The Complete Poetry of John Milton (124 page)

   580     
Freedom and Peace to men: they on the Plain

               
Long had not walkt, when from the Tents behold

               
A Beavie of fair Women, richly gay

               
In Gems and wanton dress; to th’ Harp they sung

               
Soft amorous Ditties, and in dance came on:

   585     
The Men though grave, ey’d them, and let thir eyes

               
Rove without rein, till in the amorous Net

               
Fast caught, they lik’d, and each his liking chose;

               
And now of love they treat till th’ Eevning Star
⁴⁸

               
Loves Harbinger appeerd; then all in heat

   590     
They light the Nuptial Torch, and bid invoke

               
Hymen
, then first to marriage Rites invok’t;

               
With Feast and Musick all the Tents resound.

               
Such happy interview and fair event

               
Of love and youth not lost, Songs, Garlands, Flowrs,

   595     
And charming Symphonies attach’d the heart

               
Of
Adam
, soon enclin’d t’ admit delight,

               
The bent of Nature; which he thus express’d.

           
      
       
True opener of mine eyes, prime Angel blest,

               
Much better seems this Vision, and more hope

   600     
Of peaceful dayes portends, then those two past;

               
Those were of hate and death, or pain much worse,

               
Here Nature seems fulfill’d in all her ends.

           
      
       To whom thus
Michael.
Judge not what is best

               
By pleasure, though to Nature seeming meet,

   605     
Created, as thou art, to nobler end

               
Holie and pure, conformitie divine.

               
Those Tents thou sawst so pleasant, were the Tents

               
Of wickedness, wherein shall dwell his Race

               
Who slew his Brother; studious they appear

   610     
Of Arts that polish Life, Inventers rare,

               
Unmindful of thir Maker, though his Spirit

               
Taught them, but they his gifts acknowledg’d none.

               
Yet they a beauteous ofspring shall beget;

               
For that fair femal Troop thou sawst, that seemd

   615     
Of Goddesses, so blithe, so smooth, so gay,

               
Yet empty of all good wherein consists

               
Womans domestic honour and chief praise;

               
Bred onely and completed to the taste

               
Of lustful appetence, to sing, to dance,

   620     
To dress, and troul
⁴⁹
the Tongue, and roul the Eye.

               
To these that sober Race of Men, whose lives

               
Religious titl’d them the Sons of God,

               
Shall yeild up all thir vertue, all thir fame

               
Ignobly, to the trains
⁵⁰
and to the smiles

   625     
Of these fair Atheists, and now swim in joy,

               
(Erelong to swim at large) and laugh; for which

               
The world erelong a world of tears must weep.

           
      
       To whom thus
Adam
of short joy bereft.

               
O pittie and shame, that they who to live well

   630     
Enterd so fair, should turn aside to tread

               
Paths indirect, or in the mid way faint!

               
But still I see the tenor of Mans woe

               
Holds on the same, from Woman to begin.

           
      
       From Mans effeminate slackness it begins,

   635     
Said th’ Angel, who should better hold his place

               
By wisdom, and superiour gifts receav’d.

               
But now prepare thee for another Scene.

           
      
       He look’d and saw wide Territorie spred

               
Before him,
⁵¹
Towns, and rural works between,

   640     
Cities of Men with lofty Gates and Towrs,

               
Concours in Arms, fierce Faces threatning Warr,

               
Giants of mightie Bone, and bould emprise;

               
Part wield thir Arms, part courb the foaming Steed,

               
Single or in Array of Battel rang’d

   645     
Both Horse and Foot, nor idlely mustring stood;

               
One way a Band select from forage drives

               
A herd of Beeves, fair Oxen and fair Kine

               
From a fat Meddow ground; or fleecy Flock,

               
Ewes and thir bleating Lambs over the Plain,

   650     
Thir Bootie; scarce with Life the Shepherds flye,

               
But call in aid, which tacks
⁵²
a bloody Fray;

               
With cruel Tournament the Squadrons join;

               
Where Cattel pastur’d late, now scatterd lies

               
With Carcasses and Arms th’ ensanguind Field

   655     
Deserted: Others to a Citie strong

               
Lay Seige, encampt; by Batterie, Scale, and Mine,

               
Assaulting; others from the wall defend

               
With Dart and Jav’lin, Stones and sulfurous Fire;

               
On each hand slaughter and gigantic deeds.

