Certain to undergo like doom; if death
Confort with thee, death is to me as life;
So forcible within my heart I feel
The bond of nature draw me to my own,
My own in thee, for what thou art is mine;
Our state cannot be fever'd, we are one,
One flesh; to lose thee were to lose myself.
So Adam, and thus Eve to him reply'd. Ó glorious trial of exceeding love, Illuftrious evidence, example high! Engaging me to emulate, but short
Of thy perfection, how fhall I attain,
Adam? from whofe dear fide I boaft me fprung, 965 And gladly of our union hear thee speak,
One heart, one foul in both; whereof good proof
This day affords, declaring thee refolv'd,
Rather than death or ought than death more dread
Shall feparate us, link'd in love fo dear,
To undergo with me one guilt, one crime,
If any be, of tafting this fair fruit,
Whofe virtue (for of good still good proceeds,
Direct, or by occafion) hath prefented
This happy trial of thy love, which else
So eminently never had been known.
Were it I thought death menac'd would enfue
This my attempt, I would fuftain alone
The worst, and not perfuade thee, rather die
Deferted, than oblige thee with a fact
Pernicious to thy peace, chiefly affur'd
Remarkably fo late of thy fo true,
So faithful love unequal'd; but I feel
Far otherwise th' event, not death, but life
Augmented, open'd eyes, new hopes, new joys, 985
Tafte fo divine, that what of sweet before
Hath touch'd my fenfe, flat seems to this, and harsh.
On my experience, Adam, freely taste,
And fear of death deliver to the winds.
So faying, the embrac'd him, and for joy
Tenderly wept, much won that he his love
Had fo ennobled, as of choice to' incur
Divine difpleasure for her fake, or death.
In recompenfe (for such compliance bad
Such recompenfe beft merits) from the bough
She gave him of that fair enticing fruit
With liberal hand: he fcrupled not to eat
Against his better knowledge, not deceiv'd,
But fondly overcome with female charm.
Earth trembled from her entrails, as again
In pangs, and Nature gave a fecond groan,
Sky lour'd, and muttering thunder, some sad drops
Wept at completing of the mortal fin
They fwim in mirth, and fancy that they feel
Divinity within them breeding wings,
Wherewith to scorn the earth: but that falfe fruit
Far other operation first display'd,
Carnal defire inflaming; he on Eve
Began to caft lafcivious eyes, fhe him
As wantonly repaid; in lust they burn :
Till Adam thus 'gan Eve to dalliance move.
Eve, now I fee thou art exact of taste,
And elegant, of fapience no fmall part,
Since to each meaning favor we apply,
And palate call judicious; I the praise
Yield thee, fo well this day thou haft purvey'd.
Much pleasure we have loft, while we abstain'd
From this delightful fruit, nor known till now
True relish, tafting; if fuch pleasure be
In things to us forbidd'n, it might be wish'd,
For this one tree had been forbidden ten.
But come, fo well refresh'd, now let us play,
As meet is, after fuch delicious fare;
For never did thy beauty fince the day
I faw thee first and wedded thee, adorn'd
With all perfections, fo inflame my sense
With ardor to enjoy thee, fairer now
Than ever, bounty of this virtuous tree.
So faid he, and forbore not glance or toy
Of amorous intent, well understood
Of Eve, whose eye darted contagious fire.
Her hand he feiz'd, and to a fhady bank,
Thick overhead with verdant roof imbowr'd,
He led her nothing loath; flow'rs were the couch,
Panfies and violets, and afphodel,
And hyacinth, earth's freshest softest lap.
There they their fill of love and love's disport
Took largely, of their mutual guilt the feal,
The folace of their fin, till dewy fleep
Opprefs'd them, wearied with their amorous play. 1045
Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit,
That with exhilarating vapor bland
About their spirits had play'd, and inmost powers
Made err, was now exhal'd; and groffer fleep
Bred of unkindly fumes, with confcious dreams 1050
Incumber'd, now had left them; up they rose
As from unreft, and each the other viewing,
Soon found their eyes how open'd, and their minds
How darken'd; innocence, that as a veil
Had fhadow'd them from knowing ill, was gone, 1055
Juft confidence, and native righteousness,
And honor from about them, naked left
To guilty fhame; he cover'd, but his robe
Uncover'd more. So rofe the Danite strong
Herculean Samfon from the harlot-lap
Of Philiftéan Dalilah, and wak'd
Shorn of his ftrength. They deftitute and bare
Of all their virtue: filent, and in face
Confounded long they fat, as strucken mute,
Till Adam, though not less than Eve abash'd,
At length gave utterance to these words constrain'd.
O Eve, in evil hour thou didst give ear
To that falfe worm, of whomfoever taught
To counterfeit Man's voice, true in our fall,
Falfe in our promis'd rifing; fince our eyes
Open'd we find indeed, and find we know
Both good and ev'il, good loft, and evil got,
Bad fruit of knowledge, if this be to know,
Which leaves us naked thus, of honor void,
Of innocence, of faith, of purity,
Our wonted ornaments now foil'd and ftain'd,
And in our faces evident the figns
Of foul concupifcence; whence evil store;
Ev'n fhame, the laft of evils; of the firft
Be fure then. How fhall I behold the face
Henceforth of God or Angel, erft with joy
And rapture fo' oft beheld? those heav'nly fhapes
Will dazzle now this earthly with their blaze
Infufferably bright. O might I here
In folitude live favage, in fome glade
Obfcur'd, where higheft woods impenetrable
To ftar or fun-light, spread their umbrage broad
And brown as evening: Cover me, ye Pines,
Ye Cedars, with innumerable boughs
Hide me, where I may never fee them more.
But let us now, as in bad plight, devise
What best may for the present serve to hide
The parts of each from other, that seem most
To shame obnoxious, and unfeemlieft feen;
Some tree, whose broad smooth leaves together fow'd,
And girded on our loins, may cover round
Thofe middle parts, that this new comer, fhame,
There fit not, and reproach us as unclean.
So counsel'd he, and both together went
Into the thickest wood; there foon they chose
The fig-tree, not that kind for fruit renown'd,
But fuch as at this day to Indians known
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