Page images
PDF
EPUB

with ADAM, as one Friend with another, in what Bower or Shade thou mayit find him, retired from the Heat of the Noon, to give fome Refpite to his Day Labour with Repait or with Repofe; and bring on fuch Difcourfe as may advise him of the happy State he is in, Happiness in his Power, left to his own free Will; his Will, though free yet mutable: Thence take Occafion to warn him, to beware he fwerve not, by imagining himself too fecure: Withal, tell him his Danger, and from whom; what Enemy lately fallen himfelf from Heaven, is now contriving the Fall of others from a like State of Happinefs: Is this to be done by Violence? No; for that fhall be withftood; but by Deceit and Lies: Let him know this, left tranfgreffing wilfully he should pretend Surprizal, and that he was unadmonished and unforewarned.

So fpoke the eternal FATHER, and fo fulfilled all Juftice: Nor did the Angel make any Delay after he had received his Charge; but from among Thoufands of bright and holy Angels, where he ftood veiled with his beautiful Wings, fpringing up lightly, he flew through the Midft of Heaven; the Choirs of the Angels parting on each Hand gave Way to his Speed, 'till he arrived at the Gate of Heaven, which opened of its own Accord, turning on golden Hinges, as GoD the fovereign Architect had by divine Workmanship framed it. From hence no Star or Cloud interpofing to obftruct his Sight, he faw (not unlike to the other fhining Globes, though it appeared to be very finall) the Earth, and the Garden of GOD, with Cedars growing in it, above all Hills: As when by Night, through a Telescope, imagined Lands and Regions are obferved in the Moon, or a Pilot from amidft the CYCLADES (b), fees DELOS (c), or SA

(b) Cyclades; Lat. Gr. i. e. Circles, fifty-three Iflands lying

in a Circle, round about Delos, in the Archipelaga.

MOS

MOS (d) first appearing to be only a cloudy Spot. He fpeeds down thither direct in Flight, and through the Sky flies between the Stars: Now with steady Wing upon the Polar Winds (e), then, with his Wings fans the yielding Air? till arriving where towering Eagles could foar as high, to all the Fowls he feems a Phoenix (f), gazed on by all as that Bird, when he flies to burn himself to Death in the Fire of

(c) Delos; Lat. from the Gr. i. e. Manifeft or Appearing: Becaufe (as the Fable goes) it lay under Water or floated about, for a Jong Time, till Neptune at the Command of Jupiter, fixed it, that Latona might lie in of Apollo and Diana there. Rather from Daal, Heb. i. e. Fear: Because they were worshipped in this Ifland, and fome Remains of the magnificent Temple of Apollo, as Marble Pillars, are vifible there. And for that Reason it was efteemed fo facred, that the Inhabitants would not fuffer a Dog, or any fick Perfon to live in it, or any Dead to be buried therein; whom they fent to a neighbouring Island, called Rhene. But the true Reason of this Name is this, because it ap pears fooneft of any to the Sailors. The common Treasures of Greece were depofited in it, for that Reason. It was first called Ortygia, Gr. i. e. A Quail; becaufe thefe Birds abounded in that Ifland. The Ifland is fmall, not above five or fix Miles in Compafs; twice as long as broad, low, rocky, barren, now defolate, and cailed Zdeli: And esteemed the first and chief of the Cyclades: because Apollo

and Diana were chiefly adored, and had a famous Oracle in it. The Turks poffefs it, and the Ve netians reduced it, A. D. 1674.

(d) Samos, Lat. Gr. i, e. High: Becaufe it is upon a high and lofty Ground; Another of thefe Ifles over against Ephesus; about ninety Miles from Jeru falem. It is rendered famous for being the Birth-Place ofthe great Philofopher Pythagoras, about A. M. 3500.

(e) Polar Winds, i. e. The Winds that blow from the North and South Poles.

Phoenix; Lat. from the Gr. i. e. Red, Crimson coloured. A very rare Bird, of a Purple Colour, like an Eagle. They fay it breeds in Arabia, liveth three hundred, others fay five hundred, fome fix hundred and fixty, and others one thousand four hundred and fixty nine Years; that it buras itself to Death in a Neft of fweet Spices, about Thebes in Egypt; out of these Ashes another fpringeth. It is an Emblem of the Refurrection of the Dead ; and the Fathers urged it for a Proof thereof, against the Heathens, who believed it real; but most think it is a Fable.

[ocr errors]

the

the Sun, as far as the ÆGYPTIAN THEBES (g). At once he lights upon the Eaftern Cliff of PARADISE, and returns to the Shape he had, when God gave him the Charge, a winged Seraph: He wore fix Wings to fhade his divine Lineaments; the Pair that clad each broad Shoulder came mantling with regal Ornament over his Breaft: the middle Pair girded his Waift like a Girdle of Stars, and covered round his Loins and Thighs with golden Feathers, and Colours that were dipped in Heaven; the third Pair fhadowed. his Feet with Sky-coloured Feathers of heavenly Beauty He stood like him the Poets feign to be the Son of MAIA (h), and shook his Plumes fo that heavenly Fragrance filled the wide Circuit. He was foon known to all the Bands of Angels, who were guarding under Watch, and they all rose up as he paft, in Honour to his State and high Meffage; for upon fuch they gueffed him to be bound: He went by their glittering Tents, and now was come into PARADISE, through Groves of Myrrh,fweet Flowers, Caffia (1), Spikenard (k), and Balm, a Wilderness of Sweets; for Nature wantoned here as in her Youth, and played

(g) Thebes feveral Cities are called fo; this was in Egypt, called alfo Heliopolis, Gr. i. e. The City of the Sun: and the Country about it, Thebais, now Theves.

