Sooner or later; which th' Almightie seeing,

From his transcendent Seat the Saints among,

To those bright Orders utterd thus his voice.

See with what heat these Dogs of Hell advance

To waste and havoc yonder VVorld, which I

So fair and good created, and had still

Kept in that state, had not the folly of Man

Let in these wastful Furies, who impute

Folly to mee, so doth the Prince of Hell

And his Adherents, that with so much ease

I suffer them to enter and possess

A place so heav'nly, and conniving seem

To gratifie my scornful Enemies,

That laugh, as if transported with some fit

Of Passion, I to them had quitted all,

At random yeilded up to their misrule;

And know not that I call'd and drew them thither

My Hell-hounds, to lick up the draff and filth

Which mans polluting Sin with taint hath shed

On what was pure, till cramm'd and gorg'd, nigh burst

With suckt and glutted offal, at one fling

Of thy victorious Arm, well-pleasing Son,

Both SIN, and DEATH, and yawning GRAVE at last

Through CHAOS hurld, obstruct the mouth of Hell

For ever, and seal up his ravenous Jawes.

Then Heav'n and Earth renewd shall be made pure

To sanctitie that shall receive no staine:

Till then the Curse pronounc't on both precedes.

Hee ended, and the heav'nly Audience loud

Sung HALLELUIA, as the sound of Seas,

Through multitude that sung: Just are thy ways,

Righteous are thy Decrees on all thy Works;

Who can extenuate thee? Next, to the Son,

Destin'd restorer of Mankind, by whom

New Heav'n and Earth shall to the Ages rise,

Or down from Heav'n descend. Such was thir song,

While the Creator calling forth by name

His mightie Angels gave them several charge,

As sorted best with present things. The Sun

Had first his precept so to move, so shine,

As might affect the Earth with cold and heat

Scarce tollerable, and from the North to call

Decrepit Winter, from the South to bring

Solstitial summers heat. To the blanc Moone

Her office they prescrib'd, to th' other five

Thir planetarie motions and aspects

In SEXTILE, SQUARE, and TRINE, and OPPOSITE,

Of noxious efficacie, and when to joyne

In Synod unbenigne, and taught the fixt

Thir influence malignant when to showre,

Which of them rising with the Sun, or falling,

Should prove tempestuous: To the Winds they set

Thir corners, when with bluster to confound

Sea, Aire, and Shoar, the Thunder when to rowle

With terror through the dark Aereal Hall.

Some say he bid his Angels turne ascanse

The Poles of Earth twice ten degrees and more

From the Suns Axle; they with labour push'd

Oblique the Centric Globe: Som say the Sun

Was bid turn Reines from th' Equinoctial Rode

Like distant breadth to TAURUS with the Seav'n

ATLANTICK Sisters, and the SPARTAN Twins

Up to the TROPIC Crab; thence down amaine

By LEO and the VIRGIN and the SCALES,

As deep as CAPRICORNE, to bring in change

Of Seasons to each Clime; else had the Spring

Perpetual smil'd on Earth with vernant Flours,

Equal in Days and Nights, except to those

Beyond the Polar Circles; to them Day

Had unbenighted shon, while the low Sun

To recompence his distance, in thir sight

Had rounded still th' HORIZON, and not known

Or East or West, which had forbid the Snow

From cold ESTOTILAND, and South as farr

Beneath MAGELLAN. At that tasted Fruit

The Sun, as from THYESTEAN Banquet, turn'd

His course intended; else how had the World

Inhabited, though sinless, more then now,

Avoided pinching cold and scorching heate?

These changes in the Heav'ns, though slow, produc'd

Like change on Sea and Land, sideral blast,

Vapour, and Mist, and Exhalation hot,

Corrupt and Pestilent: Now from the North

Of NORUMBEGA, and the SAMOED shoar

Bursting thir brazen Dungeon, armd with ice

And snow and haile and stormie gust and flaw,

BOREAS and CAECIAS and ARGESTES loud

And THRASCIAS rend the Woods and Seas upturn;

With adverse blast up-turns them from the South

NOTUS and AFER black with thundrous Clouds

From SERRALIONA; thwart of these as fierce

Forth rush the LEVANT and the PONENT VVindes

EURUS and ZEPHIR with thir lateral noise,

SIROCCO, and LIBECCHIO. Thus began

Outrage from liveless things; but Discord first

Daughter of Sin, among th' irrational,

Death introduc'd through fierce antipathie:

Beast now with Beast gan war, & Fowle with Fowle,

And Fish with Fish; to graze the Herb all leaving,

Devourd each other; nor stood much in awe

Of Man, but fled him, or with count'nance grim

Glar'd on him passing: these were from without

The growing miseries, which ADAM saw

Alreadie in part, though hid in gloomiest shade,

To sorrow abandond, but worse felt within,

And in a troubl'd Sea of passion tost,

Thus to disburd'n sought with sad complaint.

O miserable of happie! is this the end

Of this new glorious World, and mee so late

The Glory of that Glory, who now becom

Accurst of blessed, hide me from the face

Of God, whom to behold was then my highth

Of happiness: yet well, if here would end

The miserie, I deserv'd it, and would beare

My own deservings; but this will not serve;

All that I eate or drink, or shall beget,

Is propagated curse. O voice once heard

Delightfully, ENCREASE AND MULTIPLY,

Now death to heare! for what can I encrease

Or multiplie, but curses on my head?

Who of all Ages to succeed, but feeling

The evil on him brought by me, will curse

My Head, Ill fare our Ancestor impure,

For this we may thank ADAM; but his thanks

Shall be the execration; so besides

Mine own that bide upon me, all from mee

Shall with a fierce reflux on mee redound,

On mee as on thir natural center light

Heavie, though in thir place. O fleeting joyes

Of Paradise, deare bought with lasting woes!

Did I request thee, Maker, from my Clay

To mould me Man, did I sollicite thee

From darkness to promote me, or here place

In this delicious Garden? as my Will

Concurd not to my being, it were but right

And equal to reduce me to my dust,

Desirous to resigne, and render back

All I receav'd, unable to performe

Thy terms too hard, by which I was to hold

The good I sought not. To the loss of that,

Sufficient penaltie, why hast thou added

The sense of endless woes? inexplicable

Thy Justice seems; yet to say truth, too late,

I thus contest; then should have been refusd

Those terms whatever, when they were propos'd:

Thou didst accept them; wilt thou enjoy the good,

Then cavil the conditions? and though God

Made thee without thy leave, what if thy Son

Prove disobedient, and reprov'd, retort,

Wherefore didst thou beget me? I sought it not:

Wouldst thou admit for his contempt of thee

That proud excuse? yet him not thy election,

But Natural necessity begot.

God made thee of choice his own, and of his own

To serve him, thy reward was of his grace,

Thy punishment then justly is at his Will.

Be it so, for I submit, his doom is fair,

That dust I am, and shall to dust returne:

O welcom hour whenever! why delayes

His hand to execute what his Decree

Fixd on this day? why do I overlive,

Why am I mockt with death, and length'nd out

To deathless pain? how gladly would I meet

Mortalitie my sentence, and be Earth

Insensible, how glad would lay me down