by John Milton
To travel with Tobias, and secur’d
His marriage with the seaventimes-wedded Maid.12
Raphael, said hee, thou hear’st what stir on Earth
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Satan from Hell scap’t through the darksom Gulf
Hath rais’d in Paradise, and how disturb’d
This night the human pair, how he designes
In them at once to ruin all mankind.
Go therefore, half this day as friend with friend
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Converse with Adam, in what Bowr or shade
Thou find’st him from the heat of Noon retir’d,
To respit his day-labour with repast,
Or with repose; and such discourse bring on,
As may advise him of his happie state,
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Happiness in his power left free to will,
Left to his own free Will, his Will though free,
Yet mutable; whence warn him to beware
He swerve not too secure: tell him withall
His danger, and from whom, what enemie
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Late falln himself from Heav’n, is plotting now
The fall of others from like state of bliss;
By violence, no, for that shall be withstood,
But by deceit and lies; this let him know,
Least wilfully transgressing he pretend
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Surprisal, unadmonisht, unforewarnd.
So spake th’ Eternal Father, and fulfilld
All Justice: nor delaid the winged Saint
After his charge receiv’d; but from among
Thousand Celestial Ardors,13 where he stood
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Vaild with his gorgeous wings, up springing light
Flew through the midst of Heav’n; th’ angelic Quires
On each hand parting, to his speed gave way
Through all th’ Empyreal road; till at the Gate
Of Heav’n arriv’d, the gate self-opend wide
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On golden Hinges turning, as by work
Divine the sov’ran Architect had fram’d.
From hence, no cloud, or, to obstruct his sight,
Starr interpos’d, however small he sees,
Not unconform to other shining Globes,
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Earth and the Gard’n of God, with Cedars crownd
Above all Hills. As when by night the Glass14
Of Galileo, less assur’d, observes
Imagind Lands and Regions in the Moon:
Or Pilot from amidst the Cyclades15
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Delos or Samos first appeering kenns
A cloudy spot. Down thither prone16 in flight
He speeds, and through the vast Ethereal Skie
Sails between worlds and worlds, with steddie wing
Now on the polar winds, then with quick Fann17
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Winnows the buxom18 Air; till within soar
Of Towring Eagles, to all the Fowls he seems
A Phœnix, gaz’d by all, as that sole Bird
When to enshrine his reliques in the Sun’s
Bright Temple, to Ægyptian Thebes he flies.19
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At once on th’ Eastern cliff of Paradise
He lights, and to his proper shape returns
A Seraph wing’d; six wings he wore, to shade
His lineaments Divine; the pair that clad
Each shoulder broad, came mantling o’re his brest
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With regal Ornament; the middle pair
Girt like a Starrie Zone his waste, and round
Skirted his loins and thighs with downie Gold
And colours dipt in Heav’n; the third his feet
Shaddowd from either heel with featherd mail
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Skie-tinctur’d grain.20 Like Maia’s son21 he stood,
And shook his Plumes, that Heav’nly fragrance filld
The circuit wide. Strait knew him all the Bands
Of Angels under watch; and to his state,
And to his message high in honour rise;
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For on som message high they guess’d him bound.
Thir glittering Tents he pass’d, and now is come
Into the blissful field, through Groves of Myrrh,
And flowring Odours, Cassia, Nard, and Balm;
A Wilderness of sweets; for Nature here
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Wantond as in her prime, and plaid at will
Her Virgin Fancies, pouring forth more sweet,
Wild above Rule or Art; enormous bliss.
Him through the spicie Forrest onward com
Adam discernd, as in the dore he sat
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Of his cool Bowr, while now the mounted Sun
Shot down direct his fervid Raies to warm
Earths inmost womb, more warmth then Adam needs;
And Eve within, due at her hour prepar’d
For dinner savourie fruits, of taste to please
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True appetite, and not disrelish thirst
Of nectarous draughts between, from milkie stream,22
Berrie or Grape: to whom thus Adam call’d.
Haste hither Eve, and worth thy sight behold
Eastward among those Trees, what glorious shape
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Comes this way moving; seems another Morn
Ris’n on mid-noon; som great behest from Heav’n
To us perhaps he brings, and will voutsafe
This day to be our Guest. But goe with speed,
And what thy stores contain, bring forth and pour
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Abundance, fit to honour and receive
Our Heav’nly stranger; well we may afford
Our givers thir own gifts, and large bestow
From large bestowd, where Nature multiplies
Her fertil growth, and by disburd’ning grows
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More fruitful, which instructs us not to spare.
