Book XI. Ear: Perfwafion grew in me, that I was heard with Favour; Peace returned home again to my Breast, and that Promife came to my Memory, THAT OUR SEED SHOULD BRUISE OUR FOE; which not minded, as then I was in great Dismay, yet now it affures me that the Bitternels of DEATH is paft, and we shall live. Whence I am bold to fay, hail to thee! EvE, rightly fo called, the Mother of all MANKIND, the Mother of all Things living, fince by thee MAN is to live, and all Things live for him!

To whom Ev E, with an humble and forrowful Countenance, made Answer: I am not worthy that fuch a Title fhould belong to me, who am a Transgreffor! who being ordained for a Help, became a Snare to thee: To me rather belongs Reproach, Sufpicion, and all Difpraife! but my Judge was infinite in his Mercy, that I, who firft brought DEATH upon all, have the Grace conferred on me to be the Source of Life: Next thou art greatly favourable to me, who haft vouched to give me this high Title; I deferve a far other Name! But the Field calls us to Labour now; Labour, which is impofed on us with Sweat of our Brow; though we have not slept all Night: For fee the Morning, taking no Notice of our Want of Reft, begins her ufual Progrefs: Let us go forth; I never henceforward offering to ftray from thee, wherever our Day's Work may lie; though now enjoined us, that we labour 'till the Day decline: What can be very toilfome in thefe pleasant Walks, while we dwell here? Let us live here contented, though we are in a fallen State!

So EvE fpoke, and fo wifhed with great Humility; but Fate did not confent: First of all Nature gave Signs, marked on Birds, Beafts, and the Elements ; Light eclipfed fuddenly, after a fhort Appearance of the Morning; the Eagle flying from on high, drove

two

two of the finest Birds before him; the Lyon, then, the first Hunter that ever was, purfued a Hart and a Hind, the goodliest of all the Foreft, down from a Hill; and their Flight was bent directly to the Eastern Gate of PARADISE. ADAM obferved it, and fixing his Eyes upon the Chace, with fome Emotion spoke

thus to EVE:

O EVE! fome further Change for us is near at Hand, which Heaven fhows by these mute Signs in Nature; the Fore-runners of his Purpose, either to warn us, who may too prefuming and too fecure of our Discharge from Penalty, because we have been released some Days from DEATH: How long and what our Life will be then, who knows? Or is it more than this, perhaps to warn us that we are Duft, and that we must return thither and be no more? Why elfe this double Object in our Sight, of Flight and Puriuit in the Air and over the Ground, one Way in the felf-fame, Hour? Why is Darkness in the Eaft before Noon? And why is the Morning Light brighter in yon Western Cloud, Cloud, that draws a fhining Whiteness along before the Sky, defcending flowly, and bearing in it fome of the Bleffed from Heaven.

CHA P. II.

Michael denounces their Departure; Eve's Lamentation. Adam pleads, but fubmits.

A

DAM did not mistake in his Conjecture; for by this Time the heavenly Bands of Angels were lighted down in PARADISE from the ferene Sky, and took their Stand upon a Hill: A glorious Appearance! had not Doubts and carnal Fear that

Day

Day made the Eyes of AD A м dim: That was not more glorious, when the Angels met JACOB in MaHANAIM (i) where he faw the Field covered with bright Angels: Nor was that more glorious, which appeared on the flaming Mountain DOTHAN (k), Covered with Chariots and Horfes of Fire, against BENHADAD, the King of SYRIA; who, to furprize the Prophet ELISHA (1) like an Affaflin had levied War unproclaimed. MICHAEL, the princely

(i) Mahanaim; Heb. i. e. Two Hofts or Camps. So Jacob called the Place, where he faw Armies of Holy Angels protecting him from the Fear of Efau, Gen. xxxii. 1, 2. A City was built there in Memory of this glorious Vifion, in the Tribe of Gad in the Land of Gilead, beyond Jordan for the Priefts, near Ramath, Joh. xxi. 38. It is 41 Miles from Jerufalem to the Eaft. David fled to it, as a facred Place of Refuge, in his Exile under Abfalom's Ufurpation. Abinidab a Prieft was the Governor of it, under King Solomon; and fo it was always efteemed a facred Place from that Occafion.

(k) Dothan; Heb. i. e. Commandment. A City about two Miles from Sichem, fix from Tiberias, twelve to the North of Samaria, forty-four Miles from Jerufalem towards the North. A Place of good Pafture; for there Jofeph found his Brethren with their Flocks, and was caft into a Pit, Gen. xxxvii. There Elifba the Prophet lived, and truck the Syrian Army with Blindness; having a glorious Guard of Angels, with Chariots and flaming Fire about him, 2 Kings vi. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.

