;

CA

955

Triumph, and fay; Fickle their ftate whom God
Moft favours; who can please him long? Me first
He ruin'd, now mankind: whom will he next? - 950
Matter of fcorn, not to be giv'n the foe
However, I with thee have fix'd my lot,
Certain to undergo like doom: if death
Confort with thee, death is to me as life;
So forcible within my heart I feel
The bond of nature draw me to my own,
My own in thee, for what thou art is mine;
Our state can not be fever'd, we are one,
One flesh; to lose thee were to lose myself.
So Adam; and thus Eve to him reply'd,
O glorious trial of exceeding love,
Hluftrious evidence, example high!
Engaging me to emulate, but fhort
Of thy perfection, how fhall I attain,

960

Adam? from whofe dear fide I boaft me fprung, 965
And gladly of thy union hear thee speak,

One heart, one foul in both; whereof good proof
This day affords, declaring thee refolv❜d,

Rather than death, or ought than death more dread,

Shall feparate us, link'd in love so dear,

970

To undergo with me one guilt, one crime,

If any be, of tafting this fair fruit,

Whofe virtue (for of good ftill good proceeds,

Direct, or by occafion) hath prefented'

This happy trial of thy love, which elfe

975

So eminently never had been known.

Were it I thought death menac'd would enfue

This my attempt, I would fuftain alone

The worst, and not perfuade thee; rather die

Deferted, than oblige thee with a fact

980

Pernicious to thy peace; chiefly affur'd
Remarkably fo late of thy fo true,

So faithful love unequall'd, but I feel

Far otherwife th' event, not death, but life

Augmented, open'd eyes, new hopes, new joys, 985

Tafte fo divine, that what of fweet before.

Hath touch'd my fenfe. flat feems to this, and harsh.

On my experience, Adam, freely tafte,

And fear of death deliver to the winds.

So faying, fhe embrac'd him, and for joy
Tenderly wept; much won, that he his love
Had fo ennobled, as of choice t' incur
Divine displeasure for her fake, or death,
In recompenfe (for fuch compliance bad.
Such recompenfe beft merits) for the bough
She gave him of that fair enticing fruit st
With liberal hand: he fcrupled not to eat,
Against his better knowledge; not deceiv'd,
But fondly overcome with female charm.
Earth trembled from her entrails, as again
In pangs; and Nature gave a fecond groan;
Sky lour'd, and uttering thunder, fome fad drops
Wept at completing of the mortal fin

990

995

Original; while Adam took no thought,

Eating his fill; nor Eve to iterate

1005

Her former trefpafs fear'd, the more to foothe

Him with her lov'd fociety; that now,

As with new wines intoxicated both,

They fwim in mirth, and fancy that they feel
Divinity within them breeding wings...
Wherewith to fcorn the earth.

1010

But that falfe fruit

Far other operation firft difplay'd,
Carnal defire inflaming; he on Eve

Began to caft lafcivious eyes, fhe him
As wantonly repaid; in luft they burnt

1015

Till Adam thus 'gan Eve to dalliance move.
Eve, now I fee thou art exact of taste,
And elegant of fapience no fmall part,
Since to each meaning favour we apply,
And palate call judicious: I the praife
Yield thee, fo well this day thou hast purvey❜d.
Much pleasure we have loft, while we abftain'd
From this delightful fruit, nor known till now,
True relifh tafting; if fuch pleasure be

In things to us forbidd'n, it might be with'd, 1025 For this one tree had been forbidden ten.

But come, fo well refresh'd, now let us play,

As meet is, after fuch delicious fare;

For never did thy beauty fince the day

1030*

1 faw thee first, and wedded thee, adorn'd
With all perfections, fo inflame my fense
With ardour to enjoy thee, fairer now
Than ever, bounty of this virtuous tree.
So faid he, and forbore not glance or toy
Of amorous intent; well understood
Of Eve, whose eyes darted contagious fire;
Her hand he feiz'd, and to a fhady bank,
Thick overhead with verdant roof imbow'r'd,
He led her nothing loath; flow'rs were the couch,
Panfies, and violets, and afphodel,

And hyacinth, earth's freshest fofteft lap;
There they their fill of love, and love's difport
Took largely of their mutual guilt the feal,
The folace of their fin; till dewy fleep

IC35

1040

1

Opprefs'd them, wearied with their amorous play. 1045
Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit,
That with exhilarating vapour bland

