evil my Death fhall pay. Accept of me; and in me, from these Prayers and Sighs, receive Motive to grant Peace to MANKIND: Let him live reconcil'd before thee, though he live in Sorrow, (at least the Number of his Days) 'till DEATH (which being his Doom I plead not to reverfe, but to mitigate) fhall yield him to a better Life; where all my Redeem'd may dwell with me in Blifs and Joy; and as I am one with thee, fo they may be made one with me.

To whom the FATHER graciously replied: My accepted Son! all that Thou haft requested for MAN, obtain, for all thy Request was my Decree. But the Law which I gave to Nature, forbids him to dwell any longer in that PARADISE: Thofe pure and immortal Elements, that know no grofs nor foul difcordant Mixture, eject him, as he is now tainted; and purge him off, as a grofs Diftemper, to fouler Air and mortal Food, fuch as may beft fit him for the Diffolution wrought by SIN, that first diftemper'd and corrupted all Things. I, when I firft created him, endow'd him with two fair Gifts, Happiness and Immortality; Happiness once loft, Immortaliy ferv'd only to make Mifery eternal, 'till fuch Time as I provided DEATH; fo DEATH becomes his final Remedy, tnd refigns him up to a fecond Life, when Heaven and Earth fhall be renew'd, after a Life try'd in fharp Tribulation, and refin'd by Faith and faithful Works; when he fhall be wak'd in the Renovation of the Juft. But let us call together all the Bleft through the wide Bounds of Heaven: I will not hide my Judgments from them, and how I proceed with MANKIND, as they faw lately how I did with the offending Angels; and though they ftood firm in their State before, yet afterwards they were ftill more confirm'd.

THE FATHER concluded thus; and the SoN gave high Signal to the bright Minister that kept Watch:

He

He blew his Trumpet, that which was fince heard in ORE B, (e) when GOD defcended, and perhaps the fame that will found at the Day of Judgment. The Sound of the Trumpet, which the Angel founded, was heard through all Heaven: The Angelical Sons of Light, hafted from their blissful Bowers of fhady Amaranths, or from Fountains or Springs by the Waters of Life, wherever they fat in Fellowship of Joy, reforting, according as their high Summons call'd them; where they took their Seats; 'till the ALMIGHTY from his fupreme Throne, thus pronounc'd his fovereign Will:

O Sons of Heaven! MAN is become like unto one of us to know both Good and Evil, fince he has tasted of the forbidden Fruit: But let him boast his Knowledge, which is of Good loft and Evil got; happier had it been for him, had he thought it fufficient to have known Good by itself, and not have known Evil at all. Now he repents, is forrowful, aud prays with a contrite Heart; all these are my Motions in him; and longer than they move, fuppofing him left to himself, I know his Heart how variable and vain it is. Therefore, left now his bolder Hand reach also of the Tree of Life, and eat of that, and fo live for ever, (at least dream to live for ever) I decree to remove him, and fend him out of the Garden to till the Ground, whence he was taken; which is a Soil much fitter for him.

MICHAEL! do thou take this Command of mine in Charge: Take to thee from among the Cherubim

thy Choice of flaming Warriors; left the Fiend raise fome new Trouble, either in the Behalf of Man, or elfe to invade vacant Poffeffion. Make Hafte, and without Remorfe drive out the finful Pair from the PARADISE of GOD; drive out the Unholy from that holy Ground, and denounce to them and their Posterity perpetual Banishment from thence. Yet, left they faint at the fad Sentence, urg'd too rigorously, hide all Terror; for I behold them foften'd, and bewailing their Tranfgreffion with Tears. If they patiently fubmit and obey with Refignation, do not difmifs them difconfolate; but mix with my Commands Speech of my Covenant renew'd in the Seed of the WOMAN: So fend them forth, though in Sorrow, yet in Peace, And on the East Side of the Garden place a Watch of Cherubim, and the wide waving Flame of a Sword; (where the Entrance up from EDEN is the eafieft to PARADISE) to deter all Approach, and guard all Paffage to the Tree of Life; left PARADISE prove a Receptacle for foul Spirits, and all my Trees fhould become their Prey; with whofe ftolen Fruit they might once more endeavour to delude MA N.

