His malice, and with rapine sweet bereav'd His fierceness of the fierce intent it brought : That space the evil one abstracted stood From his own evil, and for the time remain'd Stupidly good, of enmitie difarm'd,
Of guile, of hate, of envie, of revenge; But the hot hell that always in him burns, Though in mid heav'n, foon ended his delight, And tortures him now more, the more he fees Of pleasure not for him ordain'd : then foon Fierce hate he recollects, and all his thoughts Of mischief, gratulating, thus excites.
Thoughts, whither have ye led me, with what fweet Compulfion thus transported to forget
What hither brought us, hate, not love, nor hope Of Paradife for hell, hope here to taste Of pleasure, but all pleasure to destroy, Save what is in destroying, other joy To me is loft. Then let me not let pafs Occafion which now smiles, behold alone The woman, opportune to all attempts, Her husband, for I view far round, not nigh, Whofe higher intellectual more I shun, And ftrength, of courage hautie, and of limb Heroic built, though of terreftrial mould, Foe not informidable, exempt from wound, I not; fo much hath hell debas'd, and pain Infeebl'd me, to what I was in heav'n. She fair, divinely fair, fit love for gods, Not terrible, though terrour be in love And beautie, not approacht by stronger hate,
Iate stronger, under fhew of love well feign'd, he way which to her ruin now I tend.
So fpake the enemie of mankind, enclos'd ferpent, inmate bad, and toward Eve ddrefs'd his way, not with indented wave, rone on the ground, as fince, but on his rear, ircular base of rifing foulds, that tour'd ould above fould a furging mäze, his head refted aloft, and carbuncle his eyes; Vith burnifht neck of verdant gold, erect Amidft his circling fpires, that on the grass loted redundant: pleafing was his shape, And lovely, never fince of ferpent kind Lovelier, not those that in Illyria chang'd Hermione and Cadmus, or the god n Epidaurus; nor to which transform'd Ammonian Jove, or Capitoline was seen, He with Olympias, this with her who bore cipio the highth of Rome. With tract oblique At first, as one who fought accefs, but fear'd To interrupt, fide-long he works his way. Is when a fhip by skilful stearsman wrought High river's mouth or foreland, where the wind eres oft, as oft so steers, and shifts her fail ; o varied he, and of his tortuous train Curl'd many a wanton wreath in fight of Eve, Co lure her eye; the bufied heard the sound Of rusling leaves, but minded not, as us'd: To fuch difport before her through the field, rom every beast, more duteous at her call, Than at Circean call the herd disguis'd.
He boulder now, uncall'd before her stood; But as in gaze admiring: oft he bow'd His turret creft, and fleek enamel'd neck, Fawning, and lick'd the ground whereon she trod. His gentle dumb expreffion turn'd at length The eye of Eve to mark his play; he glad Of her attention gain'd, with ferpent tongue Organic, or impulse of vocal air,,
His fraudulent temptation thus began.
Wonder not, fovran mistress, if perhaps Thou canft, who art sole wonder, much less arm Thy looks, the heav'n of mildness, with disdain, Difpleas'd that I approach thee this, and gaze Infatiate, I thus fingle, nor have fear'd' Thy awful brow, more awful thus retir'd. Fairest resemblance of thy maker faire,
Thee all things living gaze on, all things thine By gift, and thy celestial beautie adore With ravishment beheld, there best beheld Where univerfally admir'd; but here In this inclosure wild, these beasts among, Beholders rude, and shallow to difcerne
Half what in thee is faire, one man except, Who fees thee? (and what is one?) who shouldst be seen A goddess among gods, ador'd and ferv'd
By angels numberless, thy daily train.
So gloz'd the tempter, and his proem tun'd';` Into the heart of Eve his words made way, Though at the voice much marvelling; at length Not unamaz'd she thus in answer spake.
What may this mean? language of man pronounc't
By tongue of brute, and human sense exprest? The first at least of these I thought deni'd To beasts, whom God on their creation day Created mute to all articulate sound; The latter I demurre, for in their looks Much reason, and in their actions oft appeers. Thee, ferpent, futtleft beast of all the field
I knew, but not with human voice endu'd ; Redouble then this miracle, and say, How cam'ft thou speakable of mute, and how To me fo friendly grown above the rest
Of brutal kind, that daily are in fight? Say, for fuch wonder claims attention due.
To whom the guileful tempter thus reply'd. Empress of this fair world, resplendent Eve, Eafie to me it is to tell thee all
What thou commandst, and right thou shouldst be obey I was at first as other beasts that graze
The trodden herb, of abject thoughts and low, As was my food, nor aught but food difcern'd Or fex, and apprehended nothing high: Till on a day roaving the field I chanc'd A goodly tree far diftant to behold Loaden with fruit of fairest colours mixt, Ruddie and gold: I nearer drew to gaze; When from the boughs a favorie odour blow'n, Grateful to appetite, more pleas'd my sense
Than smell of sweetest fenel, or the teats Of ewe or goat a dropping with milk at eev'n, Unfuckt of lamb or kid, that tend their play. To fatisfie the sharp defire I had
Of tasting those fair apples, I refolv'd Not to defer; hunger and thirft at once, Powerful perfuaders, quickn'd at the fcent Of that alluring fruit, urg'd me fo keene. About the moffre trunk I wound me foon, For high from ground the branches would require Thy utmost reach or Adam's : round the tree All other beast that faw, with like defire Longing and envying food, but could not reach. Amid the tree now got, where plentie hung Tempting fo high, to pluck and eat my fill I fpar'd not, for fuch pleasure till that hour At feed or fountain never had I found. Sated at length, ere long I might perceave Strange altération in me, to degree
Of reafon in my inward powers, and speech Wanted not long, though to this fhape retain❜d. Thenceforth to fpeculations high or deep
I turn'd my thoughts, and with capacious mind Confider'd all things vifible in heav'n,
Or earth, or middle, all things fair and good; But all that fair and good in thy divine Semblance, and in thy beauties heav'nly ray United I beheld; no fair to thine
Equivalent or fecond, which compel'd
Me thus, though importune perhaps, to come And gaze, and worship thee of right declar'd Sovran of creatures, univerfal dame.
So talk'd the fpirited fly fnake; and Eve Yet more amaz❜d unwarie thus reply'd. Serpent, thy overpraifing leaves in doubt
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