To whom thus Eve. Adam, earths hallowd mould,
Of God inspir’d, small store will serve, where store,
All seasons, ripe for use hangs on the stalk;
Save what by frugal storing firmness gains
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To nourish, and superfluous moist consumes:
But I will haste and from each bough and break,
Each Plant and juiciest Gourd will pluck such choice
To entertain our Angel guest, as hee
Beholding shall confess that here on Earth
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God hath dispenst his bounties as in Heav’n.
So saying, with dispatchful looks in haste
She turns, on hospitable thoughts intent
What choice to chuse for delicacie best,
What order, so contriv’d as not to mix
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Tastes, not well joynd, inelegant, but bring
Taste after taste upheld with kindliest23 change,
Bestirs her then, and from each tender stalk
Whatever Earth all-bearing Mother yeilds
In India East or West,24 or middle shoar
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In Pontus or the Punic Coast,25 or where
Alcinous reign’d, fruit of all kinds, in coat,
Rough, or smooth rind, or bearded husk, or shell
She gathers, Tribute large, and on the board
Heaps with unsparing hand; for drink the Grape
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She crushes, inoffensive moust, and meaths26
From many a berrie, and from sweet kernels prest
She tempers dulcet creams, nor these to hold
Wants her fit vessels pure, then strews the ground
With Rose and Odours from the shrub unfum’d.27
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Mean while our Primitive great Sire, to meet
His god-like Guest, walks forth, without more train
Accompani’d then with his own compleat
Perfections, in himself was all his state,
More solemn then the tedious pomp that waits
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On Princes, when thir rich Retinue long
Of Horses led, and Grooms besmeard with Gold
Dazles the crowd, and sets them all agape.
Neerer his presence Adam though not awd,
Yet with submiss approach and reverence meek,
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As to a superior Nature, bowing low,
Thus said. Native of Heav’n, for other place
None can then Heav’n such glorious shape contain;
Since by descending from the Thrones above,
Those happie places thou hast deign’d a while
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To want, and honour these, voutsafe with us
Two onely, who yet by sov’ran gift possess
This spacious ground, in yonder shadie Bowr
To rest, and what the Garden choicest bears
To sit and taste, till this meridian heat
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Be over, and the Sun more cool decline.
Whom thus th’ Angelic Vertue answerd mild.
Adam, I therefore came, nor art thou such
Created, or such place hast here to dwell,
As may not oft invite, though Spirits of Heav’n
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To visit thee; lead on then where thy Bowr
Oreshades; for these mid-hours, till Eevning rise
I have at will. So to the Silvan Lodge
They came, that like Pomona’s28 Arbour smil’d
With flowrets deck’t and fragrant smells; but Eve
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Undeckt, save with her self more lovely fair
Then Wood-Nymph, or the fairest Goddess feign’d
Of three29 that in Mount Ida naked strove,
Stood t’ entertain her guest from Heav’n; no vail
Shee needed, Vertue-proof, no thought infirm
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Alterd her cheek. On whom the Angel Hail
Bestowd, the holy salutation us’d
Long after to blest Marie, second Eve.
Hail Mother of Mankind, whose fruitful Womb
Shall fill the World more numerous with thy Sons
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Then with these various fruits the Trees of God
Have heap’d this Table. Rais’d of grassie terf
Thir Table was, and mossie seats had round,
And on her ample Square from side to side
All Autumn pil’d, though Spring and Autumn here
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Danc’d hand in hand. A while discourse they hold;
No fear lest Dinner cool; when thus began
Our Authour. Heav’nly stranger, please to taste
These bounties which our Nourisher, from whom
All perfet good unmeasur’d out, descends,
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To us for food and for delight hath caus’d
The Earth to yeild; unsavourie food perhaps
To spiritual Natures; only this I know,
That one Celestial Father gives to all.
To whom the Angel. Therefore what he gives
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(Whose praise be ever sung) to man in part
Spiritual, may of purest Spirits be found
No ingrateful food: and food alike those pure
Intelligential substances require
As doth your Rational; and both contain
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Within them every lower facultie
Of sense, whereby they hear, see, smell, touch, taste,
Tasting concoct,30 digest, assimilate,
And corporeal to incorporeal turn.
