The trodden herb, of abject thoughts and low,
As was my food; nor aught but food discern'd
Or sex, and apprehended nothing high:
Till on a day roving the fieid, I chanced
A goodly tree far distant to behold

Loaden with fruit of fairest colours mix'd,
Ruddy and gold; I nearer drew to gaze;
When from the boughs a savory odour blown,
Grateful to appetite, more pleased my sense
Than smell of sweetest fennel, or the teats
Of ewe or goat dropping with milk at even,
Unsuck'd of lamb or kid, that tend their play.
To satisfy the sharp desire I had

Of tasting those fair apples,.I resolved
Not to defer; hunger and thirst at once,
Powerful persuaders, quicken'd at the scent
Of that alluring fruit, urged me so keen,
About the mossy trunk I woun me soon;
For, high from ground the branches would require
Thy utmost reach or Adam's: round the tree
All other beasts that saw, with like desire
Longing and envying stood, but could not reach.
Amid the tree now got, where plenty hung
Tempting so nigh, to pluck and eat my fill
I spared not; for, such pleasure till that hour,
At feed or fountain, never had I found.
Sated at length, ere long I might perceive
Strange alteration in me, to degree

Of reason in my inward powers; and speech
Wanted not long; though to this shape retain'.
Thenceforth to speculations high or deep
turn'd my thoughts, and with capacious mind

Consider'd all things visible in heaven,

Or earth, or middle; all things fair and good :
But all that fair and good in thy divine
Semblance, and in thy beauty's heavenly ray,
United I beheld; no fair to thine

Equivalent or second! which compell'd

Me thus, though importune perhaps, to come
And gaze, and worship thee of right declared
Sov'reign of creatures, universal dame.

So talk'd the spirited sly snake; and Eve,
Yet more amazed, unwary thus replied:
Serpent, thy overpraising leaves in doubt
The virtue of that fruit, in thee first proved:
But say, where grows the tree? from hence how
far?

For many are the trees of God that grow
In Paradise, and various, yet unknown

To us; in such abundance lies our choice,
As leaves a greater store of fruit untouch'd,
Still hanging incorruptible, till men
Grow up to their provision, and more hands
Help to disburden Nature of her birth.

To whom the wily adder, blithe and glad:
Empress the way is ready, and not long;
Beyond a row of myrtles on a flat,
Fast by a fountain, one small thicket pass'd
Of blowing myrrh and balm : if thou accept
My conduct, I can bring thee thither soon.
Lead then, said Eve. He, leading swiftly roll'a
In tangles, and made intricate seem straight,
To mischief swift. Hope elevates, and joy
Brightens his crest; as when a wandering fire,

Compact of unctuous vapour, which the night
Condenses, and the cold environs round,
Kindled through agitation to a flame,

Which oft, they say, some evil Spirit attends,
Hovering and blazing with delusive light,
Misleads the amazed night-wanderer from his way
To bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool;
There swallow'd up and lost, from succour far.
So glister'd the dire snake, and into fraud
Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the tree
Of prohibition, root of all our wo;

Which when she saw thus to her guide she spake:
Serpent, we might have spared our coming hi

ther,

Fruitless to me, though fruit be here to excess,
The credit of whose virtue rest with thee;
Wondrous indeed, if cause of such effects.
But of this tree we may not taste nor touch;
God so commanded, and left that command
Sole daughter of his voice; the rest, we live
Law to ourselves; our reason is our law.

To whom the tempter guilefully replied:
Ineed! hath God then said that of the fruit
Of all these garden-trees ye shall not eat,
Yet Lords declared of all in earth or air?
To whom thus Eve, yet sinless: Of the fruit
Of each tree in the garden we may eat;
But of the fruit of this fair tree amidst

The garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat
Thereof, nor shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

She scarce had said, though brief, when now more bold

The tempter, but with show of zeal and love
To man, and indignation at his wrong,
New part puts on; and, as to passion moved,
Fluctuates disturb'd, yet comely and in act
Raised, as of some great matter to begin.
As when of old some orator renown'd,
In Athens or free Rome, where eloquence
Flourish'd, since mute! to some great cause ad-
dress'd,

Stood in himself collected; while each part
Motion, each act won audience ere the tongue;
Sometimes in height began, as no delay

Of preface brooking, through his zeal of right:
So standing, moving, or to height up grown,
The tempter, all impassion'd, thus began:
O sacred, wise, and wisdom-giving plant,
Mother of science! now I feel thy power
Within me clear; not only to discern
Things in their causes, but to trace the ways
Of highest agents deem'd however wise.
Queen of this universe! do not believe

Those rigid threats of death: ye shall not die :
How should you? by the fruit? it gives you life
To knowledge; by the threatner? look on me,
Me, who have touch'd and tasted; yet both live,
And life more perfect have attained than fate
Meant me, by venturing higher than my lot.
Shall that be shut to man, which to the beast

Is

open! or will God incense his ire

For such a petty trespass and not praise
Rather your dauntless virtue, whom the pain
Of death denounced, whatever thing death be,

Deterr'd not from achieving what might lead
To happier life, knowledge of good and evil.
Of good how just? of evil, if what is evil
Be real, why not known, since easier shunn'd
God therefore cannot hurt ye, and be just;
Not just; not God; not fear'd then, nor obeyed:
Your fear itself of death removes the fear.
Why then was this forbid? Why, but to awe?
Why, but to keep ye low and ignorant
His worshippers? He knows that in the day
Ye eat thereof, your eyes that seem so clear,
Yet are but dim, shall perfectly be then
Open'd and clear'd, and ye shall be as gods,
Knowing both good and evil, as they know.
That ye shall be as gods, since I as man,
Internal man, is but proportion meet;
I, of brute, human; ye, of human, gods.
So ye shall die perhaps, by putting off
Human, to put on gods; death to be wish'd,
Though threaten'd, which no worse than this can
bring.

And what are gods, that man may not become
As they participating god-like food?

The gods are first, and that advantage use
On our belief, that all from them proceeds:
I question it; for this fair earth I see,
Warm'd by the sun, producing every kind;
Them nothing if they all things, who enclosed
Knowledge of good and evil in this tree,
That whoso eats thereof forthwith attains

Wisdom without their leave? and wherein lies
The offence, that man should thus attain to know?