Hinc dubio curas undantes pectore Adamus
Difpulit; at dulci interea novitatis amore
Exardens, alia ultra avidus fine crimine quærit,
Fortunis conjuncta fuis: quo tempore primùm
Maximus, & quianam, mundi concreverat orbis ;
Quêis furgens gradibus, quâ emerfit origine moles;
Edenique intra fines extraque, quid ortum
Ante fuum acciderat. Qualis, cui flumine vivo
Vix reftincta fitis, labentibus imminet acri
Lumine adhuc rivis; aliam ciet ipfa relucens
Lympha fitim, & liquidum murmur falientis aquai.
Talis inexpletum cupiens cœleftia magni
Hofpitis alloquia, his dictis pater infit Adamus:
Admiranda quidem, nque aliena colori
Noftrarum, pandis myfteria, maxime cœli
Interpres; blandus te mifit ab arce fupremâ
Ætheris Omnipotens, at amicâ voce moneres,
Quæ noftræ invalidum latuiffent mentis acumen.
With Bleffedness. Whence Adam foon repeal'd
The doubts that in his heart arose: and now
Led on, yet finless, with defire to know
(What nearer might concern him) how this world
Of heav'n and earth confpicuous, firft began;
When, and whereof created; for what caufe;
What within Eden, or without, was done
Before his memory (as one whose drouth
Yet fcarce allay'd, ftill eyes the current stream,
Whofe liquid murmur heard new thirst excites.)
Proceeded thus to ask his heav'nly Gueft:
Great things, and full of wonder in our ears,
Far diff'ring from this world, thou haft reveal'd,
Divine interpreter! by favor fent
Down from the empyrean, to fore-warn
Us timely of what might elfe have been our lofs
Unknown; which human knowledge could not
Ergo datam accipimus grato nos pectore lucem
Altius, immenfumque æternâ laude Bonorum
Profequimur fontem; fola hæc in munera nati,
Quicquid erit, Domini arbitrio aufcultabimus ultro.
At molli quoniam alloquio penetrâffe dedisti
Hæc adeo humanos longe fuperantia sensus
Abdita, fed quæ homini expediit noviffe, fupremæ
Sic Menti placitum eft; avidis ultrà annue votis,
Atque alia, haud noftris forfan minus auribus apta,
Pande bonus mira'cla. Age, quæ primordia cœlos
Extulerunt, tanto quos eminus intervallo
Tot paffim innumeras hinc atque hinc volvere flammas
Cernimus, expedias; unde hic diffufilis, omne
Quo sese extendit spatium, contexitur æther,
Floriferamque vagis tellurem amplexibus ambit.
Et magnum mundi quæ tandem causa Parentem,
Jam tandem, fanctos ante omnia fæcla receffus
For which to th' Infinitely Good we owe
Immortal thanks, and his admonishment
Receive, with folemn purpose to obferve
Immutably his fovereign will, the end
Of what we are. But fince thou haft vouchfaf'd
Gently, for our inftruction, to impart
Things above carthly thought (which yet concern'd
Our knowing, as to highest Wisdom feem'd)
Deign to defcend now lower, and relate
(What may no less, perhaps, avail us known)
How first began this heav'n, which we behold
Distant fo high, with moving fires adorn'd
Innumerable; and this which yields, or fills,
All fpace, the ambient air wide interfus'd,
Embracing round this florid earth: what cause
Mov'd the Creator, in his holy rest
Sortitum in cœlo, sera hæc pofuiffe filenti
Fundamenta Chao impulerat; quo temporis orbe
Perfectum peragebat opus, fi pandere fas fit,
Da nobis. Non imperii interdicta verendi
Arcana expetimus; plura explorare juvabit,
Dignius ut magnum artificis celebremus honorem.
Nec ftadium folenne diei lucidus orbis
Confecit; pars magna manet: quanquam æthere pronum
Devolvat jubar, ille tuæ dulcedine vocis
Siftet iter fufpenfus, & acri arreptus amore
Audiet ut cæco primum Natura Profundo
Exiit, attonitufque fuos mirabitur ortus.
