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.
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