Читать книгу Religious Classics - Boxed Set - Джон Мильтон - Страница 122

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Thus they in lowliest plight repentant stood

Praying, for from the Mercie-seat above

Prevenient Grace descending had remov’d

The stonie from thir hearts, and made new flesh

Regenerat grow instead, that sighs now breath’d

Unutterable, which the Spirit of prayer

Inspir’d, and wing’d for Heav’n with speedier flight

Then loudest Oratorie: yet thir port

Not of mean suiters, nor important less

Seem’d thir Petition, then when th’ ancient Pair

In Fables old, less ancient yet then these,

Deucalion and chaste Pyrrha to restore The Race of Mankind drownd, before the Shrine Of Themis stood devout. To Heav’n thir prayers Flew up, nor missed the way, by envious windes Blow’n vagabond or frustrate: in they passd Dimentionless through Heav’nly dores; then clad With incense, where the Golden Altar fum’d, By thir great Intercessor, came in sight Before the Fathers Throne: Them the glad Son Presenting, thus to intercede began.

See Father, what first fruits on Earth are sprung

From thy implanted Grace in Man, these Sighs

And Prayers, which in this Golden Censer, mixt

With Incense, I thy Priest before thee bring,

Fruits of more pleasing savour from thy seed

Sow’n with contrition in his heart, then those

Which his own hand manuring all the Trees

Of Paradise could have produc’t, ere fall’n

From innocence. Now therefore bend thine eare

To supplication, heare his sighs though mute;

Unskilful with what words to pray, let mee

Interpret for him, mee his Advocate

And propitiation, all his works on mee

Good or not good ingraft, my Merit those

Shall perfet, and for these my Death shall pay.

Accept me, and in mee from these receave

The smell of peace toward Mankinde, let him live

Before thee reconcil’d, at least his days

Numberd, though sad, till Death, his doom (which I

To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse)

To better life shall yeeld him, where with mee

All my redeemd 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:

Those pure immortal Elements that know

No gross, no unharmoneous mixture foule,

Eject him tainted now, and purge him off

As a distemper, gross to aire as gross,

And mortal food, as may dispose him best

For dissolution wrought by Sin, that first

Distemperd all things, and of incorrupt

Corrupted. I at first with two fair gifts

Created him endowd, with Happiness

And Immortalitie: that fondly lost,

This other serv’d but to eternize woe;

Till I provided Death; so Death becomes

His final remedie, and after Life

Tri’d in sharp tribulation, and refin’d

By Faith and faithful works, to second Life,

Wak’t in the renovation of the just,

Resignes him up with Heav’n and Earth renewd.

But let us call to Synod all the Blest

Through Heav’ns wide bounds; from them I will not hide

My judgments, how with Mankind I proceed,

As how with peccant Angels late they saw;

And in thir state, though firm, stood more confirmd.

He ended, and the Son gave signal high

To the bright Minister that watchd, hee blew

His Trumpet, heard in Oreb since perhaps When God descended, and perhaps once more To sound at general Doom. Th’ Angelic blast Filld all the Regions: from thir blissful Bowrs Of Amarantin Shade, Fountain or Spring, By the waters of Life, where ere they sate In fellowships of joy: the Sons of Light Hasted, resorting to the Summons high, And took thir Seats; till from his Throne supream Th’ 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 suffic’d him to have known

Good by it self, and Evil not at all.

He sorrows now, repents, and prayes contrite,

My motions in him, longer then they move,

His heart I know, how variable and vain

Self-left. Least therefore his now bolder hand

Reach also of the Tree of Life, and eat,

And live for ever, dream at least to live

Forever, to remove him I decree,

And send him from the Garden forth to Till

The Ground whence he was taken, fitter soile.

Michael, this my behest have thou in charge, Take to thee from among the Cherubim Thy choice of flaming Warriours, least the Fiend Or in behalf of Man, or to invade Vacant possession som new trouble raise: Hast thee, and from the Paradise of God Without remorse drive out the sinful Pair, From hallowd ground th’ unholie, and denounce To them and to thir Progenie from thence Perpetual banishment. Yet least they faint At the sad Sentence rigorously urg’d, For I behold them soft’nd and with tears Bewailing thir excess, all terror hide. If patiently thy bidding they obey, Dismiss them not disconsolate; reveale To Adam what shall come in future dayes, As I shall thee enlighten, intermix My Cov’nant in the Womans seed renewd; So send them forth, though sorrowing, yet in peace: And on the East side of the Garden place, Where entrance up from Eden easiest climbes, Cherubic watch, and of a Sword the flame Wide waving, all approach farr off to fright, And guard all passage to the Tree of Life: Least Paradise a receptacle prove To Spirits foule, and all my Trees thir prey, With whose stol’n Fruit Man once more to delude.

He ceas’d; and th’ Archangelic Power prepar’d

For swift descent, with him the Cohort bright

Of watchful Cherubim; four faces each

Had, like a double Janus, all thir shape Spangl’d with eyes more numerous then those Of Argus, and more wakeful then to drouze, Charm’d with Arcadian Pipe, the Pastoral Reed Of Hermes, or his opiate Rod. Meanwhile To resalute the World with sacred Light Leucothea wak’d, and with fresh dews imbalmd The Earth, when Adam and first Matron Eve Had ended now thir Orisons, and found, Strength added from above, new hope to spring Out of despaire, joy, but with fear yet linkt; Which thus to Eve his welcome words renewd.

Eve, easily may Faith admit, that all The good which we enjoy, from Heav’n descends But that from us ought should ascend to Heav’n So prevalent as to concerne the mind Of God high blest, or to incline his will, Hard to belief may seem; yet this will Prayer, Or one short sigh of humane breath, up-borne Ev’n to the Seat of God. For since I saught By Prayer th’ offended Deitie to appease, Kneel’d and before him humbl’d all my heart, Methought I saw him placable and mild, Bending his eare; perswasion in me grew That I was heard with favour; peace returnd Home to my brest, and to my memorie His promise, that thy Seed shall bruise our Foe; Which then not minded in dismay, yet now Assures me that the bitterness of death Is past, and we shall live. Whence Haile to thee, Eve rightly call’d, Mother of all Mankind, Mother of all things living, since by thee Man is to live, and all things live for Man.