For know, whatever was created, needs
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To be sustaind and fed; of Elements
The grosser feeds the purer, Earth the Sea,
Earth and the Sea feed Air, the Air those Fires
Ethereal, and as lowest first the Moon;
Whence in her visage round those spots, unpurg’d
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Vapours not yet into her substance turnd.31
Nor doth the Moon no nourishment exhale
From her moist Continent to higher Orbs.
The Sun that light imparts to all, receives
From all his alimental recompence
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In humid exhalations, and at Ev’n
Sups with the Ocean: though in Heav’n the Trees
Of life ambrosial fruitage bear, and vines
Yeild Nectar, though from off the boughs each Morn
We brush mellifluous Dews, and find the ground
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Cover’d with pearly grain:32 yet God hath here
Varied his bounty so with new delights,
As may compare with Heaven; and to taste
Think not I shall be nice. So down they sat,
And to thir viands fell, nor seemingly
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The Angel, nor in mist, the common gloss
Of Theologians, but with keen dispatch
Of real hunger, and concoctive heat
To transubstantiate; what redounds,33 transpires
Through Spirits with ease; nor wonder; if by fire
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Of sooty coal th’ Empiric Alchimist
Can turn, or holds it possible to turn
Metals of drossiest Ore to perfet Gold
As from the Mine. Mean while at Table Eve
Ministerd naked, and thir flowing cups
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With pleasant liquors crown’d: O innocence
Deserving Paradise! if ever, then,
Then had the Sons of God excuse t’ have bin
Enamour’d at that sight; but in those hearts
Love unlibidinous reign’d, nor jealousie
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Was understood, the injur’d Lovers Hell.
Thus when with meats and drinks they had suffic’d,
Not burd’nd Nature, sudden mind arose
In Adam, not to let th’ occasion pass
Giv’n him by this great Conference to know
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Of things above his World, and of thir being
Who dwell in Heav’n, whose excellence he saw
Transcend his own so farr, whose radiant forms
Divine effulgence, whose high Power so far
Exceeded human, and his wary speech
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Thus to th’ Empyreal Minister he fram’d.
Inhabitant with God, now know I well
Thy favour, in this honour done to man,
Under whose lowly roof thou hast voutsaf’t
To enter, and these earthly fruits to taste,
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Food not of Angels, yet accepted so,
As that more willingly thou couldst not seem
At Heav’ns high feasts t’ have fed: yet what compare?
To whom the winged Hierarch repli’d.
O Adam, one Almightie is, from whom
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All things proceed, and up to him return,34
If not deprav’d from good, created all
Such to perfection, one first matter all,
Indu’d with various forms, various degrees
Of substance, and in things that live, of life;
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But more refin’d, more spiritous, and pure,
As neerer to him plac’t or neerer tending
Each in thir several active Sphears assign’d,
Till body up to spirit work, in bounds
Proportiond to each kind. So from the root
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Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves
More aerie, last the bright consummate flowr
Spirits odorous breathes: flowrs and thir fruit
Mans nourishment, by gradual scale sublim’d
To vital Spirits aspire, to animal,
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To intellectual, give both life and sense,35
Fansie and understanding, whence the Soul<
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Reason receives, and reason is her being,
Discursive, or Intuitive; discourse
Is oftest yours, the latter most is ours,
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Differing but in degree, of kind the same.
Wonder not then, what God for you saw good
If I refuse not, but convert, as you,
To proper substance; time may come when men
With Angels may participate, and find
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No inconvenient Diet, nor too light Fare:
And from these corporal nutriments perhaps
Your bodies may at last turn all to Spirit,
Improv’d by tract of time, and wing’d ascend
Ethereal, as wee, or may at choice
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Here or in Heav’nly Paradises dwell;
If ye be found obedient, and retain
Unalterably firm his love entire
Whose progenie you are. Mean while enjoy
Your fill what happiness this happie state
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Can comprehend, incapable of more.
To whom the Patriarch of mankind repli’d.
O favourable spirit, propitious guest,
Well hast thou taught the way that might direct
Our knowledge, and the scale of Nature set
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From center to circumference, whereon
In contemplation of created things
By steps we may ascend to God. But say,
What meant that caution joind, if ye be found
Obedient? can we want obedience then
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To him, or possibly his love desert
Who formd us from the dust, and plac’d us here
Full to the utmost measure of what bliss
Human desires can seek or apprehend?
To whom the Angel. Son of Heav’n and Earth,
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Attend: That thou art happie, owe to God;
That thou continu’st such, owe to thy self,
That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.
This was that caution giv’n thee; be advis’d.
God made thee perfet, not immutable;