Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit, That with exhilarating vapour bland About their spirits had play'd, and inmost pow'rs was now exhaled, and grosser sleep Made err, Bred of unkindly fumes, with conscious dreams 1050 Incumber'd, now had left them, up they rose Soon found their eyes how open'd, and their minds Had shadow'd them from knowing ill, was gone; 1055 Just confidence, and native righteousness, Shorn of his strength. They destitute and bare Of Philistéan Dalilah, and waked Of all their virtue: silent, and in face Confounded long they sat, as strucken mute, Till Adam, though not less than Eve abash'd, At length gave utt'rance to these words, constrain'd: 1060 1065 1070 1075 Our wonted ornaments now soil'd and stain'd, And in our faces evident the signs Of foul concupiscence; whence evil store; E'en shame, the last of evils: of the first And rapture so oft beheld? those heav'nly shapes 1080 Will dazzle now this earthly with their blaze, In solitude live savage, in some glade 1085 Obscured, where highest woods impenetrable To star or sun-light, spread their umbrage broad, And brown as ev'ning! Cover me, ye Pines; Ye Cedars, with innumerable boughs 1090 To shame obnoxious, and unseemliest seen; Some tree, whose broad smooth leaves together sew'd, 1095 And girded on our loins, may cover round Those middle parts, that this new comer, Shame, There sit not, and reproach us as unclean. So counsel'd he; and both together went 1100 1105 High over-arch'd, and echoing walks between: At loop-holes cut through thickest shade. Those leaves 1110 With feather'd cincture, naked else and wild Thus fenced, and as they thought, their shame in part 1115 D Cor Cover'd, but not at rest or ease of mind, 1120 1125 1130 Superior sway. From thus distemper'd breast, Adam, estranged in look and alter'd style, Speech intermitted thus to Eve renew'd: Would thou hadst hearken'd to my words, and stay'd With me, as I besought thee, when that strange 1135 I know not whence, possess'd thee; we had then Let none henceforth seek needless cause to approve 1140 The faith they owe: when earnestly they seek Such proof, conclude, they then begin to fail. To whom, soon moved with touch of blame, thus Eve: What words have pass'd thy lips, Adam, severe ! Imput'st thou that to my default, or will 1145 Of wand'ring, as thou call'st it, which who knows Or here th' attempt, thou couldst not have discern'd 1150 1155 Going into such danger as thou saidst? To whom then, first incensed, Adam reply'd Who might have lived and joy'd immortal bliss, 1160 1165 It seems, in thy restraint. What could I more? 1170 I warn'd thee, I admonish'd thee, foretold That lay in wait. Beyond this had been force; 1175 Matter of glorious trial; and perhaps I also err'd in overmuch admiring What seem'd in thee so perfect, that I thought 1180 That error now, which is become my crime, And thou th' accuser. Thus it shall befall Him who, to worth in women overtrusting, Lets her will rule. Restraint she will not brook; 1185 She first his weak indulgence will accuse. The fruitless hours, but neither self-condemning: 1189 BOOK X. THE ARGUMENT. Man's transgression known, the guardian Angels forsake Paradise, and return up to Heaven to approve their vigilance, and are approved, God declaring that the entrance of Satan could not be by them prevented. He sends his Son to judge the transgressors, who descends and gives sentence accordingly; then in pity clothes them both, and re-ascends. Sin and Death, sitting till then at the gates of Hell, by wondrous sympathy feeling the success of Satan in this new world, and the sin by Man there committed, resolve to sit no longer confined in Hell, but to follow Satan their sire up to the place of Man. To make the way easier from Hell to this world to and fro, they pave a broad highway or bridge over Chaos, according to the track that Satan first made; then, preparing for Earth, they meet him, proud of his success, returning to Hell; their mutual gratulation. Satan arrives at Pandemonium, in full assembly relates with boasting his success against Man: instead of applause, is entertained with a general hiss by all his audience, transformed with himself also suddenly into serpents, according to his doom given in Paradise; then deluded with a show of the forbidden tree springing up before them, they greedily reaching to take of the fruit, chew dust and bitter ashes. The proceedings of Sin and Death: God foretells the final victory of his Son over them, and the renewing of all things; but for the present commands his Angels to make several alterations in the Heavens and elements. Adam, more and more perceiving his fallen condition, heavily bewails, rejects the condolement of Eve; she persists, and at length appeases him: then, to evade the curse likely to fall on their offspring, proposes to Adam violent ways, which he approves not; but, conceiving better hope, puts her in mind of the late promise made them, that her Seed should be revenged on the Serpent; and exhorts her with him to seek peace of the offended Deity, by repentance and supplication. MEANWHILE the hainous and despiteful act Of Satan done in Paradise, and how He in the serpent had perverted Eve, Was known in Heav'n: for what can 'scape the eye 5 |