1050

About their fp'rits had play'd, and inmoft pow'rs
Made err, was now exhal'd; and groffer fleep
Bred of unkind fumes, with confcious dreams
Incumber'd, now had left them; up they rose
As from unreft, and each th' other viewing,
Soon found their eyes how open'd, and their minds
How darken'd; innocence, that as a veil

Had fhadow'd them from knowing ill, was gone; 1055.
Juft confidence, and native righteousness,

And honour from about them, naked left
To guilty fhame ; he cover'd, but his robe
Uncover'd more. So rofe the Danite strong,
Herculean Samfon, from the harlot-lap
Of Philiftean Delilah, and wak'd

1060

1065

Shorn of his ftrength; they deftitute and bare
Of all their virtue: filent, and in face
Confounded, long they fat, as ftrucken mute :
Till Adam, though not lefs than Eve abafh'd,
At length wave utterance to thefe words conftrain’d.
O Eve, in evil hour thou did't give ear
To that falfe worm, of whomfoever taught
To counterfeit man's voice; true in our fall,
Falfe in our promis'd rifing; fince our eyes

Dd

1070

Was I t' have never parted from thy fide?
As good have grown there still a lifeless rib.
Being as I am, why did't not thou the head
Command me abfolutely not to go,
Going into fuch danger as thou faid'ft!
Too facile then thou did❜ft not much gainfay;
Nay, did't permit, approve, and fair dismiss.
Had'ft thou been firm and fix'd in thy diffent,
Neither had I tranfgrefs'd; nor thou with me.
To whom then first incens'd, Adam reply'd.
Is this the love, is this the recompenfe
Of mine to thee, ungrateful Eve, exprefs'd
Immutable, when thou wert loft, not I;
Who might have liv'd, and joy'd immortal blifs,
Yet willingly chofe rather death with thee?
And am I now upbraided as the cause
Of thy tranfgreffing? not enough severe,

1155

1160

1165

It seems, in thy restraint; what could I more? 1170 I warn'd thee, I admonish'd thee, foretold

The danger, and the lurking enemy

That lay in wait; beyond this had been force,

And force upon free will hath here no place.

But confidence then bore thee on, fecure

1175

Either to meet no danger, or to find

Matter of glorious trial; and perhaps

I alfo err'd in overmuch admiring

What feem'd in thee fo perfect, that I thought
No evil durft attempt thee; but I rue

1180

That error now, which is become my crime,

And thou th' accufer. Thus it fhall befal****

Him who to worth in woman overtrusting,

Lets her will rule: restraint fhe will not brook;

And left t' herself, if evil thence enfue, ✨

1185

She firft his weak indulgence will accufe.
Thus they in mutual accufation spent

The fruitless hours, but neither felf-condemning,
And of their vain contest appear'd no end. ***

END OF THE NINTH BOOK,

Man's tranfgreffion known, the guardian Angels forfake Paradife, and return up to Heaven to approve their vigilance; and are approved, God declaring that the entrance of Satan could not be by them prevented. He fends his Son to judge the tranfgreffors; who defcends, and gives fentence accordingly; then in pity clothes them and reafcends. Sin and death fitting till then at the gates of bell, by wondrous fympathy feeling the fuccefs of Satan in this new world, and the fin by man there committed, refolve to fit no longer confined in hell, but to follow Satan their fire up to the place of man: To make the way eafier from hell to this world to and fro, they pave a broad highway or bridge over Chaos, according to the track that Satan firft made; then preparing for earth, they meet him, proud of his fuccefs, returning to hell; their mutual gratulation. Satan arrives at Pandemonium, in full affembly relates with boafting his fuccefs against man; instead of applaufe, is entertained with a general bifs by all his audience, transformed with himself alfo fuddenly into ferpents, according to his doom given in Paradife; then deluded with a fher of the forbidden tree Springing up before them, they greedily reaching to take of the fruit, chew duft and bitter afhes. The proceedings of Sin and Death: GOD foretells the final victory of his Son over them, and the renewing of all things; but for the prefent commands his Angels to make feveral alterations in the heavens and elements. Adam more and more perceiving his fallen condition, heavily bewails; rejects the condolement of Eve; She perfifts, and at length appeafes him: then, to evade the curfe likely to fall on their offspring, propofes to Adam violent ways, which he approves not; but conceiving bet