BOOK ELEVENTH
��2 - 7 5
��Of Themis stood devout. To Heaven their
prayers Flew up, uor missed the way, by envious
winds Blown vagabond or frustrate : in they
passed Dimensionless through heavenly doors;
then, clad With incense, where the Golden Altar
fumed,
By their great Intercessor, came in sight Before the Father's Throne. Them the
glad Sou 20
Presenting thus to intercede began: " See, Father, what first-fruits on Earth
are sprung Prom thy implanted grace in Man these
sighs And prayers, which in this golden censer,
mixed With incense, I, thy priest, before thee
bring; Fruits of more pleasing savour, from thy
seed Sown with contrition in his heart, than
those Which, his own hand manuring, all the
trees
Of Paradise could have produced, ere fallen From innocence. Now, therefore, bend
thine ear 30
To supplication; hear his sighs, though
mute;
Unskilful with what words to pray, let me Interpret for him, me his Advocate And propitiation ; all his works on me, Good or not good, ingraft; my merit those Shall perfet, and for these my death shall
pay- Accept me, and in me from these receive The smell of peace toward Mankind; let
him live,
Before thee reconciled, at least his days Numbered, though sad, till death, his doom
(which I 4 o
To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse), To better life shall yield him, where with
me All my redeemed may dwell in joy and
bliss,
Made one with me, as I with thee am one." To whom the Father, without cloud,
serene :
" All thy request for Man, accepted Son, Obtain; all thy request was my decree.
��But longer in that Paradise to dwell The law I gave to Nature him forbids; 49 Those pure immortal elements, that know No gross, no uuharmonious mixture foul, Eject him, tainted now, and purge him off, As a distemper, gross, to air as gross, And mortal food, as may dispose him best i For dissolution wrought by sin, that first ! Distempered all things, and of incorrupt Corrupted. I, at first, with two fair gifts Created him endowed with Happiness And Immortality; that fondly lost, This other served but to eternize woe, 60 Till I provided Death: so Death becomes His final remedy, and, after life Tried in sharp tribulation, and refined By faith and faithful works, to second life, Waked in the renovation of the just, Resigns him up with Heaven and Earth
renewed.
But let us call to synod all the Blest Through Heaven's wide bounds; from them
I will not hide
My judgments how with Mankind I pro- ceed,
As how with peccant Angels late they
saw, 7 o
And in their state, though firm, stood more
confirmed."
He ended, and the Son gave signal high To the bright Minister that watched. He
blew
His trumpet, heard in Oreb since perhaps When God descended, and perhaps once
more To sound at general doom. The angelic
blast Filled all the regions: from their blissful
bowers
Of amarantin shade, fountain or spring, By the waters of life, where'er they sate In fellowships of joy, the Sons of Light 80 Hasted, resorting to the summons high, And took their seats, till from his Throne
supreme The Almighty thus pronounced his sovran
will:
" O Sons, like one of us Man is become To know both Good and Evil, since his taste Of that defended Fruit; but let him boast His knowledge of good lost and evil got, ! Happier had it sufficed him to have known Good by itself and evil not at all. He sorrows now, repents, and prays con- trite 90
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