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124

Artificer of fraud; and was the first
That practis'd falsehood under faintly shew,
Deep malice to conceal, coucht with revenge.
Yet not enough had practis'd to deceive
URIEL once warn'd; whose eye persu'd him down
The way he went, and on th' ASSYRIAN mount
Saw him disfigur'd, more than could befall
Spirit of happy fort: his gestures fierce
He mark'd, and mad demeanor, then alone,

As he suppos'd, all unobserv'd, unseen.
So on he fares, and to the border comes

130

Of EDEN, where delicious Paradife,

Now nearer, crowns with her enclosure green,
As with a rural mound, the champain head
Of a steep wilderness; whose hairy fides
With thicket overgrown, grotesque and wild,
Access deny'd: and over head up grew

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1

Insuperable height of loftiest shade,

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Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm,
A fylvan scene; and as the ranks afcend
Shade above shade, a woody theatre
Of stateliest view. Yet higher than their tops
The verdurous wall of Paradife up-sprung:
Which to our general fire gave prospect large
Into his neather empire, neighb'ring round.
And higher than that wall a circling row
Of goodlieft trees, loaden with fairest fruit,
Blossoms and fruits at once of golden hue,
Appear'd, with gay enamel'd colors mix'd:
On which the Sun more glad impress'd his beams, 150
Than in fair evening cloud, or humid bow,
When God hath show'rd the earth; so lovely seem'd
That landscape! and of pure now purer air
Meets his approach, and to the heart inspires
Vernal delight and joy, able to drive
All fadness but despair: now gentle gales
Fanning their odoriferous wings difpenfe
Native perfumes, and whisper whence they stole

155

Thofe

Those balmy spoils. As when to them who fail
Beyond the CAPE OF HOPE, and now are paft 160
MOZAMBIC, off at sea north-east winds blow

SABAAN odor from the spicy shore
Of ARABY the blest, with fuch delay
Well pleas'd they flack their course, & many a league
Chear'd with the grateful fmell old OCEAN fimiles :
So entertain'd thote odorous fsweets the Fiend, 166
Who came their bane; though with them better pleas'd
Than ASMODEUS with the fishy fume
That drove him, though enamor'd, from the spouse
Of TOBIT'S fon, and with a vengeance sent
From MEDIA poft to EGYFT, there fast bound.

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Now to th'ascent of that steep favage hill SATAN had journied on, pensive and flow; But further way found none, so thick entwin'd, As one continu'd brake, the undergrowth Of shrubs and tangling bushes had perplex'd All path of man or beast that paft that way. One gate there only was, and that look'd east On the other fide: which when th' Arch-fellon faw Due entrance he disdain'd, and in contempt, 180 At one flight bound high over-leap'd all bound Of hill or highest wall, and theer within Lights on his feet. As when a prowling wolf, Whom hunger drives to seek new haunt for prey, Watching where shepherds pen their flocks at eve 185 In hurdi'd cotes amid the field fecure, Leaps o'er the fence with ease into the fold: Or as a thief bent to inhoard the cash Of fome rich burgher, 'whose substantial doors, Cross-barr'd and bolted fast, fear no afsault, In at the window climbs, or o'er the tiles: So clomb this first grand thief into GOD's fold; (So fince into his Church lewd hirelings climb.) Thence up he flew, and on the tree of Life, (The middle tree, and highest there that grew) 193

190

Sat

Sat like a cormorant; yet not true life
Thereby regain'd, but fat devising death
To them who liv'd: nor on the virtue thought
Of that life-giving plant, but only us'd
For prospect, what well us'd had been the pledge 200
Of immortality. (So little knows
Any, but God alone, to value right
The good before him, but perverts best things
To worst abuse, or to their meanest use.)
Beneath him with new wonder now he views, 205
To all delight of human sense expos'd

In narrow room, nature's whole wealth, yea more,

A heav'n on earth! for blissful Paradife

Of God the garden was, by him in th' east
Of EDEN planted; EDEN stretch'd her line
From AURAN eastward to the royal tow'rs
Of great SELEUCIA, built by GRECIAN Kings,
Or where the fons of EDEN long before
Dwelt in TELASSAR. In this pleasant foil
His far more pleasant garden GOD ordain'd:
Out of the fertile ground he caus'd to grow
All trees of nobleft 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,

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215

220

.

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 shaggy hill
Pass'd underneath ingulf'd, for God had thrown 225
That mountain as his garden mound high rais'd
Upon the rapid current, which through veins
Of porous earth with kindly thirst up drawn,
Rose a fresh fountain, and with many a rill
Water'd the garden; thence united fell
Down the steep glade, and met the nether flood
Which from his darksome passage now appears:
And now divided into four main streams,

F

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Runs

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