rose,

As Plants: ambiguous between Sea and Land

The River Horse and scalie Crocodile.

At once came forth whatever creeps the ground,

Insect or Worme; those wav'd thir limber fans

For wings, and smallest Lineaments exact

In all the Liveries dect of Summers pride

With spots of Gold and Purple, azure and green:

These as a line thir long dimension drew,

Streaking the ground with sinuous trace; not all

Minims of Nature; some of Serpent kinde

Wondrous in length and corpulence involv'd

Thir Snakie foulds, and added wings. First crept

The Parsimonious Emmet, provident

Of future, in small room large heart enclos'd,

Pattern of just equalitie perhaps

Hereafter, join'd in her popular Tribes

Of Commonaltie: swarming next appeer'd

The Femal Bee that feeds her Husband Drone

Deliciously, and builds her waxen Cells

With Honey stor'd: the rest are numberless,

And thou thir Natures know'st, and gav'st them Names,

Needlest to thee repeaed; nor unknown

The Serpent suttl'st Beast of all the field,

Of huge extent somtimes, with brazen Eyes

And hairie Main terrific, though to thee

Not noxious, but obedient at thy call.

Now Heav'n in all her Glorie shon, and rowld

Her motions, as the great first-Movers hand

First wheeld thir course; Earth in her rich attire

Consummate lovly smil'd; Aire, Water, Earth,

By Fowl, Fish, Beast, was flown, was swum, was walkt

Frequent; and of the Sixt day yet remain'd;

There wanted yet the Master work, the end

Of all yet don; a Creature who not prone

And Brute as other Creatures, but endu'd

With Sanctitie of Reason, might erect

His Stature, and upright with Front serene

Govern the rest, self-knowing, and from thence

Magnanimous to correspond with Heav'n,

But grateful to acknowledge whence his good

Descends, thither with heart and voice and eyes

Directed in Devotion, to adore

And worship God Supream, who made him chief

Of all his works: therefore the Omnipotent

Eternal Father (For where is not hee

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 Fowle of Sea and Aire,

Beast of the Field, and over all the Earth,

And every creeping thing that creeps the ground.

This said, he formd thee, ADAM, thee O Man

Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breath'd

The breath of Life; in his own Image hee

Created thee, in the Image of God

Express, and thou becam'st a living Soul.

Male he created thee, but thy consort

Femal for Race; then bless'd Mankinde, and said,

Be fruitful, multiplie, and fill the Earth,

Subdue it, and throughout Dominion hold

Over Fish of the Sea, and Fowle of the Aire,

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 thir pleasant fruit for food

Gave thee, all sorts are here that all th' Earth yeelds,

Varietie without end; but of the Tree

Which tasted works knowledge of Good and Evil,

Thou mai'st not; in the day thou eat'st, thou di'st;

Death is the penaltie impos'd, beware,

And govern well thy appetite, least sin

Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death.

Here finish'd hee, and all that he had made

View'd, and behold all was entirely good;

So Ev'n and Morn accomplish'd the Sixt day:

Yet not till the Creator from his work

Desisting, though unwearied, up returnd

Up to the Heav'n of Heav'ns his high abode,

Thence to behold this new created World

Th' addition of his Empire, how it shew'd

In prospect from his Throne, how good, how faire,

Answering his great Idea. Up he rode

Followd with acclamation and the sound

Symphonious of ten thousand Harpes that tun'd

Angelic harmonies: the Earth, the Aire

Resounded, (thou remember'st, for thou heardst)

The Heav'ns and all the Constellations rung,

The Planets in thir stations list'ning stood,

While the bright Pomp ascended jubilant.

Open, ye everlasting Gates, they sung,

Open, ye Heav'ns, your living dores; let in

The great Creator from his work returnd

Magnificent, his Six days work, a World;

Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deigne

To visit oft the dwellings of just Men

Delighted, and with frequent intercourse

Thither will send his winged Messengers

On errands of supernal Grace. So sung

The glorious Train ascending: He through Heav'n,

That open'd wide her blazing Portals, led

To Gods Eternal house direct the way,

A broad and ample rode, whose dust is Gold

And pavement Starrs, as Starrs to thee appeer,

Seen in the Galaxie, that Milkie way

Which nightly as a circling Zone thou seest

Pouderd with Starrs. And now on Earth the Seaventh

Eev'ning arose in EDEN, for the Sun

Was set, and twilight from the East came on,

Forerunning Night; when at the holy mount

Of Heav'ns high-seated top, th' Impereal Throne

Of Godhead, fixt for ever firm and sure,

The Filial Power arriv'd, and sate him down

With his great Father (for he also went

Invisible, yet staid (such priviledge

Hath Omnipresence) and the work ordain'd,

Author and end of all things, and from work

Now resting, bless'd and hallowd the Seav'nth 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, intermixt with Voice

Choral or Unison: of incense Clouds

Fuming from Golden Censers hid the Mount.

Creation and the Six dayes acts they sung,

Great are thy works, JEHOVAH, infinite

Thy power; what thought can measure thee or tongue

Relate thee; greater now in thy return

Then from the Giant Angels; thee that day

Thy Thunders magnifi'd; but to create

Is greater then created to destroy.

Who can impair thee, mighty King, or bound

Thy Empire? easily the proud attempt

Of Spirits apostat and thir Counsels vaine

Thou hast repeld, while impiously they thought

Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw

The number of thy worshippers. Who seekes

To lessen thee, against his purpose serves

To manifest the more thy might: his evil

Thou usest, and from thence creat'st more good.

Witness this new-made World, another Heav'n

From Heaven Gate not farr, founded in view

On the cleer HYALINE, the Glassie Sea;

Of amplitude almost immense, with Starr's