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"So spacious, and his line stretched out so far,
"That man may know he dwells not in his own;
"An edifice too large for him to fill,

"Lodged in a small partition; and the rest
"Ordained for uses to his Lord best known.
"The swiftness of those circles áttribute,
"Though numberless, to his omnipotence,
"That to corporeal substances could add

"" Speed almost spiritual: me thou thinkest not slow,
"Who since the morning-hour set out from Heaven,
"Where God resides, and ere mid-day arrived
"In Eden; distance inexpressible

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By numbers that have name! But this I urge, 'Admitting motion in the Heavens, to show "Invalid that which thee to doubt it moved; "Not that I so affirm, though so it seem

"To thee, who hast thy dwelling here on earth.

"God, to remove his ways from human sense,

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"Placed Heaven from Earth so far, that earthly sight, 120 "If it presume, might err in things too high,

"And no advantage gain. What if the Sun "Be centre to the world; and other stars,

"By his attractive virtue and their own

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Incited, dance about him various rounds?

"Their wandering course, now high, now low, then hid, Progressive, retrogade, or standing still,

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"In six thou seest; and what if seventh to these
"The planet Earth, so steadfast though she seem,
"Insensibly three different motions move?
"Which else to several spheres thou must ascribe,
"Moved contrary with thwart obliquities;
"Or save the Sun his labour, and that swift
"Nocturnal and diurnal rhomb supposed,
"Invisible else above all stars, the wheel

"Of day and night: which needs not thy belief,
"If Earth, industrious of herself, fetch day

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Travelling east, and with her part averse

"From the Sun's beam meet night, her other part
"Still luminous by his ray. What if that light,
"Sent from her through the wide transpicuous air,

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"To the terrestrial Moon be as a star,

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Enlightening her by day, as she by night "This Earth, reciprocal, if land be there,

"Fields and inhabitants? Her spots thou seest
"As clouds, and clouds may rain, and rain produce
"Fruits in her softened soil, for some to eat
"Allotted there; and other suns perhaps,
"With their attendant moons, thou wilt descry,

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Communicating male and female light

"(Which two great sexes animate the world),

"Stored in each orb perhaps with some that live: "For such vast room in nature unpossessed

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By living soul, desert and desolate,

Only to shine, yet scarce to cóntribute

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"Each orb a glimpse of light, conveyed so far "Down to this habitable, which returns

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'Light back to them, is obvious to dispute.

"But whether thus these things, or whether not,—

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"Whether the Sun, predominant in Heaven,

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'Rise on the Earth, or Earth rise on the Sun; "He from the East his flaming road begin,

"Or she from West her silent course advance
"With inoffensive pace, that spinning sleeps
"On her soft axle, while she paces even,
"And bears thee soft with the smooth air along;
"Solicit not thy thoughts with matters hid:

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Leave them to God above; him serve and fear.

"Of other creatures, as him pleases best,
"Wherever placed, let him dispose; joy thou
"In what he gives to thee-this Paradise
"And thy fair Eve: Heaven is for thee too high
"To know what passes there; be lowly wise:
"Think only what concerns thee, and thy being;
"Dream not of other worlds; what creatures there
"Live, in what state, condition, or decree :
"Contented that thus far hath been revealed,
"Not of Earth only, but of highest Heaven."
To whom thus Adam, cleared of doubt, replied:

"How fully hast thou satisfied me, pure

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'Intelligence of Heaven, Angel serene!

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"And, freed from intricacies, taught to live
"The easiest way: nor with perplexing thoughts
"To interrupt the sweet of life, from which
"God hath bid dwell far off all anxious cares,

"And not molest us; unless we ourselves

"Seek them with wandering thoughts, and notions vain. "But apt the mind, or fancy, is to rove

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Unchecked, and of her roving is no end;

"Till, warned, or by experience taught, she learn,
"That not to know at large of things remote
"From use, obscure and subtle, but to know
"That which before us lies in daily life,
“Is the prime wisdom: what is more, is fume,
"Or emptiness, or fond impertinence;
"And renders us, in things that most concern,
Unpractised, unprepared and still to seek.
"Therefore from this high pitch let us descend
"A lower flight, and speak of things at hand
"Useful; whence, haply, mention may arise
"Of something not unseasonable to ask,
"By sufferance, and thy wonted favour, deigned.
"Thee I have heard relating what was done

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"Ere my remembrance: now, hear me relate

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My story, which perhaps thou hast not heard; "And day is not yet spent: till then thou seest "How subtly to detain thee I devise,

"Inviting thee to hear while I relate;

"Fond! were it not in hope of thy reply:

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'For, while I sit with thee, I seem in Heaven; "And sweeter thy discourse is to my ear "Than fruits of palm-tree, pleasantest to thirst "And hunger both, from labour, at the hour "Of sweet repast: they satiate, and soon fill,

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Though pleasant; but thy words, with grace divine "Imbued, bring to their sweetness no satiety."

