7

Immediately the Mountains huge appeer [ 285 ]

Emergent, and thir broad bare backs upheave

Into the Clouds, thir tops ascend the Skie:

So high as heavd the tumid Hills, so low

Down sunk a hollow bottom broad and deep,

Capacious bed of Waters: thither they [ 290 ]

Hasted with glad precipitance, uprowld

As drops on dust conglobing from the drie;

Part rise in crystal Wall, or ridge direct,

For haste; such flight the great command impressd

On the swift flouds: as Armies at the call [ 295 ]

Of Trumpet (for of Armies thou hast heard)

Troop to thir Standard, so the watrie throng,

Wave rowling after Wave, where way they found,

If steep, with torrent rapture, if through Plaine,

Soft-ebbing; nor withstood them Rock or Hill, [ 300 ]

But they, or under ground, or circuit wide

With Serpent errour wandring, found thir way,

And on the washie Oose deep Channels wore;

Easie, ere God had bid the ground be drie,

All but within those banks, where Rivers now [ 305 ]

Stream, and perpetual draw thir humid traine.

The dry Land, Earth, and the great receptacle

Of congregated Waters he calld 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 her self upon the Earth.

He scarce had said, when the bare Earth, till then

Desert and bare, unsightly, unadornd,

Brought forth the tender Grass, whose verdure clad [ 315 ]

Her Universal Face with pleasant green,

Then Herbs of every leaf, that sudden flourd

Opning thir various colours, and made gay

Her bosom smelling sweet: and these scarce blown,

Forth flourisht thick the clustring Vine, forth crept [ 320 ]

The smelling Gourd, up stood the cornie Reed

Embattelld in her field: and the humble Shrub,

And Bush with frizld hair implicit: last

Rose as in Dance the stately Trees, and spred

Thir branches hung with copious Fruit; or gemmd [ 325 ]

Thir blossoms: with high woods the hills were crownd,

With tufts the vallies and each fountain side,

With borders long the Rivers. That Earth now

Seemd like to Heavn, a seat where Gods might dwell,

Or wander with delight, and love to haunt [ 330 ]

Her sacred shades: though God had yet not raind

Upon the Earth, and man to till the ground

None was, but from the Earth a dewie Mist

Went up and waterd all the ground, and each

Plant of the field, which ere it was in the Earth [ 335 ]

God made, and every Herb, before it grew

On the green stemm; God saw that it was good.