"Hail! mother of mankind, whose fruitful womb,
Shall fill the world more numerous with thy sons,
Than with these various fruits the trees of God
Have heap'd this table!" Rais'd of grassy turf
Their table was, and mossy seats had round,
And on her ample square from side to side

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All autumn pil'd, though spring and autumn here
Danc'd hand in hand. Awhile discourse they hold;
No fear lest dinner cool; when thus began
Our author. "Heav'nly stranger, please to taste
These.bounties, which our Nourisher, from whom
All perfect good, unmeasur'd out, descends,
To us for food and for delight hath caused
The earth to yield; unsavoury food perhaps

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To spiritual natures; only this I know,

That one celestial Father gives to all."

To whom the Angel. "Therefore what he gives

(Whose praise be ever sung) to man, in part

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Of sense, whereby they hear, see, smell, touch, taste,

Tasting concoct, digest, assimilate,

And corporeal to incorporeal turn.

For know, whatever was created, needs

To be sustain'd and fed; of elements

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The grosser feeds the purer, earth the sea,

Earth and the sea feed air, the air those fires

Ethereal, and, as lowest, first the moon;

Whence in her visage round those spots, unpurg'd
Vapours not yet into her substance turn'd.

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Nor doth the moon no nourishment exhale
From her moist continent to higher orbs.

The sun, that light imparts to all, receives
From all his alimental recompence

In humid exhalations, and at even

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Sups with the ocean. Though in Heav'n the trees
Of life ambrosial fruitage bear, and vines

Yield nectar; though from off the boughs each morn
We brush mellifluous dews, and find the ground

Cover'd with pearly grain: yet God hath here

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Varied his bounty so with new delights,

As may compare with Heav'n; and to taste

Think not I shall be nice." So down they sat,

And to their viands fell; nor seemingly

The angel, nor in mist, the common gloss

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Of theologians; but with keen dispatch

Of real hunger, and concoctive heat

To transubstantiate what redounds, transpires

Through spirits with ease; nor wonder, if by fire

Of sooty coal th' empiric alchemist

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Can turn, or holds it possible to turn,

Metals of drossiest ore to perfect gold,

As from the mine. Meanwhile at table Eve
Minister'd naked, and their flowing cups
With pleasant liquors crow'd: O innocence

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Deserving Paradise! if ever, then,

Then had the sons of God excuse to' have been

Enamour'd at that sight; but in those hearts

Love unlibidinous reign'd, nor jealousy

Was understood, the injur'd lover's Hell.

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Thus, when with meats and drinks they had suffic'd,

Not burden'd nature, sudden mind arose

In Adam, not to let th' occasion pass,

Giv'h him by this great conference, to know
Of things above his world, and of their being
Who dwell in Heav'n, whose excellence he saw
Transcend his own so far, whose radiant forms,
Divine effulgence, whose high pow'r so far
Exceeded human; and his wary speech
Thus to th' empyreal minister he fram'd.

"Inhabitant with God, now know I well
Thy favour, in this honour done to man,
Under whose lowly roof thou hast vouchsaf'd
To enter, and these earthly fruits to taste,
Food not of angels, yet accepted so,

As that more willingly thou couldst not seem

At Heav'n's high feasts to' have fed: yet what compare?"

To whom the winged hierarch reply'd.

"O Adam, one Almighty is, from whom
All things proceed, and up to him return,
If not deprav'd from good, created all
Such to perfection, one first matter all,
Endued with various forms, various degrees
Of substance, and in things that live, of life;
But more refin'd, more spiritous, and pure,
As nearer to him plac'd, or nearer tending,
Each in their several active spheres assign'd,
Till body up to spirit work, in bounds
Proportion'd to each kind. So from the root

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Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves 480 More aery, last the bright consummate flower

Spirits odorous breathes: flow'rs and their fruit,

Man's nourishment, by gradual scale sublim'd,
To vital spirits aspire, to animal,

To intellectual; give both life and sense,
Fancy and understanding; whence the soul

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Reason receives, and reason is her being,
Discursive, or intuitive; discourse
Is oftest yours, the latter most is ours,
Differing but in degree, of kind the same.

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Wonder not then, what God for you saw good

If I refuse not, but convert, as you,

To proper substance: time may come, when men
With angels may participate, and find

No inconvenient di'et, nor too light fare;

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And from these corporal nutriments perhaps
Your bodies may at last turn all to spirit,
Improv'd by tract of time, and wing'd ascend
Ethereal, as we, or may at choice

Here or in heav'nly Paradises dwell;

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If ye be found obedient, and retain

Unalterably firm his love entire,

Whose progeny you are. Meanwhile enjoy

By steps we may ascend to God. But say,

What meant that caution join'd, "If ye be found
Obedient?' can we want obedience then

To him, or possibly his love desert,

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Who form'd us from the dust, and plac'd us here,
Full to the utmost measure of what bliss

Human desires can seek or apprehend?"

To whom the angel. "Son of Heav'n and Earth,
Attend: that thou art happy, owe to God;
That thou continuest such, owe to thyself,
That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.
This was that caution given thee; be advis'd.
God made thee perfect, not immutable;
And good he made thee, but to persevere
He left it in thy pow'r; ordain'd thy will
By nature free, not over-rul'd by fate
Inextricable, or strict necessity:
Our voluntary service he requires,
Not our necessitated; such with him

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Finds no acceptance, nor can find; for how

Can hearts, not free, be try'd whether they serve

Willing or no, who will but what they must

By destiny, and can no other choose?

Myself and all th' angelic host, that stand

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In sight of God enthron'd, our happy state

Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds;

On other surety none; freely we serve,

Because we freely love, as in our will
To love or not; in this we stand or fall:
And some are fall'n, to disobedience fall'n,
And so from Heav'n to deepest Hell; O fall
From what high state of bliss into what woe!"

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To whom our great progenitor. "Thy words

Attentive, and with more delighted ear,

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Divine instructor, I have heard, than when
Cherubic songs by night from neighb'ring hills

Aëreal music send: nor knew I not

To be both will and deed created free;

Yet that we never shall forget to love

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Qur maker, and obey him, whose command