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 faculty
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 sustain'd 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 turn'd. Nor doth the moon no nourishment exhale From her moist continent to higher orbs. The sun, that light imparts to all, receives From all his alimental recompense In humid exhalations, and at even
Sups with the ocean. Though in Heav'n the trees Of life ambrosial fruitage bear, and vines
Yield nectar; though from off the boughs each morn We brush mellifluous dews, 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 their viands fell; nor seemingly The Angel, nor in mist, the common gloss Of Theologians; but with keen dispatch Of real hunger, and concoctive heat
To transubstantiate: what redounds, transpires Through Spirits with ease; nor wonder; if by fire Of sooty coal th' empyric alchemist
Can turn, or holds it possible to turn, Metals of drossiest ore to perfect gold
As from the mine. Mean while at table Eve Minister'd naked, and their flowing cups With pleasant liquors crown'd: O innocence Deserving Paradise! if ever, then,
Then had the sons of God excuse to have been Enamour'd at that sight; but in those hearts Love unlibidinous reign'd, nor jealousy Was understood, the injur'd lover's Hell.
Thus when with meats and drinks they had suffic'd, Not burden'd nature, sudden mind arose In Adam, not to let th' occasion pass
Giv'n him by this great conference to know Of things above his world, and of their being Who dwell in Heav'n, whose excellence he saw Transcend his own so far, whose radiant forms Divine effulgence, whose high pow'r so far Exceeded human, and his wary speech Thus to th' empyreal minister he fram'd. Inhabitant with God, now know I well Thy favour, in this honour done to Man,
Under whose lowly roof thou hast vouchsaf'd 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'n's high feasts to have fed: yet what
To whom the winged Hierach reply'd. O Adam, one Almighty is, from whom All things proceed, and up to him return, If not deprav'd from good, created all Such to perfection, one first matter all, Endued with various forms, various degrees Of substance, and in things that live, of life; But more refin'd, more spiritous, and pure, As nearer to him plac'd or nearer tending Each in their several active spheres assign'd, Till body up to spirit work, in bounds Proportion'd to each kind. So from the root Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the
More airy, last the bright consummate flower Spirits odorous breathes: flow'rs and their fruit, Man's nourishment, by gradual scale sublim'd, To vital spirits aspire, to animal,
To intellectual; give both life and sense, Fancy and understanding; whence the soul Reason receives, and reason is her being, Discursive, or intuitive; discourse Is oftest yours, the latter most is ours,' Differing but in degree, of kind the same.
Wonder not then, what God for you saw good If I refuse not, but convert, as you,
To proper substance: time may come, when Men With Angels may participate, and find No inconvenient di'et, nor too light far; And from these corporal nutriments perhaps Your bodies may at iast turn all to spirit, Improv'd by tract of time, and wing'd ascend Ethereal, as we, or may at choice Here or in heav'nly Paradises dwell; If ye be found obedient, and retain Unalterably firm his love entire, Whose progeny you are.
Mean while enjoy Your fill what happiness this happy state Can comprehend, incapable of more.
To whom the patriarch of mankind reply'd. O favourable Spi'rit, propitious guest, Well hast thou taught the way that might direct Our knowledge, and the scale of nature set From centre to circumference, whereon In contemplation of created things
By steps we may ascend to God. But say, What meant that caution join'd, If ye be found Obedient? Can we want obedience then To him, or possibly his love desert,
Who form'd us from the dust, and plac'd us here Full to the utmost measure of what bliss Human desires can seek or apprehend ?
To whom the Angel. Son of Heav'n and Earth, Attend: That thou art happy, owe to God; 520
That thou continuest such, owe to thyself, That is, to thy obedience; therein stand. This was that caution giv'n thee; be advis'd. God made thee perfect, not immutable; And good he made thee, but to perseve He left it in thy pow'r; ordain'd thy will By nature free, not over-rul'd by fate Inextricable, or strict necessity: Our voluntary service he requires, Not our necessitated; such with him Finds no acceptance, nor can we find; for how Can hearts, not free, be try'd whether they serve Willing or no, who will but what they must By destiny, and can no other choose? Myself and all th' angelic host, that stand
In sight of God enthron'd, our happy state Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds; On other surety none; freely we serve,
Because we freely love, as in our will
To love or not; in this we stand or fall : 540 And some are fall'n, to disobedience f...'n, And so from Heav'n to deepest Hell; O fall From what high state of bliss into what woe! To whom our great progenitor. Thy words Attentive, and with more delighted ear, Divine instructor, I have heard, than when Cherubic songs by night from neighb’ring hills Aereal music send: nor knew I not
To be both will and deed created free ; Yet that we never shall forget to love
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