He ended; and th Arch-Angel soon drew nigh,

Not in his shape Celestial, but as Man

Clad to meet Man; over his lucid Armes [ 240 ]

A militarie Vest of purple flowd

Livelier then Melibœan, or the graine

Of Sarra, worn by Kings and Heros old

In time of Truce; Iris had dipt the wooff;

His starrie Helme unbuckld shewd him prime [ 245 ]

In Manhood where Youth ended; by his side

As in a glistering Zodiac hung the Sword,

Satans dire dread, and in his hand the Spear.

Adam bowd low, hee Kingly from his State

Inclind not, but his coming thus declard. [ 250 ]

Adam, Heavns high behest no Preface needs:

Sufficient that thy Prayers are heard, and Death,

Then due by sentence when thou didst transgress,

Defeated of his seisure many dayes

Givn thee of Grace, wherein thou mayst repent, [ 255 ]

And one bad act with many deeds well done

Mayst cover: well may then thy Lord appeasd

Redeem thee quite from Deaths rapacious claime;

But longer in this Paradise to dwell

Permits not; to remove thee I am come, [ 260 ]

And send thee from the Garden forth to till

The ground whence thou wast takn, fitter Soile.

He added not, for Adam at the newes

Heart-strook with chilling gripe of sorrow stood,

That all his senses bound; Eve, who unseen [ 265 ]

Yet all had heard, with audible lament

Discoverd soon the place of her retire.

O unexpected stroke, worse then of Death!

Must I thus leave thee Paradise? thus leave

Thee Native Soile, these happie Walks and Shades, [ 270 ]

Fit haunt of Gods? where I had hope to spend,

Quiet though sad, the respit of that day

That must be mortal to us both. O flours,

That never will in other Climate grow,

My early visitation, and my last [ 275 ]

At Eevn, which I bred up with tender hand

From the first opning bud, and gave ye Names,

Who now shall reare ye to the Sun, or ranke

Your Tribes, and water from th ambrosial Fount?

Thee lastly nuptial Bowre, by mee adornd [ 280 ]

With what to sight or smell was sweet; from thee

How shall I part, and whither wander down

Into a lower World, to this obscure

And wilde, how shall we breath in other Aire

Less pure, accustomd to immortal Fruits? [ 285 ]

Whom thus the Angel interrupted milde.