THE EIGHTH BOOK OF. PARADISE LOST. A The ARGUMENT. DAM inquires concerning celeftial Motions; is doubtfully anfwered, and exborted to fearch rather after Things more worthy of Knowledge. Adam af fents to the Advice of Raphael, and being ftill defirous to detain him, relates to him what he remembered fince his own Creation; his being placed in Paradife, and talking with GOD concerning Solitude and fit Society. Adam relates his firft Meeting and Nuptials with Eve; his Difcourfe with the Angel thereupon, who after repeated Admonitions departs. CHA P. I. is Adam inquires concerning Celestial Motions; doubtfully anfwered, and exhorted to fearch rather after Things more worthy of Knowledge. T HE Angel ended his Difcourfe, and his Voice remained ftill fo charming in the Ear of ADAM, that he for a while thought him still speaking, and continued attentive to hear; then like one newly awakened from Sleep, made this grateful Antwer DIVINE Hiftorian! what Thanks or Recompence fufficient, or equal to thy Goodnefs, have I to render thee who thus largely hath allayed the Thirst I had of Knowledge, and vouchfafed in fuch friendly Condefcenfion to relate Things, by me elfe unfearchable, and now heard with great Wonder, but great Delight; and (as is due) with Glory attributed to the high CREATOR. Yet I have fome Doubts remaining, which can alone be cleared up by thee. WHEN I behold this fair Frame the World, confifting of Heaven and Earth, and compute their Magnitude; this Earth being but a Spot, a Grain of Sand, an Atom, compared with the Firmament, and the prodigious Number of Stars that are therein, that feem to rowl incomprehenfible Spaces, (as their Diftance argues, and their daily and fwift Return witneffes) meerly to bring Light round this dark Earth, this little Spot, only to bring one Day and one Night in all their vaft Survey, and be ufelefs befides: When I reafon, I often admire how wife and frugal Nature could act fuch Difproportions; to create fuperfluously fo fo many nobler and much greater Bodies, to this one Ufe; for any Thing which appears to the contrary) and impose upon their Orbs fuch restless Revolutions, repeated every Day; while the Earth remaining without Motion, (that might move better, and in far lefs Compafs) being attended by Bodies more noble than herself, attains her End, and does not move at all, and receives as Tribute her Warmth and Light, brought to her from fuch great Distance, and with fuch incredible Swiftnefs, as is not to be described. OUR firft Father fpoke thus, and feemed by his Countenance entering into abftrufe and ftudious Thoughts; which when Eve perceived, fhe role from her Seat, where the fat at fome Distance, though in Sight, and (with Lowlinefs; yet with fuch Dignity and Grace, as whoever faw could not but with the would stay,) went forth among her Fruits and Flowers to fee how they throve; for they were her Nursery, budding and blooming under her Tendence and Care. Yet he did not go, as not being delighted with fuch Difcourfe, or that her Ear was not capable of hearing Arguments upon the higheft Subjects, but the referved fuch Pleasure when ADAM fhould relate it to her, when they should be by themselves; fhe preferred her Hufband to be the Relater before the Angel, and chofe rather to ask of him; fhe knew he would mix his Difcourfe with agreeable Digreffions, and folve high Difpute with conjugal Careffes; for it was not Words alone from his Lips that pleased her. (When meet now Pairs fo joined in Love and mutual Honour?) She went forth with a Demeanour like a Goddess, and not unattended, for a Pomp of winning Graces waited on her as a Queen, and created Defire in all Eyes, to wish to have her still in Sight. And RAPHAEL made this benevolent Reply to the Doubt proposed by ADAM: I DQ I Do not blame thee for enquiring or fearching, for Heaven is as the Book of GOD fet before thee, wherein thou mayeft read his wonderous Works, and learn his Seafons, Hours, Days, Months, or Years. To attain this, if thou judge aright, it fignifies nothing to know whether Heaven moves, or the Earth; the reft the great Architect did wifely to conceal from MAN or Angel; and not divulge his Secrets to be canvaffed by them, who ought only to admire: Or if they have a Mind to conjecture, he hath left his Fabrick of the Heavens to their Difputes, perhaps to fee the Weakness of their ftrange Opinions hereafter; when they come to model Heaven, and to compute the Motions, Diftance, and Situation of the Stars, how they will govern the mighty Frame; how build, unbuild, and contrive to fave Appearances (a); how incumber the Sphere with Centric and Excentric, with Cycle (b) and Epicycle (c), Orb (d) within Orb: Thus I guefs already by thy reasoning, who art to lead thy Offspring, and fuppofeft, that bright and greater Bodies fhould not ferve the leffer that are not bright, nor run fuch Journeys through Heaven, the (a) Appearances; Fr. Lat. An Aftrolog. T. The Rifings, Motions, Places and Influences of the Planets. Here is a ftrong and pleasant Confutation of Judiciary Aftrology, with fome of its abfurd Terms, by way of a Digreffion. (b) Cycle; Lat. Gr. i. e. A Circle. An Aftrol. T. A continual Revolution of Planets, which goeth on from the first Number to the last without any Interruption; and then returns to the last, as the Cycle of the Sun, &c. (c) Epicycle; Lat. Gr. i. e. A Circle above a Circle. An Aftrolog. T. A leffer Circle, whofe Centre is in the Circumference of the greater Circle, i. e. one Circle within another, or Orb in Orb, as Planets, having their Center different from the Center of the Earth, &c. (d) Orb; Fr. Lat. An Aftron. T. An hollow Sphere or Globe, ufed by Aftronomers and Afrologers to demonftrate the Moti. ons, and Distances of Places, Globes or Spheres were first invented by Archimedes, an excelJent Mathematician of Sicily, about A. M. 3730. Earth |