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ill or highest wall, and sheer within ts on his feet. As when a prowling wolf, Im hunger drives to seek new haunts for prey, thing where shepherds pen their flocks at seve urdl'd cotes amid the field fecure,

as o're the fence with ease into the fouid: s a thief bent to unhoord the can ome rich burgher, whose substantial dores, s-barr'd and bolted fast, fear no affauit, t the window climbes, or o're the ties; lomb this first grand thief into God's fpuit: ince into his church lewd hirelings clituve. ince up he flew, and on the tree of infe, ⚫ middle tree and highest there that grew, like a cormorant; yet not true life reby regain'd, but sat devising death them who liv'd; nor on the virtue thought that life-giving plant, but only us'd

prospect, what well us'd had been the penge immortalitie. So little knows y, but God alone, to value right e good before him, but perverts beft things worst abuse, or to their meanest we neath him with new wonder now he views ⚫ all delight of human sense expos'd

narrow room nature's whole weath, yea more heav'n on earth: for blissful Paracitie God the garden was, by him in the eadt Eden n

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den stretch'd her line

the royal sowers

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Or where the fons of Eden long before
Dwelt in Telaffar: in this pleasant foile
His far more pleasant garden God ordain'd;
Out of the fertile ground he caus'd to grow
All trees of noblest kind for fight, smell, taste;
And all amid them stood the tree of life,
High eminent, blooming ambrofial fruit
Of vegetable gold; and next to life
Our death the tree of knowledge grew fast by,
Knowledge of good bought dear by knowing ill.
Southward through Eden went a river large,
Nor chang'd his course, but through the shaggie hill
Pass'd underneath ingulft, for God had thrown
That mountain as his garden mould high rais'd
Upon the rapid current, which through veins
Of porous earth with kindly thirst updrawn,
Rose a fresh fountain, and with many a rill
Water'd the garden; thence united fell
Down the steep glade, and met the neather flood,
Which from his darksome passage now appeers,
And now divided into four main streams,
Runs divers, wandring many a famous realme
And country whereof here needs no account,
But rather to tell how, if art could tell,
How from that saphire fount the crisped brooks,
Rowling on orient pearle and fands of gold,
With mazie error under pendent shades
Ran nectar, visiting each plant, and fed
Flours worthy of Paradife which not nice art
In beds and curious knots, but nature boon
Powr'd forth profuse on hill and dale and plain,

Both where the morning fun firft warmly smote
The open field, and where the unpierc't shade
Imbrown'd the noontide bowrs: thus was this place

A happy rural feat of various view;

Groves whose rich trees wept odorous gumms and balme,
Others whose fruit burnisht with golden rinde

Hung amiable, Hesperian fables true,
If true, here only, and of delicious taste :
Betwixt them lawns, and level downs, and flocks
Grafing the tender herb, were interpos'd,
Or palmie hilloc, or the flourie lap
Of fome irriguous valley spread her store,
Flours of all hue, and without thorn the rofe :
Another fide, umbrageous grots and caves
Of cool recefs, o're which the mantling vine
Lays forth her purple grape, and gently creeps
Luxuriant; mean while murmuring waters fall
Down the flope hills, disperst, or in a lake,
That to the fringed bank with myrtle crown'd,
Her chrystall mirror holds, unite their streams.
The birds their quire apply; aires, vernal aires,
Breathing the smell of field and grove, attune
The trembling leaves, while universal Pan
Knit with the Graces and the Hours in dance
Led on th'eternal spring. Not that fair field
Of Enna, where Proferpin gath'ring flours
Herself a fairer floure by gloomie Dis
Was gather'd, which cost Ceres all that pain
To seek her through the world,; nor that sweet grove
Of Daphne by Orontes, and th'inspir'd
Castalian spring might with his Paradife

Of Eden strive; nor that Nyscian ifle
Girt with the river Triton, where old Cham,
Whom gentiles Ammon call and Lybian Jove,
Hid Amalthea and her florid son.

Young Bacchus from his stepdame Rhea's eye;
Nor where Ambassin kings their issue guard,
Mount Amara, though this by some suppos'd
True Paradise under the Ethiop line
By Nilus head, enclos'd with shining rock,
A whole day's journey high, but wide remote
From this Affyrian garden, where the fiend
Saw undelighted all delight, all kind
Of living creatures new to fight and strange :
Two of far nobler shape erect and tall,
Godlike erect, with native honour clad
In naked majesty seem'd lords of all,
And worthie seem'd, for in their looks divine
The image of their glorious Maker shon,
Truth, wisdom, sanctitude severe and pure,
Severe, but in true filial freedom plac't;
Whence true autoritie in men; though both
Not equal, as their sex not equal seem'd;
For contemplation he and valour form'd,
For softness she and sweet attractive grace,
He for God only, the for God in him:
His fair large front and eye fublime declar'd
Absolute rule; and hyacinthin locks
Round from his parted forelock manly hung
Clustring, but not beneath his shoulders broad:
She as a vail down to the flender waste
Her unadorned golden tresses wore

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Dishevel'd, but in wanton ringlets wav'd

As the vine curles her tendrils, which impli'd
Subjection, but requir'd with gentle sway,
And by her yielded, by him best receiv'd,
Yielded with coy fubmiffion, modest pride,
And sweet reluctant amorous delay.

Nor those mysterious parts were then conceal'd,
Then was not guiltie shame, dishonest shame
Of nature's works, honour difhonourable,
Sin-bred, how have ye troubl'd all mankind
With shews instead, mere shews of seeming pure,

• And banisht from man's life his happiest life,
Simplicitie and fpotless innocence.

So pass'd they naked on, nor shun'd the fight Of God or angel, for they thought no ill : So hand in hand they pass'd, the loveliest pair That ever fince in love's imbraces met, Adam the goodliest man of men fince born His fons, the fairest of her daughters Eve. Under a tuft of shade that on a green Stood whispering soft, by a fresh fountain side They fat them down, and after no more toil Of their sweet gard'ning labour then suffic'd To recommend cool zephyr, and made ease More eafie, wholsome thirst and appetite More grateful, to their supper fruits they fell, Nectarine fruits which the compliant boughes Yielded them, fide-long as they fat reclin'd On the foft downie bank damaskt with flours : • The savourie pulp they chew, and in the rinde Still as they thirsted scoop the brimming stream;

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