This Woman, whom thou mad'st to be my help,
And gav'st me as thy perfect gift, so good,
So fit, so acceptable, so divine,
That from her hand I could suspect no ill, 149
And what she did, whatever in itself,
Her doing seem'd to justify the deed;
She

gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
To whom the sovran Presence thus reply'd,
Was she thy God, that her thou didst obey

145 Before his voice, or was she made thy guide, Superior, or but equal, that to her Thou didst resign thy manhood, and the place Wherein God set thee' above her made of thee, And for thee, whose perfection far excell'd 150 Hers in all real dignity ? Adorn'd

She

137. This Woman, whom tbou same strain as he had done before to

mad's to be my help, the Angel VIII. 549. And gav' A me as thy perfea gift- what she wills to do or fay! She gave me of the treç, and ! Seems wiseft &c.

did eat.] Gen. III. 12. And And his unwillingness to accuse his ebe Man said, The Woman, whom wife, and yet the neceflity of his tbou gaveft to be with me, he gave doing it, are finely imagin'd. me of the tree, and I did eat. We

151.

Adorn'd see that he still preserves all that is She was indeed, and lovely to attrae Scripture, though he intermixes Thy love, not thy subjection; ] The other things which were likely fame sort of sentiment as the Angel enough to have been said and done, had inculcated VIII. 568. Adam speaks of Eve much in the -fair no doubt, and worthy well

Thy

She was indeed, and lovely to attract
Thy love, not thy subjection; and her gifts
Were such as under government well seem'd,
Unseemly to bear rule, which was thy part 155
And person, hadst thou known thyself aright.

So having said, he thus to Eve in few.
Say Woman, what is this which thou hast done?

To whom sad Eve with shame nigh overwhelm’d,
Confeffing soon, yet not before her judge 160
Bold or loquacious, thus abalh'd reply'd.
The Serpent me beguild, and I did eat.

Which when the Lord God heard, without delay To judgment he proceeded on th' accus'd Serpent though brute, unable to transfer

165 The guilt on him who made him instrument

Of

Thy cherifhing, thy honoring, and ter, illam vero gravitatis, severitatis thy love,

perfonam non appetivi Milton in Not thy subjection.

his History of England, p. 37. Edit. And in other parts of his works our Tol. uses the word thus,““ If it author seems to have been a ftre- “ were an honor to that person nuous advocate for keeping up the “ which he sustain'd. Richardson. authority of the husband.

158. Say Woman, what is this 155. -- thy part

which thou hast done ? ] Gen. And perfon.) A pure Latinism. III. 13. And the Lord God said unto The personæ dramatis. So Cicero the Woman, What is this that thou pro Muren. c. 2. Has partes leni. haft done? tatis et misericordiæ, quas me na- 162. The Serpent me beguild, and tura ipfa docuit, femper ago liben- I did eat.] And the l'oman

P4

Of mischief, and polluted from the end
Of his creation; justly then accurs’d,
As vitiated in nature : more to know
Concern'd not Man (fince he no further knew) 170
Nor alter'd his offence; yet God at last
To Satan first in sin his doom apply'd,
Though in mysterious terms, judg'd as then beft:
And on the Serpent thus his curse let fall.
Because thou hast done this, thou art accurs'd

175 Above

said, The Serpent beguiled me, and I above every beast of the field : upon did eat.

thy belly shalt thou go, and duft falt 169. more to know

thou eat all the days of thy life : And Concern'd not Man (since he no I will put enmity between thee and

further knew)] This is badly the Woman, and between t by feed and express’d. The meaning is, As ber feed; it small bruise thy bead, Man was not to be let into the and thou shalt bruise his huel. Our mystery of the redemption at this author was certainly here more in time, it did not concern him to the right than ever in adhering reliknow that the serpent was but the giously to the words of Scripture, instrument of the Devil. When tho' he has thereby spoil'd the harMilton wrote this, I fancy he had mony of his verse. He thought it not then in his thoughts to make without doubt that to mix any thing Michael reveal to Adam in the last of his own would be a violation of book the doctrin of redemption; decency, and a profanation, like or if he did intend it, he forgot that of Uzzah's putting forth his that a theological comment on those hand to the ark of God. And the words in Genesis would ill agree sentence is very well explain'd by with what was to follow.