To whom thus Raphael answered heavenly meek: "Nor are thy lips ungraceful, Sire of Men! "Nor tongue ineloquent; for God on thee

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Abundantly his gifts hath also poured;

“Inward and outward both his image fair:

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"Speaking, or mute, all comeliness and grace
"Attends thee, and each word, each motion forms.
"Nor less think we in Heaven of thee on Earth
"Than of our fellow-servant, and inquire
"Gladly into the ways of God with man:
"For God, we see, hath honoured thee, and set
"On man his equal love: say therefore on;
"For I that day was absent, as befell,
"Bound on a voyage úncouth and obscure,
"Far on excursion towards the gates of Hell;
"Squared in full legion (such command we had,)
"To see that none thence issued forth a spy,
"Or enemy while God was in his work;
"Lest he, incensed at such eruption bold,
"Destruction with creation might have mixed.
"Not that they durst without his leave attempt:
"But us he sends upon his high behests
"For state, as Sovran King; and to inure

"Our prompt obedience. Fast we found, fast shut,
"The dismal gates, and barricaded strong;
"But, long ere our approaching, heard within
"Noise, other than the sound of dance or song;
"Torment, and loud lament, and furious rage!
"Glad we returned up to the coasts of light
"Ere Sabbath evening: so we had in charge.
"But thy relation now; for I attend,

"Pleased with thy words no less than thou with mine."

So spake the godlike Power, and thus our Sire: "For man to tell how human life began

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"Is hard; for who himself beginning knew? "Desire with thee still longer to converse

"Induced me. As new waked from soundest sleep, "Soft on the flowery herb I found me laid,

"In balmly sweat; which with his beams the Sun "Soon dried, and on the reeking moisture fed.

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Straight toward Heaven my wondering eyes I turned, "And gazed awhile the ample sky; till, raised "By quick instinctive motion, up I sprung, "As thitherward endeavouring, and upright "Stood on my feet. About me round I saw

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"Hill, dale, and shady woods, and sunny plains,
"And liquid lapse of murmuring streams; by these,
"Creatures that lived and moved, and walked or flew;
"Birds on the branches warbling; all things smiled
"With fragrance, and with joy my heart o'erflowed.
Myself I then perused, and limb by limb

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Surveyed, and sometimes went, and sometimes ran "With supple joints, as lively vigour led: "But who I was, or where, or from what cause, "Knew not to speak I tried, and forthwith spake ; "My tongue obeyed, and readily could name "Whate'er I saw. 'Thou Sun,' said I, 'fair light! "And thou enlightened Earth, so fresh and gay! "Ye hills, and dales, ye rivers, woods, and plains, "And ye that live and move, fair creatures! tell, "Tell, if ye saw, how I came thus, how here? "Not of myself; by some great Maker then, "In goodness and in power pre-eminent: "Tell me how may I know him, how adore,

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"From whom I have that thus I move and live,

"And feel that I am happier than I know?'

"While thus I called, and strayed I knew not whither, "From where I first drew air, and first beheld "This happy light; when answer none returned, "On a green shady bank, profuse of flowers, "Pensive I sat me down: there gentle sleep "First found me, and with soft oppression seized "My drowsèd sense, untroubled, though I thought "I then was passing to my former state,

"Insensible, and forthwith to dissolve:
"When suddenly stood at my head a dream,

"Whose inward apparition gently moved

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My fancy to believe I yet had being,

"And lived. One came, methought, of shape divine,
"And said, "Thy mansion wants thee, Adam; rise,
"First man, of men innumerable ordained

"First father! called by thee, I come thy guide
"To the garden of bliss, thy seat prepared.'

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"So saying, by the hand he took me raised, "And, over fields and waters, as in air,

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