17.

Arch- Angel, left his Powers there in their bright Stand, to take Poffeffion of the Garden; and he alone took his Way, to find where ADAM had sheltered himfelf; who perceiving him at a Distance, as he made his Approach towards him, spoke to EvE in this Manner:

EVE! Now is the Time to expect to know fome great Matter, which perhaps will very foon determine what relates to us; or, perhaps, for us to receive new Laws to obferve: For I difcover, from yonder blazing Cloud that covers the Top of the Hill, one of the Hoft of Heaven; and, by his Port, none of the Meaneft; fome great Potentate, one of those who fit upon Thrones above, fuch Majefty appears about him as he comes along! yet not terrible, that I fhould fear him; nor fociably mild as RAPHAEL was, that I fhould venture to ufe much Free-1 dom with him; but he feems folemn and fublime; whom not to offend I must meet with Reverence, and do thou retire.

HE faid thus; and the Arch-Angel foon drew near; not in his heavenly Shape, but clad like a MAN to meet with MAN: He wore a military Vest · of Purple (m), of a brighter Colour and richer Dye than ever was known in MELLIBEA (2), or TYRE,

(m) Purple; Sax. Fr. Ital. Span. Lat. from the Gr. A Colour between Red and Violet, 'taken from a Sea-Fish, which is called Purpura, i. e. The Colour of Fire. The Purple Colour

was first found out at Tyre, by an Accident; for an hungry Dog 'broke one of thofe Shells upon the Sea-Side, and eat the Fish, which coloured his Mouth and Chaps, to the Admiration of all

Beholders. Hence the Tyrians became the most famous Masters of that Art, in all Antiquity. Purple became as valuable as Gold, and was the diftinguishing Mark of Emperors, Kings, Confuls, Senators, Dictators, and Triumphers; fo that a Pound of it was fold at Rome for 1000 Denarii, i. e. about 41 7. 13 5. 4 d. English Money.

(n) Melibea; Lat. from the

Gr.

Book XI. TYRE (0), though that was worn by Kings and Heroes of old, in Time of Truce; the Rainbow (p) had given it its Colours before it was wove: His Helmet, that was unbuckled and fhone like a Star, fhewed him juft at that Degree of Manhood, where Youth ended: His Sword, the Dread of SATAN, hung by his Side, fastened to a fhining Belt; and in his Hand he bore a Spear. ADAM bowed down low: MICHAEL, who was to keep up his Royalty and State, did not bow in Return, but thus declared the Reason of his coming:

Gr. i. e. Having the Care of Oxen. A City of Theffaly upon the Sea Shore, famous of old for the Art of dying the nobleft Purple, by the Help of a ShellFith called Purpura and Oftrum, which they caught in the Sea thereabout.

(a) Tyre, now Sour, was a very antient and rich Sea Port, and Capital City of Phænicia, built by Agenor the Father of Cadmus, Ifa. xxiii. 18. about A. M. 2499. or about the Time of Gideon, a Judge of Ifrael, fixtyfive Years before the Deftruction of Troy, and 240 before the Building of Solomon's Temple. It was a fortified City in the Days of Jobua, c. xix. 29. When Sidon was taken by the Philiftines of Afcalon, many of the Citizens efcaped in Ships, and founded Tyre upon a Rock in an lfland, half a Mile from the Land. But Jofephus fays la ter, in 2733. A flourishing City in the Days of King David and Solomon; famous of old for the vaft Trade, Ezek. xxvi. 27. which made her fo proud and

wicked, that the divine Judgments were denounced against, and executed upon her, Ezek. 28. and for the Tyrian Purple, made from the Blood of a Fith

caught in that Sea. This City refifted Nebuchadnezer thirteen Years; but Alexander the Great took it in feven Months, with incredible Pains and Lofs of Men; and Antigonus after a Siege of fifteen Months, A. M. 3691. before Chrift, 313. Now it is a miserable Place, inhabited with a few poor Fishermen without any Houses.

The Rainbow. It is a natural Meteor in the Clouds, caused by the Reflection of the Rays of the Sun upon them; therefore it appears only in rainy Weather. If there was any Rain before the Deluge, there must have been a Rainbow: But after that, God made it a Sign of his Covenant with Noah, that the Earth fhould never be drowned again, Gen. ix. 12, 13. Eccl. xliii. 11,12. The Purple, Blue, and Saffron Colours appear molt lively in it.

ADAM!