friendly Angel brought her to him, adorned with naked Beauty more lovely than what is feigned of PANDORA (g), whom the Gods were faid to have endowed with all their Gifts, (and Oh too like in the fad Event!) when to the unwife Son of JEPHTHA (b), being brought by HERMES, fhe enínared Mankind with fair Looks, to be avenged of him who had ftole Fire from Heaven to animate a MAN.

THUS being arrived at their fhady Lodge, both stood, and turned, and under the open Sky adored that Gon that made the Sky, and Air, and Earth, and Heaven, which they beheld; the Moon's refplendent Globe, and the Stars: Thou alfo, (they faid) Oh Omnipotent MAKER, madeft the Night and the Day, which we employed in our appointed Work have finished; in our mutual Help happy, and happy in our mutual Love, which is ordained by thee to be the Crown of all our Blifs; and happy in this delightful Place, too large for us, where thy Abundance wants more to partake of it, and Plenty falls uncropt to the Ground: But thou haft promifed, that from us two

(g) Pandora; Lat. Gr. i. e. All Gifts. The Wife of Epimetheus; Pallas gave her Wildom; Venus, Beauty; Mercury, Eloquence: And fo every God and Goddess gave her fome Perfection. Jupiter fent her to Epimetheus with a Box, which he rafhly opened; and all Difeafes, Evils and Miferies flew out of it, and infected Mankind. She is defcribed by Hefiod, L. 1. 60.

. Eve is this Woman, and the Fall of Man is couched under the Fable, which the Heathens had by a long Tradition.

(b) Japhet; Heb. i. e. Perfuaded. The Poets call him Ja

petus; and the Tartars call him Japhis: He is faid to be the Son of Epimethen, Lat Gr. i. e. After wit: Because he smarted for his Curiolity, in opening the Box. The Brother of Prometheus, Lat. Gr. i. e. Wit before Hand: Forecaft and Wisdom. He was faid to have put Life and Soul into a Man, which he made of Clay; to quicken which, he stole Fire or Soul from Heaven. Jupiter, for his Prefumption, lent Pandora to plague the Earth. Theie are Memorials of the Creation and Fall of Adam, from Gen. ii. 7. and oral Tradi tion, couched in Fables.

T 2

fhall

fhall proceed a Race to fill the Earth, who fhall with us extol thy infinite Goodness, both when we awake, and when as now we afk thy good Gift of Sleep..

THIS they faid unanimoufly; and obferving no other Ceremony, but pure Adoration, which GoD likes beft; they went with joined Hands into the inmoft Bower, and not needing to put off these troublefome Difguifes which we now wear, they immediately lay down Side by Side: Nor do I fuppofe that ADAM turned away from his fair Spoufe; nor Eve refused the mysterious Rites of connubial Love; whatever fome Hypocrites may talk aufterely of Purity, and Place, and Innocency, defaming that as an impure Thing, which GOD has declared pure, has commanded to fome, and leaves free to all: Our Maker bids us increase, and who bids us abstain? Who, but our Destroyer? The Foe both of GOD and MAN? Hail wedded Love! great Mystery! true Source of human Ofspring! fole Property in PARADISE ! where all Things elfe are common; by thee it was that adulterous. Luft was driven out from MEN to range ámong the Beasts, founded in Reason, juft, loyal, and pure; by thee firft were known the dear Relations, and all the Endearments of Father, Brother, and Son: Far be it from me that I fhould call thee Sin, or blameable, or think thee unbefitting the holiest Places; thou perpetual Fountain of domeftick Sweets! whofe Bed is undefiled, and pronounced chafte, prefent or paft, as be fo to Saints, and Patriarchs: Here are Love's true Darts felt; here Love's Lamp is conftantly lighted; here Love reigns, plays and revels, not in the bought Smiles of Harlots, without Love, without Joy, without Endearment; meer cafual Fruition! not in the Amours of Courts, mixed Lances, or wanton Mafquerades, or midnight Balls, or Serenades, which the Lover fings in the cold Night to his proud Miftrefs, which deferves nothing froni

her

her but Difdain. Inftead of fuch Mufick, these two were lulled to Sleep by Nightingales, clafped in one another's Arms, and the flow'ry Roof fhed Rofes upon their naked Limbs, to repair which the Morning brought forth more. Bleft Pair! fleep on as yet, happieft if ye feck for no happier State, and limit your Knowledge, fo as to defire to know no more.

CHAP. IV.

Gabriel appoints two Angels to Adam's Bower; who find Satan at the Ear of Eve; they bring bim to Gabriel; Satan's Behaviour thereon, and Flight out of Paradise.

