Was known in Heaven; for what can scape the eye

Of God all-seeing, or deceive his heart

Omniscient? who, in all things wise and just,
Hindered not Satan to attempt the mind

Of Man, with strength entire, and free-will armed,
Complete to have discovered, and repulsed,

Whatever wiles of foe, or seeming friend.

For still they knew, and ought to have still remembered,
The high injunction-not to taste that fruit,

Whoever tempted; which they not obeying
Incurred, (what could they less?) the penalty;
And, manifold in sin, deserved to fall.

Up into Heaven, from Paradise, in haste
The angelic guards ascended, mute, and sad
For Man; for of his state by this they knew,
Much wondering how the subtle fiend had stolen
Entrance unseen. Soon as the unwelcome news
From Earth arrived at Heaven-gate, displeased
All were who heard; dim sadness did not spare
That time celestial visages, yet, mixed
With pity, violated not their bliss.

About the new arrived, in multitudes

The ethereal people ran, to hear and know
How all befell: they towards the throne supreme,
Accountable, made haste, to make appear,
With righteous plea, their utmost vigilance,
And easily approved; when the Most High
Eternal Father, from his secret cloud
Amidst, in thunder uttered thus his voice:

"Assembled angels, and ye Powers returned
"From unsuccessful charge! be not dismayed,
"Nor troubled at these tidings from the Earth,
"Which your sincerest care could not prevent,
"Foretold so lately what would come to pass,
"When first the tempter crossed the gulf from Hell

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"I told ye then he should prevail, and speed

"On his bad errand; man shall be seduced,
"And flattered out of all, believing lies
66 Against his Maker; no decree of mine
"Concurring, to necessitate his fall,

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"Or touch with lightest moment of impulse
"His free will, to her own inclining left

"In even scale. But fallen he is; and now
"What rests, but that the mortal sentence pass

"On his transgression-death denounced that day?
"Which he presumes already vain and void,

"Because not yet inflicted, as he feared,

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By some immediate stroke; but soon shall find "Forbearance no acquittance, ere day end.

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Justice shall not return, as bounty, scorned.

"But whom send I to judge them? Whom but thee, Vicegerent Son? To thee I have transferred

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"All judgment, whether in Heaven, or Earth, or Hell. "Easy it may be seen that I intend

16 Mercy colleague with justice, sending thee,
"Man's friend, his Mediator-his designed
"Both ransom and Redeemer voluntary;

"And destined Man himself, to judge Man fallen."
So spake the Father; and, unfolding bright
Toward the right hand his glory, on the Son
Blazed forth unclouded Deity: he, full
Resplendent, all his Father manifest

Expressed, and thus divinely answered mild:

"Father Eternal! thine is to decree;

Mine, both in Heaven and Earth to do thy will

Supreme; that thou in me, thy Son beloved,

Mayst ever rest well pleased. I go to judge

"On Earth these thy transgressors; but thou knowst,
"Whoever judged, the worst on me must light,
"When time shall be; for so I undertook
"Before thee; and, not repenting, this obtain
"Of right, that I may mitigate their doom

"On me derived: yet I shall temper so

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'Justice with mercy, as may illustrate most "Them fully satisfied, and thee appease.

"Attendance none shall need, nor train, where none
"Are to behold the judgment, but the judged—
"Those two; the third, best absent, is condemned,
"Convict by flight, and rebel to all law:
"Conviction to the serpent none belongs."

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Thus saying, from his radiant seat he rose

Of high collateral glory. Him Thrones, and Powers,
Princedoms, and Dominations ministrant,

Accompanied to Heaven-gate; from whence

Eden, and all the coast, in prospect lay.

Down he descended straight; the speed of Gods

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Time counts not, though with swiftest minutes winged.
Now was the sun in western cadence low

From noon; and gentle airs, due at their hour,

To fan the Earth now waked, and usher in

The evening cool; when he, from wrath more cool,
Came-the mild Judge and Intercessor both-
To sentence Man. The voice of God they heard
Now walking in the garden, by soft winds
Brought to their ears while day declined-they heard,
And from his presence hid themselves among
The thickest trees, both man and wife; till God
Approaching, thus to Adam called aloud:

"Where art thou, Adam, wont with joy to meet
"My coming seen far off? I miss thee here;
"Not pleased, thus entertained with solitude,
"Where obvious duty erewhile appeared unsought:
"Or come I less conspicuous, or what change
"Absents thee, or what chance detains? Come forth!'
He came; and with him Eve, more loth, though first
To offend-discountenanced both and discomposed :
Love was not in their looks, either to God
Or to each other; but apparent guilt,
And shame, and perturbation, and despair,
Anger, and obstinacy, and hate, and guile.

