Of amplitude almost immense, with stars Numerous, and every star perhaps a world Of destin'd habitation; but thou know'st Their seasons: among these the seat of Men, Earth, with her nether ocean circumfus'd,
Their pleasant dwelling-place. Thrice happy Men, And sons of Men, whom God hath thus advanc'd! Created in his image, there to dwell
And worship Him; and in reward to rule Over his works, on earth, in sea, or air, And multiply a race of worshippers Holy and just: Thrice happy, if they know Their happiness, and persevere upright!
So sung they, and the empyréan rung With halleluiahs; Thus was sabbath kept. And thy request think now fulfill'd, that ask'd How first this world and face of things began, And what before thy memory was done From the beginning; that posterity,
Inform'd by thee, might know: If else thou seek'st Aught, not surpassing human measure, say.
Adam inquires concerning celestial motions; is doubtfully answered, and exhorted to search rather things more worthy of knowledge: Adam assents; and, still desirous to detain Raphael, relates to him what he remembered since his own creation; his placing in Paradise; his talk with God concerning solitude and fit society; his first meeting and nuptials with Eve; his discourse with the angel thereupon; who, after admonitions repeated, departs.
THE Angel ended, and in Adam's ear
So charming left his voice, that he awhile
Thought him still speaking, still stood fix'd to hear; Then, as new-wak'd, thus gratefully replied. What thanks sufficient, or what recompence Equal, have I to render thee, divine Historian, who thus largely hast allay'd The thirst I had of knowledge, and vouchsaf'd This friendly condescension to relate Things, else by me unsearchable; now heard With wonder, but delight, and, as is due, With glory attributed to the high Creator! Something yet of doubt remains, Which only thy solution can resolve.
When I behold this goodly frame, this world, Of Heaven and Earth consisting, and compute Their magnitudes; this Earth, a spot, a grain, An atom, with the firmament compared And all her number'd stars, that seem to roll Spaces incomprehensible, (for such Their distance argues, and their swift return. Diurnal,) merely to officiate light
Round this opacous Earth, this punctual spot,1 One day and night; in all their vast survey Useless besides; reasoning I oft admire, How Nature, wise and frugal, could commit Such disproportions, with superfluous hand So many nobler bodies to create,
Greater so manifold, to this one use,
For aught appears, and on their orbs impose Such restless revolution day by day Repeated; while the sedentary Earth,
That better might with far less compass move, Serv'd by more noble than herself, attains Her end without least motion, and receives, As tribute, such a sumless journey brought Of incorporeal speed, her warmth, and light; Speed, to describe whose swiftness number fails.
So spake our sire, and by his countenance seem'd Entering on studious thoughts abstruse; which Eve Perceiving, where she sat retir'd in sight, With lowliness majestic from her seat,
And grace that won who saw to wish her stay, Rose, and went forth among her fruits and flowers, To visit how they prosper'd, bud and bloom, Her nursery; they at her coming sprung, And, touch'd by her fair tendance, gladlier grew. Yet went she not, as not with such discourse Delighted, or not capable her ear
Of what was high: such pleasure she reserv'd, Adam relating, she sole auditress;
Her husband the relater she preferr'd Before the angel, and of him to ask
Chose rather: he, she knew, would intermix Grateful digressions, and solve high dispute
''Punctual spot:' spot like a point in size.
With conjugal caresses: from his lip
Not words alone pleas'd her. O! when meet now Such pairs, in love and mutual honour join'd? With goddess-like demeanour forth she went, Not unattended; for on her, as Queen, A pomp of winning Graces waited still, And from about her shot darts of desire Into all eyes, to wish her still in sight. And Raphael now, to Adam's doubt propos'd, Benevolent and facile thus replied.
To ask or search, I blame thee not; for Heaven Is as the book of God before thee set,
Wherein to read his wonderous works, and learn His seasons, hours, or days, or months, or years: This to attain, whether Heaven move or Earth, Imports not, if thou reckon right; the rest From Man or Angel the Great Architect Did wisely to conceal, and not divulge His secrets to be scann'd by them who ought Rather admire; or, if they list to try Conjecture, he his fabrick of the Heavens Hath left to their disputes, perhaps to move His laughter at their quaint opinions wide Hereafter; when they come to model Heaven And calculate the stars, how they will wield The mighty frame; how build, unbuild, contrive To save appearances; how gird the sphere With centrick and eccentrick scribbled o'er, Cycle and epicycle, orb in orb:
Already by thy reasoning this I
Who art to lead thy offspring, and supposest That bodies bright and greater should not serve The less not bright, nor Heaven such journeys run, Earth sitting still, when she alone receives
The benefit: Consider first that great
Or bright infers not excellence: the Earth, Though, in comparison of Heaven, so small, Nor glistering, may of solid good contain More plenty than the sun that barren shines; Whose virtue on itself works no effect, But in the fruitful Earth; there first receiv'd, His beams, unactive else, their vigour find. Yet not to Earth are those bright luminaries Officious; but to thee, Earth's habitant. And for the Heaven's wide circuit, let it speak The Maker's high magnificence, who built So spacious, and his line stretch'd out so far; That man may know he dwells not in his own; An edifice too large for him to fill, Lodg'd in a small partition; and the rest Ordain'd for uses to his Lord best known. The swiftness of those circles áttribute, Though numberless, to his Omnipotence, That to corporeal substances could add
Speed almost spiritual: Me thou think'st not slow, 110 Who since the morning hour set out from Heaven
Where God resides, and ere mid-day arrived
In Eden; distance inexpressible
By numbers that have name.
Admitting motion in the Heavens, to show Invalid that which thee to doubt it mov'd; Not that I so affirm, though so it seem
To thee who hast thy dwelling here on Earth.
God, to remove his ways from human sense,
Plac'd Heaven from Earth so far, that earthly sight, 120 If it presume, might err in things too high, And no advantage gain. What if the sun Be center to the world; and other stars,
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