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Have heap'd this Table. Rais'd of grassie terf Thir Table was, and mossie seats had round, And on her ample Square from side to side All Autumn pil'd, though Spring and Autumn here Danc'd hand in hand. A while discourse they hold; No fear lest Dinner coole; when thus began Our Authour. Heav'nly stranger, please to taste These bounties which our Nourisher, from whom All perfet good unmeasur'd out, descends, To us for food and for delight hath caus'd 400 The Earth to yeild; unsavourie food perhaps To spiritual Natures; only this I know, That one Celestial Father gives to all. To whom the Angel. Therefore what he gives (Whose praise be ever sung) to man in part Spiritual, may of purest Spirits be found No ingrateful food: and food alike those pure Intelligential substances require As doth your Rational; and both contain Within them every lower facultie 410 Of sense, whereby they hear, see, smell, touch, taste, Tasting concoct, digest, assimilate, And corporeal to incorporeal turn. For know, whatever was created, needs To be sustaind and fed; of Elements The grosser feeds the purer, earth the sea, Earth and the Sea feed Air, the Air those Fires Ethereal, and as lowest first the Moon; Whence in her visage round those spots, unpurg'd Vapours not yet into her substance turnd. 420 Nor doth the Moon no nourishment exhale >From her moist Continent to higher Orbes. The Sun that light imparts to all, receives >From all his alimental recompence In humid exhalations, and at Even Sups with the Ocean: though in Heav'n the Trees Of life ambrosial frutage bear, and vines Yeild Nectar, though from off the boughs each Morn We brush mellifluous Dewes, and find the ground Cover'd with pearly grain: yet God hath here 430 Varied his bounty so with new delights, As may compare with Heaven; and to taste Think not I shall be nice. So down they sat, And to thir viands fell, nor seemingly The Angel, nor in mist, the common gloss Of Theologians, but with keen dispatch
Of real hunger, and concoctive heate To transubstantiate; what redounds, transpires Through Spirits with ease; nor wonder; if by fire Of sooty coal the Empiric Alchimist 440 Can turn, or holds it possible to turn Metals of drossiest Ore to perfet Gold As from the Mine. Mean while at Table Eve Ministerd naked, and thir flowing cups With pleasant liquors crown'd: O innocence Deserving Paradise! if ever, then, Then had the Sons of God excuse to have bin Enamour'd at that sight; but in those hearts Love unlibidinous reign'd, nor jealousie Was understood, the injur'd Lovers Hell. 450 Thus when with meats & drinks they had suffic'd, Not burd'nd Nature, sudden mind arose In Adam, not to let th' occasion pass Given him by this great Conference to know Of things above his World, and of thir being Who dwell in Heav'n, whose excellence he saw Transcend his own so farr, whose radiant forms Divine effulgence, whose high Power so far Exceeded human, and his wary speech Thus to th' Empyreal Minister he fram'd. 460 Inhabitant with God, now know I well Thy favour, in this honour done to man, Under whose lowly roof thou hast voutsaf't To enter, and these earthly fruits to taste, Food not of Angels, yet accepted so, As that more willingly thou couldst not seem At Heav'ns high feasts to have fed: yet what compare? To whom the winged Hierarch repli'd. O Adam, one Almightie is, from whom All things proceed, and up to him return, 470 If not deprav'd from good, created all Such to perfection, one first matter all, Indu'd with various forms, various degrees Of substance, and in things that live, of life; But more refin'd, more spiritous, and pure, As neerer to him plac't or neerer tending Each in thir several active Sphears assignd, Till body up to spirit work, in bounds Proportiond to each kind. So from the root Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves 480 More aerie, last the bright consummate floure Spirits odorous breathes: flours and thir fruit
- Page 155 and 156: Possesses lately, thither to arrive
- Page 157 and 158: THE ARGUMENT. God sitting on his Th
- Page 159 and 160: About him all the Sanctities of Hea
- Page 161 and 162: Fall circumvented thus by fraud, th
- Page 163 and 164: Life in my self for ever, by thee I
- Page 165 and 166: And after all thir tribulations lon
- Page 167 and 168: Though distant farr som small refle
- Page 169 and 170: Who after came from Earth, sayling
- Page 171 and 172: Of colour glorious and effect so ra
