Walk'd firm; the crested cock whose clarion founds The silent hours, and th' other whose gay train Aderns him, color'd with the florid hue

445 Of rainbows and starry' eyes. The waters thus With fish replenish'd, and the air with fowl, Evening and morn solemniz'd the fifth day.

The fixth, and of creation last arose With evening harps and matin, when God said, 450 Let th' earth bring forth soul living in her kind, Cattle and creeping things, and beast of th? earth, Each in their kind. The earth obey'd, and strait Opening her fertil womb teem'd at a birth Innumerous living creatures, perfect forms,

455 Limb’d and full grown: out of the ground up rose As from his lair the wild beast where he wons In forest wild, in thicket, brake, or den; Among the trees in pairs they rose, they walk’d: The cattel in the fields and meadows green:

460 Those rare and folitary, these in flocks Pafturing at once, and in broad herds upsprung. The grassy clods now calv’d, now half appear'd The tawny lion, pawing to get free His hinder parts, then springs as broke from bonds, And rampant shakes his brinded mane; The libbard, and the tiger, as the mole Rifing, the crumbled earth above them threw In hillocs: the swift stag from under ground Bore up his branching head : scarce from his mold 470 Behemoth biggest born of earth upheard His vaitness: fleec'd the docks and bleating rose,

As

the ounce,

480

As plants: ambiguous between sea and land
The river horse and scaly crocodile.'
At once came forth whatever creeps the ground, 475
Insect or worm : those wav'd their limber fans
For wings, and fmalleft lineaments exact
In all the liveries deck'd of summer's pride
With spots of gold and purple', azure and green:
These as a line their long dimension drew,
Streaking the ground with finuous trace; not all
Minims of nature; some of serpent kind,
Wondrous in length and corpulence, involvid
Their snaky folds, and added wings. First crept
The parsimonious emmet, provident

485
Of future, in small 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 490
Deliciously, and builds her waxen cells
With honey stor’d: the rest are numberless,
And thou their natures know'st, and gave

them names, Needless to thee repeated; nor unknown The serpent subtlest beast of all the field, 495 Of huge extent sometimes, with brazen eyes And hairy mane terrific, though to thee Not noxious, but obedient at thy call.

Now Heav'n in all her glory shone, and rollid Her motions, as the great first Mover's hand First wheel'd their course; earth in her rich attire Consummate lovely smil'd; air, water, earth,

500

By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walk'd
Frequent; and of the fixth day yet remain'd;
There wanted yet the master work, the end

505
Of all yet done; a creature who not prone
And brute as other creatures, but indued
With fanctity of reason, might erect
His ftature, and upright with front serene
Govern the rest, self-knowing, and from thence 510
Magnanimous to correspond with Heaven,
But grateful to acknowledge whence his good
Descends, thither with heart and voice and eyes
Directed in devotion, to adore,
And worship God fupreme, who made him chief 515
Of all his works; therefore th' Omnipotent
Eternal Father (for where is not he
Present?) thus to his Son audibly spake.

Let us make now Man in our image, Man In our fimilitude, and let them rule

520 Over the fish and fowl of sea and air, Beast of the field, and over all the earth, And every creeping thing that creeps the ground. This faid, he form'd thee, Adam, thee, O Man, Duft of the ground, and in thy noftrils breath'd

525 "The breath of life; in his own image he Created thee, in the image of God Express, and thou becam' t a' living soul. Male he created thee, but thy confórt Female for race; then bless'd mankind, and said, 530 Be fruitful, multiply, and the earth, Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold

Over fish of the sea, and fowl of th' air,
And every living thing that moves on th' earth.
Wherever thus created, for no place

535
Is yet distinct 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 540
Gave thee; all forts are here that all th' earth yields
Variety without end; but of the tree,
Which tasted works knowledge of good and evil,
Thou may'st not; in the day thou eat'st, thou dy'ít ;
Death is the penalty impos’d, beware,

545 And govern well thy appetite, lest Sin Surprise thee, and her black attendent 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 sixth day: 550 Yet not till the Creator from his work Defisting, though unwearied, 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 show'd

555 In prospect from his throne, how good, how fair, Answering his great idea. Up he rode Follow'd with acclamation and the sound Symphonious of ten thousand harps that tun'd Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air Refounded, (thou remember st, for thou heardt) The Heav'ns and all the constellations rung, VOL. I.

The

560

The planets in their station list ning stood,
While the bright pomp afcended jubilant,
Open, ye everlasting gates, they sung,

565
Open, ye Heav'ns, your living doors; let in
The great Creator from his work return'd
Magnificent, his fix days work, a world;
Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deign
To visit oft the dwellings of just men

570 Delighted, and with frequent intercourse Thither will send his winged meflengers On errands of supernal grace. So fung The glorious train ascending: He through Heaven, 'That open’d wide her blazing portals, lcd, 575 To God's eternal house direct the way, A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold And pavement stars, as stars to thee appear, Seen in the galaxy, that milky way, Which nightly as a circling zone thou seeft

580 • Powder'd with stars. And now on earth the seventh Evening arose in Eden, for the sun Was set, and twilight from the east came on, Forerunning night; when at the holy mount Of Heav’n’s high seated top, th' imperial throne 585 Of Godhead, fix'd for ever firm and sure, The filial Pow'r arriv'd, and fat him down With his great Father, for he also went Invisible, yet stay'd, (such privilege Hath Omnipresence) and the work ordain'd,

590 Author and end of all things, and from work Now resting, bless’d, and hallow'd the sev’nth day,

As