The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems
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His danger, and from whom—what enemy,
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Late fall’n himself from Heav’n, is plotting now
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The fall of others from like state of bliss.
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By violence? No, for that shall be withstood,3374
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But by deceit and lies. This let him know
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Lest, wilfully transgressing, he pretend 3375
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Surprisal, unadmonished,3376 unforewarned.
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So spoke the Eternal Father, and fulfilled3377
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All justice. Nor delayed the wingèd Saint
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After his charge3378 received, but from among
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Thousand celestial Ardors,3379 where he stood
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Veiled 3380 with his gorgeous3381 wings, up springing light,
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Flew through the midst of Heav’n. Th’ angelic choirs,
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On each hand parting, to his speed gave way
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Through all th’ empyreal road, till at the gate
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Of Heav’n arrived, the gate self-opened wide
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On golden hinges turning, as by work
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Divine the sov’reign Architect had framed.3382
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From hence no cloud, or to obstruct his sight,
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Star interposed,3383 however small, he sees,
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Not unconform3384 to other shining globes,
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Earth, and the garden of God, with cedars crowned
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Above all hills. As when by night the glass
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Of Galileo, less assured,3385 observes
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Imagined lands and regions in the moon,
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Or pilot from amidst the Cyclades3386
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Delos3387 or Samos3388 first appearing, kens3389
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A cloudy spot. Down thither prone3390 in flight
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He speeds, and through the vast ethereal sky
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Sails between worlds and worlds, with steady wing
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Now on the polar winds, then with quick fan3391
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Winnows3392 the buxom3393 air, till within soar3394
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Of tow’ring eagles, to all the fowls he seems
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A phoenix,3395 gazed 3396 by all as that sole3397 bird,
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When, to enshrine his3398 relics in the sun’s
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Bright temple, to Egyptian Thebes he flies.
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At once on th’ eastern cliff of Paradise
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He3399 lights, and to his proper shape returns,
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A Seraph winged. Six wings he wore, to shade
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His lineaments3400 divine. The pair that clad
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Each shoulder broad, came mantling3401 o’er his breast
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With regal ornament; the middle pair
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Girt like a starry zone3402 his waist, and round
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Skirted3403 his loins and thighs with downy3404 gold
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And colors dipped 3405 in Heav’n; the third his feet
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Shadowed from either heel with feathered mail,
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Sky-tinctured 3406 grain.3407 Like Maia’s son3408 he stood
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And shook his plumes,3409 that 3410 Heav’nly fragrance filled
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The circuit wide. 3411 Straight knew him all the bands
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Of Angels under3412 watch, and to his state,
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And to his message high, in honor rise,
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For on some message high they guessed him bound.
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Their glittering tents he passed, and now is come
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Into the blissful 3413 field, through groves of myrrh,
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And flowering odors, cassia, nard,3414 and balm—
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A wilderness of sweets. For Nature here
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Wantoned 3415 as in her prime, and played at will
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Her virgin fancies, pouring forth more sweet,
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Wild above3416 rule or art, enormous bliss.
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Him through the spicy3417 forest onward come
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Adam discerned, as in the door he sat
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Of his cool bow’r, while now the mounted sun
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Shot down direct his fervid 3418 rays to warm
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Earth’s inmost womb, more warmth than Adam needs.
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And Eve within, due3419 at her hour prepared
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For dinner savory fruits, of taste to please
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True appetite, and not disrelish3420 thirst
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Of nectarous draughts between, from milky stream,
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Berry or grape. To whom thus Adam called:
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“Haste hither, Eve, and worth thy sight behold
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Eastward among those trees, what glorious shape
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Comes this way moving, seems another morn
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Ris’n on mid-noon! Some great behest3421 from Heav’n
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To us perhaps he brings, and will vouchsafe3422
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This day to be our guest. But go with speed,
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And what thy stores contain bring forth, and pour
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Abundance, fit to honor and receive
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Our Heav’nly stranger. Well we may afford
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Our givers their own gifts, and large bestow3423
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From large3424 bestowed, where Nature multiplies
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Her fertile growth, and by disburthening3425 grows
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More fruitful, which instructs us not to spare.”3426
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To whom thus Eve:
“Adam, earth’s hallowed 3427
mold,3428
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Of God inspired, small store3429 will serve, 3430 where store,
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All seasons, ripe for use hangs on the stalk,
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Save what by frugal3431 storing3432 firmness gains
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To nourish, and superfluous3433 moist3434 consumes.
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But I will haste, and from each bough and brake, 3435
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Each plant and juiciest gourd, will pluck such choice
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To entertain our Angel-guest, as he
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Beholding shall confess, that here on earth
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God hath dispensed His bounties as in Heav’n.
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So saying, with dispatchful 3436 looks in haste
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She turns, on hospitable3437 thoughts intent
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What choice to choose for delicacy best,
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What order, so contrived as not to mix
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Tastes not well joined, inelegant, but bring
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Taste after taste upheld 3438 with kindliest 3439 change.
