Unpraised for nothing lovelier can be found In woman, than to study household good, And good works in her husband to promote. Yet not so strictly hath our Lord imposed Labour, as to debar us when we need Refreshment, whether food, or talk between, (Food of the mind) or this sweet intercourse Of looks and smiles (for smiles from reason flow) To brute deny'd, and are of love the food; Love not the lowest end of human life.
For not to irksome toil, but to delight
He made us, and delight to reason join'd.
These paths and bow'rs doubt not but our joint hands Will keep from wilderness with ease, as wide As we need walk, till younger hands ere long Assist us: but if much converse perhaps Thee satiate, to short absence I could yield;
For solitude sometimes is best society, And short retirement urges sweet return. But other doubt possesses me, lest harm Befall thee, severed from me; for thou know'st What hath been warn'd us; what malicious foe, Envying our happiness, and of his own Despairing, seeks to work us woe and shame By sly assault; and somewhere nigh at hand Watches, no doubt, with greedy hope to find His wish and best advantage, us asunder, Hopeless to circumvent us join'd, where each To other speedy aid might lend at need. Whether his first design be to withdraw Our fealty from God, or to disturb Conjugal love, than which perhaps no bliss Enjoy'd by us excites his envy more;
Or this, or worse, leave not the faithful side
That gave thee being, still shades thee, and protects.
The wife, where danger or dishonour larks,
Safest and seemliest by her husband stays; Who guards her, or with her the worst endures. To whom the virgin majesty of Eve,
As one who loves, and some unkindness meets, With sweet austere composure thus reply'd:
Offspring of Heav'n and Earth, and all Earth's That such an enemy we have, who seeks
Our ruin, both by thee inform'd I learn, And from the parting Angel overheard, As in a shady nook I stood behind,
Just then return'd at shut of ev'ning flow'rs.
But that thou should'st my firmness therefore doubt
To God or thee, because we have a foe
May tempt it, I expected not to hear. His violence thou fear'st not, being such As we, not capable of death or pain, Can either not receive, or can repel.
His fraud is then thy fear; which plain infers 285 Thy equal fear that my firm faith and love Can by his fraud be shaken or seduced? [breast, Thoughts which how found they harbour in thy Adam, mis-thought of her to thee so dear?
To whom with healing words Adam reply'd: 290 Daughter of God and Man, immortal Eve,
For such thou art, from sin and blame entire:
Not diffident of thee do I dissuade
Thy absence from my sight, but to avoid
Th attempt itself, intended by our toe.
For he who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses The tempted with dishonour foul, supposed Not incorruptible of faith, not proof
Against temptation. Thou thyself with scorn And anger would'st resent the offer'd wrong, Though ineffectual found: misdeem not then, If such affront I labour to avert
From thee alone, which on us both at once The enemy, though bold, will hardly dare, Or daring, first on me th' assault shall light. Nor thou his malice and false guile contemn; Subtle he needs must be who could seduce Angels; nor think superfluous other's aid. I from the influence of thy looks receive
Access in ev'ry virtue; in thy sight
More wise, more watchful, stronger, if need were
Of outward strength; while shame, thou looking on, Shame to be overcome or over-reach'd
Would utmost vigour raise, and raised unite.
Why should'st not thou like sense within thee feel
278. Nothing can be more beautifully natural than the hour of return being fixed by the closing of the flowers.
When I am present, and thy trial choose With me, best witness of thy virtue try'd? So spake domestic Adam, in his care And matrimonial love: but Eve, who thought Less attributed to her faith sincere, Thus her reply with accent sweet renew'd:
If this be our condition, thus to dwell In narrow circuit straighten'd by a foe, Subtle or violent, we not endued Single with like defence, wherever met, How are we happy, still in fear of harm? But harm precedes not sin: only our foe Tempting, affronts us with his foul esteem Of our integrity: his foul esteem Sticks no dishonour on our front, but turns
Foul on himself: then wherefore shunn'd or fear'd By us? who rather double honour gain
From his surmise proved false, find peace within,
Favour from Heav'n, our witness from th' event.
