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Body vouchfafe to eafe thy Load, and taste of thy Sweetnefs? Neither GoD nor MAN? Is Knowledge fo much defpis'd? Or is it Envy? Or what Referve is it that forbids to tafte of it? Let who will forbid it, none fhall longer withold from me thy offer'd Good: To what End elfe art thou fet here? Having faid this, he made no farther Pause, but with adventurous Arm he pluck'd off the Fruit, and tasted it: A damp Horror chill'd me, at fuch bold Words, confirm'd with such a bold Deed. But he overjoy'd, exclaim'd thus: Oh divine Fruit! fweet of thyfelf, but thus cropp'd much more fweet; forbidden here it would feem as only fit for Gods, and yet art able to make Gods of Men: And why not make Gods of -Men, fince Good the more it is communicated, grows more abundantly; the Author at the fame Time not impair'd, but the more honour'd? Here thou happy Creature! fair angelical EVE! do thou partake alfo; for tho' thou art happy, thou mayft ftill be happier, tho' thou canst not be worthier: Then tafte this, and henceforth be amongst the Gods, thyfelf a Goddess; not confin'd to the Earth, but as we are, fometimes in the Air, sometimes afcend up to Heaven, (which is thine by Merit) and fee there what Life the Gods live, and fuch a one live thou. Saying this, he drew nigh to me, and held even to my very Mouth, Part of that fame Fruit which he had gather'd: The pleasant favoury Smell fo quicken'd my Appetite, that, methought, I could not forbear tafting: Forthwith I flew with him up to the Clouds, and beheld the Earth ftretch'd out immeafurably a wide and various Profpect far underneath me: While I was wondering at my Flight and my Change to this high Exaltation; on a fudden my Guide was gone, and I, methought, funk down, and fell asleep: But oh, how glad I was when I wak'd to find this nothing but a Dream! Thus EVE related what had pafs'd in her Sleep in the Night, and ADAM, with much Sadness made this Answer.

THOU

THOU beft Image of myfelf! and my dearer Half! The Trouble of thy Thoughts this Night in Sleep, equally affects me; nor can I by any Means like this ftrange Dream, which I fear to proceed from Evil. Yet whence Evil? None can harbour in thee, for thou wert created pure. But know, that there are many leffer Faculties in the Soul, which are fubordinate to Reason: The Chief of these is Fancy; fhe forms Imaginations, and airy Shapes of all the external Things, which the five Senfes reprefent, which (Reafon either joyning or disjoyning) frame all what we affirm, or what we deny, and call our Knowledge or Opinion, and when Nature refts, then Reason retires into her private Cell, and refts also. Mimic Fancy, in her Absence often wakes to imitate her; but misjoining Shapes generally produces wild Work and moftly in Dreams; ill-matching of Words and Deeds long fince paft, or lately done. Methinks I find fome fuch Refemblances of our Talk laft Evening, in this thy Dream, but with very ftrange Addition: Yet be not fad; into the Mind of either GOD or MAN Evil may come, and go, and if unapprov'd of, leave no Spot or Blame behind it: Which occafions me to hope, that what thou didst abhor to do in a Dream asleep, thou never wilt confent to do waking. Then don't be dishearten'd, nor let there be a Cloud upon that Face, that us'd to be more chearful and more ferene, than when the fair Morning firft opens on the World: And let us rife to our fresh Employments among the Groves, and among the Fountains and Flowers, that now open their choiceft Smells, which have been shut up from the Night, and kept in Store for thee.

So ADAM endeavour'd to chear his fair Spouse, and fhe was chear'd; but filently from either Eye, fhe let fall a gentle Tear, and wip'd them with her Hair:

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Hair: Two other precious Tears that ftood ready to drop ADAM kifs'd away, looking on them as gracious Signs of fweet Remorfe, and a pious Awe that was afraid to have offended.