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Bestirs3440 her then, and from each tender stalk
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Whatever earth, all-bearing mother, yie
lds
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In India east or west, or middle shore3441
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In Pontus3442 or the Punic3443 coast, or where
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Alcinous3444 reigned, fruit of all kinds, in coat
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Rough, or smooth rind, or bearded husk, or shell,
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She gathers tribute3445 large, and on the board 3446
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Heaps with unsparing hand. For drink the grape
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She crushes, inoffensive must,3447 and mead
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From many a berry, and from sweet kernels pressed
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She tempers3448 dulcet3449 creams.3450 Nor these to hold
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Wants3451 her fit3452 vessels pure. Then strews the ground
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With rose and odors from the shrub unfumed.3453
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Meanwhile our primitive3454 great sire, to meet
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His godlike guest, walks forth, without more train
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Accompanied than with his own complete
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Perfections. In himself was all his state,
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More solemn3455 than the tedious pomp that waits
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On princes, when their rich retinue long
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Of horses led, and grooms besmeared with gold,
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Dazzles the crowd, and sets them all agape.
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Nearer his presence Adam, though not awed,
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Yet with submiss3456 approach and reverence meek,
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As to a superior nature bowing low,
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Thus said:
“Native of Heav’n, for other pla
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None can than Heav’n such glorious shape contain,
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Since by descending from the thrones above
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Those happy places thou hast deigned a while
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To want,3457 and honor these, vouchsafe3458 with us
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Two only, who yet by sov’reign gift possess
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This spacious ground, in yonder shady bow’r
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To rest, and what the garden choicest bears
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To sit and taste, till this meridian3459 heat
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Be over, and the sun more cool decline.”3460
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Whom thus the angelic Virtue3461 answered mild:
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“Adam, I therefore came, nor art thou such
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Created, or such place hast here to dwell,
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As may not oft invite, though Spirits of Heav’n,
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To visit thee. Lead on, then, where thy bow’r
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O’ershades, for these mid-hours, till evening rise,
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I have at will.”3462 So to the sylvan3463 lodge
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They came, that like Pomona’s3464 arbor3465 smiled,
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With flow’rets decked, and fragrant smells. But Eve,
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Undecked save with herself, more lovely fair
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Than wood-nymph, or the fairest goddess feigned 3466
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Of three that in mount Ida naked strove,3467
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Stood to entertain her guest from Heav’n. No veil3468
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She needed, virtue-proof: no thought infirm3469
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Altered her cheek. On whom the Angel “Hail”
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Bestowed, the holy salutation used
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Long after to blest Mary, second Eve:
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“Hail, mother of mankind, whose fruitful womb
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Shall fill the world more numerous with thy sons,
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Than with these various fruits the trees of God
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Have heaped this table!
—Raised of grassy tur
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Their table was, and mossy seats had round,
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And on her ample square3470 from side to side
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All autumn piled, though spring and autumn here
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Danced hand in hand. A while discourse they hold—
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No fear lest dinner cool—when thus began
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Our author:3471
“Heav’nly stranger, please to taste
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These bounties,3472 which our Nourisher, from whom
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All perfect good, unmeasured out, descends,
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To us for food and for delight hath caused
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The earth to yield—unsavory food perhaps
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To spiritual natures. Only this I know,
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That one celestial Father gives to all.
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To whom the Angel:
“Therefore what He gives
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(Whose praise be ever sung) to man in part 3473
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Spiritual, may of purest Spirits be found
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No ungrateful3474 food. And food alike those pure
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Intelligential substances require,
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As doth your rational,3475 and both3476 contain
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Within them every lower faculty
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Of sense, whereby they hear, see, smell, touch, taste,
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Tasting concoct,3477 digest, assimilate,
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And corporeal to incorporeal turn.
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For know, whatever was created, needs
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To be sustained and fed. Of elements
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The grosser feeds the purer, earth the sea,
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Earth and the sea feed air, the air those fires
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Ethereal, and as lowest first the moon,
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Whence in her visage round 3478 those spots, unpurged 3479
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Vapors not yet into her substance turned.
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Nor doth the moon no nourishment exhale
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From her moist continent3480 to higher orbs.
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The sun, that light imparts to all, receives
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From all3481 his alimental 3482 recompence
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In humid exhalations, and at ev’n3483
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3484 with the ocean. Though in Heav’n the trees
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Of life ambrosial fruitage bear, and vines
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Yield nectar; though from off the boughs each morn
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We brush mellifluous3485 dews, and find the ground
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Covered with pearly grain; yet God hath here3486
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Varied His bounty so with new delights
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As may compare with Heaven, and to taste
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Think not I shall be nice.”3487 So down they sat,
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And to their viands3488 fell, nor seemingly3489
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The Angel, nor in mist,3490 the common gloss3491
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Of theologians, but with keen dispatch
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Of real 3492 hunger, and concoctive3493 heat
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To transubstantiate. 3494 What redounds,3495 transpires3496
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Through Spirits with ease—nor wonder,
if by fire
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Of sooty coal the empiric3497 alchemist
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Can turn, or holds it possible to turn,
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