As one who in his journey bates at noon, Though bent on speed; so here the Arch-Angel paused Betwixt the world destroy'd and world restored, If Adam aught perhaps might interpose;
Then, with transition sweet, new speech resumes: Thus thou hast seen one world begin and end; And man, as from a second stock, proceed. Much thou hast yet to see; but I perceive Thy mortal sight to fail; object divine Must needs impair and weary human sense: Henceforth what is to come I will relate; Thou therefore give due audience, and attend. This second source of men, while yet but few. And while the dread of judgment past remains Fresh in their minds, fearing the Deity, With someregard to what is just and right Shall lead their lives, and multiply apace;' Labouring the soil, and reaping plenteous crop, Corn, wine, and oil; and, from the herd or flock, Oft sacrificing bullock, lamb, or kid, With large wine-offerings pour'd, and sacred feast. Shall spend their days in joy unblamed; and dwell Long time in peace, by families and tribes, Under paternal rule: till one shall rise Of proud ambitious heart; who, not content With fair equality, fraternal state, Will arrogate dominion undeserved
Over his brethren, and quite dispossess
Concord and law of nature from the Earth ; Hunting (and men not beasts shall be his game) With war and hostile snare such as refuse Subjection to his empire tyrannous:
A mighty hunter thence he shall be styled Before the Lord; as in despite of Heaven, Or from Heaven claiming second sovereignity; And from rebellion shall derive his name, Though of rebellion others he accuse. He with a crew, whom like ambition joins With him or under him to tyrannize,
Marching from Eden towards the west, shall find The plain, wherein a black bituminous gurge Boils out rom under ground, the mouth of Hell: Of brick and of that stuff, they cast to build
A city and tower, whose top may reach to Heaven: And get themselves a name; lest, far dispersed In foreign lands, their memory be lost; Regardless whether good or evil fame. But God, who oft descends to visit men Unseen, and through their habitions walks To mark their doings, them beholding soon, Comes down to see their city, ere the tower Obstruct Heaven-towers and in derision sets Upon their tongues a various spirit, to rase Quite out their native language; and, instead, To sow a jangling noise of words unknown: Forthwith a hideous gabble rises loud, Among the builders; each to other calls Not understood, till hoarse, and all in rage, As mock'd they storm: great laughter was in Heaven! And looking down, to see the hubbub strange, And hear the din: thus was the building left Ridiculous, and the work Confusion named. Whereto thus Adam, fatherly displeased; Q execrable son! so to aspire
Above his brethren; to himself assuming Authority usurp'd, from God not given: He gave us only over beast, fish, fowl, Dominion absolute; that right we hold By his donation; but men over men He made not lord: such title to himself Reserving, human left from human free. But this usurper his encroachment proud Stays not on man: to God his tower intends Siege and defiance; wretched man! what food Will he convey up thither, to sustain
Himself and his rash army: where thin air Above the clouds will pine his entrails gross, And famished him of breath, if not of bread? To whom thus Michael: Just by thou abborr'st That son, who on the quiet state of men Such trouble brought, affecting to subdue Rational liberty; yet know withal, Since thy original lapse, true liberty
Is lost, which always with right reason dwells Twinn'd, and from her hath no dividual being : Reason in man obscured or not obey'd,
Immediatly inordinate desires
And upstart passion catch the government From reason; and to servitude reduce
Man, till then free. Therefore, since he permits Within himself unworthy powers to reign Over free reason, God, in judgment just, Subjects him from without to violent lords; Who oft as undeservedly enthral
His outward freedom: tyranny must be; Though to the tyrant thereby no excuse. Yet sometimes nations will decline so low From virtue, which is reason, that no wrong, But justice and some fatal curse annex'd, Deprives them of their outward liberty; Their inward lost; witness the irreverent son
Of him who built the ark; who, for the shame Done to his father, heard this heavy curse, Servant of servants, on his vicious race. Thus will this latter, as the former world, Still tend from bad to worse: till God at last, Wearied with there iniquities, withdraw His presence from among them, to avert His holy eyes; resolving from thenceforth To leave them to their own polluted ways; And one peculiar nation to select From all the rest, of whom to be invoked, A nation from one faithful man to spring: Him on this side Euphrates yet residing, Bred up in idol-worship: O, that men
(Canst thou believe?) should be so stupid grown, While yet the patriarch lived who scaped the flood, As to forsake the living God, and fall
To worship their own work in wood and stone For gods! Yet him God the Most High vouchsafes To call by vision, from his father's house,
His kindred, and false gods, into a land
Which he will show him; and trom him will raise A mighty nation: and upon him shower
His benediction so that in his seed
All nations shall be bless'd: he strait obeys; Not knowing to what land, yet firm believes : I see him, but thou canst not, with what faith He leaves his gods his friends, and native soil, Ur of Chaldea, passing now the ford To Haran: after him a cumbrous train Of herds and flocks, and numerous servitude; Not wandering poor, but trusting all his wealth With God, who call'd him, in a land unknown. Canan he now attains; I see his tents Pitch'd about Secem, and the neigbouring plain Of Moreh; there by promise he receives Gift to his progeny of all that land,
From Hamath northward to the Desert south
(Things by their names I call, thou yet unnamed ; From Hermon, east to the great western sea; Mount Hermon, yonder sea; each place behold In prospect, as I point them; on the shore Mount Carmel; here, the double-founted stream, Jordan, true limit eastward; but his sons Shall dwell to Senir, that long ridge of hills. This ponder, that all nations of the Earth Shall in his seed be blessed by that seed Is meant that great Deliverer, who shall bruise The serpent's head; whereof to thee anon Plainlier shall be reveal'd. This patriarch bless'd Whom faithful Abraham due time shall call, A son, and of his son a grandchild, leaves; Like him in faith, wisdom, and renown:
The grandchild, with twelve sons increased, departs From Canaan, to a land hereafter call'd
Egypt, divided by the river Nile ;
See where it flows, disgorging at seven mouths Into the sea to sojourn in that land
He comes, invited by a younger son
In time of dearth; a son, whose worthy deeds Raise him to be the second in that realm
Of Paraoh there he dies, and leaves his race
Growing into a nation, and now grown
Suspected to scquent king, who seeks To stop their overgrowth, as inmate guests
Too numerous; whence of guests he makes them slaves Inhospitably, and kills their infant males:
Till by two brethern (these two brethren call'd Moses and Aaron )sent from God to claim His people from enthralment, they return, With-glory and spoil, back to their promised land But first, the lawless tyrant, who denies To know their God, or message to regard, Must be compell'd by signs and judgements dir
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