THE ARGUMENT. 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 effects thereof in them both; they seek to cover their nakedness; then fall to variance and accusation of one another. PARADISE LOST. BOOK IX. No more of talk where God or Angel guest Venial discourse unblamed. I now must change And disobedience: on the part of Heaven Anger and just rebuke, and judgement given, 8 16 Of Turnus for Lavinia disespoused; Or Neptune's ire, or Juno's, that so long Of my celestial patroness, who deigns Easy my unpremeditated verse: 17 Since first this subject for heroick song 25 Pleased me long choosing, and beginning late; Not sedulous by nature to indite Wars, hitherto the only argument Heroick deemed; chief mastery to dissect With long and tedious havock fabled knights Not that which justly gives heroick name 34 42 Remains; sufficient of itself to raise The sun was sunk, and after him the star the earth, short arbiter Twilight upon In meditated fraud and malice, bent On Man's destruction, maugre what might hap His entrance, and forewarned the Cherubim VOL. II. 43 51 60 68 Found unsuspected way. There was a place, 69 Now not, though sin, not time, first wrought the change, Where Tigris, at the foot of Paradise, Into a gulf shot under ground, till part Rose up a fountain by the tree of life : In with the river sunk, and with it rose Satan, involved in rising mist; then sought 77 Where to lie hid; sea he had searched, and land, From Eden over Pontus and the pool Downward as far antarctick; and in length, At Darien; thence to the land where flows Most opportune might serve his wiles; and found Of thoughts revolved, his final sentence chose Fit vessel, fittest imp of fraud, in whom To enter, and his dark suggestions hide Proceeding; which, in other beasts observed, |