THE ARGUMENT.

Satan having compafs'd the Earth, with meditated guile returns as a mift by night into Paradise, enters into the Serpent fleeping. Adam and Eve in the morning go forth to their labors, which Eve propofes to divide in feveral places, each laboring apart: Adam confents not, alledging the danger, lest that enemy, of whom they were forewarn'd, fhould attempt her found alone: Eve, loath to be thought not circumfpect or firm enough, urges her going apart, the rather defirous to make trial of her ftrength; Adam at last yields: The Serpent finds her alone; his fubtle approach, firft gazing, then speaking, with much flattery extolling Eve above all other creatures. Eve, wondering to hear the Serpent fpeak, afks how he attain'd to human fpeech and fuch understanding not till now; the Serpent anfwers, that by tafting of a certain tree in the garden he attain'd both to fpeech and reason, till then void of both: Eve requires him to bring her to that tree, and finds it to be the tree of knowledge forbidden: The Serpent now grown bolder, with many wiles and arguments induces her at length to eat; the pleas'd with the taste deliberates a while whether to impart thereof to Adam or not, at last brings him of the fruit, relates what perfuaded her to eat thereof: Adam at first amaz'd, but perceiving her loft, refolves through vehemence of love to perish with her; and extenuating the trefpafs eats alfo of the fruit: The effects thereof in them both; they seek to cover their nakednefs; then fall to variance and accufation of one another.

PARADISE LOST.

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IX.

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O more of talk where God or Angel guest
With Man, as with his friend, familiar us'd

To fit indulgent, and with him partake

Rural repast, permitting him the while

Venial difcourfe unblam'd: I now muft change
Those notes to tragic; foul distrust, and breach
Difloyal on the part of Man, revolt,
And difobedience: on the part of Heaven
Now alienated, distance and distaste,
Anger and just rebuke, and judgment given,
That brought into this world a world of woe,
Sin and her shadow Death, and Mifery
Death's harbinger: Sad task, yet argument
Not lefs but more heroic than the wrath
Of ftern Achilles on his foe purfu'd
Thrice fugitive about Troy wall; or rage
Of Turnus for Lavinia difefpous'd,
Or Neptune's ire or Juno's, that so long
Perplex'd the Greek and Cytherea's fon;
If answerable ftile I can obtain

Of my celestial patronefs, who deigns
Her nightly visitation unimplor'd

B 2

And

And dictates to me flumb'ring, or inspires

Easy my unpremeditated verse :

Since first this fubject for heroic fong

Pleas'd me long choofing, and beginning late;

Not fedulous by nature to indite

Wars, hitherto the only argument

Heroic deem'd, chief mast'ry to diffect

With long and tedious havoc fabled knights
In battels feign'd; the better fortitude
Of patience and heroic martyrdom
Unfung; or to defcribe races and games,
Or tilting furniture, imblazon'd shields,
Impreffes quaint, caparisons and steeds;
Bafes and tinfel trappings, gorgeous knights
At jouft and torneament; then marshal'd feast
Serv'd up in hall with fewers, and fenefhals;
The skill of artifice or office mean,
Not that which justly gives heroic name
To perfon or to poem. Me of these
Nor skill'd nor studious, higher argument
Remains, fufficient of itself to raise

That name, unless an age too late, or cold
Climate, or years damp my intended wing
Deprefs'd, and much they may, if all be mine,
Not hers who brings it nightly to my ear.

The fun was funk, and after him the ftar Of Hefperus, whofe office is to bring

Twilight upon the earth, short arbiter

'Twixt day and night, and now from end to end Night's hemifphere had veil'd th' horizon round:

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When