him, that it was pronounc'd imme

Warburton. diately upon the Serpent as made 175. Because thou hast done this, the instrument of misibief and oitia&c.) As near as may be to the very ted in nature, but is to be appk'! words of Scripture, Gen. III. 14, mediately to Satan, the old Serpent, 15. And the Lord God said unto the though in myfterious terms: And as Serpent, Because thou hast done this, the author explains how the sen terce I bou art cursed above all catóel, and was to be undesilood belore he re

Above all cattel, each beast of the field;
Upon thy belly groveling thou shalt

go, And duft salt eat all the days of thy life. Fetween thee and the Woman I will

put Enmity, and between thine and her feed; 180 Her seed shall bruise thy head, thou bruise his heel.

So spake this oracle, then verify'd
When Jesus son of Mary, second Eve,
Saw Satan fall like lightning down from Heaven,

Prince

ates it, so he shows afterwards how cramp'd down by a wrong choice, I was fulfill'd.

without the expected applause. 182. - oracle, then verify'à

Bentley When I elus Son of Mary, &c] Here 184. Saw Satan fall like lightning i a manifest indication. That, down from Heaven, &c.] when Milton wrote this passage, he Here are several allusions to Scripthought Paradise was chiefly re- ture ; as particularly to Luke X. 18. air'd at our Saviour's resurrection. I beheld Satan as lightning fall from This would have been a copious Heaven. Prince of the air, so he is and sublime subject for a second callid Eph. II. 2. the prince of the pem. The wonders then to be power of the air. Spoil'd Principa. described would have erected even lities and Pow'rs, triumph'd in open ar ordinary poet's genius; and in how, according to Col. II. 15. And episodes he might have introduc'd having spoiled Principalities and his conception, birth, miracles, and Powers, he made a fior of them all the history of his administration, openly, triumphing over them in it. while on earth. And I much And with ascension bright captivity grieve, that instead of he led captive, led captive those who hould choose for the argument of had led us captive. Psal. LXVIII. his Paradise Regain'd the fourth 18. Thou hast ascended on high, thou chapter of Luke, t'he temptation in baft led captivity captive, applied to the wilderness; a dry, barren, and our Saviour by St. Paul, Eph. IV.8. Darow ground, to build an epic The air the realm of Satan, who is poem on. In that work he has therefore callid the prince of the amplified his scanty materials to a power of the air, as we quoted befurprising dignity; but yet, being forę. Whom he shall triad at loft

Prince of the air ; then rising from his grave 185
Spoild Principalities and Pow'rs, triumph'd
In open show, and with ascension bright
Captivity led captive through the air,
The realm itself of Satan long usurp'd,
Whom he shall tread at last under our feet; 190
Ev'n he who now foretold his fatal bruise,
And to the Woman thus his sentence turn'd.
Thy sorrow I will greatly multiply
By thy conception; children thou shalt bring
In sorrow forth; and to thy husband's will 195
Thine shall submit; he over thee shall rule.

On Adam last thus judgment he pronounc'd. Because thou’haft hearken’d to the' voice of thy wife, And eaten of the tree, concerning which 199 I charg'd thee, say'ing, Thou shalt not eat thereof:

Cursd

under our feet: Rom. XVI. 20. And 197. On Adam last thus judgment the God of peace shall bruise Satan be pronounc'd. &c. He is under your feet. We see by these equally exa& in reporting the feninstances what use our author had tence pronounc'd upon Adam, Gen. made of reading the Scriptures. III. 17, 18, 19, And unto Adam be 192. And to the Woman thus his said, Because thou haft bearker'd ar.

sentence turn'd. &c. ] Gen. to the voice of thy wife, and ball III. 16. Unto the Woman be said, I eaten of the tree of which I comwill greatly multiply thy forrow and manded thee saying, Thou falt not cat thy conception; in forrow thou shalt of it: cursed is the ground for the bring forth children; and thy defire fake; in sorrow falt thou eat of it fhall be to thy husband; and he hall all the days of thy life: Thorns alle rule over thee.

and thiftles Mall it bring forth to