Our envied sovereign, and his
altar breathes
Ambrosial odours and ambrosial
flowers,
Our servile offerings? This
must be our task
In Heaven, this our delight.
How wearisome
Eternity so spent in worship
paid
To whom we hate! Let us not
then pursue,
II, 244-249
The easiest way; nor with
perplexing thoughts
To interrupt the sweet of
life, from which
God hath bid dwell far off all
anxious cares,
And not molest us; unless we
ourselves
Seek them with wandering
thoughts, and notions vain.
VIII, 183-187
Speed, to describe whose
swiftness number fails.
So spake our sire, and by his
countenance seemed
Entering on studious thoughts
abstruse; which Eve
Perceiving, where she sat
retired in sight,
With lowliness majestick from
her seat,
VIII, 38-42
The dry land, Earth; and the
great receptacle
Of congregated waters, he
called Seas:
And saw that it was good; and
said, Let the Earth
Put forth the verdant grass,
herb yielding seed,
And fruit-tree yielding fruit
after her kind,
VII, 307-311
My exaltation, and my whole
delight,
That thou, in me well pleased,
declarest thy will
Fulfilled, which to fulfil is
all my bliss.
Scepter and power, thy giving,
I assume,
And gladlier shall resign,
when in the end
VI, 727-731
Nor after resurrection shall
he stay
Longer on earth, than certain
times to appear
To his disciples, men who in
his life
Still followed him; to them
shall leave in charge
To teach all nations what of
him they learned
XII, 436-440
But first among the priests
dissention springs,
Men who attend the altar, and
should most
Endeavour peace: their strife
pollution brings
Upon the temple itself: at
last they seise
The scepter, and regard not
David's sons;
XII, 353-357
This evening from the sun's
decline arrived,
Who tells of some infernal
Spirit seen
Hitherward bent (who could
have thought?) escaped
The bars of Hell, on errand
bad no doubt:
Such, where ye find, seise
fast, and hither bring.
IV, 792-796
Though threatened, which no
worse than this can bring.
And what are Gods, that Man
may not become
As they, participating
God-like food?
The Gods are first, and that
advantage use
On our belief, that all from
them proceeds:
IX, 715-719
Of amorous intent; well
understood
Of Eve, whose eye darted
contagious fire.
Her hand he seised; and to a
shady bank,
Thick over-head with verdant
roof imbowered,
He led her nothing loth;
flowers were the couch,
Pansies, and violets, and
asphodel,
IX, 1035-1040
He looked, and saw the ark
hull on the flood,
Which now abated; for the
clouds were fled,
Driven by a keen north-wind,
that, blowing dry,
Wrinkled the face of deluge,
as decayed;
And the clear sun on his wide
watery glass
XI, 840-844
From him; for other light she
needed none
In that aspect, and still that
distance keeps
Till night; then in the east
her turn she shines,
Revolved on Heaven's great
axle, and her reign
With thousand lesser lights
dividual holds,
VII, 378-382
Walked up and down alone, bent
on his prey;
Alone, for other creature in
this place,
Living or lifeless, to be
found was none;
None yet, but store hereafter
from the earth
Up hither like aereal vapours
flew
Of all things transitory and
vain, when sin
III, 442-447
Both what they judge, and what
they choose; for so
I form'd them free: and free
they must remain,
Till they enthrall themselves;
I else must change
Their nature, and revoke the
high decree
Unchangeable, eternal, which
ordain'd
III, 124-128
Delighted, but desiring more
her stay.
Oft he to her his charge of
quick return
Repeated; she to him as oft
engaged
To be returned by noon amid
the bower,
And all things in best order
to invite
Noontide repast, or
afternoon's repose.
IX, 398-403
Thither, by harpy-footed
Furies haled,
At certain revolutions all the
damned
Are brought; and feel by turns
the bitter change
Of fierce extremes, extremes
by change more fierce,
From beds of raging fire to
starve in ice
II, 596-600
Is propagated curse. O voice,
once heard
Delightfully, Encrease and
multiply;
Now death to hear! for what
can I encrease,
Or multiply, but curses on my
head?
Who of all ages to succeed,
but, feeling
The evil on him brought by me,
will curse
X, 729-734
Daughter of God and Man,
accomplished Eve,
These have their course to
finish round the earth,
By morrow evening, and from
land to land
In order, though to nations
yet unborn,
Ministring light prepared,
they set and rise;
IV, 660-664
Is greater than created to
destroy.
Who can impair thee, Mighty
King, or bound
Thy empire! Easily the proud
attempt
Of Spirits apostate, and their
counsels vain,
Thou hast repelled; while
impiously they thought
Thee to diminish, and from
thee withdraw
VII, 607-612
Yet not till the Creator from
his work
Desisting, though unwearied,
up returned,
Up to the Heaven of Heavens,
his high abode;
Thence to behold this new
created world,
The addition of his empire,
how it showed
VII, 551-555
Man's mortal crime, and just
the unjust to save?
Dwells in all Heaven charity
so dear?
He ask'd, but all the heavenly
quire stood mute,
And silence was in Heaven: on
Man's behalf
Patron or intercessour none
appear'd,
III, 216-220
Whose seed is in herself upon
the Earth.
He scarce had said, when the
bare Earth, till then
Desart and bare, unsightly,
unadorned,
Brought forth the tender
grass, whose verdure clad
Her universal face with
pleasant green;
VII, 312-316
Thus fenced, and, as they
thought, their shame in part
Covered, but not at rest or
ease of mind,
They sat them down to weep;
nor only tears
Rained at their eyes, but high
winds worse within
Began to rise, high passions,
anger, hate,
IX, 1119-1123
His place of birth a solemn
Angel tells
To simple shepherds, keeping
watch by night;
They gladly thither haste, and
by a quire
Of squadroned Angels hear his
carol sung.
A virgin is his mother, but
his sire
The power of the Most High: He
shall ascend
XII, 364-369
As to superiour Spirits is
wont in Heaven,
Where honour due and reverence
none neglects,
Took leave, and toward the
coast of earth beneath,
Down from the ecliptick, sped
with hoped success,
Throws his steep flight in
many an aery wheel;
III, 738-742
Or tilting furniture,
imblazon'd shields,
Impresses quaint, caparisons
and steeds,
Bases and tinsel trappings,
gorgeous knights
At joust and tournament; then
marshall'd feast
Serv'd up in hall with sewers
and seneshals;
IX, 34-38
Abject and lost, lay these,
covering the flood,
Under amazement of their
hideous change.
He called so loud that all the
hollow deep
Of Hell resounded:--"Princes,
Potentates,
Warriors, the Flower of
Heaven--once yours; now lost,
I, 312-316
Thy youth, thy strength, thy
beauty; which will change
To withered, weak, and gray;
thy senses then,
Obtuse, all taste of pleasure
must forego,
To what thou hast; and, for
the air of youth,
Hopeful and cheerful, in thy
blood will reign
XI, 539-543
They led him high applauded,
and present
Before the seat supreme; from
whence a voice,
From midst a golden cloud,
thus mild was heard.
Servant of God. Well done;
well hast thou fought
The better fight, who single
hast maintained
VI, 26-30
Nor less on either side
tempestuous fell
His arrows, from the
fourfold-visaged Four
Distinct with eyes, and from
the living wheels
Distinct alike with multitude
of eyes;
One Spirit in them ruled; and
every eye
VI, 844-848
