a great Way from thence a Sound of murmuring Waters flow'd forth from a Cave, and fpread into a liquid Plain, which then stood unmov'd and clear as the Sky; I went thither with unexperienc'd Thought, and laid me down upon the green Bank, to look inta the fmooth and pure Lake, that feem'd to me to be another Sky: As I bent myfelf down to look, juft oppofite appear❜d a Shape in the Water, bending to look upon me; Iftarted back, and that started back alfo; but I being pleas'd foon return'd, and that as foon return'd, and as pleas'd, with anfwering Looks of Sympathy and Love: There 'till now had I fix'd my Eyes, and pin'd away with vain Defire, had not a Voice thus warn'd me. "Fair Creature, what thou there feeft is no"thing but thyself, it came with thee, and with thee "it goes away; but follow me, and I will bring thee "where fomething more than a Shadow waits for thy "coming, and for thy foft Embraces; 'tis he whofe

Image thou art, thou fhall enjoy him infeparably, "to him fhalt bear Multitude of Creatures like thy"felf, and thence fhalt be call'd the Mother of hu "man Kind." What could I do elfe but immediately follow, being led thus invifibly, 'till I faw thee under a Platan? (z) Fair indeed and tall, and yet methought lefs fair, lefs winning and foft, and lefs amiably mild than that other fmooth watery Image: I turn'd back, thou cryedft aloud, following me, fair EVE return; from whom doft thou fly? whom thou Alieft from, of him art thou made, his Flesh and Bone; to give thee thy Being I lent fubftantial Life,

(z) Platan (in the lat. Edit. Plantan, which is wrong) Gr. i. e. Broad; because the Leaves of it are very broad and spreading wide, which make a cool, refreshing, and welcome Shade in hot Countries; the PlaneTree. It grows very large and

nearest

well spread in Macedonia; the Body of it is a clear green, smooth as Glafs, very freight, and about 20 Feet high; the Leaves are eight or ten Foot long, and four Foot broad; and the Heart of it is a common Food in South America.

nearest my Heart and out of my Side, to have thee by my Side; henceforth an individual and dear Comfort, I feek thee as Part of my Soul, and lay Claim to thee who art my other Half! -----With that thy gentle Hand took hold of mine; I yielded; and from that Time fee how much Beauty is excell'd by manly Grace and Wisdom, befides which nothing is truly fair.

So fpake our firft and general Mother, and with Eyes of conjugal Attraction and meek Surrender, half embracing him, lean'd upon ADAM; Half her naked fwelling Breaft met his, hid under the flowing Treffes of her golden Hair: He, in Delight both of her Beauty and her fubmiffive Charms, fmil'd with fuperi or Love, as Poets feign JUPITER to smile on JUNO, (a) when he makes the Clouds fruitful, that fhed MayFlowers; and he prefs'd her Matron Lip with frequent and pure Kiffes :-----The Devil turn'd afide for Envy; yet with a jealous and malicious Look ey'd them, and thus complain'd to himself:

HATEFUL and tormenting Sight! thus these two in the Paradife of one another's Arms, (the happiest EDEN) fhall enjoy their Fill of Blifs upon Blifs; while I am thruft to Hell, where there's neither Joy nor Love, but what among others is not the leaft of our Torments, fierce Defire pines with Pain of Longing, never fatisfy'd nor quench'd. Yet don't let me forget what I have gain'd from their own Mouths; It feems all is not theirs; there ftands one fatal Tree, call'd the Tree of Knowledge, forbidden them to tafte: Knowledge forbidden? and why? that's fufpi

(e) Funo; Lat. i. e. Help or Aftance. An Heathen Goddels, the Sifter and Wife of Jupiter; fhe goes under various Names among the antient Poets.

cious

By this Fable they meant the
Air and Earth, which came
both out of one Womb, the
Chaos.

cious and without Reafon: Why fhould their Lord envy them that? Can it be any Sin to gain Knowledge? Can that deferve Death? And do they ftand perfect only by their Ignorance? Is that their happy State? their Faith, and the Proof of their Obedience? What a fair Foundation is here laid, whereon to build their Ruin? For this Cause I will excite a greater Defire to know, and to reject envious Commands invented only with a Defign to keep them low, whom this prohibited Knowledge might exalt and make equal with Gods Perhaps afpiring to be fuch, they taste, and die, what can likelier be the Confequence! But first I must walk round this Garden with very narrow Search, and leave no Place undiscover'd; a Wonder if Chance may not lead me, where I may meet fome wandering Spirit of Heaven, retir'd in fome thick Shade, or near fome Fountain, from whom I may learn what I want farther to know.----Ye happy Pair! live while ye may, and 'till I return enjoy fhort Pleafures, for the Woes are long which are to fucceed. Having faid this, he fcornfully turn'd his proud Steps afide, and began to make his Search, tho' with Slynefs and great Circumfpection, through Woods and Plains, and over the Hills and Vallies.

