Horrefcens fquamis, et equi cava colla marini.
Tum partu fimul innumero disclusa micabant,
Quot vaga cunque vides infectaque vermiculosque;
Pars cedente leves exercent lentius alas
Aere, molliculamque cutem & tenuiffima fila
Membrorum oftentant, guttis auroque corufco
Distincta, & veris vario radiata colore.
Pars multo per humum finuosa volumina tractu
Deducunt; fed non minimâ de gente animantum
Omnia: erant, longis quæ implexos orbibus orbes
Verfarent, ferpentum ingens genus; erigerentque
Altius immanem, pennarum haud nefcia, molem.
Prima laboris amans repfis formicula terris
Parcum animal, cor magnum angufto in corpore verfans:
(Forfan & olim homini exemplar spectabitur æqui,
Imperium populare tribus partita per omnes.)
Deinde catervatim erumpens examen agebat
Impigra apis, ceris quæ dædala fingere tecta,
At once came forth whatever creeps the ground,
Infect, or worm: those wav'd their limber fans,
For wings; and fmalleft lineaments exact
In all the liveries deck'd of fummer's pride,
With spots of gold and purple, azure and green :
Thefe, as a line, their long dimenfion drew,
Streaking the ground with finuous trace: not all
Minims of nature; fome of ferpent kind,
Wondrous in length and corpulence, involv'd
Their fnaky folds, and added wings. First crept
The parfimonious emmet, provident
Of future; in fmall room large heart inclos'd!
(Pattern of juft equality perhaps
Hereafter, join'd in her popular tribes
Of commonalty.) Swarming next, appear'd
The female bee, that feeds her husband drone
Nectare quæ puro tenues diftendere cellas
Noverat, unde epulas dulces & non fua carpit
Pabula fucus iners. Sed quid memorare juvabit
Cetera ?` prima dabas tu quondam nomina; mores
Tu penitùs calles varios. Nec te latet, (astu
Qui fuperat quæcunque omnes animalia campos
Concelebrant,) ferpens catus; interdum ipfe minacem
Arduus in molem affurgens, crinitaque colla
Quaffans terrificè, atque ardentes lumine fulvo
Contorquens oculos: quamvis tibi pareat, iris
Exutus, facilique exaudiat aure vocantem.
Jam cœlis fuus omnis honos, fua plena refulfit
Gloria; fupremi dederat quos dextra Moventis,
Multiplici varios peragebant ordine motus.
Ornatu eximio, jam risit amabile tellus,
Ipfa fuum mirata decus. Maria, æthera, terras,
Squamigerum genus, alituum pecudumque catervæ,
Tranant, pervolitant, peragrant, denfiffima paffim
Agmina. Necdum exacta suo se clauserat orbe
Sexta dies. Operis magni decus atque corona
Deerat adhuc; deerat, qui corpore cetera recto
Exfuperet, fanctâ qui mente animalia bruta
Compefcat, prona in terras; qui fronte serenâ
Sufpiciatque polum & cœli commercia jactet;
Confcius ipfe fuî intereà, & memor unde beatæ
Tot lætum præstent dotes, ibi pectora tota
Ora oculofque ferat furfum, magnumque Parentem
Agnofcat, variorum operum prima ipfe creatus
Gloria. Tum Pater omnipotens (nam quæ loca numen
Non habitat?) dictis natum compellat apertis :
Jam tandem formetur homo fub imagine nostrâ,
Noftrî imitamen homo: æquoreas gens ardua turmas,
Et pecudes premat imperio, aeriafque volucres,
Terrarumque orbem, & terras quæcunque pererrant.
Dixerat; & dicto citius te finxit, Adame,
Frequent; and of the fixth day yet remain'd;
There wanted yet the mafter-work, the end
Of all yet done; a creature, who not prone,
And brute as other creatures, but indu'd
With fanctity of reafon, might erect
His ftature, and upright with front ferene
Govern the reft, felf-knowing; and from thence
Magnanimous, to correfpond with heav'n:
But grateful to acknowledge whence his good
Defcends; thither with heart and voice and eyes
Directed in devotion, to adore
And worship God fupreme, who made him chief
Of all his works: therefore th' Omnipotent
Eternal Father (for where is not he
Prefent?) thus to his Son audibly spake.