ARKNESS and Night was now spread over the Garden of EDEN, and the Cherubim iffuing forth at the accustomed Hour to their Night Watches, ftood armed in Readiness for their Duty: when GABRIEL to the Angel who was next him in Power spoke thus:

UZZIEL (i), draw Half thefe off, and with strictest Watch coaft the South: With these other I fhall wheel the North: Our Circuit meets full Weft. They parted like Flame, Half wheeling to the RightHand towards the Spear, and Half to the Left-Hand toward the Shield. From thefe he called two fubtle and ftrong Spirits that stood near him, and gave them this Charge:

ITHURIEL (k), and ZEPHON (1) with winged
Speed

(i) Uzziel; Heb. i. e. The Strength of God; one of the fuppofed Guardians of Paradife.

(k) Ithuriel; Heb. i. c. The

Light or Searcher of God. A. nother of thofe fuppofed Guardians.

- (1) Zephon; Heb. i. e. The Spy

Book IV. Speed go through this Garden, and leave no Corner of PARADISE unfearched; but chiefly where those two fair Creatures lodge, now perhaps laid afleep and apprehend no. Danger. This Evening is arrived an Angel from the Sun, who tell of fome infernal Spirit bent towards EDEN, (Who could have thought it poffible?) efcaped the Bars of Hell, no Doubt come upon fome bad Errand: Wherever ye find fuch, feize him faft, and bring him hither. Saying this, he led on his radiant Files, dazzling the Moon, directly to the Bower in Search after what they fought; there they found him fitting squat in the Shape of a Toad, clofe at the Ear of Eve; trying by his devilish Art, to reach the Organs of her Fancy, and with them forge, just as he pleafed, Illufions, Phantafms, and Dreams; or of breathing in Venom, he might taint the animal Spirits that rife from the pure Blood, like gentle Gales from Rivers; and from thence ar leaft raife diftempered and difcontented Thoughts, vain Hopes, vain Aims, and inordinate Defires, blown up with high Conceits that ingender Pride. As SATAN fat thus intent, ITHURIEL touched him lightly with his Spear; up he ftarts, difcovered and furprised; for no Falfhood can endure the Touch of any Thing of celestial Nature, but of Force it returns to its own Likeness: As when a Spark of Fire lights upon a Heap of Gunpowder, laid ready to ftore fome Magazine against an expected War, diffufed with fudden Blaze inflames the Air; fo in his own Shape started up the Fiend. Thofe two fair Angels ftepped back, half amazed fo on a fudden to behold the King of Hell; yet unmoved with Fear foon accofted him: WHICH

Spy or Watch of God. Another of thole Guardians, to whom Gabril gives these Orders. Zepbon, the Son of Gad, and Father of the

Zepbonites, is mentioned, Num. xxvi. 15. But Itburiel and Zephon are not Scriptural Names of Angels, good or evit.

WHICH of thofe Rebel Spirits condemned to Hell art thou? That haft efcaped thy Prifon; and why didft thou fit here transformed, like an Enemy in wait, and watching at the Head of thofe here that Deep?

Do not ye then know? anfwered SATAN, filled with Scorn, me do you not know? Ye knew me once no Companion for you, fitting there where you durft not approach: Not to know me, proves that you yourfelves are unknown, fome of the loweft of. your Throng; and if you do know, what do you afk for, and begin your Bufinefs in an idle and fuperfluous Speech, likely to end as much in vain?

To whom ZEPHON made this Reply, anfwering Scorn with Scorn: Think not, revolted Spirit, that thy Brightness is not diminished, or to be known by the fame Shape as when thou ftood in Heaven, pure and upright: No; that Glory when thou waft no longer good departed from thee; and now thou refembleft thy Sin and Place of Doom, obfcure and foul But come, for be affured thou fhalt give an Account to him who fent us; whofe Charge is, to keep this Place inviolable, and thefe two from Harm.

THUS fpoke the Cherub: and his grave Rebuke, feverely fpoke in youthful Beauty, added invincible Grace: The Devil ftood abafhed, and felt how awful Goodness is, and faw Virtue how lovely the was; he faw, and regretted his own Lofs of it, but chiefly to find it obferved here, that his Luftre was vifibly impaired; yet he feemed undaunted: Said he, if I muft contend, beft to contend with the beft; the Sender, and not the Sent; or all at once; more Glory will be won then, or lefs loft. Thy Fear, faid bold ZEPHON will fave us the Trial what the leaft of us can do fingle against thee, wicked and thence weak.

SATAN