- Page 173 and 174: Had in remembrance alwayes with del
- Page 175 and 176: Far off and fearless, nor with caus
- Page 177 and 178: Of us out-cast, exil'd, his new del
- Page 179 and 180: To them who liv'd; nor on the vertu
- Page 181 and 182: In naked Majestie seemd Lords of al
- Page 183 and 184: To entertain you two, her widest Ga
- Page 185 and 186: Multitudes like thy self, and thenc
- Page 187 and 188: More of th' Almighties works, and c
- Page 189 and 190: This glorious sight, when sleep hat
- Page 191 and 192: Haile wedded Love, mysterious Law,
- Page 193 and 194: To him who sent us, whose charge is
- Page 195 and 196: Through wayes of danger by himself
- Page 197 and 198: BOOK V. THE ARGUMENT. Morning appro
- Page 199 and 200: Forbidd'n here, it seems, as onely
- Page 201 and 202: Angels, for yee behold him, and wit
- Page 203 and 204: Through all th' Empyreal road; till
- Page 205: She crushes, inoffensive moust, and
- Page 209 and 210: Our voluntarie service he requires,
- Page 211 and 212: Of Planets and of fixt in all her W
- Page 213 and 214: Among the sons of Morn, what multit
- Page 215 and 216: The current of his fury thus oppos'
- Page 217 and 218: His Loyaltie he kept, his Love, his
- Page 219 and 220: Fearless assault, and to the brow o
- Page 221 and 222: All are not of thy Train; there be
- Page 223 and 224: Of Battel, open when, and when to c
- Page 225 and 226: All his right side; then Satan firs
- Page 227 and 228: Not to be overpowerd, Companions de
- Page 229 and 230: Th' originals of Nature in thir cru
- Page 231 and 232: And to thir foes a laughter; for in
- Page 233 and 234: Warr wearied hath perform'd what Wa
- Page 235 and 236: Insensate, hope conceiving from des
- Page 237 and 238: Her mural breach, returning whence
- Page 239 and 240: Adam by dire example to beware Apos
- Page 241 and 242: Fell with his flaming Legions throu
- Page 243 and 244: In Gods Eternal store, to circumscr
- Page 245 and 246: Op'ning thir various colours, and m
- Page 247 and 248: And bended Dolphins play: part huge
- Page 249 and 250: Consummate lovly smil'd; Aire, Wate
- Page 251 and 252: But not in silence holy kept; the H
- Page 253 and 254: Diurnal) meerly to officiate light
- Page 255 and 256: By Numbers that have name. But this
Of real hunger, and concoctive heate<br />
To transubstantiate; what redounds, transpires<br />
Through Spirits with ease; nor wonder; if by fire<br />
Of sooty coal the Empiric Alchimist 440<br />
Can turn, or holds it possible to turn<br />
Metals of drossiest Ore to perfet Gold<br />
As from the Mine. Mean while at Table Eve<br />
Ministerd naked, and thir flowing cups<br />
With pleasant liquors crown'd: O innocence<br />
Deserving Paradise! if ever, then,<br />
Then had the Sons of God excuse to have bin<br />
Enamour'd at that sight; but in those hearts<br />
Love unlibidinous reign'd, nor jealousie<br />
Was understood, the injur'd Lovers Hell. 450<br />
Thus when with meats & drinks they had suffic'd,<br />
Not burd'nd Nature, sudden mind arose<br />
In Adam, not to let th' occasion pass<br />
Given him by this great Conference to know<br />
Of things above his World, and of thir being<br />
Who dwell in Heav'n, whose excellence he saw<br />
Transcend his own so farr, whose radiant forms<br />
Divine effulgence, whose high Power so far<br />
Exceeded human, and his wary speech<br />
Thus to th' Empyreal Minister he fram'd. 460<br />
Inhabitant with God, now know I well<br />
Thy favour, in this honour done to man,<br />
Under whose lowly roof thou hast voutsaf't<br />
To enter, and these earthly fruits to taste,<br />
Food not of Angels, yet accepted so,<br />
As that more willingly thou couldst not seem<br />
At Heav'ns high feasts to have fed: yet what compare?<br />
To whom the winged Hierarch repli'd.<br />
O Adam, one Almightie is, from whom<br />
All things proceed, and up to him return, 470<br />
If not deprav'd from good, created all<br />
Such to perfection, one first matter all,<br />
Indu'd with various forms, various degrees<br />
Of substance, and in things that live, of life;<br />
But more refin'd, more spiritous, and pure,<br />
As neerer to him plac't or neerer tending<br />
Each in thir several active Sphears assignd,<br />
Till body up to spirit work, in bounds<br />
Proportiond to each kind. So from the root<br />
Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves 480<br />
More aerie, last the bright consummate floure<br />
Spirits odorous breathes: flours and thir fruit