Let us make now man in our image, man
In our fimilitude, and let them rule
Over the fish, and fowl, of fea, and air,
Beaft of the field, and over all the earth,
And ev'ry creeping thing that creeps the
This faid, he form'd thee, Adam, thee, O
Te fuî ad effigiem; & divinæ munera mentis
Addidit, æthereofque animai fimplicis ignes.
Jam mas folus eras; nec longum, & fœmina nata eft,
Blanda comes lateri, puerisque beata creandis.
Tum lætâ fic voce Deus: diffundite fœtum
Uberius; mundi partu fpatia ampla replete,
Subdite, & aerias volucres pifcefque marinos
Imperio premite, & latè quæ viva vagantur
Per terras. Sed te, quâcunque in parte creatum,
(Nulla etenim certo colitur jam nomine tellus)
Te Deus inde, tenes memori tibi mente repôstum,
Hæc loca læta tulit, divinis confita plantis,
Quæ tibi cunque trahant oculos, recreentque palatum :
Hìc adeò, quot larga finu fert ubere tellus,
Dat tibi delibare, vagoque refringere luxu.
Sed libata bonum quæ fcire malumque dat arbos,
Haud tibi fas: illam ut violas, morieris; iniquum
Duft of the ground; and in thy noftrils breath'd
The breath of life: in his own image he
Created thee; in the image of God
Exprefs; and thou becam'st a living foul.
Male he created thee; but thy confort
Female, for race: then blefs'd mankind, and faid,
Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth;
Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold
Over fish of the fea, and fowl of th`air,
And ev'ry living thing that moves on th' earth,
Where-ever thus created; for no place
VOL. II.
Is yet diftinct by name. Thence (as thou know'st)
He brought thee into this delicious grove,
This garden; planted with the trees of God;
Delectable, both to behold, and taste!
And freely all their pleasant fruit for food
Gave thee (all forts are here that all th' earth
yields,
Variety without end!) But of the tree,
Which tafted works knowledge of good and evil
Thou may'ft not: in the day thou eat'ft, thou
dy'st:
Morte lues fubitâ facinus: fac fræna libido
Audiat; ufque cave, & toto fuge pectore noxam,
Luctificamque, comes fequitur quæ proxima, mortem.
Perfecta en vidit Deus omnia, vifa probavit:
Deinde diem vefper claufere auroraque fextam;
Nec tamen, ante Opifex quam fumma facraria cœli,
Jam ceffans, indefeffus licet, intimaque altæ
Ufque adyta attigerat fedis; procul unde beato
Intuitu nova jam regnis fuperaddita regna
Defpiceret; quali fplenderet fabrica vultu,
Quàm bona, quàm formofa, & magnæ confona menti.
Æthera confcendit plaufu comitante fonoro;
Mille lyræ, decies commifto carmine mille
Divinos cecinere modos: terra, aeris auræ,
Audibas, fonuere; et cœli et fidera claros
Pulfa dedere fonos: avidi fixa aure planetæ
Conftiterunt, rutilis pompâ afcendente triumphis.
Death is the penalty impos'd: beware!
And govern well thy appetite, left fin
Surprise thee, and her black attendant death.
Here finish'd he, and all that he had made
View'd, and behold! all was entirely good;
So ev❜n and morn accomplish'd the fixth day.
Yet not, 'till the Creator from his work
Defifting, though un-wearied, up return'd;
Up to the heav'n of heav'ns, his high abode :
Thence to behold this new-created world,
Th'addition of his empire, how it fhew'd
In prospect from his throne, how good, how fair,
Answering his great idea! up he rode,
Follow'd with acclamation, and the found
Symphonious of ten thousand harps, that tun'd
Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air
Refounded, (thou remember'ft, for thou heard'ft)
The heav'ns, and all the conftellations, rung:
The planets in their station list'ning food,
While the bright pomp afcended jubilant,
|