Adorns him, colour'd with the florid hue Of rainbows and starry eyes. The waters thus The sixth, and of creation last, arose 445 450 455 Cattle and creeping things, and beast of the earth, green: Those rare and solitary, these in flocks Pasturing at once, and in broad herds upsprung. 446 starry eyes] See Beaumont's Psyche, c. i. st. 61. v. 2. 'As when the gallant peacock doth display His starry train.' and A. Ramsæi Poem. Sacr. vol. i. p. 8. 'Dum tumet, et caudæ stellate syrmata spectat.' 460 451 soul] In Milton's own edition 'foul living.' Bentley pointed out the error and corrected it. 452 things] Bentley and Newton consider that there is an error in the text, and that we ought to read thing.' 457 wonns] Fairfax's Tasso, b. xvi. st. 67. 'A thousand devils in Limbo deep that wonne.' Todd. 462 broad] Hom. Il. xi. 678. -ἀιπόλια πλάτες αιγῶν. Richardson. The grassy clods now calv'd; now half appear'd 464 His hinder parts, then springs as broke from bonds, Rising, the crumbled earth above them threw 471 At once came forth whatever creeps the ground, 475 In all the liveries deck'd of summer's pride 463 calv'd] See Nonni Dionysiaca, iv. 427. Καὶ στάχυς αυτολόχευτος ἀνηέξητο γιγάντων, Ουπω στέρνον ἔφαινε, καὶ ἔισέτι μήτρὸς ἀνέρπων 465 broke] Virg. Æn. xi. 492. 'Abruptis fugit præsepia vinclis.' 466 shakes] A. Ramsæi P. Sacr. vol. i. p. 9. 'Hinc Leo prædator, Lybicis nova incola campis, Ore fremens, oculis scintillans, perque torosa These as a line their long dimension drew, Of future, in small room large heart inclos'd, Hereafter, joined in her popular tribes Of commonalty: swarming next appear'd The female bee, that feeds her husband drone With honey stor❜d: the rest are numberless, 480 485 490 And thou their natures know'st, and gav'st them names, Needless to thee repeated; nor unknown The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field, Of huge extent sometimes, with brazen eyes 484 snaky folds] A. Rams. P. Sacr. i. 10. 'Atque orbibus orbes Implexos sinuantem anguem.' 495 485 provident-large heart] The former part from Hor. Sat. I. i. 35, and the latter from Virg. Georg. iv. 83. Newton. 491 waxen cells] So Marino's Sl. of the Innocents, p. 28. 'Or when the bees, like murmuring armies, hide In troops, unto their waxen camp convey.' Petronii Troja Elosis, v. Angues jubati.' Plauti 500 505 Now heaven in all her glory shone, and roll'd Her motions, as the great First Mover's hand First wheel'd their course; earth in her rich attire Consummate lovely smil'd; air, water, earth, By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walk'd Frequent; and of the sixth day yet remain'd; There wanted yet the master-work, the end Of all yet done; a creature, who not prone And brute as other creatures, but indued With sanctity of reason, might erect His stature, and upright with front serene Govern the rest, self-knowing; and from thence 510 Magnanimous to correspond with heaven; But grateful to acknowledge whence his good Descends, thither with heart, and voice, and eyes Directed in devotion, to adore And worship GoD supreme, who made him chief 515 Of all his works: therefore the omnipotent Eternal Father, (for where is not he Present?) thus to his Son audibly spake. Let us make now man in our image, man In our similitude, and let them rule Over the fish and fowl of sea and air, Beast of the field, and over all the earth, And every creeping thing that creeps the ground. This said, he form'd thee, Adam, thee, O man, 520 Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breath'd 525 The breath of life in his own image he Amphitr. act. v. sc. i. 'Jubatus anguis major solitis.' Capitolin. Vit. Anton. Pii, ix. 35, ed. Putman. Created thee, in the image of GOD Female for race; then bless'd mankind, and said, 530 Is yet distinct by name, thence, as thou know'st, He brought thee into this delicious grove, This garden, planted with the trees of GOD, Delectable both to behold and taste; And freely all their pleasant fruit for food 535 540 Gave thee; all sorts are here that all th' earth yields, Variety without end; but of the tree, Which tasted, works knowledge of good and evil, Thou may'st not in the day thou eat'st thou dy'st; Death is the penalty impos'd, beware, And govern well thy appetite, lest Sin Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death. Here finish'd he, and all that he had made 545 550 536 thence] Tickell, Fenton, and Bentley have adopted in this passage a wrong punctuation, putting only a comma after 'earth' (534), and a full stop after 'name' (536). Newton restored the reading of Milton's own editions. |