Whence Adam, faltering long, thus answered brief:
"I heard thee in the garden; and of thy voice
"Afraid, being naked, hid myself.” To whom
The gracious Judge, without revile, replied:

"My voice thou oft hast heard, and hast not feared,
"But still rejoiced; how is it now become
"So dreadful to thee? That thou art naked, who
"Hath told thee? Hast thou eaten of the tree,
"Whereof I gave thee charge thou shouldst not eat?"
To whom thus Adam, sore beset, replied:

"O Heaven! in evil strait this day I stand "Before my Judge; either to undergo

"Myself the total crime, or to accuse

"Whose failing, while her faith to me remains,
"I should conceal, and not expose to blame

"By my complaint: but strict necessity
"Subdues me, and calamitous constraint;
"Lest on my head both sin and punishment,

"However insupportable, be all

"Devolved; though, should I hold my peace, yet thou

"Wouldst easily detect what I conceal.

"This woman, whom thou madest to be my help,

"And gavest me as a perfect gift-so good

"So fit-so acceptable-so divine,

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"That from her hand I could suspect no ill;
"And what she did-whatever in itself-
"Her doing seemed to justify the deed;
"She gave me of the tree, and I did eat."

To whom the Sovran Presence thus replied: "Was she thy God, that her thou didst obey "Before his voice? or was she made thy guide, Superior, or but equal, that to her

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"Thou didst resign thy manhood, and the place
"Wherein God set thee above her, made of thee,
“And for thee, whose perfection far excelled
"Hers in all real dignity? Adorned
"She was indeed, and lovely, to attract
"Thy love, not thy subjection; and her gifts
"Were such, as under government well seemed
"Unseemly to bear rule; which was thy part
"And person, hadst thou known thyself aright."
So having said, he thus to Eve in few:

Say, woman, what is this which thou hast done?"
To whom sad Eve, with shame nigh overwhelmed,
Confessing soon, yet not before her Judge
Bold or loquacious, thus abashed replied:

"The serpent me beguiled, and I did eat!'

Which, when the Lord God heard, without delay

To judgment he proceeded on the accused

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Serpent, though brute; unable to transfer
The guilt on him who made him instrument
Of mischief, and polluted from the end
Of his creation: justly then accursed
As vitiated in nature: more to know
Concerned not man (since he no further knew),
Nor altered his offence; yet God at last
To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied;
Though in mysterious terms, judged as then best:
And on the serpent thus his curse let fall :

"Because thou hast done this, thou art accursed "Above all cattle, each beast of the field;

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Upon thy belly grovelling thou shalt go, "And dust shall eat all the days of thy life. "Between thee and the Woman I will put "Enmity; and between thine and her seed:

"Her seed shall bruise thy head, thou bruise his heel." So spake this oracle, then verified,

When Jesus, Son of Mary, second Eve,

Saw Satan fall, like lightning, down from Heaven,
Prince of the air; then, rising from his grave,
Spoiled Principalities and Powers, triumphed
In open show; and, with ascension bright,
Captivity led captive through the air,
The realm itself of Satan, long usurped ;
Whom he shall tread at last under our feet;
Even he, who now foretold his fatal bruise;
And to the woman thus his sentence turned:

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Thy sorrow I will greatly multiply "By thy conception; children thou shalt bring "In sorrow forth; and to thy husband's will "Thine shall submit; he over thee shall rule." On Adam last thus judgment he pronounced: "Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, "And eaten of the tree, concerning which

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"I charged thee, saying, 'Thou shalt not eat thereof;' 200 "Cursed is the ground for thy sake: thou in sorrow

"Shalt eat thereof all the days of thy life;

"Thorns also, and thistles, it shall bring thee forth

"Unbid; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field: