THE

COURSE OF TIME.

BOOK II.

THIS said, he waked the golden harp, and thus, While on him inspiration breathed, began.

As from yon everlasting hills that gird Heaven northward, I thy course espied, I judge Thou from the arctic regions came? Perhaps Thou noticed on thy way a little orb, Attended by one moon, her lamp by night, With her fair sisterhood of planets seven, Revolving round their central sun; she third In place, in magnitude the fourth. That orb, New made, new named, inhabited anew, Though whiles we sons of Adam visit still, Our native place, not changed so far but we Can trace our ancient walks, the scenery

Of childhood, youth, and prime, and hoary age,

But scenery most of suffering and wo,—
That little orb, in days remote of old,

When angels yet were young, was made for man,
And titled Earth, her primal virgin name.
Created first so lovely, so adorned

With hill, and dale, and lawn, and winding vale,
Woodland, and stream, and lake, and rolling seas,
Green mead, and fruitful tree, and fertile grain,
And herb, and flower; so lovely, so adorned
With numerous beasts of every kind, with fowl
Of every wing and every tuneful note,
And with all fish that in the multitude
Of waters swam; so lovely, so adorned,
So fit a dwelling-place for man, that as
She rose, complete, at the creating word,
The morning stars, the sons of God, aloud
Shouted for joy; and God, beholding, saw
The fair design, that from eternity

His mind conceived, accomplished, and, well pleased,
His six days' finished work most good pronounced,
And man declared the sovereign prince of all.

All else was prone, irrational, and mute, And unaccountable, by instinct led.

But man He made of angel form erect,

To hold communion with the heavens above;
And on his soul impressed his image fair,

His own similitude of holiness,

Of virtue, truth, and love; with reason high
To balance right and wrong, and conscience quick
To choose or to reject; with knowledge great,
Prudence and wisdom, vigilance and strength,
To guard all force or guile; and, last of all,
The highest gift of God's abundant grace,
With perfect, free, unbiassed will. Thus man
Was made upright, immortal made, and crowned
The king of all; to eat, to drink, to do
Freely and sovereignly his will entire.
By one command alone restrained, to prove,
As was most just, his filial love sincere,
His loyalty, obedience due, and faith.
And thus the prohibition ran, expressed,
As God is wont, in terms of plainest truth.

Of every tree that in the garden grows
Thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree
That knowledge hath of good and ill, eat not,
Nor touch; for in the day thou eatest, thou
Shalt die. Go, and this one command obey,

Adam, live and be happy, and, with thy Eve,
Fit consort, multiply and fill the earth.

Thus they, the representatives of men,
Were placed in Eden, choicest spot of earth.
With royal honour and with glory crowned,
Adam, the lord of all, majestic walked,
With godlike countenance sublime, and form
Of lofty towering strength; and by his side
Eve, fair as morning star, with modesty
Arrayed, with virtue, grace, and perfect love:
In holy marriage wed, and eloquent

Of thought and comely words, to worship God
And sing his praise, the Giver of all good:
Glad, in each other glad, and glad in hope;
Rejoicing in their future happy race.

O lovely, happy, blest, immortal pair! Pleased with the present, full of glorious hope. But short, alas, the song that sings their bliss! Henceforth the history of man grows dark; Shade after shade of deepening gloom descends; And Innocence laments her robes defiled.

Who farther sings, must change the pleasant lyre To heavy notes of wo. Why! dost thou ask,

Surprised? The answer will surprise thee more.
Man sinned; tempted, he ate the guarded tree-
Tempted of whom thou afterwards shalt hear-
Audacious, unbelieving, proud, ungrateful,

He ate the interdicted fruit, and fell;
And in his Fall, his universal race;
For they in him by delegation were
In him to stand or fall, to live or die.

Man most ingrate! so full of grace, to sin, Here interposed the new-arrived, so full Of bliss, to sin against the Gracious One! The holy, just, and good! the Eternal Love! Unseen, unheard, unthought of wickedness! Why slumbered vengeance? No, it slumbered not. The ever just and righteous God would let His fury loose, and satisfy his threat.

That had been just, replied the reverend bard, But done, fair youth, thou ne'er hadst met me here ; I ne'er had seen yon glorious throne in peace.

Thy powers are great, originally great, And purified even at the fount of light. Exert them now, call all their vigour out;