The good befall'n him, author unfufpect,
Friendly to man, far from deceit or guile.
What fear I then, rather what know to fear
Under this ignorance of good and evil,
Of God or death, of law or penaltie?
Here grows the cure of all, this fruit divine,
Fair to the eye, inviting to the taste,

Of vertue to make wife what hinders then.
To reach, and feed at once both bodie and mind?
So faying, her rash hands in evil hour

Forth reaching to the fruit, fhe pluck'd, she eat :
Earth felt the wound, and nature from her feat.
Sighing through all her works gave figns of woe,
That all was loft. Back to the thicket flunk
The guiltie ferpent, and well might, for Eve
Intent now wholly on her taste, naught elfe
Regarded, fuch delight till then, as feem'd,
In fruit fhe never tafted, whether true
Or fanfied fo, through expectation high
Of knowledge, nor was godhead from her thought.
Greedily the ingorg'd without restraint,

And knew not eating death: fatiate at length,
And hight'n'd as with wine, jocond and boon,
Thus to herself the pleasingly began.

O fovran, vertuous, precious of all trees
In paradife, of operation bleft

To fapience, hitherto obfcur'd, infam'd,
And thy fair fruit let hang, as to no end
Created; but henceforth my early care,
Not without fong, each morning, and due praise
Shall tend thee, and the fertil burden cafe

Of thy full branches offer'd free to all;
Till dieted by thee I grow mature

In knowledge, as the gods who all things know;
Though others envie what they cannot give ;
For had the gift been theirs, it had not here
Thus grown. Experience, next to thee I owe,
Beft guide; not following thee, I had remain'd
In ignorance, thou op'n'st wisdom's way,
And giv't accefs, though secret she retire.
And I perhaps am fecret; heav'n is high,
High and remote to fee from thence distinct
Each thing on earth; and other care perhaps
May have diverted from continual watch
Our great forbidder, fafe with all his spies
About him. But to Adam in what fort
Shall I appeer? fhall I to him make known
As yet my change, and give him to partake
Full happiness with me, or rather not,
But keep the odds of knowledge in my power
Without copartner? so to add what wants
In femal fex, the more to draw his love,
And render me more equal, and perhaps,
A thing not undefirable, fometime
Superior; for inferior who is free?~

This may be well: but what if God have seen
And death enfue? then I fhall be no more,
And Adam wedded to another Eve,
Shall live with her enjoying, I extinct;
A death to think. Confirm'd then I refolve,
Adam fhall share with me in blifs or woe :
So dear I love him, that with him all deaths

I could endure, without him live no life.

So faying, from the tree her steps she turn'd, But firft low rev'rence done, as to the power That dwelt within, whofe prefence had infus'd Into the plant fciential fap, deriv'd

From nectar, drink of gods. Adam the while
Waiting defirous her return, had wove

Of choiceft flours a garland to adorn
Her treffes, and her rural labours crown
As reapers oft are wont their harvest queen.
Great joy he promis'd to his thoughts, and new
Solace in her return, fo long delay'd;

Yet oft his heart, divine of fomething ill,
Misgave him; he the faultring measure felt;
And forth to meet her went, the way she took
That morn when firft they parted; by the tree
Of knowledge he must pass, there he her met,
Scarce from the tree returning; in her hand
A bough of faireft fruit that downie smil'd,
New gather'd, and ambrofial smell diffus'd.
To him the hafted, in her face excufe
Came prologue, and apologie to prompt,
Which with bland words at will she thus addreft.
Haft thou not wonder'd, Adam, at my stay?
Thee I have mifst, and thought it long, depriv'd
Thy prefence, agonie of love till now

Not felt, nor fhall be twice, for never more
Mean I to trie, what rafh untri'd I fought,
The pain of abfence from thy fight. But ftrange
Hath been the cause, and wonderful to hear:
This tree is not as we are told, a tree

Of danger tafted, nor to evil unknown
Op'ning the way, but of divine effect

To open eyes, and make them gods who taste ;
And hath been tafted fuch: the serpent wife,
Or not restrain'd as we, or not obeying,
Hath eat'n of the fruit, and is become,
Not dead, as we are threatn'd, but thenceforth
Endu'd with human voice and human fenfe,
Reason to admiration, and with me
Perfuafively hath so prevail'd, that I
Have also tafted, and have also found
Th'effects to correfpond, opner mine eyes,
Dimm erft, dilated fpirits, ampler heart,
And growing up to godhead; which for thee
Chiefly I fought, without thee can despise:
For blifs, as thou hast part, to me is bliss,
Tedious, unshar'd with thee, and odious foon,
Thou therefore alfo tafte, that equal lot
May join us, equal joy, as equal love;
Least thou not tafting, different degree
Disjoin us, and I then too late renounce
Deitie for thee, when fate will not permit,

.Thus Eve with count'nance blithe her storie told ;
But in her cheek diftemper flushing glow'd.
On th'other fide, Adam, soon as he heard
The fatal trefpals done by Eve, amaz'd,
• Aftonied stood and blank, while horror chill
Ran through his veins, and all his joints relax'd;
From his flack hand the garland wreath for Eve
Down drop'd, and all the faded rofes shed:
Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length

Firft to himself he inward filence broke.

O fairest of creation, last and best

Of all God's works, creature in whom excell'd
Whatever can to fight or thought be form'd,
Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet!
How art thou loft, how on a fudden loft,
Defac't, deflour'd, and now to death devote?
Rather how haft thou yielded to tranfgrefs
The ftrict forbiddance, how to violate
The facred fruit forbidd'n! fome curfed fraud
Of enemie hath beguil'd thee, yet unknown,
And me with thee hath ruin'd, for with thee
Certain my refolution is to die;

How can I live without thee, how foregoe
Thy fweet converse and love so dearly join'd,
To live again in these wilde woods forlorn ?
Should God create another Eve, and I
Another rib afford, yet lofs of thee

Would never from my heart; no no, I feel
The link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh,
Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state
Mine, never shall be parted, bliss or woe.

So having faid, as one from fad dismay Recomforted, and after thoughts disturb'd Submitting to what feem'd remedilefs,

Thus in calm mood his words to Eve he turn'd. Bold deed thou haft prefum'd, adventrous Eve, And peril great provok't, who thus hath dar'd Had it been onely coveting to eye

That facred fruit, facred to abftinence,

Much more to taste it under banne to touch.