Degraded; Wisdom in discourse with her Let Loses, discountenanced, and like Folly shows; Wisdom Authority and Reason on her wait, As one intended first, not after made Occasionally; and, to consummate all, Greatness of mind and nobleness their seat Build in her loveliest, and create an awe About her, as a guard angelic placed.'
To whom the Angel, with contracted brow:- • Accuse not Nature! she hath done her part; Do thou but thine! and be not diffident Of Wisdom; she deserts thee not, if thou Dismiss not her, when most thou need'st her nigh, By attributing overmuch to things
Less excellent, as thou thyself perceiv'st. For, what admir❜st thou, what transports thee so? An outside-fair, no doubt, and worthy well Thy cherishing, thy honouring, and thy love; Not thy subjection. Weigh with her thyself; 570 Then value. Oft-times nothing profits more Than self-esteem, grounded on just and right Well managed. Of that skill the more thou know'st,
The more she will acknowledge thee her head, And to realities yield all her shows- Made so adorn for thy delight the more, So awful, that with honour thou may'st love Thy mate, who sees when thou art seen least
But, if the sense of touch, whereby mankind Is propagated, seem such dear delight Beyond all other, think the same voutsafed To cattle and each beast; which would not be To them made common and divulged, if aught
Love Therein enjoyed were worthy to subdue leads The soul of Man, or passion in him move. up to What higher in her society thou find'st Attractive, human, rational, love still: In loving thou dost well; in passion not, Wherein true Love consists not. The thoughts, and heart enlarges hath his seas In Reason, and is judicious, is the scale By which to Heavenly Love thou may'st ascend, Not sunk in carnal pleasure; for which cause Among the beasts no mate for thee was found.'
To whom thus, half abashed, Adam replied:- · Neither her outside formed so fair, nor aught In procreation, common to all kinds (Though higher of the genial bed by far, And with mysterious reverence, I deem), So much delights me as those graceful acts, 600 Those thousand decencies, that daily flow From all her words and actions, mixed with love And sweet compliance, which declare unfeigned Union of mind, or in us both one soul— Harmony to behold in wedded pair
More grateful than harmonious sound to the ear. Yet these subject not; I to thee disclose What inward thence I feel, not therefore foiled, Who meet with various subjects, from the sense Variously representing, yet, still free, Approve the best, and follow what I approve. To love thou blam'st me not-for Love, thou
say'st, Leads up to Heaven, is both the way and guide; Bear with me, then, if lawful what I ask.
Love not the Heavenly Spirits, and how their
Express they-by looks only, or do they mix Love in Irradiance, virtual or immediate touch?
To whom the Angel, with a smile that glowed Celestial rosy-red, Love's proper hue, Answered :-" Let it suffice thee that thou 620
Us happy, and without Love no happiness. Whatever pure thou in the body enjoy'st (And pure thou wert created) we enjoy In eminence, and obstacle find none Of membrane, joint, or limb, exclusive bars. Easier than air with air, if Spirits embrace, Total they mix, union of pure with pure Desiring, nor restrained conveyance need As flesh to mix with flesh, or soul with soul. But I can now no more: the parting Sun 630 Beyond the Earth's green Cape and verdant
Hesperean sets, my signal to depart.
Be strong, live happy, and love! but first of all
Him whom to love is to obey, and keep
His great command; take heed lest passion sway
Thy judgment to do aught which else free-will Would not admit; thine and of all thy sons The weal or woe in thee is placed; beware! I in thy persevering shall rejoice,
And all the Blest. Stand fast; to stand or fall
Free in thine own arbitrement it lies. Perfect within, no outward aid require ; And all temptation to transgress repel.' So saying, he arose, whom Adam thus
So parted Followed with benediction :- Since to part, they Go, Heavenly Guest, Ethereal Messenger, Sent from whose sovran goodness I adore! Gentle to me and affable hath been
Thy condescension, and shall be honoured ever With graceful memory. Thou to Mankind 650 Be good and friendly still, and oft return!'
So parted they, the Angel up to Heaven From the thick shade, and Adam to his bower.
THE END OF THE EIGHTH BOOK
SATAN, having compassed the Earth, with meditated guile returns as a mist by night into Paradise; enters into the Serpent sleeping. Adam and Eve in the morning go forth to their labours, which Eve proposes to divide in several places, each labouring apart : Adam consents not, alleging the danger lest that enemy of whom they were forewarned should attempt her found alone. Eve, loth to be thought not circumspect or firm enough, urges her going apart, the rather desirous to make trial of her strength; Adam at last yields. The Serpent finds her alone: his subtle approach, first gazing, then speaking, with much flattery extolling Eve above all other creatures. Eve, wondering to hear the Serpent speak, asks how he attained to human speech and such understanding not till now; the Serpent answers that by tasting of a certain tree in the Garden he attained both to speech 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. She, pleased with the taste, deliberates a while whether to impart thereof to Adam or not; at last brings him of the fruit relates what persuaded her to eat thereof. Adam, at first amazed, but perceiving her lost, resolves, through vehemence of love, to perish with her, and, extenuating the trespass, eats also of the fruit. The effect thereof in them both they seek to cover their nakedness; then fall to variance and accusation of one another.
No more of talk where God or Angel Guest With Man, as with his friend, familiar used
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