Page:The Complete Poetical Works of John Milton.djvu/188

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��PARADISE LOST

��New troubles; him thy care must be to

find."

To whom the winged Warrior thus re- turned:

" Uriel, no wonder if thy perfet sight,

Amid the Sun's bright circle where thou sitt'st,

See far and wide. In at this gate none pass

The vigilance here placed, but such as come 580

Well known from Heaven; and since me- ridian hour

No creature thence. If Spirit of other sort,

So minded, have o'erleaped these earthy bounds

On purpose, hard thou know'st it to ex- clude

Spiritual substance with corporeal bar.

But, if within the circuit of these walks,

In whatsoever shape, he lurk of whom

Thou tell'st, by morrow dawning I shall

know." So promised he; and Uriel to his charge

Returned on that bright beam, whose point now raised 590

Bore him slope downward to the Sun, now fallen

Beneath the Azores; whether the Prime Orb,

Incredible how swift, had thither rowled

Diurnal, or this less volubil Earth,

By shorter flight to the east, had left him there

Arraying with reflected purple and gold

The clouds that on his western throne at- tend.

Now came still Evening on, and Twi- light gray

Had in her sober livery all things clad;

Silence accompanied ; for beast and bird,

They to their grassy couch, these to their nests 60 1

Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightin- gale.

She all night long her amorous descant sung:

Silence was pleased. Now glowed the fir- mament

With living Saphirs; Hesperus, that led

The starry host, rode brightest, till the Moon,

Rising in clouded majesty, at length

��Apparent queen, unveiled her peerless

light,

And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw; When Adam thus to Eve: "Fair con- sort, the hour 610 Of night, and all things now retired to

rest,

Mind us of like repose ; since God hath set Labour and rest, as day and night, to men Successive, and the timely dew of sleep, Now falling with soft slumberous weight,

inclines

Our eye-lids. Other creatures all day long Rove idle, unimployed, and less need rest; Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed, which declares his dignity, And the regard of Heaven on all his ways; While other animals unactive range, 621 And of their doings God takes no account. To-morrow, ere fresh morning streak the

east With first approach of light, we must be

risen,

And at our pleasant labour, to reform Yon flowery arbours, yonder alleys green, Our walk at noon, with branches over- grown,

That mock our scant manuring, and re- quire More hands than ours to lop their wanton

growth. Those blossoms also, and those dropping

gums,

That lie bestrown, unsightly and unsmooth, Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with

ease. Meanwhile, as Nature wills, Night bids us

rest." To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty

adorned: " My author and disposer, what thou

bidd'st

Unargued I obey. So God ordains: God is thy law, thou mine: to know no

more Is woman's happiest knowledge, and her

praise.

With thee conversing, I forget all time, All seasons, and their change; all please

alike. 640

Sweet is the breath of Morn, her rising

sweet, With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the

Sun,

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