Yon flow'ry arbors, yonder allies green,
Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown,
That mock our fcant manuring, and require
More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth.
Those blofsoms alfo, and those dropping gums,
That lie bestrown, unfightly and unsmooth,
Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with eafc.
Mean while, as Nature wills, night bids us reft."
To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty adorn'd: "My author and difpofer, what thou bidft Unargu'd I obey: fo God ordains.
With thee converfing I forget all time;
All feafons and their change, all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing fweet,
With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the fun,
When firft on this delightful land he spreads
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower,
Glift'ring with dew; fragrant the fertile earth
After foft fhow'rs; and fweet the coming on
Of grateful evening mild; then filent night,.
With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,
And these the gems of heav'n, her starry train:
But neither breath of morn, when she afcends
With charm of earliest birds; nor rifing fun
On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flower,
Glift'ring with dew; nor fragrance after fhowers;
Nor grateful evening mild; nor filent night
With this her folemn bird; nor walk by moon,
Or glitt'ring ftar-light, without thee is fweet.
But wherefore all night long shine these? for whom
This glorious fight, when fleep hath shut all eyes?"
To whom our gen'ral ancestor reply'd:.
"Daughter of God and man, accomplish'd Eve,
Thefe have their courfe to finifh round the earth,
By morrow ev'ning; and from land to land
In order, though to nations yet unborn,
Minift'ring light prepar'd, they fet and rife;
Left total darkness fhould by night regain
Her old pofsefsion, and extinguish lise
In nature and all things; which these soft fires
Not only enlighten, but, with kindly heat
Of various influence, foment and warm,
Temper or nourish; or in part fhed down
Their fiellar virtue on all kinds that grow
On earth, made hereby apter to receive
Perfection from the fun's more potent ray.
These then, though unbeheld in deep of night,
Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were none,
That heav'n would want fpectators, God want praise :
Millions of fpiritual creatures walk the earth
Unfeen, both when we wake, and when we fleep.
All these with ceafelefs praife his works behold,
Both day and night. How often, from the fleep
Of echoing hill or thicket, have we heard
Celeftial voices to the midnight air,
Sole, or refponfive each to others' note,
Singing their great Creator? Oft in bands,
While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk
With heav'nly touch of inftrumental founds,
In full harmonic number join'd, their fongs
Divide the night, and list our thoughts to heav'n.”
Thus talking hand in hand alone they pafs'd
On to their blifsful bow'r.
-There arriv'd, both ftood,
Both turn'd; and under open sky ador'd
The God that made both sky, air, earth, and heav'n,
Which they beheld, the moon's refplendent globe,
And starry pole. "Thou alfo mad'st the night,
Maker Omnipotent, and thou the day,
Which we, in our appointed work employ'd,
Have finish'd, happy in our mutual help,
And mutual love, the crown of all our blifs
Ordain'd by thee; and this delicious place
For us too large, where thy abundance wants
Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground.
But thou haft promis'd from us two a race,
To fill the earth, who fhall with us extol
Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake,
And when we feek, as now, thy gift of fleep."
Lo! a form divinely bright
Descends, and bursts upon my fight;
A feraph of illuftrious birth!
(Religion was her name on earth;)
Supremely fweet her radiant face,
And blooming with celeftial grace!
Three fhining cherubs form'd her train,
Wav'd their light wings, and reach'd the plain:
Faith, with fublime and piercing eye,
And pinions flutt'ring for the fky;
Here Hope, that fmiling angel, stands,
And golden anchors grace her hands;
There Charity, in robes of white,
Fairest and fav'rite maid of light!
The feraph fpoke-" "Tis Reafon's part
To govern and to guard the heart;
To lull the wayward'soul to rest,
When hopes and fears diftract the breast.
Reason may calm this doubtful ftrife,
And fteer thy bark through various life:
But when the ftorms of death are nigh,
And midnight darkness veils the fky,
Shall Reason then direct thy fail,
Disperse the clouds, or fink the gale?
Stranger, this skill alone is mine,
Skill that tranfcends his fcanty line.”
"Revere thyfelf-thou'rt near allied
To angels on thy better fide.
How various e'er their ranks or kinds,
Angels are but unbodied minds:
When the partition-walls decay,
Men emerge angels from their clay.
Yes, when the frailer body dies,
The foul afserts her kindred fkies.
But minds, though sprung from heav'nly race,
Muft firft be tutor'd for the place:
The joys above are understood,
And relish'd only by the good.
Who fhall afsume this guardian care;
Who fhall fecure their birth-right there?
Souls are my charge-to me 'tis giv'n
To train them for their native heav'n."
"Know then-who bow the early knee,
And give the willing heart to me;
Who wifely, when Temptation waits,
Elude her frauds, and spurn her baits;
Who dare to own my injur'd cause,
Though fools deride my facred laws;
Or fcorn to deviate to the wrong,
Though Perfecution lifts her thong;
Though all the fons of hell conspire
To raise the stake and light the fire;
Know, that for fuch fuperior fouls,
There lies a blifs beyond the poles;
Where fpirits shine with purer ray,
And brighten to meridian day;
Where love, where boundless friendship rules;
(No friends that change, no love that cools;)
Where rifing floods of knowledge roll,
And pour, and pour upon the foul!"
"But where's the passage to the skies?— The road through Death's black valley lies Nay, do not fhudder at my tale;
Tho' dark the fhades, yet fafe the vale.
This path the best of men have trod;
And who'd decline the road to God?
Oh! tis a glorious boon to die!
This favour can't be priz'd too high."
While thus the fpoke, my looks exprefs'd The raptures kindling in my breaft;
My foul a fix'd attention gave;
When the ftern Monarch of the Grave
With haughty ftrides approach'd—amaz`d
I ftood and trembled as I gaz'd.
The feraph calm'd each anxious fear,
And kindly wip'd the falling tear;
Then haften'd with expanded wing
To meet the pale, terrific king.
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