The good befall'n him, author unsuspect,
Friendly to man, far from deceit or guile.
What fear I then, rather what know to fear
Under this ignorance of good and evil,
Of God or death, of law or penaltie?
Here grows the cure of all, this fruit divine,
Fair to the eye, inviting to the taste,
Of vertue to make wise: what hinders then
To reach, and feed at once both bodie and mind?
So saying, her rash hands in evil hour
Forth reaching to the fruit, she pluck'd, she eat:
Earth felt the wound, and nature from her feat
Sighing through all her works gave signs of woe,
That all was loft. Back to the thicket slunk
The guiltie ferpent, and well might, for Eve
Intent now wholly on her taste, naught else
Regarded, such delight till then, as seem'd,
In fruit she never tasted, whether true
Or fanfied so, through expectation high
Of knowledge, nor was godhead from her thought.
Greedily she ingorg'd without restraint,
And knew not eating death: satiate at length,
And hight'n'd as with wine, jocond and boon,
Thus to herself the pleasingly began.

O sovran, vertuous, precious of all trees
In paradife, of operation blest
To sapience, hitherto obfcur'd, infam'd,
And thy fair fruit let hang, as to no end
Created; but henceforth my early care,
Not without fong, each morning, and due praife
Shall tend thee, and the fertil burden ease

f thy full branches offer'd free to all;
ill dieted by thee I grow mature

n knowledge, as the gods who all things know;
Though others envie what they cannot give ;
For had the gift been theirs, it had not here
Thus grown. Experience, next to thee I owe,
Best guide; not following thee, I had remain'd
In ignorance, thou op'n'st wisdom's way,
And giv't access, though secret she retire.
And I perhaps am secret; heav'n is high,
High and remote to fee from thence distinct
Each thing on earth; and other care perhaps;
May have diverted from continual watch
Our great forbidder, safe with all his spies
About him. But to Adam in what fort
Shall I appeer? shall I to him make known
As yet my change, and give him to partake
Full happiness with me, or rather not,
But keep the odds of knowledge in my power
Without copartner? so to add what wants
In femal fex, the more to draw his love,
And render me more equal, and perhaps,
A thing not undefirable, sometime:
Superior; for inferior who is free?

This may be well: but what if God have seen,
And death ensue? then I shall be no more,
And Adam wedded to another Eve,
Shall live with her enjoying, I extinct;
A death to think. Confirm'd then I refolve,
Adam shall share with me in blifs or woe :
So dear I love him, that with him all deaths

I could endure, without him live no life.

So saying, from the tree her steps she turn'd, But first low rev'rence done, as to the power That dwelt within, whose presence had infus'd Into the plant sciential sap, deriv'd

From nectar, drink of gods. Adam the while
Waiting defirous her return, had wove
Of choiceft flours a garland to adorn
Her tresses, and her rural labours crown
As reapers oft are wont their harvest queen.
Great joy he promis'd to his thoughts, and new
Solace in her return, so long delay'd;
Yet oft his heart, divine of something ill,
Misgave him; he the faultring measure felt;
And forth to meet her went, the way she took
That morn when first they parted; by the tree
Of knowledge he must pass, there he her met,
Scarce from the tree returning; in her hand
A bough of fairest fruit that downie smil'd,
New gather'd, and ambrofial smell diffus'd.
To him she hasted, in her face excuse
Came prologue, and apologie to prompt,
Which with bland words at will the thus addrest,
Hast thou not wonder'd, Adam, at my stay?
Thee I have misst, and thought it long, depriv'd
Thy prefence, agonie of love till now
Not felt, nor shall be twice, for never more
Mean I to trie, what rash untri'd I fought,
The pain of absence from thy fight. But strange
Hath been the cause, and wonderful to hear:
This tree is not as we are told, a tree

Of danger tafted, nor to evil unknown
Op'ning the way, but of divine effect
To open eyes, and make them gods who taste;
And hath been tasted such: the ferpent wife,
Or not restrain'd as we, or not obeying,
Hath eat'n of the fruit, and is become,
Not dead, as we are threatn'd, but thenceforth
Endu'd with human voice and human sense,
Reason to admiration, and with me
Perfuafively hath so prevail'd, that I
Have also tasted, and have alfo found
Th'effects to correspond, opner mine eyes,
Dimm erst, dilated spirits, ampler heart,
And growing up to godhead; which for thee
Chiefly I fought, without thee can despise:
For bliss, as thou hast part, to me is bliss,
Tedious, unshar'd with thee, and odious foon,
Thou therefore also taste, that equal lot
May join us, equal joy, as equal love;
Least thou not tasting, different degree
Disjoin us, and I then too late renounce
Deitie for thee, when fate will not permit.

Thus Eve with count'nance blithe her storie told;

But in her cheek diftemper flushing glow'd.
On th'other side, Adam, foon as he heard
The fatal trespass done by Eve, amaz'd,
Aftonied stood and blank, while horror chill
Ran through his veins, and all his joints relax'd;
From his slack hand the garland wreath for Eve
Down drop'd, and all the faded roses shed :
Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length

First to himself he inward filence broke.

O fairest of creation, last and beft

Of all God's works, creature in whom excell'd
Whatever can to fight or thought be form'd,
Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet!
How art thou lost, how on a fudden lost,
Defac't, defiour'd, and now to death devote?
Rather how hast thou yielded to transgress
The strict forbiddance, how to violate
The facred fruit forbidd'n! fome cursed fraud
Of enemie hath beguil'd thee, yet unknown,
And me with thee hath ruin'd, for with thee
Certain my refolution is to die;
How can I live without thee, how foregoe
Thy sweet converse and love so dearly join'd,
To live again in these wilde woods forlorn?
Should God create another Eve, and I
Another rib afford, yet lofs of thee
Would never from my heart; no no, I feel
The link of nature draw me: flesh of fiesh,
Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state
Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe.

So having faid, as one from sad dismay
Recomforted, and after thoughts disturb'd
Submitting to what seem'd remediless,
Thus in calm mood his words to Eve he turn'd.
Bold deed thou hast presum'd, adventrous Eve,
And peril great provok't, who thus hath dar'd
Had it been onely coveting to eye
That facred fruit, sacred to abstinence,
Much more to taste it under banne to touch.