   660     
In other part the scepter’d Haralds call

               
To Council in the Citie Gates: anon

               
Grey-headed men and grave, with Warriours mixt,

               
Assemble, and Harangues are heard, but soon

               
In factious opposition, till at last

   665     
Of middle Age one
⁵³
rising, eminent

               
In wise deport, spake much of Right and Wrong,

               
Of Justice, of Religion, Truth and Peace,

               
And Judgement from above: him old and young

               
Exploded
⁵⁴
and had seiz’d with violent hands,

   670     
Had not a Cloud descending snatch’d him thence

               
Unseen amid the throng: so violence

               
Proceeded, and Oppression, and Sword-Law

               
Through all the Plain, and refuge none was found.

               
Adam
was all in tears, and to his guide

   675     
Lamenting turnd full sad; O what are these,

               
Deaths Ministers, not Men, who thus deal Death

               
Inhumanly to men, and multiply

               
Ten thousandfould the sin of him who slew

               
His Brother; for of whom such massacher

   680     
Make they but of thir Brethren, men of men?

               
But who was that Just Man, whom had not Heav’n

               
Rescu’d, had in his Righteousness bin lost?

           
      
       To whom thus
Michael.
These are the product

               
Of those ill-mated Marriages thou saw’st:

   685     
Where good with bad were matcht, who of themselves

               
Abhor to joyn; and by imprudence mixt,

               
Produce prodigious Births of bodie or mind.

               
Such were these Giants, men of high renown;
⁵⁵

               
For in those dayes Might onely shall be admir’d,

   690     
And Valour and Heroic Vertu call’d;

               
To overcome in Battel, and subdue

               
Nations, and bring home spoils with infinite

               
Man-slaughter, shall be held the highest pitch

               
Of human Glorie, and for Glorie done

   695     
Of triumph, to be styl’d great Conquerours,

               
Patrons of Mankind, Gods, and Sons of Gods,

               
Destroyers rightlier call’d and Plagues of men.

               
Thus Fame shall be atchiev’d, renown on Earth,

               
And what most merits fame in silence hid.

   700     
But hee the seventh from thee,
⁵⁶
whom thou beheldst

               
The onely righteous in a World perverse,

               
And therefore hated, therefore so beset

               
With Foes for daring single to be just,

               
And utter odious Truth, that God would come

   705     
To judge them with his Saints: Him the most High

               
Rapt in a balmie Cloud with winged Steeds

               
Did, as thou sawst, receave, to walk with God

               
High in Salvation and the Climes of bliss,

               
Exempt from Death; to shew thee what reward

   710     
Awaits the good, the rest what punishment;

               
Which now direct thine eyes and soon behold.

           
      
       He look’d, and saw the face of things quite chang’d;

               
The brazen Throat of Warr had ceast to roar,

               
All now was turn’d to jollitie and game,

   715     
To luxurie and riot, feast and dance,

               
Marrying or prostituting, as befell,

               
Rape or Adulterie, where passing fair

               
Allurd them; thence from Cups to civil Broils.

               
At length a Reverend Sire
⁵⁷
among them came,

   720     
And of thir doings great dislike declar’d,

               
And testifi’d against thir wayes; hee oft

               
Frequented thir Assemblies, whereso met,

               
Triumphs
⁵⁸
or Festivals, and to them preach’d

               
Conversion and Repentance, as to Souls

   725     
In Prison under Judgements imminent:

               
But all in vain: which when he saw, he ceas’d

               
Contending, and remov’d his Tents farr off;

               
Then from the Mountain hewing Timber tall,

               
Began to build a Vessel of huge bulk,

   730     
Measur’d by Cubit, length, and breadth, and highth,

               
Smeard round with Pitch, and in the side a dore

               
Contriv’d, and of provisions laid in large

               
For Man and Beast: when loe a wonder strange!

               
Of every Beast, and Bird, and Insect small

   735     
Came seavens, and pairs,
⁵⁹
and enterd in, as taught

               
Thir order; last the Sire, and his three Sons

               
With thir four Wives; and God made fast the dore.

               
Meanwhile the Southwind rose, and with black wings

               
Wide hovering, all the Clouds together drove