The Sixt, and of Creation last arose

With Eevning Harps and Mattin, when God said, [ 450 ]

Let th Earth bring forth Soul living in her kinde,

Cattel and Creeping things, and Beast of the Earth,

Each in their kinde. The Earth obeyd, and strait

opning her fertile Woomb teemd at a Birth

Innumerous living Creatures, perfet formes, [ 455 ]

Limbd and full grown: out of the ground up rose

As from his Laire the wilde Beast where he wonns

In Forrest wilde, in Thicket, Brake, or Den;

Among the Trees in Pairs they rose, they walkd:

The Cattel in the Fields and Meddowes green: [ 460 ]

Those rare and solitarie, these in flocks

Pasturing at once, and in broad Herds upsprung.

The grassie Clods now Calvd, now half appeerd

The Tawnie Lion, pawing to get free

His hinder parts, then springs as broke from Bonds, [ 465 ]

And Rampant shakes his Brinded main; the Ounce,

The Libbard, and the Tyger, as the Moale

Rising, the crumbld Earth above them threw

In Hillocks; the swift Stag from under ground

Bore up his branching head: scarse from his mould [ 470 ]

Behemoth biggest born of Earth upheavd

His vastness: Fleect the Flocks and bleating rose,

As Plants: ambiguous between Sea and Land

The River Horse and scalie Crocodile.

At once came forth whatever creeps the ground, [ 475 ]

Insect or Worme; those wavd thir limber fans

For wings, and smallest Lineaments exact

In all the Liveries dect of Summers pride

With spots of Gold and Purple, azure and green:

These as a line thir long dimension drew, [ 480 ]

Streaking the ground with sinuous trace; not all

Minims of Nature; some of Serpent kinde

Wondrous in length and corpulence involvd

Thir Snakie foulds, and added wings. First crept

The Parsimonious Emmet, provident [ 485 ]

Of future, in small room large heart enclosd,

Pattern of just equalitie perhaps

Hereafter, joind in her popular Tribes

Of Commonaltie: swarming next appeerd

The Female Bee that feeds her Husband Drone [ 490 ]

Deliciously, and builds her waxen Cells

With Honey stord: the rest are numberless,

And thou thir Natures knowst, & gavst them Names,

Needless to thee repeated; nor unknown

The Serpent suttlst Beast of all the field, [ 495 ]

Of huge extent somtimes, with brazen Eyes

And hairie Main terrific, though to thee

Not noxious, but obedient at thy call.