So all was clear'd, and they haften'd forth to the Field: But firft from under the fhady Roof of the Arbour, as foon as they were come forth to the open Sight of Day and the Sun, (who fcarce rifen and yet hovering on the Ocean's Brim, fhot parallel his dewy Rays to the Earth, discovering in a wide Landscape all the Eaft of PARADISE, and the happy Plains of EDEN) they bow'd lowly in Adoration, and begun their Prayers, duely offer'd every Morning in various Stile; for neither did they want various Stile nor holy Rapture, to praise their Maker in proper Strains, either pronounc'd or fung unpremeditated; fuch ready Eloquence flow'd from their Lips, in Profe or harmonious Verfe, too tuneable to want either Lute or Harp to add more Sweetness to them; and they began thus:

ALMIGHTY! Parent of Good! Thefe glorious Works are thine, and thine this univerfal Frame, fo wondrous beautiful! How much more wonderful art thou! Unfpeakable! Who fitteft above the Heavens, to us invifible, or feen dimly in these thy lowest Works: Yet thefe declare thy Goodness to be beyond Thought, and thy Power to be divine. Speak ye Sons of Light! Ye Angels! How wondrous the Creator is, for ye behold him, and with Songs and Symphonies, Day without Night, fing round about his Throne rejoicing in Choir; this do ye in Heaven! On Earth join all ye Creatures! To exalt, and praise him, first and last and for-ever without End! Thou faireft of Stars the last in the Train of Night! (if more properly thou belong not to the Dawn) the fure Pledge of Day, that beautifieft the fmiling Morning with thy

bright Circle! Praife him in thy Sphere, while Day arifes! Thou Sun! Both Soul and Eye of this great World, acknowledge him thy greater; in thy eternal Course found his Praife! Both when thou climb'ft and when thou haft reach'd high Noon, and when thou fett'ft. And thou, O Moon! and ye five other wand'ring Fires! that move in a Manner not to be comprehended, yet not without Harmony, refound his Praise who out of Darkness call'd-forth Light. Air! and ye other Elements! the first Birth of Nature, that run a perpetual Circle taking various and numberless Forms, mixing with and nourishing all Things; let your ceafelefs Change ftill vary new Praife to our Great Maker! Ye Mifts and Exhalations! that now rife dufky or grey, from the Hills or fteaming Lakes, (till fuch Times as the Sun-beams paint ye like Gold) rife ye, in Honour to the World's great Author! whether rifing to deck the uncolour'd Sky with Clouds, or falling to wet the Earth with Showers of Rain, ftill advance ye, his Praife! breath foft, or loud his Praife, ye Winds! that blow from four Quarters! And ye Pine Trees wave your Tops! And every Plant, in Sign of Worship wave! Ye Fountains! and ye murmuring Streams! tune his Praife. Join Voices, all ye living Souls! ye Birds! that finging afcend up towards Heaven's Gate, upon your Wings and in your Notes bear his Praise. Ye Fishes that fwim in the Waters! and ye Creatures that walk the Earth, treading or lowly creeping? Witness if I am filent Morning or Evening, to Hill, to Valley, to Fountain or fresh Shade made vocal by my Song, and taught his Praife! Hail, univerfal LORD! be thou ftill fo bounteous to give us only good; and if the Night hath gather'd any Thing of Evil, do thou difperfe it; even as the Morning Light now difpells the Darkness.

So they pray'd innocently, and to their Thoughts foon recover'd firm Peace and ufual Calmness; on they hafted to their Morning's rural Work, among fweet Dews and Flowers, or where any Rows of Fruit Trees reach'd too far their overgrown Boughs, and wanted Hands to check them from fruitless Embraces, or else they led the Vine to wed the Elm, who twining her marriageable Arms about him brings with her, her Dower, the rich Clusters of Grapes to adorn his barren Leaves.

CHA P. II.

Raphael is fent to admonish Man of his Obedience, comes down to Paradife; his Appearance defcribed: Adam difcerns his Coming; goes to meet him, and brings him to his Bower; where Raphael performs his Message.

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HE high King of Heaven with Pity beheld them thus employ'd, and call'd to him R APHAEL, (a) the fociable Spirit, that condefcended to travel with TOBIAS, and aflifted him in his Marriage.

RAPHAEL! faid he, thou heareft what a Stir SATAN (efcap'd from Hell to Earth through the darkfome Gulph) hath rais'd in PARADISE; how this Night he hath disturb'd the human Pair, and how he designs in them at once to bring on the Ruin of all Mankind: Therefore go, and Half this Day converse with

(0) Raphael; Heb. i. e. The Remedy or Phyfick of God. The Name of an Arch-Angel, not

mentioned in facred Scripture, only in Tob. Chap. 3. 17. 5. 4. 8. 9. 1. 5. 12. 15.

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