Aut dux fidereæ lunâ comitante cohortis
Si celeret curfus, aurita filentia fecum
Nox referet; vigil adftabit sopor ipfe, canenti
Aufcultans; etiam invitum nos blanda morari
Munera cogemus: facto tu fine redibis,
Ante polo reduces quàm fol adduxerit ignes.
Through all eternity, fo late to build
In Chaos; and the work begun, how foon
Abfolv'd: if un-forbid thou may'ft unfold
What we, not to explore the fecrets afk
Of his eternal empire, but the more
To magnify his works, the more we know.
And the great Light of day yet wants to run
Much of his race, tho' fteep, fufpense in heav'n
Held by thy voice; thy potent voice he hears,
And longer will delay, to hear thee tell
His generation, and the rifing birth
Of nature from the un-apparent Deep:
Or, if the ftar of ev'ning, and the moon
Hafte to thy audience, night with her will bring
Silence; and fleep, lift'ning to thee, will watch;
Or, we can bid his absence, 'till thy song
End, and difmifs thee e'er the morning shine.
Hæc Pater humanæ gentis pofcebat amicum
Æthereum: cui blanda refert venerabilis hofpes :
Illa etiam tibi vota, animo concepta modesto,
Perficiam; verùm excelfi gefta Omnipotentis
Quis poterit fermonis honos, quæ lingua Seraphum
Dicere, vel quæ hominum gnaræ comprendere mentes?
At quantum penetrare potes, (quò gloria major
Auctori, bona quò melius tibi propria nofcas)
Evolvam facilis; namque hæc conceffa facultas
Cœlitus, ut quicquid pofcas moderantius, intra
Præfcriptum, memorem: nec te malesuada libido
Scrutari accendat, fibi quæ Deus inter opacas
Arduus effulgens nubes, unde omnia lustrat
Unicus, æternis volvit fervata tenebris.
Ampla fatis tibi terrenis datur area rebus.
Dat membris alimenta cibus, fapientia menti;
Adfit utrique modus; male cocta scientia nutrit
Thus Adam his illuftrious guest besought;
And thus the God-like Angel anfwer'd mild:
This alfo thy requeft, with caution afk'd,
Obtain though to recount almighty works,
What words, or tongue of Seraph, can fuffice,
Or heart of man fuffice to comprehend?
Of knowledge within bounds: beyond, abftain
To ask; nor let thine own inventions hope
Things not reveal'd, with th' invifible King,
Only Omniscient, hath fupprefs'd in night,
To none communicable in earth, or heav'n.
Enough is left befides to fearch, and know.
Yet what thou canst attain, (which beft may ferve But knowledge is as food, and needs no lefs
To glorify the Maker, and infer
Thee also happier) fhall not be with-held
Thy hearing: fuch commiffion from above
I have receiv'd, to answer thy defire
Her temperance over appetite, to know
In measure what the mind may well contain;
Oppreffes elfe with furfelt, and foon turns
Stultitiam, ut tumet indigeftâ corpus ab escâ.
Audi igitur: poftquam cœlo jam Lucifer (illum
Sic memora, claro quondam fulgore cohortes
Qui fuperas magis anteibat, quàm ftella minores
Ista faces) fua deciderat per inane profundum
In loca, cumque malo æthereæ ductore phalanges ;
Jamque iterum, divorum acie latera ardua claufus,
Filius in patrias victor confcenderat arces;
Tot reliqua Omnipotens defpectans agmina, natum
Compellat Pater, auguftoque hæc ore locutus:
Invidus en magnis quantum excidit hoftis ab aufis,
Qui vanas fimilefque fuî fimul ætheris omnes
Inveniffe acies ratus, auxilioque potenti
Auctus inacceffe potuiffe refringere rupis
Mania, & æterni veteres has numinis arces
Fidebat, nofque imperio exturbare fupremo.
Multa dolis delufa cohors, quos confcius æther
Haud iterum gremio excipiet. Sed maxima longè
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