Officiis illum ufque piis fanctoque timore
Accedas, nutuque finas flectenda fupremo
varias quæcunque animantia terras. Et tibi quæ blandâ largitus munera dextrâ,
Lætus habe, dulcefque hortos pulcramque maritam.
Conceptus longè humanos fublimia cœli
Confilia exfuperant. Tu ne fapere altius aude;
Quæ tibi funt propiora, agita; nec inania finge
Somnia; fintne orbes alii, qualefque coloni
Indigenæ teneant, quo-ve ordine, gente, locoque.
Sufficiat tibi me tantum explicuiffe lubenter
Terrarum, & fuperi, quantum fas pandere, cœli.
Cui fic dimotis undanti pectore Adamus
Fluctibus: ô cœli virtus fapientior, alme
Numinis interpres, penitùs mihi vota benignus
Explefti, dubiâque errorum ambage folutum
Demulfifti animum; curfu qui mollius ævum
Ducere tranquillo, nec edacibus otia curis
Of other creatures, as him pleases beft,
Where-ever plac'd, let him difpofe; joy thou
In what he gives to thee, this paradife,
And thy fair Eve: heav'n is for thee too high
To know what paffes there; be lowly wife:
Think only what concerns thee, and thy being;
Dream not of other worlds, what creatures there
Live, in what ftate, condition or degree:
Contented that thus far hath been reveal'd,
Not of earth only, but of highest heav'n.
To whom thus Adam, clear'd of doubt, reply'd.
How fully haft thou fatisfy'd me, pure
Intelligence of heav'n, angel! ferene!
And freed from intricacies, taught to live
The eafieft way; nor with perplexing thoughts
To interrupt the fweet of life; from which
God hath bid dwell far-off all anxious cares,
Dulcia perturbare, doces: quas fede remotâ
Longè habitare Deus juffit, ni quærimus ipsi
Sponte vagis animis ftudioque vocamus inani.
Mens fed enim indomitis fine fine vagabitur alis
Avia; dum monitis vitâ-ve edocta magiftrâ
Præceptum falubre hoc difcat: fapientia prima eft
Haud nimis attentè fubtilia quærere rerum
Abditaque, & quorum affiduus minus indiget ufus;
At legere & fcire interius, quæ pagina vitæ
Præfcripta eft, quæ circa oculos verfatur & ora.
Cetera fumus & aura, levifque infana cerebri
Somnia; nos adeò utilium ignarofque rudefque
Efficiunt penitus, vitæque ad munera tardos.
Ergo ex præcipiti prudens demiffius ala
Devolet; atque humili paulum propiora loquelâ
Tractemus: fors & dulci fermone ferentur
Ufibus apta meis, & non indigna relatu,
Si pateris, folitumque ultra dignare favorem.
And not moleft us; unless we ourselves
Seek them with wand'ring thoughts, and notions
vain.
But apt the mind or fancy is to rove
Un-check'd, and of her roving is no end:
'Till warn'd, or by experience taught, fhe learn,
That not to know at large of things remote
From ufe obfcure and fubtile; but to know
That which before us lies in daily life,
Is the prime wifdom: what is more, is fume,
Or emptiness, or fond impertinence:
And renders us, in things that most concern,,
Un-practis'd, un-prepar'd, and ftill to feek.
Therefore from this high pitch let us defcend
A lower flight; and speak of things at hand
Useful; whence haply mention may arise
Of fomething not unfeasonable to ask,
By fuffrance, and thy wonted favor deign'd.
Teque
Teque adeò audivi lætus narrare, quod ævum
Accidit ante meum; mihi nunc adverte viciffim,
Dum recito, quod forte tuas non attigit aures.
Necdum exacta dies: cernis, quêis te usque morari
Artibus enitor; me tanta accendit ad ausa
Refponfi fpes læta tui atque arrecta cupido.
Dum tibi enim afsideo, videor mihi gaudia cœli
Carpere; namque meas oblectans fuavius aures
Vox tua permulfit, palmæ quàm poma palatum,
Efuriem pariterque fitim relevantia, cœnæ
Jam dulci exactis redeunte laboribus horâ:
Illa brevi eximiis adeò fatiantque replentque
Deliciis; tua divino perfufa lepore
Ufque novâ alliciunt fenfus dulcedine dicta.