And what is faith, love, virtue unassay'd Alone, without exterior help sustain'd? Let us not then suspect our happy state Left so imperfect by the Maker wise, As not secure to single or combined. Frail is our happiness, if this be so, And Eden were no Eden thus exposed. To whom thus Adam fervently reply'd: O Woman, best are all things as the will Of God ordain'd them; his creating hand Nothing imperfect or deficient left Of all that he created, much less Man, Or aught that might his happy state secure, Secure from outward force. Within himself The danger lies, yet lies within his pow'r: Against his will he can receive no harm. But God left free the will; for what obeys Reason is free, and reason he made right; But bid her well be ware, and still erect, Lest by some fair appearing good surprised, She dictate false, and misinform the will To do what God expressly hath forbid.
353. Be ware, two words ware being an adjective as well as rect.
Not then mistrust but tender love enjoins, That I should mind thee oft; and mind thou me. Firm we subsist, yet possible to swerve,
Since reason not impossibly may meet
Some specious object by the foe suborn'd,
And fall into deception unaware,
Not keeping strictest watch, as she was warn'd. Seek not temptation then; which to avoid Were better, and most likely if from me Thou sever not: trial will come unsought. Would'st thou approve thy constancy, approve First thy obedience; th' other who can know, Not seeing thee attempted, who attest? But if thou think, trial unsought may find
Us both securer than thus warn'd thou seem'st, Go for thy stay, not free, absents thee more. Go, in thy native innocence, rely
On what thou hast of virtue, summon all, For God tow'rds thee hath done his part; do thine. So spake the patriarch of mankind: but Eve Persisted, yet submiss, though last, reply'd:
With thy permission then, and thus forewarn'd Chiefly by what thy own last reas'ning words
Touch'd only, that our trial, when least sought, 380 May find us both perhaps far less prepared,
The willinger I go; nor much expect
A foe so proud will first the weaker seek:
So bent, the more shall shame him his repulse. 384 Thus saying, from her husband's hand her hand Soft she withdrew, and, like a Wood-Nymph light, Oread, or Dryad, or of Delia's train,
Betook her to the groves; but Delia's self In gait surpass'd, and Goddess-like deport,
Though not as she with bow and quiver arm'd, 390 But with such gard'ning tools as art yet rude, Guiltless of fire, had form'd, or Angels brought. To Pales, or Pomona, thus adorn'd,
Likest she seem'd; Pomona when she fled Vertumnus, or to Ceres in her prime, Yet virgin of Proserpina from Jove.
Her long with ardent look his eye pursued, Delighted; but desiring more her stay.
396. Virgin of Proserpina, a Grecism.-Theocritus, Idyl ii. 136
Oft he to her his charge of quick return Repeated; she to him as oft engaged To be return'd by noon amid the bow'r, And all things in best order to invite Noontide repast, or afternoon's repose.
O much deceived, much failing, hapless Eve, Of thy presumed return! event perverse! Thou never from that hour in Paradise Found'st either sweet repast or sound repose! Such ambush hid among sweet flow'rs and shades Waited with hellish rancour imminent To intercept thy way, or send thee back Despoil'd of innocence, of faith, of bliss.
For now, and since first break of dawn, the Fiend, Mere serpent in appearance, forth was come, And on his quest, where likeliest he might find The only two of mankind, but in them The whole included race; his purposed prey.
In bow'r and field he sought, where any tuft Of grove or garden-plot more pleasant lay, Their tendence or plantation for delight:
Of what so seldom chanced, when to his wish,
By fountain, or by shady rivulet
He sought them both; but wish'd his hap might find Eve separate; he wish'd, but not with hope
Beyond his hope, Eve separate he spies,
Veil'd in a cloud of fragrance, where she stood, 425 Half spy'd, so thick the roses blushing round About her glow'd, oft stooping to support
Each flow'r of slender stalk, whose head, though gay Carnation, purple', azure, or speck'd with gold, Hung drooping unsustain'd: them she upstays Gently with myrtle band, mindless the while Herself, though fairest unsupported flow'r, From her best prop so far, and storm so nigh. Nearer he drew; and many a walk traversed Of stateliest covert, cedar, pine, or palm, Then voluble and bold, now hid, now seen Among thick-woven arborets and flow'rs Imborder'd on each bank, the hand of Eve: Spot more delicious than those gardens feign'd
438. Imborder'd, from the old word to imborder, since made imbroider.
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