CHA P. III.

Uriel warns Gabriel, that fome evil Spirit had pass'd by his Sphere. Night comes on, Adam and Eve difcourfe going to their Reft: Their Bower defcrib'd and Evening Worship.

M

EAN while the fetting Sun defcended flowly, and levell'd his Evening Rays' directly against the Eastern Gate of PARADISE: It was a Rock of Alabafter, pil'd up almost as high as

the

the Clouds, fo that it might be eafily feen from far; acceffible from the Earth only by one Entrance, with a winding Afcent; the reft was a craggy Cliff impoffible to climb, that hung over ftill as it rofe. Betwixt thefe rocky Pillars fat GABRIEL, (b) the chief of the Guard of Angels waiting for Night; about him the unarm'd Youth of Heaven exercis'd heroick Games, but nigh at Hand hung celeftial Armory, Shields and Helmets, and Spears adorn'd with Diamonds and Gold. Thither came URIEL, gliding upon a Sun Beam, fwift as a fhooting Star that in Autumn falls in the Night, when fir'd Vapours imprefs the Air, and fhews the Mariner from what Point of his Compafs he may beware of impetuous Winds: URIEL in Haste thus spoke to GABRIEL:

GABRIEL! to thee it belongs, and it is thy Charge by Lot, to keep ftrict Watch, that to this happy Place no evil Thing may approach, much less enter in: This Day at high Noon there came to my Sphere a Spirit, feemingly zealous to know more of the Works of the ALMIGHTY, and chiefly of MAN, the latest Image of GOD; I directed him in his Way to PARADISE, whither he was bent in Haste, and I marked his airy Gate: But in the Mount that lies North from EDEN, where he lighted firft, I foon difcern'd by his Looks that he was an Alien from Heaven, and darken'd with foul Paffions: My Eye purfu'd him further, but he hid himself in Darkness: I fear that one of the banish'd and outcaft Angels hath ventur'd from the Deep to caufe new Troubles; fo that thy Care must be to find him out.

(b) Gabriel; Heb. i. e. The Strength or Might of God. The Arabs call him Jibrael, and the Tatars, Sabriel: thro' Ignorance of the Original, and Corruption of their different Tongues.

To

The Rabbies account him the Minister of God's Mercies; and Michael, of his Juftice: therefore they call him Water, and the Latter, Fire.

To whom the warlike Angel GABRIEL gave this Anfwer; URIEL! it is no Wonder if thy perfect Sight fee far and wide, where thou fitteft amid the Sun's bright Circle: None pass by the Watch plac'd at this Gate, but fuch as come well known from Heaven, and from thence no Creature has enter'd fince Noon; if Spirit of other Sort being fo refolv'd, have leap'd over thefe earthly Bounds on Purpose, thou knoweft how hard it is to exclude spiritual Substance with any Bars compounded but of Matter. But if within the Circuit of these Walks, he of whom thou fpeakeft fhould lurk, let him be conceal'd in what Shape foever; I fhall know before To-morrow Morning.

THUS promis'd GABRIEL; and URIEL return'd to his Charge, upon that bright Beam, whofe Point now rais'd bore him flope downward to the Sun, that was now fallen beneath the AZORES; (c) whither the prime Orb incredibly fwift had rowl'd thither diurnal, or this lefs voluble Earth, by a fhorter Flight to the Eaft, had left him there, adorning the Clouds that attended him to the Weft with reflected Purple and Gold. Now came on the ftill Evening, and the gray Twilight had began to cover all on Earth with Darknefs; for the Beafts were retir'd to their graffy Beds, and the Birds to their Nefts; all but the wakeful Nightingale, fhe fung all Night her sweet Love Song: Now the Firmament glow'd with Stars, the Evening Star that led on the reft fhone brighteft; 'till fuch Time

(c) Azores; Port. Span. i. e. The Iles of Harks: becaufe Multitudes of thofe Birds were found there, when the Portuguese first discovered them, A. D. 1449. These Iflands are nine in Number, which lie in the Atlantic or Western Ocean, over

against Portugal: They are called alfo the Terceras, from Tertera, i. e. Three: because it is the Third, which is found in failing from Portugal, and the chiefeft of them, ie. The Sur was now fetting in the Weit.