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To whom the Angel. Son of Heavn and Earth,

Attend: That thou art happie, owe to God; [ 520 ]

That thou continust such, owe to thy self,

That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.

This was that caution givn thee; be advisd.

God made thee perfet, not immutable;

And good he made thee, but to persevere [ 525 ]

He left it in thy power, ordaind thy will

By nature free, not over-ruld by Fate

Inextricable, or strict necessity;

Our voluntarie service he requires,

Not our necessitated, such with him [ 530 ]

Finds no acceptance, nor can find, for how

Can hearts, not free, be trid whether they serve

Willing or no, who will but what they must

By Destinie, and can no other choose?

Myself and all th Angelic Host that stand [ 535 ]

In sight of God enthrond, our happie 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 Som are falln, to disobedience falln,

And so from Heavn 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 eare [ 545 ]

Divine instructer, I have heard, then when

Cherubic Songs by night from neighbouring Hills

Aereal Music send: nor knew I not

To be both will and deed created free;

Yet that we never shall forget to love [ 550 ]

Our maker, and obey him whose command

Single, is yet so just, my constant thoughts

Assurd me and still assure: though what thou tellst

Hath past in Heavn, Som doubt within me move,

But more desire to hear, if thou consent, [ 555 ]

The full relation, which must needs be strange,

Worthy of Sacred silence to be heard;

And we have yet large day, for scarce the Sun

Hath finisht half his journey, and scarce begins

His other half in the great Zone of Heavn. [ 560 ]

Thus Adam made request, and Raphael

After short pause assenting, thus began.

High matter thou injoinst me, O prime of men,

Sad task and hard, for how shall I relate

To human sense th invisible exploits [ 565 ]

Of warring Spirits; how without remorse

The ruin of so many glorious once

And perfet while they stood; how last unfould

The secrets of another World, perhaps

Not lawful to reveal? yet for thy good [ 570 ]

This is dispenct, and what surmounts the reach

Of human sense, I shall delineate so,

By likning spiritual to corporal forms,

As may express them best, though what if Earth

Be but the shaddow of Heavn, and things therein [ 575 ]

Each to other like, more then on earth is thought?