Book XI
Michael shows Adam visions of mankind's future: Cain's murder, the Flood, and prophecies of Christ's redemption.
13 argumentative units
- 01Adam and Eve pray; the Son intercedes for them
Adam and Eve, moved by grace, pray in penitence; their prayers fly to Heaven where the Son presents them before the Father and intercedes, promising to bear their punishment himself.
- 02God accepts their prayer but decrees exile from Paradise
God accepts the Son's intercession, granting Adam and Eve reprieve from immediate death; but He decrees they must leave Paradise, and He commissions Michael to reveal their future and drive them out.
- 03Michael receives his charge and descends with his host
God instructs Michael to expel the pair from Eden, but to comfort them by revealing future events; Michael descends with a company of cherubim while Adam and Eve enjoy a calm morning moment.
- 04Michael arrives and tells Adam of their coming exile
Adam notices omens of change in nature; Michael descends in human form and announces that Adam and Eve must leave Paradise at once, striking Adam with grief and Eve to open lamentation.
- 05Michael comforts Eve; Adam submits to God's decree
Eve mourns Paradise and her garden; Michael gently rebukes her and reminds her that where her husband goes she belongs; Adam, recovering, humbly submits, though grieving he will lose God's visible presence.
- 06Michael prepares Adam to receive prophetic visions
Michael tells Adam that to comfort him he will reveal what shall come to his race; he purges Adam's eyes and leads him up the highest hill of Paradise to begin the visions.
- 07Vision of Cain and Abel: the first murder
Adam sees his sons Cain and Abel offer sacrifice; Abel's is accepted, Cain's rejected, and in jealous rage Cain kills Abel—Adam's first sight of death leaves him horrified.
- 08Michael shows Adam the many shapes of death and disease
Michael explains that Cain is punished and Abel's faith rewarded; then he shows Adam a vision of a lazar-house full of every disease and misery that sin has brought upon humanity.
- 09Vision of arts, marriage, and moral corruption
Adam sees a vision of civilized life—herds, music, metalwork—followed by a scene where the godly sons of Seth intermarry with Cain's beautiful but corrupt daughters, abandoning virtue.
- 10Vision of war, giants, and Enoch's translation
Adam sees a vision of warfare and tyranny among the Nephilim giants; one just man (Enoch) speaks truth against the wicked and is snatched to Heaven before the crowd can kill him.
- 11Vision of Noah and the great flood
Adam sees the universal corruption of mankind; Noah alone is righteous and builds an ark; God sends the flood to destroy all living creatures, and only Noah's family is saved.
- 12The ark comes to rest; God's rainbow covenant with Noah
The flood abates; Noah and his family descend from the ark; God sets the rainbow in the sky as a sign of His covenant never again to destroy the world by flood.
- 13Michael explains the covenant; Book XI concludes
Michael explains the meaning of the rainbow covenant and its limits; God's patience with sin will persist until the final judgment by fire, and the just shall dwell in a renewed world.