(b) Maia; Lat. Gr. i. e. A Nurfe. The Daughter of Atlas, of whom Jupiter begot Mer

cury.

(1) Caffia; Lat. Gr. Heb. Ketfioth, i. e. A Scraping. A fweet (melling Shrub in Arabia, Egypt, &c. for when the Bark of it is fcraped, it fends out a most fragrant Smell, like Cinnamon. There are nine Species of it, About Alexandria and in the

Weft-Indies it grows to be a very large Tree.

(k) Spikenard; Heb. i. e. Sweet Ointments; another sweet fmelling Shrub, growing in Arabia, Syria, and India, called Nardos by the Greeks, and Spikenard by us. See Cante i. 12. Mark xiv. 3. John xii. 3. With Oil made of this and other fweet fmelling Herbs, the Antients anointed themfelves and their Guefts, whilft they fat at Table. Pfalm xxiii. 5. "Thou preparest "a Table before me, in the "Prefence of mine Enemies : "Thou anointest my Head with "Oil, my Cup runneth over."

Virgin Fancies at Pleasure, pouring forth Sweets in great Abundance, wild above Rule and above Art, and full of every Thing that could bring Happiness, ADAM difcerned him coming onward through the Forest of Spices, as he fat at the Door of his cool Bower; while now the Meridian Sun fhot his hot Rays directly downward, to warm the inmoft Bowels of the Earth, (with more Warmth than was neceflary for MAN) and EVE within at the accustomed Hour prepared favoury Fruits for Dinner, Tafte to please a true Appetite, and not give a Difrelish to Draughts between, taken from the foft Stream, or preffed from Berries or Grapes; to whom ADAM called thus:

EVE, haften hither, and behold what glorious Shape worthy thy Sight comes this Way, moving Eastward among thofe Trees, and feems another Morning rifen at Noon-Day; perhaps he brings to us fome great Meffage from Heaven, and will To-day vouchiafe to be our Gueft; but do thou go with Speed, and bring forth what thy Stores contain, and pour forth Abundance, fit to receive and honour our heavenly Stranger; we may well afford our Givers their own Gifts, and largely beftow what is largely bestowed on us, where Nature multiplies her plentiful Growth, and by difburthening herfelf, grows the more fruitful, which may ferve for Inftruction to us not to fpare.

To whom EVE replied; ADAM, whom GOD made from the Earth, and breathed Life into! a fmall Store will ferve, where Abundance in all Seafons hangs ripe for Ufe on the Stalk, except what by frugal Keeping gains more Firmnefs and Maturenefs, making it more nourishing and confuming fuperfluous Moisture But I will haften, and from every Tree and Plant, and juicieft Ground, will pluck fuch choice Fruit to entertain our Gueft the Angel, as,

when

when he beholds, he fhall confefs that God hath difpenfed his Bounties here on Earth, even as he has in Heaven.

SAYING this, with bufy Looks and in Hafte fhe turns away, intent upon hofpitable Thoughts, what Fruits to chufe that were moft delicate; and in what Order to contrive not to mix Taftes, difagreeable to one another, and not elegant; but bring Tafte after Tafte, changing them fo as they may still pleafe. She ftirs about, and gathers from each tender Stalk whatever, the fruitful Earth yields, either in East or West INDIA, or the middle Shore in PONTUS (1), or the PUNIC (m) Coaft, or where ALCINOUS (2) reigned; a large Tribute of Fruit of all Kinds, in rough Coat, mooth Rind, or bearded Husk, or Shell, and heaps them upon the Board with an unfparing Hand: For

(1) Pontus; Lat. Gr. i. e. The Sea. It is called the Euxine Sea, the Black Sea, Mare Maggiore (by the Italians, i. e. The greater Sea, through Ignorance) and by other Names. Pontus is a fmall Sea in Leffer Afia, upon the North-East Side of Conftan. tinople, runneth into the White Sea, and from thence into the Mediterranean Sea. A fine Country about it is also called Pontus, As ii. 9. 1Pet. i. 1. The antient Scythians or Tartars border. ed upon it. Pontus was made a Kingdom by Darius the Son of Hyflapis, A. M. 3490, in fa. vour of Artabazus, a Son of one of the Lords of Perfia, who confpired against the Magi, who had ufurped that Throne. After him fix of the Name of Mithridates, and other Kings reigned there. Ovid was banished thither by Auguftus; and there

he died, after ten Years Confinement to a cold Climate and barbarous Inhabitants, where he wrote his Triflia.

(m) Punic, Phenician, q. Penic from the Pani or Bene-Anak, Heb. i. e. The Sons of Anak, a famous Giant, Numb. xiii. 22. 28. The old Inhabitants of Canaan, in the Days of Mofes.

(n) Alcinous; Lat. Gr. i. e: Magnanimous. An antient King of Corcyra (now Corfu) in the Mouth of the Gulph of Venice; who had fair Orchards, it being an Apple Country. The Poets, in high Commendation of them, feigned they were Golden Apples, which Homer took from the Garden and Apples of Paradife. The latter Poets had this from him, and he from all An.. tiquity. He entertained Ulyffes, when he was cast upon his Inland, magnificently.

Y

Drink

« PreviousContinue »