THE

FIRST BOOK

O F

PARADISE LOST.

P

The ARGUMENT.

ROPOSES the whole Subject, Man's Difobedience, and the Lofs thereupon of Pa radife wherein he was plac'd. Then touches the prime Caufe of his Fall, which was Satan in the Serpent; who revolting from GoD, and drawing to his Side many Legions of Angels, was by the Command of GOD, driven out of Heaven with all his Crew into the great Deep. Which Action pass'd over, the Author haftes into the 'midft of Things, prefenting Satan with his Angels now fallen into Hell, defcrib'd, not in the Centre (for Heaven and Earth may be fuppos'd as not yet made, certainly not yet accurs'd) but in a Place of utter Darkness, moft fitly call'd Chaos: Here Satan with his Angels lying on the burning Lake, thunder-ftruck and astonish'd, after a certain Space recovers, as from Confufion, calls up

him who next in Order and Dignity lay by him they confer of their miferable Fall. Satan awakens all his Legions, who lay till then confounded; they rife, their Numbers, Array of Battle, their chief Leaders nam'd, according to the Idols afterwards known in Canaan, and the Countries adjoin ing. Satan though fenfible of the Diminution of his Glory directs his Speech to the Fallen Angels, comforts them with Hope yet of regaining Heaven, but tells them of a new World, and new Kind of Creature to be created; according to an antient Prophecy or Report in Heaven, and threatens the Deity, which the rebellious Angels all affent to. The Affociates of Satan build Pandemonium," and the Infernal Peers fit there in Council.

CHAP. I.

The whole Subject is propos'd, Man's Difobedience, and the Lofs thereupon of Paradife wherein be was plac'd. The prime Caufe of his Fall. Satan with his Angels now fallen into Hell defcrib'd, lying on the burning Lake. After a certain Space Satan calls to him who next lay by him. They confer of their miferable Fall.

H

EAVENLY Spirit of Truth and Harmony affift me! to write of Man's first Disobedience, and of the Fruit of that, forbidden Tree, the Tafting of which brought Death and all our Woe into the World, and occafion'd the Lofs of Paradife, till JESUS CHRIST, a Man far greater than ADAM, reftore and redeem, and once more regain a Paradife for us.

THOU2

THOU, who from the thick Clouds on the fecret Top of Mount OREB, (a) or, perhaps of SINAI (b), didft infpire MOSES, when a Shepherd there, who first taught the Children of ISRAEL, how Heaven and Earth were created from the Elements, which were till then nothing but a mix'd and confus'd Heap, and without Form. Or if thy Prefence be more reveal'd on Mount SION, (r) or by the Brook of SILOA,

B 2

(d) which runs down from thence to the Temple where thy Oracle is plac'd, I intreat the Influence of thy Spirit from thence, to aid me in treating of this difficult Subject, feeing I muft elevate my Stile, above the beft Poets, and difcourfe of fuch high, and facred Things, as have never been attempted before, either in Profe or Rhime. Inftruct me for thou knoweft, thou, who preferreft an upright and pure Heart before all Temples: Thou waft prefent from all Eternity, and moving on the great Deep didst infuse vital Heat, and as the Dove when the warms Eggs into Life make Nature prolific. What is dark in me do thou enlighten, and raise, and support me, where I am too low and weak, that I may affert the Wisdom and Juftice of Eternal Providence, in a Manner worthy the Subject I have undertook to write on, and fo juftify thy Ways to Men.

of his Officers, especially his Houfe of Cedar-Wood, which he called the Caffle of Sion, and the Sepulchre of King David, Solomon, &c. within a Rock: Some of their Ruins are to be seen still. It is elegantly defcribed Pfalm 48. by Jofephus, Sands, &c. Sion was alfo called the Mount of the Houfe of the Sanctuary, and Millo, i. e. Plenty; because there was Abundance of all good Things for David's Family, and thofe of his Nobles. Sion was alfo a Type or Figure of the Church of Chrift, Heb. 12. 22. ** OBS. Mount Moriah and Mount Sion food directly in the Center, and Mount Calvarywith-out the North Gate, in the Old Jerufalem, and at a confiderable Distance: But now Mount Sion

TAUGHT

is without the Walls upon the South Side, and Mount Calvary almost in the Middle of it.

(d) Siloe, Siloah, Siloam, Shiloach, Heb. i. e. Sent; for it was a Brook or Spring of Water gliding foftly down Mount Sion, on the East Side of the Temple of Jerufalem, and at the Bottom of it made a Pool, which was Sent from God, at the Prayer of Ifaias, a little before his Death, and when the City was closely befieged; as a Bleffing or Gift, to cure many Diseases among his People. Herein a Blind Man wafhed his Eyes at Chrift's Command, and received his EyeSight, John 9. 7. There a Tow er was built over it, by the Fall of which 18 Men were killed, Luke 13. 4.

TAUGHT by Thee, (for the highest Heaven nor lowest Hell hide nothing from Thee) let me relate what was the Caufe that mov'd our first Parents, when they were plac'd in fo happy an Estate, andfavour'd fo highly of Heaven, to lofe Obedience to their Creator, and tranfgrefs his Command, when he had laid on them but one Restraint, and given themPower over the whole World befides; and who it was that first feduc'd them to that foul Rebellion: It was the chief of the fallen Angels (e) conceal'd in the Form of a Serpent, whofe Fraud, ftirr'd up with Revenge, and Envy, deceiv'd the first Mother of Mankind: Before which his Pride had occafion'd him to be caft out from Heaven, with all the reft of the rebellious Angels, by whofe Affiftance he afpir'd firft to fet himfelf up in Glory above what he was, and imagin'd that he might equal himself to the Almighty, and Moft High GoD, if he did but ftrive, and oppose him; and with this ambitious Aim made War in Heaven, and fought against his Government, abfolute Power and Dominion, with proud Battle, but the Attempt was in vain, for the Power of the ALMIGHTY caft him down from the Heavens, with moft dreadful Ruin, and Burning, down to the botB 5 tomlefs

(e) Angels; All the Modern Languages of Europe borrow this Word Angel from the Greek, i. e. A Meffenger; and the Hebrew Malachi fignifies the fame, because these Celestial Beings are the Messengers of God. It denotes their Office rather than their Nature. In other Words they are called Spirits, Minifters, Gods, Sons of God, Thrones, &c. Angels are pure, Intellectual, Spiritual Beings, more noble by far than Man, the Glory and Perfection of the Creation; of all

Creatures they come nearest to the Eternal Father of Spirits, in their Spiritual Nature and vaft Perfections; which the Almighty makes use of as his Servants, to execute his Orders through the whole Creation, altho' he stands in no Need of their Services. Angels of the Prefence: And fo they are called Shinan, i. e. Second: Because they are Second or next to God, Pfal. 68. 17. Here, Satan who had once been an Holy, but is now an Apoftate and Rebellious Angel.