Opprefs'd them, wearied with thir amorous play.
Soon as the force of that fallacious Fruit,
That with exhilerating vapour bland
About thir spirits had plaid, and inmost powers
Made erre, was now exhal'd, and groffer fleep
Bred of unkindly fumes, with confcious dreams
Encumberd, now had left them, up they rose
As from unrest, and each the other viewing,
Soon found thir Eyes how op'nd, and thir minds
How dark'nd; innocence, that as a veile
Had fhadow'd them from knowing ill, was gon,
Just confidence, and native righteousness,
And honour from about them, naked left
To guiltie shame; hee cover'd, but his Robe
Uncover'd more. So rofe the Danite strong
Herculean Samfon from the Harlot-lap
Of Philiftean Dalilah, and wak'd
Shorn of his ftrength, They deftitute and bare
Of all thir vertue: filent, and in face
Confounded long they fate, as struck'n mute,
Till Adam, though not less then Eve abasht,
At length gave utterance to these words constraind.
O Eve, in evil hour thou didst give eare
To that falfe Worm, of whomsoever taught
To counterfet Mans voice, true in our Fall,
Falfe in our promis'd Rifing; fince our Eyes 1070
Op'nd we find indeed, and find we know
Both Good and Evil, Good loft, and Evil got,
Bad Fruit of Knowledge, if this be to know,
Which leaves us naked thus, of Honour void,
Of Innocence, of Faith, of Puritie,
Our wonted Ornaments now foild and ftaind,
And in our Faces evident the fignes
Of foul concupifcence; whence evil store;
Even shame, the laft of evils; of the first
Be sure then. How fhall I behold the face
Henceforth of God or Angel, earft with joy
And rapture so oft beheld? those heav'nly shapes
Will dazle now this earthly, with thir blaze
Infufferably bright. O might I here
In folitude live favage, in fome glade
Obfcur'd, where highest Woods impenetrable
To Starr or Sun-light, spread thir umbrage broad,
And brown as Evening: Cover me ye Pines,
Ye Cedars, with innumerable boughs
Hide me, where I may never see them more. 1090
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 unseemliest seen,
Some Tree whose broad smooth Leaves together
And girded on our loyns, may cover round [fowd,
Those middle parts, that this new commer, Shame,
There fit not, and reproach us as unclean.
So counsel'd hee, and both together went
Into the thickest Wood, there foon they chose 1100
The Figtree, not that kind for Fruit renown'd,
But fuch as at this day to Indians known
In Malabar or Decan spreds her Armes
Braunching fo broad and long, that in the ground
The bended Twigs take root, and Daughters grow
About the Mother Tree, a Pillard shade
High overarch't, and echoing Walks between;
There oft the Indian Herdsman fhunning heate
Shelters in coole, and tends his pasturing Herds
At Loopholes cut through thickest shade: Those
They gatherd, broad as Amazonian Targe, [Leaves
And with what skill they had, together fowd,
To gird thir waste, vain Covering if to hide
Thir guilt and dreaded shame; O how unlike
To that first naked Glorie. Such of late
Columbus found th' American fo girt
With featherd Cincture, naked elfe and wilde
Among the Trees on Iles and woodie Shores.
Thus fenc't, and as they thought, thir shame in part
Coverd, but not at rest or ease of Mind,
They fate them down to weep, nor onely Teares
Raind at thir Eyes, but high Winds worse within
Began to rife, high Paffions, Anger, Hate,
Miftruft, Sufpicion, Difcord, and shook fore
Thir inward State of Mind, calme Region once
And full of Peace, now toft and turbulent:
For Understanding rul'd not, and the Will
Heard not her lore, both in fubjection now
To fenfual Appetite, who from beneathe
Ufurping over fovran Reafon claimd
Superior fway: From thus diftemperd brest,
Adam, eftrang'd in look and alterd stile,
Speech intermitted thus to Eve renewd.
Would thou hadst heark'nd to my words, & ftai'd With me, as I besought thee, when that strange Defire of wandring this unhappie Morn,
I know not whence poffeffd thee; we had then
Remaind still happie, not as now, defpoild
Of all our good, fham'd, naked, miserable.
Let none henceforth seek needless cause to approve
The Faith they owe; when earnestly they seek Such proof, conclude, they then begin to faile.
To whom foon mov'd with touch of blame thus What words have past thy Lips, Adam severe, [Eve. Imput'st thou that to my default, or will
Of wandering, as thou call'ft it, which who knows
But might as ill have happ'nd thou being by,
Or to thy felf perhaps : hadst thou bin there,
Or here th' attempt, thou couldst not have discernd
Fraud in the Serpent, fpeaking as he fpake; 1150
No ground of enmitie between us known,
Why hee should mean me ill, or feek to harme.
Was I to have never parted from thy fide?
As good have grown there ftill a liveless Rib.
Being as I am, why didft not thou the Head
Command me abfolutely not to go,
Going into fuch danger as thou faidft?
Too facil then thou didst not much gainsay,
Nay, didst permit, approve, and fair dismiss.
Hadft thou bin firm and fixt in thy diffent,
Neither had I tranfgrefs'd, nor thou with mee.
To whom then first incenft Adam repli'd.
Is this the Love, is this the recompence
Of mine to thee, ingrateful Eve, expreft
Immutable when thou wert loft, not I,
Who might have liv'd and joyd immortal bliss,
Yet willingly chofe rather Death with thee:
And am I now upbraided, as the cause
Of thy tranfgreffing? not enough fevere,
It seems, in thy restraint: what could I more?
I warn'd thee, I admonish'd thee, foretold
The danger, and the lurking Enemie
That lay in wait; beyond this had bin force,
And force upon free Will hath here no place.
But confidence then bore thee on, fecure
Either to meet no danger, or to finde
Matter of glorious trial; and perhaps
I alfo err'd in overmuch admiring
What seemd in thee fo perfet, that I thought
No evil durft attempt thee, but I rue
That errour now, which is become my crime,
And thou th' accufer. Thus it fhall befall
Him who to worth in Women overtrusting
Lets her Will rule; reftraint fhe will not brook,
And left to her felf, if evil thence enfue,
Shee first his weak indulgence will accufe.
Thus they in mutual accufation spent
The fruitless hours, but neither felf-condemning,
And of thir vain conteft appeer'd no end.
The End of the Ninth Book.
|