Cui fic refpondit cœli mitiffima virtus:
Nec labiis, hominum genitor, tibi gratia, linguæ
Eloquium nec abeft; Deus & tibi dona profudit
Uberius, vultûs variis mentifque beavit
Thee I have heard relating what was done
E'er my remembrance: now hear me relate
My ftory, which perhaps thou haft not heard:
And day is yet not fpent: 'till then thou feeft
How fubtly to detain thee I devise;
Inviting thee to hear, while I relate:
Fond! were it not in hope of thy reply,
For, while I fit with thee, I feem in heav'n:
And fweeter thy discourse is to my ear
Than fruits of palm-tree (pleasantest to thirst,
And hunger both from labor) at the hour
Offweet repaft: they fatiate, and foon fill,
Tho' pleasant; but thy words with grace divine
Imbu'd; bring to their sweetness no fatiety.
To whom thus Raphael anfwer'd heav'nly meek,
Nor are thy lips ungraceful, fire of men!
Nor tongue in-eloquent: for God on thee
Abundantly his gifts hath alfo pour'd;
Dotibus, ipfe fuæ dignatus imagine formæ.
Mutefcis? loqueris? mutum pariterque loquentem
Confequitur decor, & voces habitufque placentes
Componit, Te nos cœli domus omnis habemus
Confervum in terris noftrum: quin pectore læto
Scrutamur, quo res hominum moderamine torquet
Omnipotens; tibi
tibi nam, bene novimus, almus honorem
Conceffit, fortemque parem largitus amoris.
Perge igitur; tum forte aberam, tristesque fecutus
Præruptasque vias, inferni ad limina regis
Tentabam excurfus: denfis legionibus unà
Quadratâque acie juffi exploravimus, hoftis
Tentaret fi forte umbris exire, malas-ve
Infidias fpeculator agens; ne talibus aufis
Concitus ingentes Deus exarderet in iras,
Obrueretque opera immani vix condita clade.
Nec tamen hi poffent quidquam fine numine fummi
Moliri patris: ipfe ita nos exercet, ad alti
Inward and outward both, his image fair.
Speaking or mute, all comeliness and grace
Attends thee; and each word each motion forms.
Nor less think we in heav'n of thee on earth,
Than of our fellow-fervant; and inquire
Gladly into the ways of God with man:
For God we fee hath honor'd thee, and fet
On man his equal love. Say therefore on;
For I that day was abfent, as befel,
Bound on a voyage uncouth and obscure,
Far on excurfion toward the gates of hell,
Squar'd in full legion, (fuch command we had).
To see that none thence iffu'd forth a spy,
Or enemy, while God was in his work;
Left he (incens'd at fuch eruption bold)
Destruction with creation might have mix'd.
Au-
Augustum decus imperii, nutumque fupremum
Affuetos fervare, & fancta faceffere juffa.
Vidimus objicibus validis ac vectibus æreis
Firmatas tristes portas; & longius ante
Lumina quam attigimus, fonus inde acceffit ad aures,
Non citharæ fonus argutæ lepida-ve choreæ,
Lamenta, & pœnæ horribiles, rabidique ululatus.
Ergo gradu celerante prius, quàm sabbata vesper
Clauferat, æthereas læti remeavimus oras,
Namque ita mandatum eft. Verùm incipe; me neque furdum
Invenies; læta me audîbas aure locutum,
Teque loquente eadem veniet mihi corde voluptas.
Finierat Virtus: cui noftri fanguinis auctor
Reddidit: humanæ primordia pandere vitæ
Non homini facile eft; quis enim fe noverat inter
Nascendum? at blandi aggredior perculfus amore
Colloquii. Attonitus, tanquam alti vincula fomni
Jam vix exueram, vidi me mollius herbâ
Not that they durft without his leave attempt;
But us he fends upon his high behefts
For ftate, as fov'reign king; and to inure
Our prompt obedience. Faft we found, faft shut
The difmal gates, and barricado'd ftrong!
But long e'er our approaching heard within
Noife, other than the found of dance, or fong!
Torment, and loud lament, and furious rage.
Glad we return'd up to the coasts of light
E'er fabbath-ev`ning: fo we had in charge.
But thy relation now! for I attend,
Pleas'd with thy words,no less than thou with mine.
So fpake the god-like pow'r, and thus our fire.
For man to tell how human life began
Is hard; for who himself begining knew?
Defire with thee ftill longer to converse
Induc'd me.---As new wak'd from foundest sleep
Soft on the flow`ry herb I found me
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