Though I uncircumscrib'd myself retire,

170
And put not forth my goodness which is free
To act or not, necessity and chance
Approach not me, and what I will is fate.
So spake th’ Almighty, and to what he spake
His Word, the filial Godhead, gave effect. 175
Immediate are the acts of God, more swift
Than time or motion, but to human ears
Cannot without procéss of speech be told,
So told as earthly notion can receive.
Great triumph and rejoicing was in Heaven, 180
When such was heard declar'd the Almighty's will;
Glory they sung to the most High, good-will
To future men, and in their dwellings peace :
Glory to him, whose just avenging ire
Had driven out the ungodly from his sight 185
And th' habitations of the just; to him
Glory and praise, whose wisdom had ordain'd
Good out of evil to create, instead
Of Spi'rits malign a better race to bring
Into their vacant room, and thence diffuse 190
His good to worlds and ages infinite.
So
sang

the Hierarchies : Meanwhile the Son
On his great expedition now appear'd,
Girt with omnipotence, with radiance crown'd
Of majesty divine ; sapience and love
Immense, and all his Father in him shone.
About his chariot numberless were pour'd
Cherub and Seraph, Potentates and Thrones,
And Virtues, winged Spi'rits, and chariots wing'd

195

From th' armoury of God, where stand of old 20.
Myriads between two brazen mountains lodg'd
Against a solemn day, harness'd at hand,
Celestial equipage ; and now came forth
Spontaneous, for within them Spirit liv'd,
Attendant on their Lord : Heav'n open'd wide 205
Her ever-during gates, harmonious sound
On golden hinges moving, to let forth
The King of Glory in his powerful Word
And Spirit coming to create new worlds.
On heav'nly ground they stood, and from the shore
They view'd the vast immeasurable abyss

210
Outrageous as a sea, dark, wasteful, wild,
Up from the bottom turn’d by furious winds
And surging waves, as mountains, to assault
Heav'n's height, and with the centre mix the pole.

SILENCE, ye troubled waves, and thou deep, peace, Said then th' omnific Word, your discord end : Nor stay'd, but on the wings of Cherubim Uplifted, in paternal glory rode Far into chaos, and the world unborn; For Chaos heard his voice: him all his train Follow'd in bright procession to behold Creation, and the wonders of his might. Then stay'd the fervid wheels, and in his hand He took the golden compasses, prepar’d

225 In God's eternal store, to circumscribe This universe, and all created things: One foot he center'd, and the other turn'd Round through the vast profundity obscure,

220

And said, Thus far extend, thus far thy bounds, 230
This be thy just circumference, O world.
Thus God the Heav'n created, thus the Earth,
Matter unform’d and void : Darkness profound
Cover'd th' abyss : but on the wat’ry calm
His brooding wings the Spi'rit of God outspread, 235
And vital virtue' infus'd, and vital warmth
Throughout the fluid mass, but downward purg'd
The black tartareous cold infernal dregs
Adverse to life: then founded, then conglob’d
Like things to like, the rest to several place

240
Disparted, and between spun out'the air,
And Earth self-balanc'd on her centre hungi

Let there be light, said God, and forth with light
Ethereal, first of things, quintessence pure
Sprung from the deep, and from her native east 245
To journey through the airy gloom began,
Spher'd in a radiant cloud, for yet the sun
Was not ; she in a cloudy tabernacle
Sojourn'd the while. God saw the light was good;
And light from darkness by the hemisphere 250
Divided : light the day, and darkness night
He nam'd. Thus was the first day ev'n and morn:
Nor past uncelebrated, nor unsung
By the celestial quires, when orient light
Exhaling first from darkness they beheld;

255
Birth-day of Heav'n and Earth ; with joy and shout
The hollow universal orb they fillid,
And touch'd their golden harps, and hymning prais'd

God and his works, Creator him they sung,
Both when first evening was, and when first morn.

Again, God said, Let there be firmament 261
Amid the waters, and let it divide
The waters from the waters : and God made
The firmament, expanse of liquid, pure,
Transp nt, elemental air, diffus'd

265
In circuit to the uttermost convex
Of this great round : partition firm and sure,
The waters underneath from those above
Dividing : for as earth, so he the world
Built on circumfluous waters calm, in wide 270
Crystalline ocean, and the loud misrule
Of Chaos far remov'd, lest fierce extremes
Contiguous might distemper the whole frame :
And Heav'n he nam'd the firmament: So even
And morning chorus sung the second day. 275

The earth was form'd, but in the womb as yet
Of waters, embryon immature involv'd,
Appear'd not : over all the face of earth
Main ocean flow'd, not idle, but with warm
Prolific humour soft’ning all her globe,
Fermented the great mother to conceive,
Satiate with genial moisture, when God said,
Be gather'd now ye waters under Heaven
Into one place, and let dry land appear.
Immediately the mountains huge appear

285 Emergent, and their broad bare backs upheave Into the clouds, their tops ascend the sky :

280

So high as heav'd the tumid hills, so low
Down sunk a hollow bottom broad and deep,
Capacious bed of waters : thither they

290
Hasted with glad precipitance, uprollid
As drops on dust conglobing from the dry;
Part rise in crystal wall, or ridge direct,
For haste; such flight the great command impress'd
On the swift floods : as armies at the call

295 Of trumpet (for of armies thou hast heard) Troop to their standard, so the wat'ry throng, Wave rolling after wave, where wave they found, If steep, with torrent rapture, if through plain, Soft-ebbing; nor withstood them rock or hill, 300 But they or under ground, or circuit wide With serpent error wand'ring, found their way, And on the washy ooze deep channels wore; Easy, ere God had bid the ground be dry, All but within those banks, where rivers now 305 Stream, and perpetual draw their humid train. The dry land earth, and the great receptacle Of congregated waters he callid seas : And saw that it was good, and said, Let th' earth Put forth the verdant grass, herb yielding seed, 310 And fruit-tree yielding fruit after her kind, Whose seed is in herself upon the earth. He scarce had said, when the bare earth, till then Desert and bare, unsightly, unadorn'd, Brought forth the tender grass, whose verdure clad Her universal face with pleasant green,

316 Then herbs of every leaf, that sudden flow'r'd