He ceas'd here, and the Arch-Angel prepar'd for fwift Defcent, with him the bright Company of watchful Cherubim: Each of them had four Faces, like a double JANUS; (f) their Bodies were all over

(f) Janus; Heb. i. e. Wine. The firft King of Italy, who first dreffed the Vine and drank Wine: Therefore his Pofterity were called Oenotrii, Gr. i. e. Wine-Bibbers. He was therefore deified and honoured with a famous Temple at Rome, pictured with two Faces; in Memory of him Money was coined with a Janus on one Side, and a Ship on the Reverse; and the Month of January was dedicated to him. This Defcription

fpangled

fpangled with Eyes, more in Number than thofe feign'd of ARGUS, (g) and more wakeful than to fleep, charm'd with the ARCADIAN (b) Pipe of MERCURY, or to be lull'd with the Touch of his fleepy Rod. Mean while the Day broke. and fresh Dew fell upon the Earth, when ADAM and our first Mother EVE had now ended their Prayers, and found new Strength added from above; new Hope to spring out of Despair, and Joy that was yet mix'd with Fear; fo that he renew'd his Speech to EVE in these welcome Words:

EVE! Faith may eafily admit, that all the Good which we enjoy defcends from Heaven; but that any Thing from us fhould afcend up there, fo prevalent as to concern the Mind of the high bleft GoD, or to incline his Will, may feem hard to believe; yet Prayer will do this, nay one fhort Sigh of human Breath, born up even to the very Seat of GOD. For, fince I fought to appeafe the offended Deity by Prayer; fince I kneel'd, and humbled all my Heart before him, methought I faw him placable, and mildly bending his Ear:

(g) Argus; Lat. Gr. i. e. Active and Nimble. A Shepherd, faid to have had 100 Eyes. Juno retain'd him in her Service, to watch and relate the Pranks of Jupiter. Jupiter was difpleas'd with fuch a Spy, and fet Mercury to work. He, with his Pipe, lull'd him falt afleep, and cut off his Head; which Juno, in Re ward of his faithful Service, turn'd into a stately Peacock, whofe Tail is adorn'd with many golden Circles; therefore this Bird was dedicated to her.

(b) Arcadian; Belonging to Arcadia; from Arcas, Gr. i. e. A Bear.

The Son of Jupiter

and Califto, (whom Jupiter turn'd into a Bear) Father of the Arcadians, and King of Arcadia. The Arcadians, ignorant of their true Original, boafted that they were before the Moon. It was called alfo Pelafgia and Theffaly, and the People Pelajgi; who came out of Afia, fettled in Greece, and fixed in Italy, after the Oenotrians. It is a Country in the Middle of Peloponefus, abounding with good Pafture, Flocks, and Shepherds, who made Pipes of the Reeds and Stalks of Corn. The People worshipped Pan, as their tutelar God.

Ear: Perfwafion grew in me, that I was heard with Favour; Peace return'd home again to my Breast, and that Promise came to my Memory, THAT OUR SEED SHOULD BRUISE OUR FOE; which not minded, as then I was in great Difmay, yet now it affures me that the Bitterness of DEATH is past, and we shall live. Whence I am bold to fay, hail to thee! EVE, rightly fo call'd, the Mother of all MANKIND, the Mother of all Things living, fince by thee MAN is to live, and all Things live for him!

To whom EVE, with an humble and forrowful Countenance, made Answer: I am not worthy that fuch a Title fhould belong to me, who am a Tranfgreffor! who being ordain'd for a Help, became a Snare to thee: To me rather belongs Reproach, Sufpicion, and all Difpraise! but my Judge was infinite in his Mercy, that I, who firft brought DEATH uроп all, have the Grace conferr'd on me to be the Source of Life: Next thou art greatly favourable to me, who haft vouchsaf'd to give me this high Title; Ideserve a far other Name! But the Field calls us to Labour now; Labour, which is impos'd on us with Sweat of our Brow; though we have not flept all Night: For fee the Morning, taking no Notice of our Want of Reft, begins her ufual Progrefs: Let us go forth; I never henceforward offering to ftray from thee, wherever our Day's Work may lie; though now enjoin'd us, that we labour 'till the Day decline: What can be very toilfome in thefe pleafant Walks, while we dwell here? Let us live here contented, though we are in a fallen State!

So Evfpoke, and fo wish'd with great Humility; but Fate did not confent: First of all Nature gave Signs, mark'd on Birds, Beafts, and the Elements; Light eclips'd fuddenly, after a fhort Appearance of the Morning; the Eagle flying from on high, drove

two