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Glistering with dew; nor fragrance after showers, Nor grateful evening mild; nor silent night, With this her solemn bird; nor walk by moon, Or glittering starlight, without thee is sweet. But wherefore all night long shine these? for whom This glorious sight, when sleep hath shut all eyes?

To whom our general ancestor replied: Daughter of God and man, accomplished Eve, These have their course to finish round the earth By morrow evening, and from land to land In order, though to nations yet unborn, Ministering light prepared, they set and rise, Lest total darkness should by night regain Her old possession, and extinguish life In Nature and all things; which these soft fires Not only enlighten, but, with kindly heat Of various influence, foment and warm, Temper or nourish, or in part shed down Their stellar virtue on all kinds that grow On Earth, made hereby apter to receive Perfection from the sun's more potent ray. These then, though unbeheld in deep of night, Shine not in vain. Nor think, though men were none, That heaven would want spectators, God want praise. Millions of spiritual creatures walk the Earth Unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep. All these with ceaseless praise His works behold Both day and night. How often from the steep Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard Celestial voices to the midnight air, Sole, or responsive each to other's note, Singing their great Creator! Oft in bands While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk, With heavenly touch of instrumental sounds In full harmonic number joined, their songs Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to heaven.

BOOK IV.-689-719] Thus talking, hand in hand they passed On to their blissful bower. It was a place Chosen by the sovereign Planter, when he framed All things to man's delightful use. The roof Of thickest covert was inwoven shade, Laurel, and myrtle, and what higher grew Of firm and fragrant leaf; on either side Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub, Fenced up the verdant wall; each beauteous flower, Iris all hues, roses, and jessamine, Reared high their flourished heads between, and wrought Mosaic; under foot the violet, Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay Broidered the ground, more coloured than with stone Of costliest emblem: other creature here, Beast, bird, insect, or worm, durst enter none, Such was their awe of man. In shadier bower More sacred and sequestered, though but feigned, Pan or Sylvanus never slept, nor Nymph Nor Faunus² haunted. Here, in close recess, With flowers, garlands, and sweet-smelling herbs, Espoused Eve decked first her nuptial bed; And heavenly quires the hymenean sung, What day the genial Angel to our sire Brought her, in naked beauty more adorned. More lovely than Pandora, whom the gods Endowed with all their gifts; and, O! too like In sad event, when to the unwiser son Of Japhet brought by Hermes, she ensuared Mankind with her fair looks, to be avenged

On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire. 1 Sylvanus. - A divinity of fields and forests.

Nymph nor Faunus. -Rural divinities, male and female.

More lovely than Pandora.—The story concerning Pandora is, that Prometheus, the son of Japhet, stole fire from heaven and gave it to the earth. Jupiter, to punish the theft, sent Pandora to him, endowed by the gods with all charms, as her name imports. She was brought to him by Hermes. Prometheus was not to be taken by the snare; but his younger brother was, and, being curious to know the contents of a casket in Pandora's possession, caused it